Meguro Ren, a member of the popular group Snow Man, stars in Fuji TV's "Monday 9" slot drama "The Beginning of the Sea" (Mondays at 9pm). The story is now in its final stages, with the final episode coming up on September 23rd. We spoke to producer Murase Ken about the highlights of the final episode.
The drama is a completely original work that reunites the "silent" team, which also featured Meguro, with screenwriter Ikukata, director Kazama Taiki, and producer Murase, and is themed around the love between parents and children. The story follows Natsu (Meguro) who is suddenly informed that he has a 6-year-old daughter, Umi (Izumiya Sena), with his former lover Mizuki (Furukawa Kotone), who has passed away, as well as the people around him, including his current lover Yayoi (Arimura Kasumi).
This work is unusual in recent years, as it is told in a total of 12 episodes. "In the past, dramas had 12 episodes. Even before that, there was a time when they were broadcasted over two seasons with 24 episodes, but before we knew it, many shows ended with 11, 10, or even 9 episodes at most," he says. "In each episode, Ikukata and I have a lot of things we want to depict, and we've both said that the longer the better, so we consulted with the company at an early stage and were allowed to make it 12 episodes. That's why episode 6 (broadcast on August 5), in which Yayoi and Mizuki's connection was revealed, ended neatly like the end of the first part. By the way, even though it's one episode more, it's not like the last episode that depicts what happens afterwards, or is almost a summary, as you often see these days, but the 12th episode is the real final episode. We're really making it so that the story is complete in all 12 episodes."
Murakami says confidently, "I think we were able to portray the characters well up until episode 7. That's also thanks to the time we were given for 12 episodes. All the characters' stories came together in episode 7, so I think everyone was like, 'Wow!' I can feel that response when I look at social media and other things." "Ikukata-san's scripts are very calculated, so from the first episode to the last episode, it's clear what will happen in each episode. In episode 6, we find out why Mizuki gave birth to Umi and that she was actually connected to Yayoi. In episode 7, the story of Tsuno and Mizuki is depicted, and in episode 8, the story of Natsu's real father is depicted. It's really amazing how they've thought it out from episode 1 to episode 12," he said, praising Ikukata-san's story-making skills.
The catchphrase for the drama, which Ikukata-san came up with, is "The 'connection' that we couldn't choose is still unbroken." Murase-san touched on this catchphrase and said, "Looking back at the episodes that have aired so far, I think you'll feel that this and that were all the same, but I want you to pay attention to what goal it's heading towards."
"We're just now putting the finishing touches on the final episode. Ikukata-san has beautifully woven the story, so I want you to watch it through to the end. It won't end darkly and depressingly, so you can watch it with peace of mind. Thank you for your support."
