is a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
mystery film and
television show
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by
Takeru Kaidō. The story revolves around a hospital with a team of doctors known for their success with a type of
heart surgery
Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to corr ...
. After a series of failed operations that result in the patient's death, an internal investigation is initiated, led by a doctor named Taguchi and a brash
government official
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...
. In the original novel the main character Taguchi, was a male doctor in his forties. However, for the film adaptation
TBS suggested replacing the character with a young female resulting in
Yūko Takeuchi
was a Japanese actress. She is known for her roles in television series ''Asuka'' (1999), ''Pride'' (2004), ''FlashForward'' (2009), and ''Miss Sherlock'' (2018) as well as films such as ''Ring'' (1998), ''Yomigaeri'' (2003), and ''Dog in a Si ...
being cast as in the role.
For the TV show, Taguchi is a man, with
Atsushi Itō playing the role.
Plot
A top notch seven-member team of doctors and nurses known as “Team Batista” are Tojo University Hospital’s pride and joy. The medical team performs a prominent heart surgery known as the
Batista Operation which has a normal 60% success rate, but the team has consecutively pulled off twenty six successful surgeries. However, the streak is broken after a string of three procedures end in their patients' deaths. Consequently, an internal investigation is launched with hospital therapist Kohei Taguchi in charge of uncovering the truth behind the incidents. When Taguchi is unable to find any definitive information, the deaths are labeled as unexplainable accidents. The evaluation is subsequently dismissed by Keisuke Shiratori, an investigator with the
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
The is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as in Japan. The ministry provides services on health, labour and welfare.
It was formed with the merger of the former Ministry of Health and Welfare or and the ...
, who re-launches the investigation on the basis that the deaths were actually murders.
Film
The filmis based on an award-winning novel and its popularity resulted in roughly 25 movie studios and television networks fighting over adaptation rights, in the end TBS won out.
[ The novel was adapted for the screen by Hiroshi Saitō and Mitsuharu Makita. The film began shooting October 7, 2008 and was primarily shot in ]Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. ''The Glorious Team Batista'' was in theaters on February 9, 2008 and became a commercial success, grossing 264 million yen from 284 screens its opening weekend.
When ''The Glorious Team Batista'' was screened at the Udine Far East Film Festival, it received mediocre reviews. Todd Brown of ''Twitch'' wrote:
"The characters are stock at best, the story arc blandly predictable and the ending drawn out beyond reasonable bounds. The technical end is solid and the performances good enough but the script for this just feels far more like a lengthy episode of prime time network television from the pre-HBO era – much more Murder She Wrote or Matlock than Dexter – than it feels like the feature film – adapted from a popular mystery novel – that it is. Horrible? No, just horribly bland."
Similarly, Ross Chen of ''Love HK Film'' wrote:
"...The Glorious Team Batista is a ragingly obvious commercial film, with manufactured characters, drama, and situations that seem ripped from a pulpy bestseller you might find featured in an airport bookstore (Surprise! The film is based on a novel.). This is a big-screen medical thriller built for mainstream audiences, and it seldom delivers anything beyond the required or expected... Regardless, the whole is too glossy and commercial to be anymore more than an average medical thriller suited to undemanding audiences."
A sequel to the film titled ''The Triumphant Return of General Rouge'' was released March 7, 2009. The sequel adapted from "General Rouge no Gaisen," which is the third book in the same novel series as "Team Batista." Yūko Takeuchi
was a Japanese actress. She is known for her roles in television series ''Asuka'' (1999), ''Pride'' (2004), ''FlashForward'' (2009), and ''Miss Sherlock'' (2018) as well as films such as ''Ring'' (1998), ''Yomigaeri'' (2003), and ''Dog in a Si ...
and Hiroshi Abe reprised their roles, with director Yoshihiro Nakamura
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter, known for his 2009 film '' Fish Story'', which premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival, and ''A Boy and His Samurai'', which won the Audience Award at the 2011 New York Asian Film Festival.
Li ...
also returning. Masato Sakai
is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 31st Yokohama Film Festival for ''The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio'' and ''The Chef of South Polar'' and the award for best supporting actor at the 2008 Nikkan Sports Film Award, at ...
was cast as the film's antagonist.
Cast
* Yūko Takeuchi
was a Japanese actress. She is known for her roles in television series ''Asuka'' (1999), ''Pride'' (2004), ''FlashForward'' (2009), and ''Miss Sherlock'' (2018) as well as films such as ''Ring'' (1998), ''Yomigaeri'' (2003), and ''Dog in a Si ...
– Kimiko Taguchi
* Hiroshi Abe – Keisuke Shiratori
* Koji Kikkawa
Koji, Kōji, Kohji or Kouji may refer to:
*Kōji (given name), a masculine Japanese given name
*Kōji (Heian period) (康治), Japanese era, 1142–1144
*Kōji (Muromachi period) (弘治), Japanese era, 1555–1558
*Koji orange, a Japanese citrus ...
– Kyoichi Kiryu
* Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
is a Japanese actor. Ikeuchi's mother is Salvadoran and his father is Japanese. He is an avid martial artist, notably holding a black belt in judo, and is also a keen fisherman.
Career
Ikeuchi played a supporting role as General Miura in Wilson ...
– Ryo Narumi
* Tetsuji Tamayama
is a Japanese TV and film actor. He joined modeling competitions and was active in ''Checkmate'' and other fashion magazines. In 2001, Tamayama debuted in ''Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger'' as GaoSilver. He continued to star in more movies and TV dra ...
– Toshiki Sakai
* Haruka Igawa
is a Japanese actress and a former gravure idol.
Career
Igawa appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2008 film ''Tokyo Sonata'' and Shinji Aoyama's 2011 film ''Tokyo Park''.
Filmography Film
* ''Filament'' (2001)
* ''Tokyo.sora'' (2001)
* ''Dog Star'' ...
– Naomi Otomo
* Hiromasa Taguchi
Hiromasa (written: 博正, 宏昌, 弘昌, 弘将, 浩正, 大将 or 太将) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese swimmer
*, Japanese composer and music producer
*, Japanese f ...
– Takayuki Haba
* Naoki Tanaka – Kōichirō Himuro
* Shiro Sano
Shiro, Shirō, Shirow or Shirou may refer to:
People
* Amakusa Shirō (1621–1638), leader of the Shimabara Rebellion
* Ken Shiro (born 1992), Japanese boxer
* Shiro Azumi, Japanese football player 1923–1925
* Shiro Ichinoseki (born 1944), ...
– Yuji Kakitani
* Yōko Nogiwa
was a Japanese actress.
Nogiwa was born in Toyama, Toyama, and grew up in Suginami, Tokyo from the age of three. She graduated from Rikkyo University.
In 1973, she married Sonny Chiba, with whom she co-starred in the TV series ''Key Hunter''. ...
– Makoto Fujiwara
* Sei Hiraizumi
is a Japanese actor. In 1964, Hiraizumi joined Daiei Film company and started his acting career.
In the 1970s to early 1980s, he appeared in a lot of jidaigeki and detective television dramas as a guest villain actor.
Hiraizumi starred as Koichi ...
– Seiichiro Kurosaki
* Jun Kunimura
is a Japanese actor who has performed in Japan, Hollywood and Hong Kong. He won Best Supporting Actor and the Popular Star Award at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in the South Korean horror film '' The Wailing'', directed ...
– Gonta Takashina
TV Show
Cast
* Atsushi Itō – Kōhei Taguchi
* Tōru Nakamura – Keisuke Shiratori
* Tsuyoshi Ihara
is a Japanese actor, martial artist, and writer of Korean descent.
Biography
Ihara is a Japanese person of Korean descent, born on November 6, 1963, in Kitakyūshū as Yun Yu-gu (윤유구/尹惟久) and who grew up in Ikuno-ku, Osaka. He is a ...
– Kyoichi Kiryu
* Daisuke Miyagawa
is a Japanese comedian and actor.
Miyagawa grew up in Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture. He is represented with Yoshimoto Creative Agency from Yoshimoto Kogyo
is a major Japanese entertainment conglomerate. It was founded in 1912, Osaka, as a traditi ...
– Ryo Narumi
* Hiroki Suzuki – Toshiki Sakai
* Yumiko Shaku
is a Japanese actress, model and former gravure idol. She is represented by Tommy's Artist Company.
Roles
TV Dramas
*2019: ''Kamen Rider Zi-O'' (Yuko Kitajima/ Another Kiva; Episode 35-36, 2019)
*2014: '' Lost Days no Himitsu'' (Fuji Telev ...
– Naomi Otomo
* Masahiro Toda
Masahiro is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese councillor (''Rōjū'')
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese ski jumper
*, Japanese artist
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese ...
– Takayuki Haba
* Yū Shirota – Kōichirō Himuro
* Shingo Tsurumi
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Shingo Tsurumi has appeared in the films such as Katsuhito Ishii's ''Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl'', Hideo Nakata's '' L: Change the World'', and Tak Sakaguchi's ''Yakuza Weapon''.
Filmography
Films
* ''Tonda C ...
– Yūji Kakitani
* Yuko Natori Yuko may refer to:
* Yuko (judo) (''yūkō''), a score in judo competition
* Yuko (Ukrainian band), a Ukrainian band
* Yūko, a Japanese female given name (including a list of persons with the name)
* Yuko, a Belgian band
* Yuko people
Yukpa is ...
– Makoto Fujiwara
* Ryuzo Hayashi – Kenta Takashina
* Mayumi Asaka
(born September 6, 1955) is a Japanese actress. One of her television roles was as the ninja Sagiri in the jidaigeki ''Abarenbo Shogun.''
As of 2005, she is still active in television commercials.
On August 31, 2006, she played a guest-star role ...
– Kanako Miyahara
* Takaaki Enoki
is a Japanese actor and artist from Isa District, Kagoshima. He is known for his role as private detective Mitsuhiko Asami in the ''Asami Mitsuhiko Series''. He attended Musashino Art University but left before graduating and joined the Shiki The ...
– Ichirō Kurosaki
* Chika Uemura – Kyoko Hoshino
* Akio Yokoyama – Shuzo Taguchi
* Risa Saiki – Midori Taguchi
* Mikeo Ishii – Akane Taguchi
* Kaoru Okunuki
Kaoru is a Japanese given name for males or females.
Name Meanings
The name's
meaning varies depending on its written form:
*薫/郁/芳 — "fragrance", common for both males and females
*馨/香 — "fragrance", more common for females
...
– Kishikawa Marie
* Houka Kinoshita
is a Japanese actor who was formerly represented by the talent agency, Cast Power. He graduated from Osaka Prefectural Nozaki High School and Osaka University of Arts.
Biography
In 1980, Kinoshita auditioned for the film, ''Gaki Teikoku'', whi ...
– Tamotsu Kishikawa
Episodes
References
External links
Official website: Novel
Official website: Film
Official website: Television show
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Team Batista No Eiko
2008 films
2008 Japanese television series debuts
2008 Japanese television series endings
2011 Japanese television series debuts
2011 Japanese television series endings
Japanese mystery drama films
2000s Japanese-language films
Japanese drama television series
Fuji TV dramas
Japanese medical television series
Television shows based on Japanese novels