Actor Kyoko Yoshine stars in the Tuesday drama "Madoka26sai,kenshui Yattemasu!" (TBS, Tuesdays at 10pm). When the first episode (14th) was aired, Suzuki Nobuyuki's character, surgeon Takeru Kanno, became a hot topic on social media, with people saying he was "too cool." "I myself feel like I'm learning a lot through this role, like how to interact with the interns and how to make facial expressions," says Suzuki. We asked him about what went on behind the scenes.
◇A scene where a surgeon sings during surgery
The drama is based on Mizutani Midori's manga "Madoka26sai,kenshui Yattemasu!", "My Flustered Doctor in Training" and "I Just Became a Doctor in Training on a Remote Island" (KADOKAWA). The protagonist, a doctor in training, Wakatsuki Madoka (Yoshine), is sarcastically told that "trainees are customers" in a medical field that is changing due to work style reform, and although she is confused, she faces the challenges of veteran doctors. The drama depicts the intense two years in which she faces life as a doctor and a girl, encouraging each other with her fellow colleagues.
Suzuki believes that one of the highlights of the series is seeing what goes on behind the scenes of doctors, something that patients don't know. In episode 2, there is a scene where Kanno and the others sing during surgery. "Doctors can get tired if they're on edge all the time. It was fun to film those kinds of relaxed moments," he said.
Before filming began, he practiced administering intravenous drips and cardiac massage, and learned how to take a pulse, etc. "Even with something as simple as cardiac massage, I learned so many things that I didn't know existed. I feel that this experience is one of my greatest assets," he said.
Sugano, played by Suzuki, is a gastroenterological surgeon. He has a stoic and cool personality, and is admired by the interns. He is strict with himself and the interns, and can be hard to get along with, but he is very kind to his patients. He is also a playful character, being bad at directions.
"We are a generation that is sandwiched between the trainees of the Showa and Reiwa generations. We understand both the spirit of the Showa generation and the realistic way of thinking that values the trainees' private lives while also approaching their work, and we will approach them without taking too much sides to either generation," he said.
Suzuki herself is 32 years old. "I'm not from the gutsy Showa generation, and I'm a little older than the kids of today in the Reiwa era. I feel like I'm living in a place where I don't have any answers for myself..." she said, revealing a commonality between her and the character.
"I'm not entirely devoted to my work, nor am I entirely devoted to my private life; I'm in a quandary, but I feel quite comfortable there. But I feel like we're a generation that's wavering and wanting to work more. I think this work will be one of the materials that will help those seeking answers for themselves."
◇ Behind the scenes of the “back hug” scene
At the end of the first episode, Kanno, who saw Madoka simulating an IV drip using her own arm, advised her, "An IV drip is mental. If you talk while giving it to her, it will relax you." When asked about the direction of her hands, Kanno went behind Madoka and gave her a sort of "back hug," explaining, "It's not this way, it's like this." Madoka was shown panicking, saying, "It's so close, so close!", causing a stir on social media.
Regarding the filming of this scene, he said, "My sincere desire to teach her how to give an IV drip just happened to turn out that way, so I filmed it with the thought that if I also approached medicine with sincerity, people would naturally see it that way."
"I'm a bit shy myself, so I feel that there are times when 'Suzuki Nobuyuki' is shy. But I don't think that's necessary in this work, so I want to break out of my shell," says Suzuki enthusiastically.
"Since it's the traditional Tuesday 10 p.m. time slot, I think that romantic elements will continue to be included in medical dramas in the future," he predicted, and appealed, "If you pay attention to the unexpected heart-fluttering scenes, I think you'll enjoy the drama even more."
