■ “Oizumi’s presence gave me a tremendous sense of security” (Yoshida Yo)
A total of 12 new cast members have been announced for the TV Asahi 65th anniversary drama premium “The Town I Saw at the End,” which will be broadcast on September 21st.
“The Town I Saw at the End,” written by Yamada Taichi with the theme of conveying the harsh experiences of a war survivor to the next generation, has now been adapted into a drama for the third time after 20 years, starring Oizumi Yo and written by Kudo Kankuro.
The story depicts the family of Tamiya Taichi, a television scriptwriter played by Oizumi Yo, who lives an ordinary, comfortable life in the suburbs of Tokyo in the Reiwa era, but one day they suddenly find themselves transported back in time to June 1944, in the midst of the Pacific War, and struggling to survive.
■At the same time, Tsutsumi Shinichi embodies a man who travels back in time from the Reiwa era and skillfully lives in the Showa era!
Taichi’s wife, Hikari Tamiya, will be played by Yo Yoshida, who has an overwhelming presence as she has played a wide range of roles, from her tough acting in “Last Man – The Blind Investigator” (2023), in which she co-starred with Oizumi, to her comedic performance in “Inappropriate! Too Much!” (2024), written by Kankuro Kudo.
At home, Taichi has no dignity and is viewed as an annoyance by his family, while Hikari is a strong-willed woman who works hard at her part-time job, finding it rewarding even while busy with housework and caring for the elderly. Even during wartime, she sometimes scolds Taichi, but she stays by his side and does her best to support the family’s survival.
Yoshida describes Hikari as “a person who has a family and children to protect, and who chooses to change herself in order to protect those she loves.She has that kind of strength,” and she plays the role with care and power.
The role of Kojima Toshio, the nephew of Taichi’s father’s war comrade who becomes lost in the past at the same time as Taichi and his family, will be played by Tsutsumi Shinichi, who has continued to captivate audiences with his solid acting ability in numerous works, having co-starred with Oizumi in “Kakekomi Onna to Kakedashi Otoko” (2015) and “Muromachi Burai,” scheduled for release on January 17, 2025.
While Taichi is a complainer, always worrying and thinking about everything, Toshio is cheerful and sociable, accepting what is in front of him and moving forward positively. He quickly fits into the world of 1944, and although he is the complete opposite of Taichi, he becomes Taichi’s strong support and friend as they live through wartime.
Tsutsumi was a little shocked by Toshio’s “excessive acceptance of the year 1944,” but said he also thought, “There are times when I think, ‘Maybe this is all Tamiya Taichi’s dream.’ In that sense, Toshio appears as a kind of ‘symbol that Taichi created and applies to this world, which he (Taichi) cannot do.'” Expectations are building for how Tsutsumi will portray Toshio.
■The appearances of Oku Tomoya, Touma Ami, Imaizumi Yutoya, and Mita Yoshiko have also been confirmed!
The role of Shinya Kojima, the son who traveled back in time with Toshio, will be played by Tomoya Oku, a young and promising actor who is currently starring in the drama “Yukite Saku – Shinsengumi Seishunroku” and will also appear in the 2025 taiga drama “Berabou – Tsutae Eika no Yumebanashi”. Keep an eye on Shinya’s every move as he is a man of few words and a mysterious character whose thoughts are hard to pin down.
Also, the role of Taichi and Hikari’s daughter, Nobuko Tamiya, who is in the midst of adolescence, will be played by Ami Touma, who has been gaining momentum, gaining attention in the historical drama “What Will Ieyasu Do?” (2023) and starring in her first drama in “Ke no Hi no Kekeke” (2024). Nobuko, a modern high school girl in the Reiwa era, is on the verge of exploding in the world of 1944, where there is no radio signal, movie theaters, or shopping centers. However, she soon begins to show signs of a change of heart.
Taichi and Hikari’s son, Tamiya Minoru, will be played by child actor Imaizumi Yutoya, who has appeared in dramas, movies, and commercials, including the movie “Sweet My Home” (2023). He sensitively portrays how Minoru, who has no experience of war, changes during wartime.
Furthermore, Tamiya Kiyoko, the mother of Taichi, played by Oizumi, will be played by Mita Yoshiko, who has continued to be active at the forefront of the industry, transcending the eras from Showa to Reiwa, having played the role of Madonna Machiko in “Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Tora-san’s Salad Anniversary” (1988) and having starred twice in the historical dramas “Inochi” and “Hana no Ran.”
As the only person who experienced the war, she is beginning to show signs of dementia, but in the year 1944, where they time travel, Kiyoko’s memories are what Taichi and his friends rely on. However, she may or may not understand the situation, and sometimes falls in love (!?), and she clings to her family with a carefree air during wartime.
Meanwhile, the role of Teramoto Masaomi, the producer who helps Taichi in his work in the modern day, is played by Katsuji Ryo, who has played a wide variety of roles and left a strong impression as the “bangs-twisting man” in the TV drama series “Amachan” (2013), written by Miyato. In this work, he gives a passionate performance as Teramoto, who is also a key person in the story (!?) despite being extremely shallow and frivolous.
■Special appearances by Ryunosuke Kamiki, Seiichi Tanabe, Takashi Tsukamoto, Toshiyuki Nishida, and Isao Hashizume! A luxurious cast of talented actors gathers for TV Asahi’s 65th anniversary drama premium
In addition, special appearances by a stellar cast will be made to add even more depth to the story.
In the Reiwa era, Kamiki Ryunosuke plays Igarashi, the owner of the dog wear specialty store where Hikari works part-time. Tanabe Seiichi plays a senior actor and Tsukamoto Takashi plays a junior actor, both of whom appeared in the drama “Detective Seven and Eight,” which Taichi wrote the script for.
In addition, the film is further enhanced by the star-studded cast, including Nishida Toshiyuki as the farmer to whom Taichi and Toshio beg for alms during a food shortage, and Hashizume Isao as an elderly Showa-era man who aggressively confronts Taichi immediately after he travels back in time.
■ Comment from Yo Yoshida (role of Hikari Tamiya)
Q: This is the first TV adaptation in 20 years of Yamada Taichi’s original work, with a script by Kudo Kankuro. What were your thoughts when you first read the script?
I have seen Yamada Taichi’s work before, and Miyato’s scripts are written by a screenwriter that all the actors aspire to work with, so this production, which is a collaboration between the two of them, was very interesting to read the script. Yamada, who experienced war, has a realistic portrayal, and Miyato’s unique humor and modern new sensibility are combined, so although it is a war drama, I thought it was a completely new world that I had never seen before.
Q: What is your impression of the character Hikari Tamiya, played by Yoshida-san? Also, how was it actually playing the role?
Hikari is a very earnest and responsible person. Even in the present day, she is proud of the fact that she has a trade while also doing the housework, but after traveling back to 1944, although she is initially hesitant, she accepts it fairly quickly and gives up many things in a positive manner. She has a family and children to protect, and she chooses to change herself in order to protect those she loves. I thought she was a person with that kind of strength. I wondered if I would be able to accept it so quickly, but when I thought that maybe I would make a similar choice, I thought that in that sense, she is a character whose way of thinking is similar to mine.
However, since I started this job, I didn’t have much experience playing roles from before or during the war, so even though it was a play, I was still scared when I dressed in period clothing and faced the actors who lived in 1944. When I think about how people of that era experienced this in real life, I imagine how scared they must have been and how hopeless they must have been living their days, and I felt once again that it was a truly frightening time.Q: You and Yo Oizumi played a married couple. How was it acting alongside each other in this film?
There was an incredible sense of security in Oizumi’s presence. He was always open to anything we did, and of course Hiroshi also had ideas. There were many times when Hiroshi’s suggestions on set were actually adopted, blowing a hole in the scene, deepening it, or broadening it, so I felt a new respect for him both as a leader and as a person.Q: How do you feel about releasing this work now in the Reiwa era?
I think it’s a meaningful production, especially in a time when wars are happening all over the world. Yamada-san himself experienced the war, so his portrayals are very detailed and realistic, allowing the viewer to vividly picture what it was like. Combined with Miyato-san’s unique humor and modern-day realism, I think it will make it relatable to young people too. So, I hope that this drama will encourage people to take war as something that concerns them personally, and if possible, have time to discuss it with their families and think more deeply about war, asking questions such as, “What do you think about this?”Q: Please give a message to our viewers.
Although this drama is a war drama, I think it also asks, “How do you live?” and “What choices do you make?” when you find yourself in an unreasonable situation or in a place where you are faced with forces that you cannot control. I hope that it will encourage viewers to think about what they would do if they were in the same situation as Taichi, and what kind of words they could say to someone in the real world, for example, when they are in an unreasonable situation.Comment from Shinichi Tsutsumi (role of Toshio Kojima)
Q: This is the first TV adaptation in 20 years of Yamada Taichi’s original work, with a script by Kudo Kankuro. What were your thoughts when you first read the script?
I wasn’t familiar with the original work, but the combination of Yamada Taichi’s basic theme and Miyato’s light-heartedness and clever dialogue makes it a really interesting, well-made piece, and at the same time, I thought it was a terrifying piece.Q: What is your impression of the character Toshio Kojima that you play in this film? Also, how was it actually playing the role?
The character I played, Toshio Kojima, is a man who has accepted the Showa era so much that I wonder if he has traveled back in time many times. He is a man who has embraced the Showa era so much that he seems to have no choice but to adapt to the times. He is a man who is good at adapting and living, but when I think about myself, I don’t have that kind of vitality, and I think I might even panic and end up like that, so I am completely different from Toshio and couldn’t understand him. However, as I read the script and acted, there were times when I thought, “Maybe this is all Tamiya Taichi’s dream.” In that sense, I sometimes thought that Toshio appeared as a symbol of something that Taichi (= Taichi) created and applied to this world.Q: How do you feel about releasing this work now in the Reiwa era?
When we were young, every summer, as August 15th, the end of the war, approached, each station would broadcast programs related to the end of the war or war, but recently that atmosphere has somehow faded, and I think that some people, especially young people, feel that “I don’t know anything about such a long-ago story.” However, in an age where we are moving away from such things, I think that Miyato-kun’s script’s light-heartedness, its entertaining drama, and its final message about the “horrific nature of war” are very meaningful, so I think what Miyato-kun wrote is very significant.
Program Information
TV AsahiTV Asahi 65th Anniversary Drama Premium “The Town We Saw at the End”
09/21 (Sat) 21:00~
Starring: Yo Oizumi
Cast: Yo Yoshida, Tomoya Oku, Ami Touma, Yuto Imaizumi, Ryo Katsuji, Yoshiko Mita, Shinichi Tsutsumi
Ryunosuke Kamiki, Seiichi Tanabe, Takashi Tsukamoto, Toshiyuki Nishida, Isao Hashizume
Original work: Yamada Taichi “The Town I Saw at the End” (published by Shogakukan Bunko)
Screenplay: Kankuro Kudo
Directed by: Osamu Katayama
“The Town I Saw at the End” program site
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/owarinimitamachi/
