Third (played by Toshiyuki Nagashima) is a protagonist in Third Base.
Shinji Seno, known as Third because he once played third base, is serving time for murder at a reform school. After a fight with Akira, he is placed in solitary, reflects on a recurring dream, and expresses himself through poems and a carefully folded model airplane. His thoughts about freedom reveal his uncertainty about life beyond the institution. Shinbun-bu (played by Aiko Morishita) appears in Third Base.
Shinbun-bu is one of the girls struggling with expectations and the need to earn money. She becomes involved in encounters arranged through the girls' work and eventually marries a man she met through it. Her departure ends the prospect of her and the others going out together with the boys. Tenisu-bu (played by Akiko Shikata) appears in Third Base.
Tenisu-bu is one of the girls whose precarious work brings her into contact with the boys. She explains that her father was injured and her mother became an alcoholic, and she participates in arranged encounters, including one with a man who pays to meet her. Her circumstances contribute to the changing plans and relationships around the boys. Third's Mother (played by Chiyoko Shimakura) appears in Third Base.
Akira (played by Fumihiko Ikeda) appears in Third Base.
Akira is confined at the reform school for assault. After spitting in the soup, he fights with Third and is placed in solitary. As he faces the prospect of leaving the school, he writes a statement promising to keep fighting his violent nature. His conflict with Third prompts the boys to debate blame and friendship.
Third Base (1978) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Third
(played by Toshiyuki Nagashima) — protagonist
Shinji Seno, known as Third because he once played third base, is serving time for murder at a reform school. After a fight with Akira, he is placed in solitary, reflects on a recurring dream, and exp...
Shinbun-bu
(played by Aiko Morishita) — supporting
Shinbun-bu is one of the girls struggling with expectations and the need to earn money. She becomes involved in encounters arranged through the girls' work and eventually marries a man she met through...
Tenisu-bu
(played by Akiko Shikata) — supporting
Tenisu-bu is one of the girls whose precarious work brings her into contact with the boys. She explains that her father was injured and her mother became an alcoholic, and she participates in arranged...
Third's Mother
(played by Chiyoko Shimakura) — supporting
Akira
(played by Fumihiko Ikeda) — supporting
Akira is confined at the reform school for assault. After spitting in the soup, he fights with Third and is placed in solitary. As he faces the prospect of leaving the school, he writes a statement pr...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Third's Mother → Third
(mother)
Story Dynamics
Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.
Shinbun-bu → Tenisu-bu
(Alliance Work Partners)
Shinbun-bu and Tenisu-bu struggle with expectations and the need to earn money, and they arrange encounters with men as part of that work.
Third → Akira
(Conflict Rivals)
Akira spat in the soup, Third retaliated, and both were placed in solitary after their violent fight.
Story Analysis
Inmates and girls facing difficult circumstances struggle to imagine connection, hope, and a life beyond constraint.
Plot Progression
A Fight Behind the Walls
Dreams Inside Confinement
Work and Vulnerable Hopes
Departures and Uncertain Freedom
Directed by Yōichi Higashi
Third Base (1978) · 6.4/10 · drama
Content sources
Related entry on
Wikidata
(Q7784776), public domain (CC0).
Plot breakdown and analysis on this page are AI-generated from the title's synopsis and metadata.
