The first episode of the January Sunday Theatre drama " Mikami Sensei " (TBS, Sunday 9:00 pm), starring actor Tori Matsuzaka , aired on January 19th. This work is a completely original school drama produced by Iida Kazutaka, who has been in charge of popular Sunday Theatre dramas such as "Anti-Hero" (2024) and "VIVANT" (2023). Iida talked about the atmosphere on set, the actor playing Mikami's (Matsuzaka's) rival, and the highlights from the second episode onwards (there are spoilers for the first episode in the text).
◇ "Likeable younger brother" Tori Matsuzaka makes the atmosphere on set "very gentle"
"Mikami Sensei" tells the story of Migami Takashi (Matsuzaka), a Ministry of Education bureaucrat who wants to change education in Japan, who is ordered to transfer to a private high school called Rintoku Gakuin. In reality, he is demoted, but Migami takes to the podium himself and leads 18-year-old high school students living in the Reiwa era while standing up to authority... This is a "great reversal story of education revival." It is a completely original work, and Shimori Roba, who will be teaming up with Matsuzaka for the first time since the movie "The Journalist" (2019), is in charge of the script for the first time in a prime-time drama series.
The main character, Mikami Sensei, is "a mysterious character." He and Matsuzaka, who plays the role, discussed on set how much affection he should show. Iida said, "It was impressive to see Matsuzaka looking at the students with a smile on his face."
"I thought he would approach them as enemies, but he quickly became friendly with them. Matsuzaka doesn't often return to the waiting room. He only goes back to the anteroom. If there are students left in the classroom, he stays behind too. So the students really rely on him. I think he's become a teacher they can rely on."
It is said that this appearance changed Matsuzaka's image.
"It was my first time to interact with Matsuzaka in a leader-like role. In 'VIVANT,' after 'From the Gulf with Love' (2022), I was with Kazunari Ninomiya, had scenes with Sakai Masato, and had scenes with Yakusho Koji. My image of Matsuzaka was like a 'very well-liked younger brother,' so I was wondering what it would be like this time, but he doesn't come across as a 'leader,' he's someone who makes the atmosphere very gentle. Unlike people who have the feeling of pulling everyone along, I have the impression that he is someone who can create a space where everyone naturally feels positive."
Regarding the 29 students, "I was worried. They're all the same age, so they've become friends and the relationship gradually loosens up. It's my first time doing a school drama, so I was worried about that, but honestly, that didn't happen at all, and I was surprised. To borrow Matsuzaka's words, they're using this production as a 'stepping stone'... or rather, they all know that it will all come back to them when it's over, and they want to take themselves up a step or make even the slightest bit of progress through this drama, so they've become really close, but they don't really seem to be slacking. It was a pleasant surprise, I guess (laughs)," he said, smiling.
◇ The rival roles are based on the relationship between the three colleagues in "Naoki Hanzawa"
It was revealed two days before the broadcast that Masaki Okada will play Kyosuke Masaki Okada, a rival of Matsuzaka who joined the Ministry of Education at the same time. Iida recalls that when he offered the role to Matsuzaka, he had already envisioned Okada for the role of Makino.
"I think it's very difficult to play a character who is a contemporary. I think most people out there probably have someone like this in their lives. Someone you could call a best friend, someone you could call a rival, or someone you could call a partner in work. Such people are very important, and they have to appear to be people you have a deep connection with. Of course, it's a matter of age, and Matsuzaka is currently 36, so when I was thinking about actors of the same generation, honestly the only one that came to mind was Okada," Iida emphasizes.
Okada appeared in the Sunday Theatre production "Little Giants" (2017), which Iida was involved in. "I really liked the way Okada approached his role and his attitude towards his work as an actor. I also thought that Okada and Matsuzaka were good friends (laughs). The atmosphere between the two of them is like a deep-rooted trust between them. When it comes to expressing various feelings such as hostility and jealousy, I thought that there was probably no one better than Okada."
Regarding the relationship between Mikami and Makino, he said, "I was involved in the first part of 'Hanzawa Naoki' at the time. I felt that the close relationship between the three colleagues Hanzawa (Sakai Masato), Kondo (Kenichi Takito), and Watanari (Mitsuhiro Oikawa) really supported that drama, so I felt that Makino's role was really important."
◇ He also said, "I'm very grateful that the discussion is generating excitement."
When the first episode is aired, there will surely be a lot of speculation about why Mikami Sensei came to Rintoku Gakuin, his statement at the end that "the incident and the article you wrote are connected," and who the culprit was at the beginning.
Iida said with a smile, "There are some suspense elements, so I think people will be speculating. But I think what I want to convey through this drama is more important this time. Please continue to speculate. If that helps you enjoy the drama, then I hope you will continue to do so. I'm very grateful that people are getting so excited."
He also said that the art team put a lot of effort into the "little details" that would have been "like this if you had looked more closely," and introduced, "We also created the Ministry of Education's own character, Momonka. I think they'll sell merchandise for it (laughs). We've also incorporated that kind of playfulness." Another "luxurious detail" is the appearance of comedian Yoshio Kojima and voice actor Daisuke Namikawa in a scene that only lasts a few seconds on the video.
◇What is important for Japanese education after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Rather than his speculations, what Iida wants to convey is the 29 students.
"Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the students have not had their school festivals. We are currently filming the school festival scene, and I hope that the viewers can feel the strong power of people connecting with each other and getting things done, and the desire to return to that feeling once again. There are quite a few scenes in this drama of the school festival and class discussions, and I want to convey that if we use these opportunities well, we can make progress, and that after COVID-19, how we move things forward with a sense of ownership is important for Japanese education in the future."
In the first episode, there was a constant sense of tension as incidents occurred.
Iida said, "I think the tense feeling will continue, but the story will gradually shift to one of what the students take from Mikami Sensei and how they take a step forward on their own. I think at the end of the first episode, Mikami asks the students a question, and in the second episode, the students all think about it together, and gradually they start to take the initiative in running their class. Schools and classrooms are portrayed as symbols of Japanese society, and I think this portrayal will continue until the end."
