"TV Preview Room" is a program where reporters review TV programs of various genres, from dramas to documentaries, variety shows, and anime, before they are aired. This time, we will be looking at "TV Asahi 65th Anniversary Commemorative Drama Premium: The Town We Saw at the End," starring Oizumi Yo and written by Kudo Kankuro, which will air from 9:00 pm on September 21st.
The drama is based on a masterpiece novel by the late Yamada Taichi, known for its striking ending, and this is the third time it has been adapted into a film in 19 years, following 1982 and 2005. It is the story of a modern family that suddenly travels back in time to Japan during the Pacific War. This is the first time that star Oizumi and screenwriter Miyato have teamed up.
A cruel fate suddenly befalls the family of protagonist Tamiya Taichi (Oizumi). A family living a peaceful life without any inconvenience in the suburbs of Tokyo in the Reiwa era one day travels back in time to June 1944. Mobile phones don't work, food is hard to come by, and values are completely different in Japan at the time. They try to somehow survive the war.
This is what happens when people are faced with an extremely unreasonable event. Taichi's reaction to the unbelievable scene immediately after time-traveling, coupled with Oizumi's realistic acting, made me laugh.
The main cast is a star-studded lineup, including Oizumi, Yoshida Yo, Tsutsumi Shinichi, Mita Yoshiko, and special appearances by Kamiki Ryunosuke, Nishida Toshiyuki, and Hashizume Isao. The exchanges between Oizumi and Tsutsumi are a refreshing change of pace in this film, which often has harsh developments. The acting of young actors Oku Tomoya and Touma Ami also stood out. I hope you will watch to see what happens to the young Reiwa era who time-travels to a wartime era.
When information about the drama was announced, I was a little surprised, thinking, "A war drama from Kudokan?!", but the ironic portrayal of wartime values in the so-called "Kudokan style" made it clear how different it was from modern times. Finally, I would like to note what Miyato considered important when writing this work. "The big difference between me and Yamada-sensei is whether or not we both experienced war, but I turned that around and wrote with the main storyline in mind, in which the protagonist's anti-war sentiment, which he had no personal experience of, becomes more real through the course of this harsh story. I think that by giving the characters emotion, we can feel the stupidity of war."
