Ren Nagase complains to Kaori Ekuni, the original author of the drama "Tokyo Tower"!? "Shishi-san... is really terrible (lol)"

■“Today, I met the real Toru and Shishi.” Ren Nagase & Yuka Itaya are moved by Kaori Ekuni’s words!

Osidora Saturday’s “Tokyo Tower,” starring Ren Nagase, is the first drama series in Japan based on Kaori Ekuni’s legendary love novel “Tokyo Tower.” The beautiful but unforgivable love between Toru Kojima, a 21-year-old young man played by Nagase, and Shishi Asano (Yuka Itaya), a married woman who is more than 20 years older than him. Their fleeting and sweet world is set in the hottest spots in Tokyo. It boldly depicts the story and characters unique to the new era of Japanese culture.

One day, a while after the drama started filming, Ekuni visited the filming site that was being held on the Azabudai Hills observation floor. After watching the filming, a special discussion (three-person conversation) was held with Nagase, who plays Tooru Kojima, and Itaya, who plays Shishi Asano, with Tokyo Tower in the background.

The scene at Azabudai Hills, where Ekuni visited the filming site, will appear in the third episode broadcast on May 4th. TVer is currently streaming episodes 1 and 2 of “Tokyo Tower” for free.

■Kaori Ekuni x Ren Nagase x Yuka Itaya discussion comments
–How did you feel when you heard that “Tokyo Tower” was being made into a drama series in this day and age?
Ekuni:I was really surprised. Not only did I write “Tokyo Tower” a long time ago, but I also heard that the world we live in now has strict ethical standards, and that young people are less interested in romance. , I was wondering why they would make this into a drama now.
Nagase:The story revolves around an unforgivable love, but it doesn’t feel that “humid”, which is why it was so easy to read. The words are so beautiful that when I read it, I can picture the scene in my head and the story sinks into me.
Itaya:I read it in real time when I was in my 20s, so I never imagined that I would be playing the role of Shishi in “Tokyo Tower.” After re-reading it, I realized that sometimes it’s only as we get older that we can understand the roots of love, where people are attracted to each other. I thought it felt different from when I first read it. Ah, I guess getting older isn’t so bad. Back then, when I was in my 20s, I couldn’t relate to the history of poetry, and I felt like I was replacing myself with Tooru, but now I feel like I’m someone who can relate to the sadness, impatience, and other emotions that adults have. Because I could feel it, I thought, Wow, novels are completely different depending on the time period.
Nagase:Is there anyone who was the model for characters like Toru and Shishi?
Ekuni:I’m not there. None of the characters in my novels have a model… That’s why when I visited the filming site today, I felt like I was meeting the real thing for the first time (lol).
Itaya:Are you OK? we….
Ekuni: Yes, it was already…beautiful. In a novel, words have no physical body, so in a sense you can write anything you want, and the reader can imagine it freely, but it must be very difficult for actors with real bodies to “act”. Wow, I thought. But the two of them were really beautiful, so I was looking forward to it even more.
Itaya:Mr. Ekuni, do you like Tokyo Tower?
Ekuni:I don’t think I ever thought that I liked her… It existed even before I was born, and I never thought about whether I liked it or not. But around the time I turned 30, I realized that whenever I saw Tokyo Tower while riding in a taxi, I would say, “Oh, it’s Tokyo Tower,” and I realized that maybe I liked it. It was.
Itaya:Why did you make Shishi say, “I don’t like (Tokyo Tower)”?
Ekuni:I wonder why… (lol) I don’t remember exactly, but I think it seemed kind of uncool to say, “I like Tokyo Tower.” But maybe that’s the flip side of my love. Tokyo Tower has been standing in the same place for a long time, but I think it looks different depending on the viewer’s mood, whether it looks lonely, sad, or happy.
――Along with Shishi’s line, “I don’t like (Tokyo Tower),” are there any memorable lines for Nagase-san and Itaya-san?
Nagase:“Shishi-san always makes me happy in an instant” – Toru’s straightforwardness and purity are revealed, and I like how her feelings for Shishi-san grow more and more.
Itaya:I really like the idea that people are drawn to each other by the atmosphere. When you somehow fall in love or fall in love, you know what it feels like, but when you try to write it down properly, it makes you realize, “Hah!” It was made. Well, it’s not “atmosphere” but “air”.
Ekuni:That makes me happy.
Nagase:Also, as the story progresses a little further, there are some words that Tooru says to Shishi, which are not necessarily unpleasant words, but when you say them to Tooru, they really cut into your heart… That’s why I was impressed when I read it.
Ekuni:It’s sad, isn’t it? (laughs)
Nagase:Yes, Shishi-san is…really terrible (lol).
Ekuni:It’s definitely terrible! (lol)
Itaya:(lol)
Nagase:In this drama, the story progresses from Tooru’s perspective, so I think the viewers can see things from Tooru’s perspective. Even though I don’t really know what Shishi-san is really thinking, I can’t help but think that Tohru would say something like this or act like this, and it’s amazing how disturbed she is!
Ekuni:I also thought it was terrible while writing it (lol). But on the other hand, the two women (Shishi and Kimiko) are still sad, aren’t they? Conflicts as an adult and feelings for the other person…When I read the script for this episode, I thought that these aspects were also strongly portrayed.
――The theme of this drama is the independence and growth of these young people, and I think that is also a different aspect from Ekuni-san’s original work.What do you think about that?
Ekuni:I thought it was very fresh. When I wrote the novel, I mainly focused on the helplessness and sadness of the two women, and I felt like I left the two men a little unchecked, so this time the focus is on that. It was fresh. I thought it was really interesting, so if there are people who watch the drama and read the novel, I think they’ll enjoy it as if it were a set of mirrors.
Nagase:I feel that not only Tooru but also Kouji will grow as the story progresses. Kouji’s presence is very important to Tooru as well, and although they are portrayed as complete opposites, I feel that their bond deepens as they worry and grieve over the same things.
Ekuni:I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of story Toru and Shishi, Koji and Kimiko will draw out, and I’m even more excited to see how they were filming today!