Ikebukuro West Gate Park, which became famous as a TV drama series, is based on a short story written by Ishida Ira and won the 36th All Yomimono Mystery Novel Newcomer Award. This work, which has been developed in many ways including novels, TV dramas, comics, and stage plays, deals with various social issues and is characterized by many stories that refer to actual events. The screenplay for the TV drama version was written by Kudo Kankuro and the chief director was Tsutsumi Yukihiko. It has also been decided that it will be made into an anime in July 2020, and IWGP will once again attract attention. This time, we would like to focus on Ando Takashi, Makoto's best friend and the king of Ikebukuro who leads the G Boys.
Takashi Ando (Takashi)'s character
He is the leader of the G Boys, a color gang that controls Ikebukuro, and is commonly known as "King". He is pale and slender, so he looks weak, but he has genius reflexes and athletic ability, and his fighting skills are guaranteed.
He is a charismatic figure who is respected and feared by delinquents. He was a classmate and best friend of Makoto in high school, and he has been asking him to join the team for a long time, but he keeps turning him down. Takashi's charisma is so great that even the police respect him, and the town can move with just one word from him, making him a force to be reckoned with in the underworld.
Differences between the original and the TV version
In the TV version, Yosuke Kubozuka plays Takashi. In the original, he was called the "Ice King" and was a cool and mysterious figure, but in the TV version, he appears as the son of a bathhouse owner. Until he graduated from high school, he was a timid boy, and when Yamai defeated a Doberman, he was scared to watch.
He calls Makoto "Mako-chan," and Makoto says that he doesn't think of him as a king, so he calls him Takashi. Although he is usually a cheerful and carefree character, he is a cruel sadist and will easily cut off his opponent's fingers.
Overwhelming strength and charisma
In "Strawberry Episode" (Episode 1), Yamai challenges Takashi to a duel, and he defeats him without even a single hit.
The way he fights is so fitting that the phrase "floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee" is appropriate. The fight is clearly over, and even when Makoto steps in to stop him, Takashi doesn't stop punching.
And after the fight, he kisses Yamai tenderly. This kind of insanity is also part of Takashi's charm.
Takashi shows his gentle side
In "The Gorilla Episode" (episode 5), Takashi leads the G Boys and guards Hikaru's house to protect Hikaru, who is being stalked by Yamai.
He tells Makoto to worry about Hikaru, and is surprisingly caring. He says he does it because he doesn't want Yamai to wander around, but in reality, I think he's doing it for Makoto and Hikaru.
Hikaru smiles at Takashi who says "Don't fall in love with me" as he leaves. Hikaru was troubled at first, but he must have felt relieved by Takashi's kindness.
Ikebukuro's King has many fans
In "Yohachi's Episode" (episode 8), Masa impregnates a high school girl he met at a phone club, and is asked to pay a large amount of compensation, so everyone tries to make money for Masa.
Shun draws portraits, the G Boys win big bets, and Hikaru sells luxury goods. Meanwhile, Takashi earns money by kissing girls for 3,000 yen per 30 seconds. And there are long lines.
He's the king of Ikebukuro! He's not just strong, he's also popular with girls!
[itemlink post_id="110619"]Takashi doesn't flatter anyone.
In "Kyushu" (episode 9), Takashi and his friends are interrogated at the police station. Although the interrogation is completely violent, Takashi enters the interrogation room cheerfully.
"Hey! It's me, Takashi! I'm 10 years old, nice to meet you!" Is he really that stupid...? (laughs)
In "The Battle of the Jitte" (episode 10), Takashi is taken into custody after attacking the Black Angels, and after dutifully saying "Thank you for your help," he gives the impression that he was a good kid, and then he runs off and starts attacking again.
There is also a playful scene where he is immediately found by Yoshioka and the others, and tries to cover it up by acting. Yoshioka gives him a wry smile and says, "You're bad at acting."
The most poignant moment in the series
In "Kyushu" (episode 9), the moment Shun's body was found in a locker at the sauna in Takashi's family home, Takashi silently took a weapon from the locker and shouted, "GO---!!!".
Until now, Takashi had been avoiding conflict and waiting for the other party to self-destruct, but with his friend's death right in front of him, everything he had been holding back exploded at once.
Because Takashi cares about his friends, the death of his friend was the most unbearable thing for him, and I think he was the first to ignite.
It was a heartwarming scene where the playful Takashi awakens.
Conviction as a King
In "Tsukasa's Episode" (episode 11), Makoto steps in to stop the fight between the G Boys and the Black Angels. He tells Makoto the truth behind Rika and Shun's deaths, and that the culprits are Yamai and Hikaru.
When Makoto says that there is no reason to fight, Takashi tries to restart the fight for the simple reason that there was no reason to fight in the first place, and that he will fight because he wants to. Kyoichi agrees and prepares for battle.
The riot police try to stop them, but Yokoyama stops them and hands Yoshioka his resignation letter, saying, "It hasn't even been 10 minutes yet." Yokoyama is so cool here.
Makoto says, "This is so annoying!" and attacks allies and enemies, and starts to rampage, saying that if there is no reason, he should hit him too. Takashi says, "You can start when my hands touch the ground, but just watch quietly until then!" and starts to hit Makoto.
No matter how hard they hit him, Makoto doesn't fall. Unable to bear watching, the others start to back away. Kyoichi, unable to watch any longer, tells him to stop, but Takashi continues to hit him, crying, saying, "If you're not going to quit so easily, then don't come charging at me!" Takashi, who thought of his comrades and led the G Boys with conviction, avoided the conflict until the very last moment. However, as a leader, he had to settle for this conflict that began with Shun's murder.
It's a tear-jerking scene that shows that he doesn't call himself King half-heartedly.
King of Ikebukuro! What is the appeal of Ando Takashi? Summary
Takashi has an image of being free-spirited and carefree, but I think you'll understand that he is a strong leader who cares about his friends.
I also thought that the relationship between Makoto and Takashi is a wonderful one where they give and take each other, precisely because Makoto didn't join the G Boys.
There are too many highlights of Takashi to write about here, so please find them for yourself!
