Takumi Saito talks about the highlights of the drama "Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea" in which he appears: "I was amazed by the reproduction of Hashima Island"

Actor Ryunosuke Kamiki stars in the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea" (Sundays at 9pm). Takumi Saito plays Shinpei, Teppei's (Kamiki) older brother who works as a miner. After the first episode aired, viewers commented that he was "too cool", and the drama became a hot topic. Ahead of the second episode (broadcast on November 3rd), Saito made a comment.

The drama is a story of love, friendship and family set on Hashima Island (Gunkanjima) in Nagasaki Prefecture, which developed through coal mining from the beginning of the Meiji era to the postwar high economic growth period, and in modern-day Tokyo. It is produced by the same team behind the dramas "Unnatural" and "MIU404" (TBS) and the movie "The Last Mile", with screenwriter Akiko Nogi, director Ayuko Tsukahara and producer Junko Arai.

◇Comment from Takumi Saito

I think the greatness of this work is how carefully it expresses the expressions and feelings of the characters at the time. The script was also very delicate, and there were many moments when I, as a viewer, thought, "Are these words directed at me?", and I felt that it contained a message that will resonate with people living in the present day.

As for the highlights, I was amazed by the recreation of Hashima that is depicted throughout the film. They could have faked it with some video magic, but I was impressed by the fact that they actually created that world without any compromise. The sets and art are also surprisingly realistic, and you can feel the passion of the production team. I believe this work is possible only because of the people who worked so hard to create the world of Hashima, and I am very proud of it.