Ito Sari stars in the NHK morning drama "Tora ni Wings" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and others). The drama features same-sex couples and characters who have undergone gender reassignment surgery, and viewers have been drawn to its depictions never before seen in morning dramas. Why did she decide to depict sexual minorities in a morning drama? We spoke to scriptwriter Yoshida Erika.
The first episode of "Tora ni Wings" (broadcast on April 1st) began with a narration of Article 14 of the Constitution. Yoshida said, "Article 14 of the Constitution states that all citizens are equal under the law. Compared to the past, some things have improved, but I think it's also true that there are still people who are not treated very equally."
"Obviously, sexual minorities have existed much longer than Torako was alive. Whether it was intentional or unconscious, I thought it was meaningful to show something that most people have tried to avoid seeing."
Yoshida said she felt a strong desire to "properly portray the people who existed back then," revealing, "I didn't feel like I was being 'challenging' or 'edgy' at all, it just naturally came out this way."
"Many people think that sexual minorities are a recent problem, and sometimes they think, 'We can't solve it now, so let's throw it into the future.' That's why I think it's enough if people just understand that it's actually a problem that has been left unsolved for over 70 years. I think there were a lot of people at the time who gave in and let themselves go with the flow of the world, so it's important for people to know that, and if they know that there are people who have been struggling since the past and are still struggling now, and if it leads to raising some kind of issue, then I think it will have been worth doing."
In 2022, he also wrote the script for the NHK drama series "Koisenu Futari," co-starring actors Yukino Kishii and Issei Takahashi. The drama became a hot topic for its portrayal of "aromantic asexual" men and women who do not have romantic feelings for others and are not sexually attracted to others.
Yoshida said that while he wants to deepen understanding of sexual minorities and eliminate prejudice, he also thinks that "the people involved should not be the ones taking the brunt of the criticism."
"The people involved are not teaching materials, and I don't think it's right to force them to 'teach me.' If that's the case, I hope that entertainment can be an opportunity for them to learn. Although it is an issue that should be dealt with by society and politics, I want to continue to express it so that it can be conveyed through entertainment and not be made to disappear," she said emphatically.
When depicting such themes, Yoshida reflected, "There are times when I make mistakes, and I end up hurting the people involved, which makes me deeply regret my actions and fills me with regret."
"Even so, if we say, 'I won't do it because I'll get in trouble,' 'I won't do it because I don't understand,' or 'So I won't use it in entertainment,' progress will be slow. I don't want the blame to be directed at the performers, but I don't mind being scolded or criticized, so I want to make it normal to depict it in entertainment while studying myself, reading academic and research books."
