Hey you all acting lovers!
I thought it would be cool to play a Japanese persona version Vaas from Farcry 3.
If you have any constructive fb, im more than happy to take in to improve it!
I also did an English version. Will post later if people like this one
I’m Kosei Ono, a bilingual Japanese actor working across Japanese and international productions.
My long-term goal is specific: to become the first Japanese male actor to win an Academy Award for acting.
That obviously won’t happen because I wrote it on Reddit. It requires the right positioning, performances, relationships, projects—and years of disciplined execution.
So I want to make my career an open experiment.
Imagine I’m your client and this community is part of my management team. Looking at today’s film industry, how would you build my career from where I am now?
I especially want your honest opinion on:
Give me three priorities for the next 12 months and one hard truth I probably need to hear.
I’ll turn the strongest advice into a public roadmap, test it in the real world and return with regular updates: auditions, meetings, projects, failures and measurable results.
If you were managing my career toward that level, what would you make me do first?IMBD
During the peak of the pandemic, when in-person opportunities to showcase my acting disappeared, I started thinking, “How can I get people to see my work?” That’s when I came up with the idea of creating a showreel.
I was especially eager to showcase my English acting skills, and at the time, I was hooked on the series Peaky Blinders. That show was just so damn cool, and I thought, “What if there were Japanese gangsters in that era? How badass would that be?” This idea snowballed into a story about two brothers who leave their homeland and dive into the gangster underworld, driven by revenge. And me? I decided to play the brother who thinks revenge is a waste of time and tries to convince the other.
On top of that, I was really inspired by @Yuki_Mats and their incredible project Mosaic Street. It made me want to smash stereotypes even more. Thanks, Yuki! 🙏
The First Steps
To get things started, I reached out to my friend, cinematographer Oikawa Kaito (@oik_kai). I casually pitched, “Hey, wanna do something simple, like a little showreel project?” He immediately said yes. (Deep down, I thought, “Man, this guy’s always ready to go. Respect.”)
At first, we were thinking of something small, maybe just a monologue. But as we kept talking, the ideas started piling up, and before we knew it, we said, “If we’re spending this time, why not make something legit?”
That’s when I decided to approach Dorrian Goto-Stone, a director I’d recently met. His period film work caught my attention, and I thought, “This guy’s attention to detail is insane.” Honestly, I was sure he’d say no—this was such a random and ambitious request. And, well…he did say no at first (haha).
But I couldn’t give up. I went back, explained the story in more detail, shared the outline, and told him how Peaky Blinders inspired me. I was so passionate about it, and eventually, I convinced him. He said yes, and I was over the moon. 🤩
The Chaos of Pre-Production
Here’s where things got crazy: we only had ONE WEEK to pull everything together. Dorrian started writing the script and storyboards, Kaito focused on the equipment and visuals, and I…well, I was doing a million things at once: finding costumes, makeup artists, props, locations, cars, assembling a team of helpers, and doing rehearsals. (Confession: I suck at multitasking. 🥹)
For my co-star, I reached out to Shuya Suzuta (@ShuyaSuzuta). Since he’d been wanting to create bilingual materials for himself (in English and Japanese), I figured this project was perfect for him. Luckily, he said yes right away.
One hiccup: originally, I was supposed to play the younger brother. But when we looked at our ages and appearances, it was clear I had to be the older brother. We swapped roles last minute. (Honestly, I still wonder what it would’ve been like if we stuck to the original roles.)
The Shoot: A Day of Drama
The morning of the shoot came with its own drama. Hyodo, who was supposed to play a bodyguard, had to drop out last minute due to a health emergency (turns out he had kidney stones—ouch). This left just Shuya and me, which ultimately shaped the final version of Brothers.
(Quick side note: Hyodo and I did manage to work together on another project later, but sadly, it got shelved. I’m still waiting for the day we can appear on screen together properly!)
Post-Production: The Real Grind
The shoot wrapped up successfully, but post-production? That was a whole other beast. It took us two years to complete the film. Without Dorrian’s dedication and meticulous editing, this project wouldn’t have come to life. I’ll never stop being grateful to him and everyone who contributed.
Why This Film Means So Much
Brothers is incredibly personal to me. It’s a culmination of the hard work, creativity, and passion of everyone involved. Yeah, I’ll be honest—we went into the red financially. There were times I could barely afford food (haha). But looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.
This film gave me the chance to showcase my acting in a way I’d never done before, and I hope it helps me take the next step, whether in Japan or overseas. My biggest wish is to someday repay everyone who helped bring this to life.
So, please watch it. It’s only 10 minutes. And if you enjoy it, I’d love it if you could share and comment. Let’s get this project out to the world. 🙏 If the makers of peaky blinders could see it then that would be fantastic