The fourth episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea" (Sundays at 9pm), starring actor Kamiki Ryunosuke, will air on November 17th. The third episode was aired on the 10th, and since the first episode, comments such as "Is modern-day Izumi (Miyamoto Nobuko) Rina (Ikeda Elaiza)? Yuriko (Tsuchiya Tao)? Asako (Sugisaki Hana)?" and "What is the relationship between Reo and Teppei (Kamiki, playing two roles)?" have been appearing one after another on social media, and related words have been trending, creating excitement. With the first three episodes, which serve as a prologue, airing, and the fourth episode in which the story really gets going, director Tsukahara Ayuko spoke. ◇Social media speculation battle: "The staff and cast are all happy"
The drama is set in modern-day Tokyo and on Hashima Island (Gunkanjima) in Nagasaki Prefecture, which developed from coal mining from the beginning of the Meiji era to the postwar high economic growth period, and is a story of love, friendship, and family spanning 70 years. The screenplay is by Akiko Nogi, the director is Tsukahara, and the producer is Junko Arai, working on the team behind the dramas "Unnatural" and "MIU404" (same series) and the movie "The Last Mile".
In response to the social media speculation battle that has been heating up since the broadcast, Tsukahara said, "The staff and cast are all happy to see that people are enjoying watching while speculating a lot," and talked about the story from episode 4 onwards, saying, "In the first three episodes, we have detailed descriptions of what kind of people the characters are in the past and present, what Hashima is like, and its origins. From episode 4 onwards, you will see what each character is carrying, and the big flow towards the closure of Hashima will begin to move, so I hope you will take the time to watch that."
Regarding the future, she commented on the popular speculation that "We may find out who Izumi is before we know it!" It will be interesting to see if there are hints hidden in episode 4, or if there will be candidates other than Asako, Yuriko, and Rina.
◇Episode 4 "Just reading the script touched my heart"
Regarding the revelation of the "conflict between childhood friends," a major point in episode 4, she spoke strongly about teaming up again with Sugisaki and Tsuchiya, who play the roles, saying, "What is Asako thinking, and what has Yuriko been living with? Both of them have become much more powerful than when we worked together before, and I feel that they have read the script deeply. We are working hard together to create every scene."
After reading the script for episode 4, she said, "Just reading the script touched my heart. I want to make it easy to understand and convey it to the heart when it is made into a movie," and she showed confidence, saying, "I think it has turned out to be a work that families will want to watch on Sundays."
Finally, she said, "I'm sure that both those who have watched up until now and those who missed the middle episodes will enjoy it from episode 4 onwards. There is a contrast between the vitality of the past and the worries of the present, but as Izumi herself talks about the kind of life she has lived and the things she is carrying, you will see that their histories are connected. I hope you will join me in experiencing the love, friendship, and major events that have accumulated inside Izumi through the drama."
In episode 4, the feelings each person has as they spend August in Nagasaki and the feud between childhood friends is gradually unravelled. You won't be able to take your eyes off the developments that follow.
