<Happy End> features one of the most pitiful characters, the principal. As soon as he bought his long-dreamed yellow sports car, the Nissan Fairlady, he was forced to stand it vertically due to delinquent students. No matter how much the authority of teachers has fallen, isn't this a bit too much? This car, which also appeared in <The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift> (2006), is a two-seater, and the principal, who prefers the Nissan Fairlady over large sedans like Lexus or Rolls Royce, is quite an interesting character. However, the setting of 'the principal who likes the Nissan Fairlady' is only possible because the actor playing him is Shiro Sano. He is Japan's representative 'otaku actor.' The next morning, who would suffer the most upon seeing the Nissan Fairlady turned upside down? It would be Shiro Sano.
As a film actor, Shiro Sano's past is sufficiently represented by mentioning the films of two directors from the 1980s and 1990s, Kaizo Hayashi and Takeshi Kitano, who have very different styles. He appeared in both directors' debut films. Born in 1955, Shiro Sano graduated from art school and became a full-time actor through theater activities, accumulating a wide-ranging career by appearing in numerous films and dramas. During this time, he made his film debut in Kaizo Hayashi's feature debut <I Want to Sleep Like a Dream> (1986), where he played the role of detective Watsuka, who is asked to find a kidnapped daughter. This film, which paid homage to silent films with its film noir style and dreamlike black-and-white visuals, excited many cinephiles. The protagonist of the beautiful black-and-white scene, where a man in a suit walks down a cherry blossom-filled street carrying a woman in a kimono, is none other than Shiro Sano.
In Takeshi Kitano's feature debut <That Man is Violent> (1989), he played the role of police chief Yoshinari, who is the superior of detective Azuma (Takeshi Kitano), who suffers from a mental illness in his sister. He was in constant conflict with Azuma, who wielded violence without restraint and frequently caused problems, saying, "Don't cause trouble while I'm working here!" Over the years, he has also appeared in Korean films. He played the father of Tatsuya (Joe Odagiri) in director Kang Je-kyu's film <My Way> (2011), which is set during the Japanese occupation.
In 1992 and 1993, he became a major star through the TBS dramas <I Loved You All Along> and <I Can't Tell Anyone>. The character Fuyuhiko (Shiro Sano), who was a supporting role in <I Loved You All Along>, became immensely popular, leading to a sequel <I Can't Tell Anyone> being created with Shiro Sano as the protagonist. His unique performance, which hides madness behind a dignified and neat appearance, became representative of his character. For instance, in <Happy End>, when the students occupied the principal's office, rather than thinking 'temporary peace has arrived' while watching the principal hand sushi lunch boxes to the students, one might think 'could there be poison in it?'
Additionally, as mentioned earlier, he has the aspect of an otaku actor. He is known as a representative 'Godzilla superfan' among Japanese celebrities. In fact, he appeared in the series as Professor Miyazaka of the CCI (Crisis Management Agency) in <Godzilla 2000 Millennium> (1999) and as a department head in <Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monster All-Out Attack> (2001). He even conducted an interview with director Ishiro Honda, who can be considered the root of Godzilla, for a research book about the original <Godzilla> made in 1954. He is also a fan of <Ultraman> and the <20th Century Boys> series, and played the final boss Balma in <Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger VS Space Sheriff Gavan> (2012) and <Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger the Movie: Time Slip! Dinosaur Panic!!> (2019). Perhaps because of this, he is well-versed in monsters, yokai, and even horror stories and science fiction novels, often appearing as a panelist on related variety shows.
The popular Fuji TV drama <Galileo>, which started in 2007, cannot be overlooked. It is a mystery drama where genius physicist Manabu Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama) and rookie female detective Kaoru Utsumi (Kou Shibasaki) solve bizarre cases, based on Higashino Keigo's novels 「Detective Galileo」 and 「The Devotion of Suspect X」. In addition to these two works, it is referred to as the 'Galileo series' along with the film adaptation titled <Suspect X> (2012) in Korea. Did Shiro Sano appear in any of the films or dramas in this series? No, but the original author Higashino Keigo modeled the character Manabu Yukawa after Shiro Sano. In fact, Shiro Sano wrote the review for the paperback edition of 「Detective Galileo」. Besides that, he also makes music. He has participated in the Fuji Rock Festival with his band as a guitarist, and his Instagram account (@sanovabitch) features a profile picture of him holding a guitar.
In April 2021, he unfortunately had to leave the TBS drama <Rikokatsu> due to health deterioration. He was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma, which forced him to quit the drama he was appearing in. Fortunately, he focused on treatment and was discharged in December of the same year, announcing his return by appearing in the music video for the rock band Kururi's 'Loveless,' released in March 2022. Since then, he has been actively continuing his career as before. The proof of this is <Happy End>. According to Neo Sora, the director who interviewed Cineplay during his visit, there was a reason for casting him as the 'otaku principal' in <Happy End>. "The overall tone of the movie is blue, a blue world, so we went with a striking yellow sports car. The actor who played the principal has a somewhat childish side. He likes 'Ultraman.' (laughs) So, I thought that even powerful figures like principals have a childlike side within them."
