Just Before the Broadcast of 'Tora ni Tsubasa'! Morning Drama-Loving Employees Talk About Their Favorite Morning Dramas. [Part 1]

Morning Drama.
NHK's serial TV novel, which began as a daily program in 1961.

Ahead of the start of the 110th installment, 'Tora ni Tsubasa,' airing from April 2024, we gathered employees who love morning dramas to talk about their appeal.

Participant Introductions & How They Started Watching Morning Dramas

―Please tell us about your regular work and how you started watching morning dramas.

Participant 1: K-san
K-san: "I am currently in charge of distribution business and web/app development-related tasks. I started watching morning dramas when I was a child, watching 'Churasan' (64th) and 'Ohisama' (84th) before going to school. When I became a university student, I had a little more free time in the morning, so I started watching my favorite shows thoroughly at that time. I stopped watching once I started working, but I started watching again because I had more time at home during the pandemic. I watch them quite freely (laughs)."

―I understand watching them before going to school (laughs).

K-san: "It's more like I watch them if the timing works out in the morning (laughs). My mother leaves the TV on from 'NHK News Ohayo Nippon' so she can watch 'Asaichi' (which airs after the morning drama)."

Participant 2: S-san
S-san: "I am in charge of distribution business and sales operations for selling our company's IP overseas. It started with 'Churasan' (64th), which I watched when I was 3 years old. I think it's still talked about as a morning drama that took the world by storm, but even though I didn't understand the content at the time, I enjoyed watching it very much (laughs). After that, I moved to America and had a three-year gap... but after returning to Japan, I watched the rebroadcast of 'Tenka' (70th) every day at my grandmother's house during the day. Even though it aired at the same time every day, I enjoyed it so much that I wrote a note saying 'Tenka from 12:45.' That's when I realized I loved morning dramas."

―It's amazing that you were able to enjoy it from the age of 3.

S-san: "Kiroro's 'Best Friend' (the theme song) also left a strong impression, and I just felt like it was a good drama."

Participant 3: M-san
M-san: "I am in charge of official websites, mainly focusing on sports. I got hooked on morning dramas after watching 'Fight' (72nd) at my grandmother's house, and I liked the heroine, Yuika Motokariya (laughs). I was in the first or second grade of elementary school at the time, but even as an elementary student, I started watching with the impure motive of thinking, 'She's such a cute big sister!'

―Morning drama actresses are charming, aren't they? They are definitely cute!

My Best Morning Drama

'Mare' (92nd)

―Please tell us about your favorite morning drama.

K-san: "Recently, I liked 'Yell' (102nd) and 'Ranman' (108th), and I also liked 'Ochoyan,' so it's difficult (laughs). But the one I have a personal attachment to is 'Mare' (92nd). It's a work about a girl who hates dreams, Mare-chan (Tao Tsuchiya), who meets various people and moves toward her dreams while experiencing setbacks. It's a work that leaves an impression with her figure moving forward while changing directions. The music was also very good!"

―It wasn't a song sung by a singer, but a song sung by everyone, right?

K-san: "Yes, that's right. It was an opening song that everyone sang in a chorus. And actually, I had my wedding last year, and I have such an attachment to it that I used the 'Mare' soundtrack for the toast. I'm from Yokohama and my husband is from Wajima/Noto, and the protagonist Mare-chan trained in Yokohama, and Keita Kontani (Kento Yamazaki), who aims to be a Wajima-nuri craftsman, is from Wajima... there are other commonalities, so I like it as a work that I can project myself onto while watching."

―That's wonderful! It's a work that both you and your husband have a connection to.

K-san: "'Mare' was airing the year before I first met my husband and became friends, and we talked about how it was like 'Mare' (laughs). Because of that conversation, we became friends!"

S-san: "That's so wonderful, it makes my heart flutter."

—Are there any scenes in 'Mare' that left a particularly strong impression on you?

K: "I was struck by the words of the Wajima-nuri craftsman who said, 'The soul dwells in the unseen. In the unseen... You must pour your heart and soul into it without taking shortcuts. The dedication to craftsmanship is the strength of Wajima-nuri.' Since Wajima-nuri involves applying many layers, you could technically cut corners in the lower layers and cover them up beautifully at the end to get by. So, while you could lie, you shouldn't. I work as a designer now, and I was deeply moved because I felt that philosophy applies to my own work as well."

—Indeed. That is a sentiment worth keeping in mind.

▽ 92nd Series 'Mare'

'Imo Tako Nankin' (75th Series)

S: "Well, I can't narrow it down, so please let me introduce two! The first one is 'Imo Tako Nankin' (75th Series)!"

—That's a 2006 production, right?

S: "Yes. I really think of this work as the culmination of morning dramas... It's based on the half-life of the writer Seiko Tanabe, with Naomi Fujiyama playing the protagonist, Machiko Hanaoka. It focuses on her relationship with a doctor named Kenjiro Tokunaga (Hayato Kunimura) who had lost his wife. They start off arguing when they first meet, but they find each other's company so enjoyable that they keep seeing each other and eventually decide to remarry. I really love the way he proposes in this scene."

—I'm curious! What kind of proposal was it?

S: "(Machiko) wanted to work, but because (Kenjiro's) children were there, she had to take care of them and do the housework, and she was anxious about being half-hearted in everything. But he said, 'If you take two half-hearted things and put them together, your life becomes full.' I was drawn to those words and decided to marry him. It made me realize that marriage is about how much you can align with your partner while holding onto your own firm beliefs, or how much you can compromise."

—That's a very comforting thought. I feel like I can understand the characters' personalities from that one line.

S: "Exactly. And above all, it might be presumptuous for an amateur to say this, but the cast's acting was truly superb. Basically, I have the image that morning drama heroines are chosen through auditions, but I believe Fujiyama-san, the heroine of this work, was chosen after being approached by the producer. Even though she was cast, she is primarily a stage actress, so they had to schedule the heroine's filming in a shorter period than usual. They adjusted by including flashback scenes featuring child actors during the periods when Fujiyama-san couldn't be on set, and it was a work created with the strong desire to have Fujiyama-san play the morning drama heroine even with those constraints."
When you actually watch it, Fujiyama-san's acting is so good that you can understand the producer's feelings. Even when I watched the rebroadcast recently, it was a work that made me think, 'This is what a drama should be.' I don't know how many times I cried in those 15 minutes of emotional immersion. I witnessed NHK's true commitment."

—It's a work where the creator's intention to 'deliver' something is clearly evident. After hearing that, I want to watch it!

S: "The banter is also interesting and snappy. It's a work with a perfect overall balance, daring to treat potentially heavy topics lightly while still properly addressing what needs to be addressed."

K: "I get it! There's something about the atmosphere unique to morning dramas, and the 'aura' of the morning drama that includes all the human relationships, that I love."

S: "Exactly. I loved it so much that I even went to see Fujiyama-san's stage play. It felt like she was a legend who inherited the blood of her famous father, the comedian Kanbi Fujiyama..."

▽ 75th Series 'Imo Tako Nankin'

▽ Stage play featuring Naomi Fujiyama

'Amachan' (88th Series)

S: "The second work is 'Amachan' (88th Series)!"

Everyone: "'Amachan' is great, isn't it!"

S: "Non-chan was shocking. She wasn't famous at the time, but I thought, what a cute girl. She had a purity that made you not feel at all that it could have been an affected role if handled poorly."

K: "Non-chan's cuteness, as if she doesn't even realize she's cute, is just so cute!"

S: "Exactly, that unconscious cuteness. Like, 'Oh, am I cute?' (laughs). The story began with the heroine, Aki Amano, returning from Tokyo to Kita-Sanriku in Iwate with her mother after hearing that her grandmother had collapsed, where she got used to life there and started living as an ama diver, just like her grandmother. At first, she planned to return to Tokyo, but she decided to stay in Kita-Sanriku because she realized she wanted to be there, but then after various things happened, she said she wanted to be an idol and went to Tokyo."

—A lot of things happened, didn't they (laughs).

S: "Too many! It's a script with Kudo-kan (Kankuro Kudo)'s signature style, but I think the fact that you can easily get drawn into the story is truly its charm. You're surprised by the protagonist—is she going to be an ama diver? An idol?—but he makes each step convincing, and the way he draws the story by properly resolving various foreshadowing was amazing."

—It feels good when foreshadowing is properly resolved, even in a long morning drama, doesn't it?

S: "That's right. Also, Kudo-san is really good at bringing in perfect actors like Non-chan, and this casting was exquisite too! The mother role is played by Kyoko Koizumi, and it's a role only she could play, the protagonist could only be played by Non-chan, and the best friend role was perfect for Ai Hashimoto. She's a high school student with no makeup at all, but she had an eye-catching cuteness that would make anyone turn their head, and I felt the persuasiveness that only Ai Hashimoto could bring. Kudo-san, who loves idols, also scattered homages to songs, works, and settings from that time into the lines, which was also fun."

—You can enjoy it from various angles!

S: "Ryuhei Matsuda's bluntness as the manager was also good."

K: "Nostalgic! That was really good, wasn't it?"

S: "It's like, there are people like this who are involved in the industry, right? (laughs). Also, in the scene where the great actress played by Hiroko Yakushimaru and the grandmother played by Nobuko Miyamoto meet, it felt like an explosion of acting talent (laughs)."

Everyone: "(laughs)"

S: "The music is also really good, and since last year was the 10th anniversary, I went to the concert. It's nice to have ways to enjoy it like that."

—So there was a concert recently too. 'Amachan' was a work that people knew even if they didn't usually watch morning dramas!

K: "It was a social phenomenon! They were even on Kohaku."

S: "They were! I still have the recording (laughs)."

M: "'Amachan' is the work that left the biggest impression on me too. Since it overlaps with S-san, you've already said a lot of things (laughs)."

S: "Sorry (laughs)."

M: "It was the first time I watched a morning drama and found it funny or laughable... It was shocking to see such an interesting work on a morning drama, partly because the script was by Kankuro Kudo. As for a memorable scene, it's the scene where the protagonist, Aki, finally catches a sea urchin. Ama divers dive into the sea and catch lots of sea urchins, but Aki couldn't catch one for a long time at first, and while she was struggling with various things, the scene where she finally caught one sea urchin was very moving and left an impression on me. Recently, 'Amachan' was rebroadcast on BS, and I recorded and watched all of it, but I haven't been able to delete that episode and still have it (laughs)."

Mr. S: "That's a tear-jerking scene, isn't it?"

Mr. M: "Yes! Also, I quite like the music in morning dramas. For 'Amachan,' I like the songs played when Aki is doing her idol activities, and the songs that seem to be used only within the drama. I love 'Amachan,' music included!"

―The music is great too! What is your favorite song?

Mr. M: "I like 'Koyomi no Ue de wa December' (December on the Calendar)."

Mr. S: "I can dance to that! (laughs). I actually heard it at last year's concert."

Mr. K: "Really? That's amazing! Speaking of theme songs, 'Yell' was also good. GReeeeN's 'Hoshikage no Yell.' It was originally a story about a composer, right? If I recall..."

Mr. M: "You mean 'Eikou wa Kimi ni Kagayaku' (Glory Shines on You)? I quite liked that one too!"

All: "Yes, that's it!"

▽ 88th Series 'Amachan'

Morning dramas brighten up our daily mornings and cheer up the viewers.
By talking about them together, I feel like I can sense not only their charm but also the dedication of the creators, which makes me want to watch them again.

In the second part to be published tomorrow, we discuss shocking scenes, favorite heroines, and expectations for 'Tora ni Tsubasa,' which begins broadcasting on April 1st.

Please look forward to it.

(Interview and text by Yama)

▽ Click here for Part 2

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