Once the script reading and promotional photos were taken care of, the first true lead role challenge of Michiya Gōshin's acting career officially began.
Nenshi Agency demonstrated the astonishing efficiency and formidable strength befitting an industry giant. With the full backing of the producer, the Alice in Borderland project quickly completed its preliminary preparations and moved directly into the substantive filming and promotional phase.
Having just finished some of the initial prep work, the production team decided to strike while the iron was hot and first shoot a high-quality teaser trailer. This would serve to warm up the market, attract advertising investment, and build momentum for the official broadcast later on.
As the undisputed male and female leads, Michiya Gōshin and Sakurajima Mai were naturally the absolute core of this promotional video.
At seven in the morning, a black van was driving along the highway toward Tochigi Prefecture.
Inside, Michiya Gōshin watched the scenery flash by the window, his mood perfectly calm. Kato Megumi sat beside him, her expression serious.
The trailer was being filmed in Ashikaga City. To recreate the impactful opening scene from the original work, the production team had built a nearly 1:1 scale replica of a Shibuya street block on a vast open lot in the city!
This included the iconic scramble crossing, the Hachiko statue, and the ticket gates at the east exit of Shibuya Station, along with the police box next to them.
This almost obsessive level of detail, all for the sake of shooting a few crucial scenes, was a testament to the cost and determination invested in the project.
As the vehicle entered the set, Michiya Gōshin saw this "replicated" Shibuya with his own eyes for the first time, and he gained a much deeper appreciation for the immense power of capital.
Even though he knew it was a set, the familiar shop signs, the crosswalks, and even the subtle wear and tear on the ground were all rendered with extreme realism. Walking through it, he had the fleeting illusion of truly being at the world's busiest intersection.
Yet, at this moment, the place was deserted, save for the bustling crew members and various pieces of equipment. A strange sense of dissonance surfaced in his mind.
"It's breathtaking, isn't it?"
Sakurajima Mai, who had been cast as the female lead, walked over from the side. She had arrived in a separate van. The girl was dressed casually today; with the weather warming up, she wore a loose, pure white cotton knit sweater, the soft fabric outlining her elegant figure.
She paired it with light-blue, slim-fit, straight-leg jeans and simple white sneakers. Her long black hair was draped softly over her shoulders, giving her the air of a girl next door.
"This is my first time seeing a practical set of this scale, too. Is this the grandeur of a major production?"
Michiya Gōshin nodded, sighing with genuine admiration. "It feels like a scene from a dream has been brought into reality."
The shooting schedule for the day was packed, focusing on several core shots for the teaser.
Sakurajima Mai quickly shifted into work mode. With the help of a stylist, she expertly tied her silky long hair into a high ponytail.
The hairstyle instantly caused a subtle shift in her entire demeanor. Gone was some of her usual gentleness and languor, replaced by a sharp competence and heroic spirit. Her gaze became keener and brighter, perfectly matching the tenacity and decisiveness of her character, Usagi Yuzuha, a survival expert.
As for Michiya Gōshin, he didn't require much elaborate styling. Arisu Ryohei was a "useless guy," so a颓废, downbeat aura wasn't meant to be particularly eye-catching.
An hour later, filming for the trailer officially began.
The first major scene was the classic opening from the original work.
The protagonist, Arisu Ryohei (played by Michiya Gōshin), and his two friends flee into a bathroom next to the ticket gates at Shibuya Station's east exit to escape a sudden commotion. However, when they shakily push the door open and step out, they discover that Shibuya, which should have been teeming with people and flashing neon lights, has fallen deathly silent.
The once-bustling metropolis seemed to have had its slate wiped clean, leaving only empty streets, abandoned vehicles, and silently flashing traffic lights.
The visual and psychological whiplash from extreme noise to extreme silence created an unparalleled sensory impact.
Michiya Gōshin needed to portray a series of emotional shifts: from panic and confusion to disbelief, culminating in immense fear and bewilderment.
This was still quite a challenge for him. After all, the [Newcomer Actor (Green)] Entry was a bit of a stretch for playing a lead role, which was why the [Proficient Sheng-Tai-Xing-Biao] Entry had recently become the focus of his experience grinding.
Michiya Gōshin took a deep breath, trying to immerse himself in the mindset of Arisu Ryohei, an ordinary person suddenly thrown into a post-apocalyptic world.
"Action!"
The director gave the command, and Michiya Gōshin, along with the two male actors playing his friends (including Yamazaki Haruto), stumbled into the bathroom, genuine panic on their faces.
After a brief pause, the three of them cautiously pushed open the heavy door, a sliver of hope in their hearts.
Despite having prepared mentally, when Michiya Gōshin actually walked out of the "bathroom" and stood on this perfectly replicated yet completely empty Shibuya street, an overwhelming, suffocating sense of emptiness and loneliness instantly enveloped his mind.
[Production Queue 1: Proficient Sheng-Tai-Xing-Biao]
[Experience: 13/100]
[Experience: 14/100]
[Experience: 15/100]
The camera pushed in, capturing the subtle twitch on Michiya Gōshin's face. His pupils dilated in shock, and his mouth hung slightly open, as if he had forgotten to breathe.
After a moment, he staggered forward a few steps, looking around blankly like a child abandoned on a strange planet.
That genuine, heartfelt shock and fear were transmitted clearly through the lens.
[Experience: 16/100]
[Experience: 17/100]
"Cut! Excellent, Michiya-kun, your emotions were spot on!" Director Aoyama yelled in satisfaction.
The next moment, Michiya Gōshin slowly pulled himself out of that immersive state. He touched his chest, beginning to commit those forcibly constructed emotions to memory.
The subsequent shoot was a montage of various tense and thrilling "game" scenes. To give investors and the audience a preliminary look at the cruel setting of this world, the director arranged to film some action sequences and a montage of representative "game" shots.
The core of Alice in Borderland is four types of death games, distinguished by card suits.
Spades: Games that emphasize physical strength, combat, and survival. They usually involve direct physical confrontation or extreme escapes, requiring great force, stamina, and teamwork.
Diamonds: Games that test intelligence, logical reasoning, and calculation skills. Like solving puzzles, they require a calm mind and extensive knowledge.
Clubs: Games that focus on teamwork, division of labor, and trust. Members need to perform their respective roles and cooperate to clear the game.
Hearts: The most cruel and psychologically torturous games. They toy with people's minds, where betrayal and deception are the norm. They test the weaknesses of human nature, and clearing them often means sacrificing others.
In the story, while the protagonist Arisu Ryohei has average physical strength, he possesses extremely keen observation skills and powerful logical reasoning, making him especially adept at cracking "Diamond" type intelligence games. At the same time, his kindness and empathy also allow him to find unique solutions in some "Club" and even cruel "Heart" games.
Meanwhile, the female lead, Usagi Yuzuha, was an excellent mountaineer with outstanding physical fitness and survival skills, making her the absolute key player for tackling "Spade" type physical games.
During breaks in filming, Michiya Gōshin and Sakurajima Mai inevitably had to discuss the plot and their characters.
After a chase scene simulating an encounter with a "Black Panther," the two leaned against a "ruined wall" to rest for a bit.
"That dodging move just now—you could lower your center of gravity a bit more. It would make your start-up speed faster."
Sakurajima Mai offered the advice naturally. She had filmed action scenes with fighting before, so she could pass on some of her experience to Michiya Gōshin.
"Yeah, I felt it. My reaction wasn't quite fast enough when it lunged at me."
During filming, there were no CG effects; everything had to be imagined by the actors. However, to enhance the trailer's impact, the director had brought in a stunt actor to play the "Black Panther" for the lunging and pursuit scenes.
"Take your time. That's how action scenes are. You need to get used to the camera and your scene partner."
Sakurajima Mai smiled. After the chase sequence, beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, but her voice was still clear.
"Sakurajima-san, you're really amazing. Just as expected from a senpai."
Michiya Gōshin took a sip of water and continued to study the upcoming scenes.
"Hmph-hmph."
Sakurajima Mai looked at Michiya Gōshin and suddenly laughed, a mischievous glint in her beautiful eyes.
"Speaking of which, since the pronunciation of 'Arisu' is exactly the same as 'Alice,' how about I call you 'Alice' on set from now on, Michiya-kun? It's a rather cute nickname."
"Sakurajima-san… feel free to do as you please."
Michiya Gōshin didn't have strong feelings about it. It was common for actors on a set to call each other by their character names during breaks to better stay in character and maintain the right emotional state.
"You really don't mind?"
"It's just a nickname, of course I don't mind."
Michiya Gōshin shrugged.
A short while later, filming resumed.
In the subsequent shoots, there were scenes that required the two to run while supporting each other, as well as close-ups where they exchanged information and made eye contact.
Although their last collaboration had been some fragmented scenes in 49, Michiya Gōshin felt a growing chemistry with Sakurajima Mai.
They interpreted the subtle tension between their characters very well, which in turn accelerated the experience gain for Michiya Gōshin's Entries.
Finally, the long, intense day of filming drew to a close. After the last few reshoots of explosion and action scenes were completed, the director officially called it a wrap.
The crew began to busily pack up the equipment, while the actors could finally relax.
Michiya Gōshin glanced at his system panel.
[Production Queue 1: Proficient Sheng-Tai-Xing-Biao]
[Experience: 21/100]
"Not a bad pace. Once official filming starts, I should be able to get this Entry pretty quickly."
After a day of high-intensity work, even a simple crew bento box seemed exceptionally delicious.
The afterglow of the sunset cast a nostalgic and slightly tragic hue over the entire faux-Shibuya set, which, oddly enough, perfectly overlapped with the world's atmosphere in the show.
Although Michiya Gōshin and Sakurajima Mai were the leads, they still ate the crew's bento boxes, though the quality was high and they received special treatment as the main characters.
Kato Megumi, not being an actor, had eaten earlier. Holding Michiya Gōshin's jacket and water bottle, she sat nearby at a perfectly appropriate distance, not disturbing their meal.
The two found a spacious little table. While eating, Sakurajima Mai's gaze kept drifting toward Michiya Gōshin. She seemed to want to say something, but with the artist assistant—who had a unique presence and a close relationship with Michiya Gōshin—there, the girl seemed to feel it was inconvenient to speak her mind.
She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing.
Michiya Gōshin quickly noticed Sakurajima Mai's hesitation and took the initiative to break the silence with a smile.
"Sakurajima-san, is there something you want to say? It's alright, just say whatever's on your mind. You don't have to worry about Kato."
Sakurajima Mai smiled, glanced at Kato Megumi again, and then asked directly.
"Alright then. I was actually curious about something else. Have you been writing anything new lately?"
Michiya Gōshin was a bit surprised she would ask. The screenplay for We Made a Beautiful Bouquet was more than halfway done, with the end in sight.
"I have, actually. But I'm not writing a novel, I'm working on a screenplay."
"A screenplay?"
Sakurajima Mai's interest was immediately piqued. She raised an eyebrow and pressed on, "What kind of screenplay? For a movie? Or a TV drama?"
"A movie screenplay."
Michiya Gōshin nodded. "I'm planning to get it produced eventually."
"Is that so?"
Sakurajima Mai suddenly beamed, her smile as lovely as a blooming flower. "What's the story about?"
"A love story."
"A love story?"
Sakurajima Mai's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Michiya Gōshin again, then asked:
"Are you going to star as the male lead?"
"Perhaps. The script isn't even finished yet, so it's too early to talk about that."
Michiya Gōshin changed the subject. After all, We Made a Beautiful Bouquet was being prepared for Kurokawa Akane, so he couldn't discuss the future production plans directly in front of Sakurajima Mai.
Kato Megumi understood his intention and promptly stepped forward to hand him his water bottle.
"Mr. Suo sent you an email this morning about a meeting. You need to discuss some other work matters next week."
"Mm, I know."
Watching the natural interaction between the two, Sakurajima Mai didn't say anything more. She just smiled and said cheerfully.
"Well then, I'll be looking forward to your screenplay, Mr. Alice~"
"..."
...
Three days later, the filming and editing for the Alice in Borderland trailer were complete. When the show's official accounts on various social media platforms released the meticulously edited teaser and a set of high-tension character posters right on schedule, it instantly set off a massive wave across the internet.
The trailer opened with a bang.
The panoramic shot of the 1:1 scale, deserted Shibuya street, with its realistic details and suffocating emptiness, immediately captivated every viewer's attention.
The camera then zoomed in rapidly, and a close-up of Arisu Ryohei's face, played by Michiya Gōshin, filled the screen, etched with shock, fear, confusion, and vulnerability.
On his handsome features, his pupils trembled from the extreme emotional impact, and every subtle facial muscle seemed to be letting out a silent scream.
Then, the trailer's pace abruptly quickened.
Flames from an explosion shot into the sky, thrilling chases unfolded on the streets of the abandoned city, and glimpses of bizarre and deadly "games" flashed by.
The four playing card suits—spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts—flashed quickly, hinting at the cruel rules of this world.
A few shots of Sakurajima Mai as Usagi Yuzuha—wielding a climbing axe, her gaze sharp, her movements clean and decisive—were both cool and beautiful, precisely capturing the hearts of the original work's fans.
Finally, the frame froze on a moment where Michiya Gōshin and Sakurajima Mai stood back-to-back amidst the ruins, facing an unknown threat. A glimmer of unyielding hope shone through the despair as the title Alice in Borderland slammed onto the screen.
In just over a minute, every frame of the trailer exuded a film-level quality, reeking of a massive budget. It perfectly blended the visual spectacle of a post-apocalyptic wasteland with tense, exciting action scenes.
It also hinted at a profound examination of human nature and the subtle, budding bond between the two protagonists.
It both satisfied the stringent demands of the original fans for faithfulness and attracted the attention of a large general audience with its high production value.
The character posters released simultaneously pushed the anticipation to its peak.
On Michiya Gōshin's poster, he wore a worn, stained t-shirt, a small cut on his face, and his hair was disheveled. However, his eyes no longer held the pure terror from the trailer's opening; instead, they were infused with a light of intelligence and resilience, perfectly matching Arisu Ryohei's role as the "intellectual ace."
Sakurajima Mai's poster was completely different. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and she wore practical outdoor sportswear. Her face was smudged with a bit of dirt, but her gaze was as sharp as an eagle's. The climbing axe in her hand glinted with a cold light, and her entire presence was like a drawn sword—heroic, formidable, and radiating combat prowess.
When these two posters were placed side-by-side, the chemical reaction was extremely powerful: one the brains, the other the brawn, mutually dependent and indispensable.
[OMG!!! It's Alice in Borderland, is it really getting a live-action series?!]
[This trailer's quality is insane! The hype is real!]
[Starring Michiya Gōshin? The Michiya Gōshin I know? The dating show is over and he's already a male lead?]
[Sakurajima Mai! Sakurajima Mai! Usagi Yuzuha! So cool!]
[The faithfulness to the source is insane! That empty Shibuya gave me goosebumps all over.]
[Michiya-san's eye acting, his skill is really amazing!]
[So much info in the trailer! Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts! The games are coming! Can't wait for the show!]
And amidst this boiling cauldron of discussion, the most excited and ecstatic were none other than Michiya Gōshin's fans.
They had followed him from 49 all the way to Love is a Required Course in Life, and they all hoped to see his career continue to climb. These were the so-called "career fans."
The chat in the fan groups was refreshing at a frantic pace of dozens of messages per second, with exclamation points and cheers practically spilling out of the screen.
[Did everyone see? Gōshin-kun is the male lead!]
[The trailer is so well-made! Gōshin-kun's acting is incredible!]
[This is such a great opportunity! Gōshin-kun's popularity is definitely going to explode again!]
[Quick! Retweet! Comment! Like! Get those numbers up! Let everyone see this!]
In an apartment somewhere in Tokyo, a busy and excited Natsukawa Yuki immediately reposted the trailer and posters to all the fan groups she managed, along with a long, enthusiastic message.
"Everyone, we have to seize this pre-release opportunity!"
"This is Gōshin-kun's first time as a lead. We have to build up even more hype for him. Once the advertisers invest, we'll use our consumption and support to expand his popularity even further."
"To everyone who loves Gōshin-kun, we have to work hard!"
Although Natsukawa Yuki enjoyed shipping couples, the dating show was over. Now that such a great opportunity had arrived, she naturally wanted her idol's career to soar.
Spurred on by her initiative, the major fans and fan leaders in other Michiya Gōshin fan groups began to mobilize, demonstrating incredible unity and drive.
They spontaneously organized to furiously share the trailer and posters, edit all sorts of promotional videos, create beautiful promotional images and memes, and actively comment under all related topics, converting all their passion and joy into tangible data.
This massive fan power, combined with the trailer's own superb quality, Sakurajima Mai's popularity, and the original work's immense topicality, created a terrifying multiplier effect.
#TheMaleLeadOfAliceInBorderland#
#DatingShowWolfsFirstChallengeAsADramaLead#
#ArisuRyoheiMichiyaGoshin#
These three hashtags skyrocketed with unstoppable momentum, ultimately securing top spots on Twitter's trending list.
Clicking on the hashtags revealed a flood of exciting clips from the trailer, fan cheers, and surprised comments from the general public.
[It's him! The "Wolf" from the dating show who was confessed to by three girls is playing Arisu Ryohei?]
[Watched the trailer, his acting is legit. There's a story in his eyes.]
[Looking forward to the show! Hope the final product maintains the trailer's quality!]
The production team was naturally aware of these heated discussions, and Director Aoyama was happy to see it happen.
After all, Michiya Gōshin now had a sizable fanbase, with young women in their teens and twenties as the main demographic. Their purchasing power was quite impressive.
Countless people who had never known Michiya Gōshin before took notice of this first-time leading actor because of the trending topics and the trailer.
His fame, attention, and the public's anticipation for him all experienced an explosive growth that day.
In front of her screen, Natsukawa Yuki watched the two blazing hot spots on the Twitter trending list, saw the ever-increasing discussion volume and fan count, and her fingers trembled with excitement.
She rapidly typed on her keyboard, sending a pinned message to the fan group.
"Remember today!"
"This is the first miracle we've created together with Gōshin-kun!"
"But this is just the beginning! A vast sea of stars lies ahead. Every step from now on, we will walk with Gōshin-kun, helping him go steadier and higher!"
________________________________________
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