The Saitama Shakespeare Series concludes with “King John,” featuring Shun Oguri and Kotaro Yoshida. Originally starting in 1998 under Yukio Ninagawa, the series aimed to perform all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays. “King John,” initially the 36th play, was canceled due to COVID-19 but revived in December 2022, with performances in Tokyo, Aichi, and Osaka, ending on February 24 in Saitama. Shun Oguri starred as the young “bastard,” while Yoshida played the King of France in Tokyo and King John in Aichi, Osaka, and Saitama. The production maintained the “all-male” tradition, with male actors portraying all roles. This historical drama, depicting madness and war, marks the series’ 25-year conclusion.

A Japanese cop must find a two-brother hit-man team before they kill any more Japanese officials. USB sticks containing a list of corrupt politicians and police officials are held by four whistleblowers. Two notorious brothers are hired to kill the whistleblowers and recover the data before it goes public.