Konami Digital Entertainment has announced that Shohei Otani has been appointed as the company’s baseball game ambassador to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the “Powerful Professional Baseball” series and the 20th anniversary of the “Professional Baseball Spirits” series in 2024. .
Otani will be participating in the “30th Anniversary of Power Pro Baseball x 20th Anniversary of Pro Baseball”, which will be held in the mobile games “Professional Baseball Spirits A”, “Power Pro Eikan Nine Crossroads”, and “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball”, which are currently being distributed. It is said that it will appear in various projects.
This time, behind-the-scenes footage from the shooting and a special interview have also been released.
[Behind the scenes footage]
Special interview with Shohei Otani, who will turn 30 in 2024
――This time, you will be appointed as the ambassador for “PowerPro 30th Anniversary x Prospi 20th Anniversary”, and Otani himself will turn 30 this year. What is the most memorable (impressive) event in the past 30 years?
Otani: When it comes to number one, it depends on the situation. Last year’s WBC (2023 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC) left an impression on me, and when I entered professional baseball, it left an impression on me, and even more so, the day I played baseball for the first time left a huge impression on me. , I can’t seem to narrow it down. I think it will change depending on the time.
――If you were to rate yourself now when you were 30 years old, what score would you give Otani when you were younger (than you are now), for example, when you were 20 years old?
Otani: I don’t know the score, but I thought he was a little more mature (lol). When I was a teenager, I imagined being 25 or 30 years old, and I thought that I would be much more mature. Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way, but I feel like I’m still a child here. I had an image of a more calm man, but I think he’s coming in the complete opposite direction.
–I believe you will be playing in a new field this year, so please tell us about your aspirations.
Otani: I think the first thing is to get used to the environment. Although I have joined the team, I don’t think I have become teammates in the true sense of the word yet, so I would like to start by communicating and building a relationship of trust with my teammates, including the results.
–What are your goals for this season as you turn 30?
Otani: Of course, winning the World Series is one of my goals in my baseball career, so that’s my number one goal, and since I can’t pitch at the moment this year, I can contribute while at bat. I would like to do my best.
–I think you’ll be competing as a pitcher starting next year, but what are your personal goals and what do you want to accomplish when you’re 30 or in your 30s?
Otani: First of all, I need to make a solid comeback as a pitcher, and then I need to continue to pitch and hit to the fullest for one season. This time, I have a 10-year contract, so my goal is to be able to fulfill that contract for 10 years straight.My number one goal is to win the World Series, so I can contribute to that with both pitching and hitting. I think it’s tarana.
–Have you ever played “PowerPro” or “Prospi” since you were a child? Also, has it influenced Otani’s current view of baseball?
Otani: Yes. I think it’s like being a player or “successful” in a way, so I practice what suits me and take some time off, but in the sense that I get back what I practice, the game is also a reality. Roughly speaking, it’s the same. That’s how I felt when I was a kid, thinking of myself as a PowerPros player (baseball practice), so it was just fun. I really liked developing the players in the game myself, so now I feel like I’m doing something similar (to PowerPro’s success) using my own body. It feels like a game of personal development. It’s kind of like a hobby, so I think that kind of thing (has an influence).
*”Success” is a popular professional baseball player training mode in the “Power Pro” series.
–There is a dog character named Gander in “PowerPro”. Mr. Otani also recently started owning a dog. Please tell us how you decided to get one.
Otani: I’ve always wanted to keep one, and I was thinking of getting one this offseason, but he got injured, so I didn’t know what to do. However, I had to stay at home all the time, or rather, I couldn’t leave the house and was in a cast, so it was difficult to take care of the dog for the first month, so I thought the timing was perfect. That’s why we worked hard on rehabilitation together. Sleep together (lol).
Introducing shooting episodes
Photos of the WBC Japan representative in uniform and relaxed casual clothes
In the still shoot for the advertisement, two types of costumes were photographed: a match uniform and relaxed everyday wear. Otani quickly entered the studio wearing the Japan national team uniform he wore at the 2023 WBC, and first took a photo in casual clothes, wearing a gray hoodie over the uniform. In response to the photographer’s request to “look strong” and “tuck in your chin a little,” she crossed her arms and showed a close-up of her bust and a serious expression on her face, followed by a relaxed pose with her arms uncrossed and a “happy” pose. “Let’s go with that feeling,” he instructed, showing off his charming smiles one after another.
Key visual cut taken with the image of a “hero”! Are there any scenes where you can get a glimpse of Otani’s kindness?
In the cut for the key visual, Otani takes off his hoodie, puts on his uniform, puts on a hat, and stands in front of the camera. Since this cut includes a copy of Otani’s handwritten message, “Let’s play baseball!”, the cameraman instructed him to “go with the image of a hero,” and he made minor adjustments to things such as the line of sight, the direction of the face, and the angle of the jaw. However, we pursued the best cut.
In addition, when adjusting costumes and hair, there are scenes where the woman in charge of hair and make-up bends down to be at eye level with Otani, who is tall, to make it easier for her to style her hair. Otani’s careful attention to detail warmed the hearts of the staff watching over him.
You can’t help but look around at the co-starring cut with mascot character PowerPro-kun.
The cameraman captures everything from shots where he turns his back to the front and turns his head slightly forward, then gradually brings his body back to the front, to fist pumps, full body shots, shots of him throwing a ball while wearing gloves, and shots of him holding a bat. Otani was able to flexibly respond to requests for variations. Among all of this, the only time he showed a “huh?” expression was when he co-starred with the mascot character “PowerPro-kun.”
Since the actual PowerPro-kun that will be edited later is not there, there are times when I can’t help but ask, “Where should I look?” However, Otani quickly grasped the key points and made a series of wonderful facial expressions in response to instructions such as, “Look at this area as if you were interacting with a child,” and “As if you were talking to him about playing baseball,” which greatly excited the scene. Ta.
Take home a stuffed toy of the dog character “Gander” that appears in “PowerPro”!
When Otani saw a stuffed toy of Gander, the dog character from PowerPro, prepared for the photo shoot that day, he was curious and asked, “What is this?” After the photo shoot, the photographer asked if he could take the stuffed animal home with him, and he did so.
*The stuffed animal is scheduled to be sold as a prize for amusement facilities.
[About Shohei Otani’s appointment as ambassador: Konami Digital Entertainment]
Centered on the “Powerful Professional Baseball” series, which features two-headed deformed characters, and the “Professional Baseball Spirits” series, which pursues realism such as player graphics and a sense of realism, we are constantly challenging and evolving, and are world-class. We have continued to develop popular baseball games. We have also aimed to develop the baseball world by providing new ways to enjoy baseball in the entertainment field.
We empathize with Otani’s commitment to expanding the possibilities of baseball and promoting baseball through his “dual-wielding” approach, so we decided to work together to further enliven the baseball world.
(C)2024 Konami Digital Entertainment
2024-01-15 19:14:11
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