The Tuesday drama " Madoka26sai,Kenshui Yattemasu! " (TBS, Tuesdays at 10pm), starring actress Kyoko Yoshine , will air its final episode on March 18th. Producer Kaori Shiomura, who is in charge of the drama, said of Yoshine, who plays the main character Madoka, "She's like Madoka, she talks to the people around her without hesitation and gets along with people of all generations at the same distance. I felt that having Yoshine at the center of the story made me feel warm." Ahead of the final episode, we asked her to look back on the filming.
◇ Kyoko Yoshine's "devotion" was the inspiration
The drama is based on Mizutani Midori's manga "Madoka26sai,Kenshui Yattemasu!", "I'm a flustered medical intern," and "I came to be a medical intern on a remote island" (KADOKAWA). In a medical internship, Madoka Wakatsuki is told sarcastically that "interns 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 encourages her fellow colleagues and faces life.
Producer Shiomura described Yoshine as "the leader who makes everyone feel cheerful." In the scene in the first episode where Madoka performs cardiac massage, Yoshine was fully committed to the task, and her "single-mindedness" was a hint for creating Madoka's character.
"Madoka is carefree and goes at her own pace, with an optimistic side that says, 'Everything will work out somehow!' However, the initial setting was that she was holding something hot, but when I saw the CPR scene, Madoka's passionate feelings suddenly came out. That remained as an original image even when I was creating the scenes that followed," he said.
There were also scenes where Madoka was moved to tears, such as when she was crying alone as she reflected on her own words and actions, or when she was unable to stop crying when faced with the inevitable trial of a patient's death as a doctor. Producer Shiomura reflected, "(Yoshine) was very careful with each tearful performance, and each scene was completely different. Her tearful performance was based on her feelings at the time, and it really hit home for the viewers. Both the bright Madoka and the emotional Madoka were charming."
◇ The image of “Kanno” has changed from the original image to a warmer character.
Meanwhile, Kanno (Nobuyuki Suzuki), who watches over Madoka with kindness, has been drawing attention on social media with comments such as "His eyes are so kind, it makes my heart flutter" and "He's so cool." In fact, the image of "Kanno Sensei" that was initially imagined has changed, becoming a warmer character.
"I thought Suzuki-san, who has a stoic and serious image, was the perfect fit for the role of Professor Kanno, so I cast him. But as I was writing the script while watching Suzuki-san, (Professor Kanno) became a little more natural. His softness and slightly absent-mindedness made him more relatable. With Suzuki-san playing the role, my image of the character expanded more and more."
We are also curious to see how Madoka and Kanno's love will turn out, but he predicts, "The theme of this drama is how Madoka will make choices in her life. Unlike the so-called 'Tuesday dramas,' it isn't mainly a love story. She still has a faint crush on Kanno-sensei, and the outcome of that will be carefully depicted, but rather, she has to face the deadline in front of her to make a choice (which department to choose). Madoka will face the choices of her life."
Producer Shiomura then appealed, "Because we have carefully portrayed the presence of Professor Kakuta (Eiji Okuda), how will Madoka and the other teachers react when he is gone? This will be one of the highlights of the final episode."
