On September 5th, TBS held a briefing on their October schedule changes and mentioned the drama "Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea" that will be broadcast in the "Sunday Theatre" slot (Sundays at 9pm).
Actor Kamiki Ryunosuke stars in this drama, which is produced by the "Unnatural" team of screenwriter Nogi Akiko, director Tsukahara Ayuko, and producer Arai Junko.
It is an epic tale of love, friendship, and family spanning 70 years, set on Hashima Island (Battleship Island) in Nagasaki Prefecture, which flourished in the coal industry from 1955, and in modern-day Tokyo. It is said to be a timeless human love entertainment that depicts the "era of nothing but dreams and vitality" of the postwar reconstruction and high economic growth period, and the "era of today when at first glance there seems to be everything but young people cannot dream."
Producer Arai revealed, "When Nogi won the screenplay award for 'Unnatural,' she was given a trip to Nagasaki as a prize, and the drama begins when they landed on Gunkanjima together."
"The island called Hashima (where the story takes place) is about the size of Shinjuku, and up to 5,000 people live there. There is a concrete housing complex built there, which was the first concrete (building) ever to be built in Japan. There is no water or food, and a boat arrives every day to bring water and food, so it is a bit inconvenient, but Kamiki plays the main character who tries his best to live on the island, where everyone is a family, as they call it, 'one island, one family.'"
"The set, which took a lot of time to create, is also a highlight, and although there is a script up to the final episode, it doesn't end happily, and there is a bit of suspense from Akiko Nogi, who says, 'I see, that's how it is!', so it's made to be interesting and not boring. Now, people from all over the world are coming to Gunkanjima. It's so popular that it's hard to get reservations for cruise ships, so I think it's a work that would be worthy of being shown to the world," he said.
In addition, the currently released movie "The Last Mile" (directed by Tsukahara) is being talked about as a "shared universe" work that crosses the world lines of "Unnatural" (2018) and "MIU404" (2020), but Arai commented, "'Unnatural', "MIU404', and "The Last Mile" are one series, but this time, "Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea" is a new series, so it won't be shared." He hinted, "Among the (cast members) who have not yet been announced, there is a possibility that actors who appeared in those previous works will appear in different roles."
