An Actor Swap Sleight Of Hand in "Rikokatsu"

Sano Shiro

Hirata Mitsuru

Was a bit confused by the latest episode of Rikokatsu when Shiro Sano, playing Keiko Kitagawa’s Father, was suddenly replaced by actor Mitsuru Hirata in the middle of the show’s airing!

This happened before, most notably was Takeshi Kashiwabara’s character in “Itsumo Futari De” who was replaced by Shingo Katsurayama. Takashi’s sudden departure was due to illness, and I wondered if it was the same for Shiro Sano.

Looking it up and, yes, it seems that’s the case. Sano had to be hospitalized due to renal dysfunction and that is when Hirata stepped in:

Having one of the main support characters change in the middle of shooting can be a daunting task, but they crossed that hurdle with a light-hearted moment which got a chuckle out of me:

When Kami Hiraiwa, who plays Kitagawa’s sister, comes home and is confronted with the new actor playing her dad, she hilariously does a double take and asks if he changed his glasses or something! LOLOL

And without missing a beat, Hirata sheepishly says, “Yes, I got a makeover” AHAHAHA! Now THAT'S the way top handle a transition!

LOL, reminds me of years ago when the actress playing Aunt Viv in “The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air” was replaced after season three. Jazz drops by the house and does a double take, saying, “There’s Something Different about you!” HAHA!

Hope Rikokatsu suffers no more setbacks, the show is going good!