Starring Asami Mizukawa, Tetsuji Tamayama and Sho Sakurai, the drama "Laughing Matryoshka" has wrapped up filming

■ “It’s a really big asset for me.” (Sho Sakurai)

The TBS Friday drama “Laughing Matryoshka,” starring Mizukawa Asami and featuring Tamayama Tetsuji and Sakurai Sho, will air its final episode on September 6th.

With the final episode due to air just around the corner, Mizukawa, Tamayama, and Sakurai have each wrapped up filming.

Mizukawa, who played the main character, Michigami, wrapped up filming with the “Ranka” scene. When the cut was called for the final scene, she said with joy, “I’m so happy!” and expressed her gratitude to the staff who worked with her, saying, “This was a challenging project for me. I was so overwhelmed by the heat and I was so busy with my lines, but the staff on set were my emotional support.”

Furthermore, Sakurai, who did not appear in this scene, made a surprise appearance with a bouquet of flowers. This was the first time the two had worked together in about 10 years, but Sakurai congratulated Mizukawa on her successful performance as the troupe leader, and they exchanged a warm hug.

Next up to wrap up filming was Tamayama, who played Suzuki. “The heat on set was unbearable, so as the ‘air conditioner guy’ I had the remote control in both hands and did my best to keep the temperature under control for everyone, but it was still really hot (laughs),” he said, drawing laughter. However, he was also pleased with the completion of filming, saying, “I was able to approach this production with passion.”

And the last person to wrap up filming was Sakurai, who plays Seike. As an important character who controls the story of this film, he took on his first role as a politician. After finishing the last scene, he said with deep emotion, “I think that meeting the film ‘Laughing Matryoshka’ and the role of Seike Ichiro is a really great asset for me.”

After about four months of filming, the final episode will be broadcast at 10pm on September 6th. In the 10th episode, it was revealed that the true identity of “Hanussen”, who is controlling Seike from behind the scenes, is not his mother Hiroko (Takaoka Saki) or his ex-girlfriend Arisa (Tanabe Momoko), and that even the current Prime Minister Hanyu (Otaka Akira) was involved in the BG stock incident. In the following final episode, Michigami accepts a sudden proposal from Seike and becomes Seike’s “brain”. And finally, the true identity of “Hanussen” is revealed… Finally, all the mysteries are revealed.

■ Synopsis of the final episode
Hiroko (Takaoka Saki) was not the Hanussen who manipulated Seike (Sakurai Sho). And not only the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Morohashi (Yajima Kenichi), but also the Prime Minister Hanyu (Otaka Akira) was involved in the BG stock incident. Just as these shocking facts were revealed one after another, Michigami (Mizukawa Asami) suddenly received a proposal from Seike to be his brain, thinking that by being his brain, she would be able to track down Seike’s Hanussen, so she accepted the proposal. Seike always asked Michigami for his opinion, absorbing Michigami’s thoughts and putting them into his own words. Seeing Seike like that, Michigami began to feel a certain sense of fulfillment.

Meanwhile, Yamanaka (Maruyama Tomomi) urges Michigami to make public the evidence of Hanyu and Morohashi’s involvement in the BG stock scandal as soon as possible and bring them down. However, Michigami begins to have doubts, thinking that arguing with the government would mean losing his position as Seike’s brain trust.

■ Comment from Sho Sakurai
I think that it was a great fortune for me to encounter the work “Laughing Matryoshka” and the role of Ichiro Seike. I was given a precious time. The content of the work was serious, but the atmosphere on set created by Mizukawa-san and everyone else was fun and warm, so I always looked forward to going to the set. Thank you very much.
■ Comment from Asami Mizukawa
This was a challenging project for me. During filming, I was so overwhelmed by the heat and was so busy with my lines that it was tough, but the staff on set were my emotional support. I was able to be myself thanks to everyone’s kindness and humor, and I think I was able to finish the film safely. Thank you so much.
■ Comment from Tetsuji Tamayama
The heat on set was unbearable, so as the “air conditioner person,” I held the remote control in both hands and did my best to manage the temperature for everyone, but it was still hot (laughs). During filming, seeing Mizukawa-san, Sakurai-san, and the rest of the cast working so hard made me feel more and more motivated to do more. I was able to discuss various things with them on set and approach the production with passion. Thank you very much.

(C)TBS