It was announced on June 25th that Aoki Macho of the comedy duo "Kakeochi" will appear in the NHK night drama "The Book Bought with Taxes" (NHK General, Monday-Thursday 10:45 PM), starring Daiken Okudaira, which will begin airing on August 24th. Aoki will play Shirai Satoyuki, who works out every day to protect books and libraries.
The drama is a human comedy based on the "library work manga" by Zui-san (original story) and Kei Yamamoto (artwork), which is serialized in "Young Magazine" (Kodansha). The story begins when the protagonist, Kiichi Ishihira (played by Okudaira), visits a library for the first time in 10 years. Ishihira starts working part-time at the library and learns about the various rules and tasks that are in place to ensure that everyone can encounter books and experience the joy of knowing. Many encounters at the library gradually change Ishihira, who had been feeling somewhat unfulfilled...
Aoki plays Shirai, a muscular, non-regular employee in the archives department, responsible for repairing damaged items. He's skilled with his hands and also handles book repairs. He's the type of person who casually says things that are difficult to say without reading the room...that's the kind of character he is.
Aoki commented, "I never thought I'd have the opportunity to appear in an NHK night drama. When I saw the character I'm playing, Riyuki Shirai, I thought I was completely cast based on my looks, but I was able to empathize with her quite a bit because her reason for starting weight training was exactly the same as mine. The cast, director, and staff were all very kind, and although it was a lot of first-time experiences for me, I had a lot of fun filming. So I hope everyone will watch it with a very kind heart."
It was also announced that Nanase Nishino will play Sayaka Hayasemaru, a part-time employee in the general library section; Sayaka Isoyama will play Asako Asano, a part-time employee in the children's library section; Akira Kawashima from "Kirin" will play the head librarian, Mr. Hotta; Hiroyuki Hirayama will play Kiichi's father; and Akiko Yada will play Kiichi's mother, Ryoko Ishihira.
