Actors Kai Inowaki and Daichi Kaneko co-star in the TV Tokyo drama series "Dinner Blues" on Wednesday night at 1am. It's a gourmet drama about eating dinner together, and Kana Homma Kanami, who Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!(AKA Cherry Magic)" (2020), "Tonight, I'll Have Sukiyaki" (2023), and "SHUT UP" (2023-24), and who is the producer of this drama, talked about the behind-the-scenes stories and the attention to detail that went into the work.
"Bansan Blues" is a story about high school friends Yuta Takubo (Inowaki) and Kosuke Sato (Kaneko) who reunite after the divorce of their friend. They bond over "dinner activities" (or "bankatsu" for short) simply eating dinner together. Yuta works as a drama director at a TV station, but is exhausted from his job. Kosuke was doing well as a chef, but quietly quit and is now living as a NEET. Viewers sympathize with the way they heal each other over a warm meal. Episodes 1 to 4 are currently streaming on TVer.
◇Seven famous scenes worth rewatching up to episode 4
--Episodes 1 to 4 of this series are currently being distributed on TVer. Please tell us which scenes in each episode you were particularly particular about and what points you think are worth paying attention to.
I created this work with the hope that it would serve as an encouragement to people who are working hard in society, so I made all the episodes with the intention that they would be seen as stories that are connected to the world we live in.
I always put a lot of effort into creating the opening of the first episode, which is the first scene of each work, but this time I created a scene with the image of warriors heading to work and the sense of claustrophobia they feel.
In episode 1, there's a scene where Yuta starts talking bit by bit about the events of the day while doing the dishes, and Kosuke, without even understanding the situation, responds by saying, "It's okay, I'm listening." That line, "It's okay, I'm listening," shows a personal side of Kosuke, and I wrote it with the hope that it would convey the preciousness of spending mealtime with someone, and simply having someone who accepts you.
--In episode 4, it was revealed that the meal that Kosuke cooked in episode 1 was actually the first time he had cooked for himself in a long time.
In episode 1, when Kosuke was cooking, he put on an apron and said "Okay." That "Okay" was actually a mix of the tension and enthusiasm of cooking for the first time in a while. If you watch episode 1 again, I think you'll interpret that scene a little differently.
What about episodes 2 and 3?
In the second episode, there's a scene where Yuta declares himself his friend to Kosuke. I put all my feelings into thinking about how to support Kosuke, who is lying, into the one line, "We're friends, too, aren't we?" Yuta's expression before he says it is the best, but Kosuke's expression when he receives the words is amazing. I was really moved watching it on set. I even asked the director, "Please take a shot of Kosuke here!" (laughs).
The third episode is one where Aoi Makita (Takuya Kusakawa)'s smoldering feelings are seen. There is a scene where he looks at a park bench, remembers his past self, and opens his smartphone to shake it off, but the stage directions on the script only say "shake off your own memories". I was wondering how the play would turn out here, but Kusakawa-san gave a very delicate and wonderful expression, so I hope the viewers will pay attention to it.
--Are there any parts that reflect the experiences of you and those around you?
Work comes in one after the other, and it's hard to tell if you're handling it or not. I wanted to portray through Yuta the sense of frustration of being on a treadmill that you can't get off of. Also, in episode 4, Ueno Yui (Hoshi Moeka) says, "I've thought a lot about whether it's because I'm a woman that I can't do it, or if I'm trying too hard in the wrong way, but I guess it's because I'm me that I can't do it." This is based in part on my own experience.
Not only in the television industry, but when people who can't get along with women or homosocial people live in a male-dominated society, I think there are probably many moments when they lose confidence. Even if they are just being unfairly taken away due to a deep-rooted structure, they are made to think that there is something wrong with themselves or that they are lacking something. I was conscious of the "wideness of the contact surface" so that I could be sympathetic to people no matter what kind of work I do.
--Please tell us about your aims and preferences regarding the props, sets, etc.
For Kosuke's room, we asked Keisuke Ito, who was in charge of art for "Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! it. Ito's art design has a warmth to it, and he made it a room that feels tangible and endearing, as if "someone is actually living there."
--What do you think about the cooking scenes and recipes?
I researched what I wanted to eat in winter online and decided on the recipes while looking for things related to the story. I put pumpkin and zucchini in the gratin that appears in the second episode because they are both members of the gourd family. I was looking for something that would trigger the words "Declaration of Companionship" that I mentioned earlier, so I thought it was perfect, and I also thought it would be delicious if I put them in a gratin (laughs). In the same way, I decided on the recipes for the other episodes.
--What is your favorite dish, Mr. Homma?
This is the potato salad that appeared in the first episode. The potatoes are fluffy like snow, and the mayonnaise dropped on them is so cute, like an angel! For now, it's my favorite. All the dishes made by food stylist Nami Iijima were delicious, but this time, we had the cameraman Yohei Suzuki and the lighting technician Kago Suzuki, both of whom are active in the commercial industry, join us to take photos that better convey the deliciousness of the dishes.
◇Where did the idea for the project come from?
--"Dinner Blues" is an original work, but where did the idea for the project come from?
I myself am not the type of person who can always maintain a healthy balance of mind, and I hated myself for being that way. But I was tired of repeatedly rejecting and denying my weak and dark sides. Even if I did that, my weak and dark sides would not go away. The starting point of this project was when I thought, "I wish I could continue living with my weaknesses and darkness like this."
In the midst of all this, while I was making the drama "SHUT UP," which depicts student poverty and sexual violence against women, I had time to think about homosociality. I had a vague idea that it would be nice to create a work in which men care for each other, which could dismantle homosociality. When I was thinking about the gender of the characters, I thought that if I combined that thought, I could create a work that could resist homosociality, and that's how "Dinner Blues" was born.
--You've mentioned in other interviews that you wanted to write a story about men caring for each other, and now that's come true.
Due to the nature of the work, "SHUT UP" is a work that is highly relevant to women, and I think it was a work that was a big burden to watch. Therefore, I aimed to make "Dinner Blues" a work that female viewers could watch without feeling burdened.
-Was the protagonist Yuta's occupation as a drama director because it applied to yourself?
When creating a story, it is important to describe the details of the work, but the preparation period was short. If I were to interview other industries, I would not have enough time. Therefore, I chose a familiar occupation, which allows me to expand the story from the world I see. Another reason is that I have been thinking about the recent trend of mass-producing content as if it were a disposable consumer item.
--Looking at the reactions on social media, it seems like it's a film that people from any profession can relate to, but was there anything special you put effort into making it?
"To portray it dispassionately as a part of everyday life." From the scriptwriting stage, I had been mindful of depicting it with a sense of warmth as "just a part of everyday life," without portraying it as tragic or sympathetic. Rather than choosing a major event, I created the story with an awareness of the pain and small wear and tear that accumulates without us realizing, something that we can get through every day and think "it's okay."
--Was that understanding shared by the other cast members?
I don't give any direct direction to the cast, so I shared it with the director. I want them to not look sad when they're in pain, to be able to laugh even if they're tired, and it's totally fine. I want them to be unaware of their own pain and emotions, but I also want to convey that this is actually a bit of a painful thing.
◇The appeal of Kai Inowaki, Daichi Kaneko, and Takuya Kusakawa from the producer's perspective
-Mr. Homma, what was your impression of the cast?
Inowaki-san is a very serious person. Kaneko-san is a mood maker who livened up the set. At one point, he was crazy about crispy plums, and he brought in a lot of them, which sparked a crispy plum craze among the staff (laughs). I worked with Kusakawa-san on "Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!," and I got the impression that he's someone who values his own pace while being considerate of those around him.
-What do you think is the appeal of the acting of these three wonderful people?
Watching his other works, I think Inowaki-san is a charming actor. He is adept at changing his facial expressions to approach his acting, which I think is what gives him his image of healthiness and cheerfulness. On the other hand, even when he plays a character like Yuta, who acts flatly, the amount of information he conveys is very rich. Even without him saying a word, I felt that he appealed to me just by standing there.
Kaneko-san's acting at the moment of emotional contact is very charming. There were moments that took me by surprise, as if I could hear the sound of his heart moving. I think Kosuke was a difficult role that required a lot of introspection, but he responded to the words of the other person in a detailed and delicate way, and he was really good at expressing that exquisitely. Dramas are fictional, but when Kaneko-san is involved, it becomes real and true. No matter who the other person was with or what the situation was, I felt that Kaneko-san had the dial in the tone of the scene.
I think that Aoi, played by Kusakawa-san, was also a difficult role. Unlike Yuta and Kosuke, he is not very good at self-disclosure, which is why he is a character who behaves cheerfully around those around him, but he is not pulled down by the atmosphere around him, and he continues to stand on his own two feet as Aoi, without losing his axis as a character. I worked with him on "Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!," which I mentioned earlier, and "SHUT UP," but there were many expressions that I saw for the first time in this work, and I thought he was a wonderful actor once again.
◇The type of drama we aim for: “Being connected to society” is important
--In the works you've worked on so far, such as "Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!" and "SHUT UP," what do you value most?
Dramas are fiction and entertainment, but I think it's important that they are "connected to society." Also, I've been encouraged and saved by dramas and movies, so I hope that the works I create can do the same for someone.
--Through the production of "Dinner Blues," is there anything that you've realized you would like to challenge yourself with in the future? Please tell us.
This isn't just about this work, but whenever I create a work, I try to aim for something like "combining sociality and entertainment." I feel like I'm lacking in the entertainment aspect, so I want to hone that aspect more.
--What do you mean by "entertainment"?
After watching it, you can simply think, "It's interesting! What is this?" In the case of "SHUT UP," people who have an ear for social issues may have been enthusiastic about it, but I wondered if people who don't have such an ear for it also enjoyed it. I think the power of entertainment is that even people who are not interested in the social issues can enjoy it, and while enjoying the drama, their ears turn to social issues, and this is the ideal form for me.
--Mr. Homma, as someone who produces hit content one after another, how do you view terrestrial broadcasting and streaming?
I personally make great use of streaming services. In particular, TV Tokyo is a broadcasting station that cannot be seen in some areas on terrestrial TV, so I am really grateful that TVer has given me the opportunity to be seen by people all over the country.
--Please give us a message for those who are going to watch "Dinner Blues."
This is a drama about adults who have stumbled in life and about delicious food. I would be happy if it could become a place where people who keep working hard without realizing it in their busy days can stop and think.
