Koji Seto

Koji Seto (瀬戸康史, Seto Kōji^?, May 18, 1988(1988-05-18)) is a Japanese actor and singer. Starring currently as the cheerful Ariake Yamato in the Fuji TV Drama Otomen. Koji was also the lead vocalist of the Band J-Rock Band TETRA-FANG. The lively and bright multitalent is nicknamed Setomaru (瀬戸丸) and one of the youngest members from the acting group D-BOYS.

Biography

Born in 1988 on the land side of Kyushu grew Koji up as oldest child with two younger sisters. His childhood dream of becoming a vet changed suddenly with the end of his Junior High School time, when he watched with 15 years the TV series Orange Days. The praised Drama and performance by Satoshi Tsumabuki inspired the wish to become an actor. After discussing this topic with his parents, they decided to support their son and enrolled him to a local Acting School. ^[1]

After one year in training was Koji casted 2005 as Makoto Kanno, the snobbish main antagonist of later D-BOYS-fellow members Yuya Endo and Kotaroh Yanagi, in the comedy TV Series Rocket Boys. Although the series was filmed earlier, it would take over six month until its broadcasting. Meanwhile, after the filming ended, the parents surprised their son with a letter that stated the teenager made it to the final round of Watanabe Entertainment´s 2nd official D-BOYS audition. With his interpretation of Fukuyama Masaharu´s song "Himawari" won Koji the Grand Prix 2nd Winner Award on the 31th July 2005. He debuted as Junior member just shortly afterwards in December at the 3rd D-Live Event - an entertainment show featuring only D-BOYS members. ^[2][3]

In Spring 2006, with just 17 years, moved Koji finally after constant commuting from his rural and idyllic hometown in Fukuoka to live by himself in the 1,100 km distant, turbulent Tokyo. Koji starred together with all fellow D-BOYS members in their first own TV production "DD-BOYS" and won at the same time the audition for the part of the hyperactive acrobatic tennis player Eiji Kikumaru in Tenimyu. In 151 performances established Setomaru (the nickname was his own idea, by combinating his own surname (Seto) and Eiji's (Maru)) his place in the hearts of fans in Japan and all over the world until his Graduation alongside the members of the 3rd Seigaku-Generation on the 9th of September 2007. Koji and his Stage Partner Yukihiro Takiguchi were honored with a Best Actors Album and praised by the creator of the original work Takeshi Konomi as perfect cast. ^[4][5]

Koji's D-BOYS logo is a chameleon, in reference to his versatility. In late 2006 got the young actor chosen as Thursday's-face of OhaStar, a children's TV show airing live every morning on TV Tokyo. He co-hosted the show constantly until the 28th April 2008 once a week together with Kōichi Yamadera. As Seto-kun was he not just a boy in an old-fashioned green uniform - he also had the ability to change his persona with the use of his "Miracle Glasses". This way, Koji was able to act out his part in 8 different ways. He was casted in spring 2007 as the dallying greenhorn Kyoichi Segawa, a young gentleman host in Happy Boys, and his first leading part. The drama followed Makoto Tateno´s script, which was published alongside the TV Series in Manga-form. Mangaka Tateno created the character design originally based upon the actors - a very rare occurrence. Right after this series, the teenager was offered his first starring role in a movie, as the meek salesman Chibe-kun, who tries to deal with the yaoi passion of his girlfriend in the crazy comedy Tonari no Yaoi-chan, a movie based on a real-life blog that centered on the 801-chan phenomenon.

The part of Izamu Hayama in the touching feature film Tenshi ga Kureta Mono was his first cinema production in autumn 2007. Koji then co-starred in winter 2007 with Aya Ueto and Yo Oizumi in his first Golden Time TV Series Abarenbo Mama as a kindergarten teacher. From January 2008 to 2009 was he starring as one of Japan's Tokusatsu-Heroes, the young Violist and half-Vampire Wataru Kurenai aka Kamen Rider Kiva. Simultaneously beat Koji over 1000 competitors in an audition for the leading part as the Rebel Hiro, in the TV Series adaption of Koizora, after the bestseller Book by Mika. This made him the leading actor for two TV series filmed and broadcasted at the same time.

In early 2009 started Koji filming for the latest Ju-On movie Ju-On - Black Girl. He returned back to play as a guest star, Wataru Kurenai, for the first and last episode of Kamen Rider Decade. He starred then as the hotheaded Genius-Magican Satoru Okura in the Fuji TV Hit-Drama Atashinchi no Danshi as one of Maki Horikita 6 sons. Afterwards he was playing the cheerful and imaginative Junior Ariake Yamato in the Drama adoption of the Hit-Manga Otomen. Koji has played back as a guest star, Wataru Kurenai, in Decade: Final Chapter for the continuation of the last cliffhanger episode of Kamen Rider Decade. In the end of October he finished the filming for his starring part in the award-winning TV movie Rinne no Ame as the intellectually disabled Shuhei Mikami. ^[6]

Work

Filmography

Discography

See also

• D-BOYS
• Tenimyu
• The Prince of Tennis
• Kikumaru Eiji
• Kamen Rider Kiva

References

External links

• Koji Seto's Blog (Japanese)
• Koji Seto's D-BOYS Profile (Japanese)