The drama series "Aoshima-kun is Mean" (TV Asahi, Saturday 11pm), starring popular group "Snow Man" Watanabe Shota and actress Nakamura Anne, has recently wrapped up filming. Crank-up photos of Watanabe and Nakamura, as well as their colleagues Tozuka Junki, Akimoto Manatsu, and Kobayashi Ryoko, and Aoshima's three mothers Ito Shuko, Yada Akiko, and Kimura Tae, have been released.
The drama is a live-action adaptation of a popular web manga by Yoshii Yu, and depicts the love story between Yukino (Nakamura), who has distanced herself from romance, and Aoshima (Watanabe), her colleague who is nine years younger than her. The total number of views of the latest episode 7 on catch-up streaming has exceeded 16.72 million (according to Video Research, measurement period: July 7th to September 4th). Every episode has been ranked number one on TVer's overall ranking, and it has become a hot topic.
After finishing all the filming, Watanabe pumped his fist in excitement, saying, "Yay!!" "I've been able to get this far thanks to all my co-stars and the staff. And thanks to the heroine, Anne, I was able to work comfortably on set, which I'm glad I was able to do well. Thank you so much," he said, expressing his gratitude.
Nakamura, who finished filming with Watanabe, also said with a smile, "I'm glad that we were able to wrap up filming safely, with everyone's incredible support. I don't have much experience with love stories, so I was very nervous, but Watanabe's personality helped me a lot, and being next to Aoshima, who Watanabe plays, made me a very kind Yukino." The staff was also warmed by the words of mutual trust and gratitude that they had felt as they communicated more and more while filming together, and the feeling of distance between them had narrowed.
The story is reaching its climax, but when asked about the highlights, Watanabe immediately replied, "Pay attention to Tanizaki (played by Totsuka)! I'm a big fan of Tanizaki (laughs)." Meanwhile, Nakamura said, "It's really a compilation of heart-pounding moments. Please pay attention to what conclusion the two of them come to," to which Watanabe chimed in, "That's it! What Ann said is the highlight (laughs)," and the shoot wrapped amid much laughter.
◇ Watanabe's full comment
I think I've made it this far thanks to all my co-stars, the production team, and the technical staff, who have taught me so much, even though I still have a lot to learn. And thanks to the heroine, Ann, I was able to work comfortably on set, which was great. The character of Yukino and Ann's personality made the atmosphere, fun, and warm on set, and I think the communication between scenes led to a sense of distance throughout the film.
And we got good results... I'm really grateful. Looking back now, romantic comedies are difficult and very high-calorie. But the opinions of the staff, not just the women, but also the older guys were pretty important... The cameramen, lighting technicians, and other technicians also studied, "Wouldn't this angle be more appealing?" and everyone laid the rails of love, so I was able to ride the train called love rails (laughs). The highlight of the final episode is... Pay attention to Tanizaki! I'm a Tanizaki fan (laughs).
◇Full comment from Nakamura
Before it started, I was very excited and anxious about what kind of work it would be, but I'm glad that we were able to wrap up filming safely thanks to the support of the production team. I don't have much experience with love stories, so I was very nervous, but Watanabe's personality helped me a lot, and being next to Aoshima, played by Watanabe, helped me become a very kind Yukino.
I didn't know anything about Watanabe, but as I was creating Aoshima and Yukino through casual conversations, I thought that he was a very athletic guy and that we would have the same mind. And the staff were very considerate and created an environment where it was easy to act. I was amazed at how much love the director and the entire production team put into this project! I wanted to bring an equal amount of enthusiasm to it. The final episode is approaching, and it's truly a culmination of heart-pounding moments. And as for Yukino... I want you to pay attention to what conclusion the two of them come to.
