The drama series "Drama W: Someone in This Town" (WOWOW, Sundays at 10pm), starring actor Eguchi Yosuke, will begin broadcasting and streaming on December 8th. The series is based on the novel of the same name (Kodansha Bunko), which was the first work by Sano Hiromi after she won the Edogawa Rampo Prize in 2020 and drew much attention. We spoke to Eguchi, who plays the protagonist, Masaki Yuichi, an investigator at the law firm, and Aju Makita, who plays Mochizuki Maki, who comes to terms with her past as her partner, about their roles, highlights of the drama, and how their impressions of each other have changed since playing father and son in "House of Ninjas" (Netflix).
◇ "A story you can't experience on terrestrial TV"
The drama is set in a newly developed residential area where a brutal kidnapping and murder case once occurred, and is a social mystery that vividly and vividly depicts the fear caused by the "peer pressure" that swirls among the residents. Eguchi plays Masaki, who lost his daughter to suicide and is carrying great emotional pain and regret. Maki, played by Makita, was separated from her parents as a baby and grew up in an orphanage, and with a note as her guide, she visits the law firm where Masaki works and asks them to search for her family. The two visit the town where Maki once lived with her family, and become embroiled in a commotion surrounding a past kidnapping and murder case of a young boy.
--Please tell us your thoughts and impressions of the work.
Eguchi: I was interested in the tagline that it was a social suspense drama that depicted the horror of peer pressure and favoritism by a group that occurred in a certain town. It has a slightly different social flavor from the political and corporate works that I have appeared in on WOWOW so far, and I thought it was a story that you can't easily experience on terrestrial TV.
Makita: It was something that could happen anywhere, even in an apartment building, so it wasn't hard to imagine. However, Maki is a character who wants to find out about her past and her family because she has no family, which was a setting I'd never played before.
-What is your view on peer pressure, which is also a theme of this film?
Eguchi: It's also peer pressure when the person on the receiving end of pressure feels that way even though they're not exerting any pressure. Individuals don't exert pressure, but when it comes to a group, it's like an unspoken understanding. There are also strange things that happen when even one person feels pressured and it turns into pressure. I think we need to be careful.
Makita: It's difficult because there are some aspects that are hard to notice.
Eguchi: Most of the time we don't realize it, but I think there are times when it becomes peer pressure. But I'm sure there are good things about conformity, and there are also cases where conformity can help form bonds and expand the circle.
◇I was amazed at the contrast with the "Shinobi no Ie"
--You two played the roles of parent and child in "Ninja House." How was it working together again?
Eguchi: "The House of the Shinobi" was a special family (laughs). As the story progresses, the relationship becomes more like a pseudo-family, so at the beginning, I felt like I was acting while creating a good sense of distance. When I read the script and heard that Maki was playing the role of Maki, I remembered the "eyes" that seemed to have a bit of a shadow when I saw them in "The House of the Shinobi" and was looking forward to it.
Makita: In "Shinobi no Ie" we played the role of parent and child (with Eguchi), so I had the impression that Eguchi was a bright person. This time, the contrast was big, partly due to the taste of the work, and I felt once again that he is a great actor.
--What are each other's charms as actors?
Eguchi: When we talked about "Shinobi no Ie", he seemed natural and didn't have any showbiz smell, so I hope he continues to be an actor. He may have had that perspective because he played the father role. This time, I was wondering how he would handle a difficult role, but he was able to express the shadow when he looked down, and he is changing and growing day by day, so I'm looking forward to seeing him in the future.
Makita: He always discusses with the other actors how to do the scene and is concerned about how we want to proceed. I felt that he accepted that and expressed what he wanted to do.
Eguchi: I'm not the type of person who can take charge and say, "Let's do it this way" (laughs). The director and all of us have a job to create the right atmosphere. We're always thinking about how to get everyone to act well.
What is the source of your activities?
Eguchi: I love movies and music. There's nothing else. I've been able to live my life by watching and listening to those things, and I think I've been encouraged and powered by them.
Makita: I guess I'm addicted to the feeling of excitement before I start working on a project and the sense of accomplishment after I finish (laughs). There are many moments when I feel glad that I'm doing this job, so that feeling of accomplishment and the feeling that I'm glad is what drives me.
--Finally, please tell us what the highlights of the drama are.
Eguchi: I think that there will be more themes that start with conformity, incidents that arise from groups, and turning a blind eye. I think it would be good for viewers to be stimulated a little and look around themselves to see where the truth lies. I think that such an era is coming. I hope that those who watch it will feel something, and there are many realizations and reflections that I may also be part of peer pressure.
Makita: I hope that this will encourage people who are not giving in to the pressure from those around them and who are speaking out. (Interview, text, and photography by Masaki Endo)
