The drama series "Ignite" (TBS, Friday 10pm) starring actor Mamiya Shotaro will start on April 18th. The drama is a dark legal entertainment about a lawyer who makes a lot of money by inciting lawsuits. The person who planned, produced and wrote the script for this series is Hatanaka Shota of the content studio "BABEL LABEL". We spoke to Hatanaka, who himself has experience aiming to take the bar exam, about the intention behind the project and the reasons for casting Mamiya and other cast members.
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The reckless and righteous Uzaki (Mamiya) jumps into the Peace Law Firm, known in the industry as a lawless organization. He ignites the hearts of potential plaintiffs and makes them file lawsuits. This is the story of a group of lawless people who use all means to win their cases.
-Firstly, please tell us what prompted you to make this film and what your intentions were when planning it.
One reason, and this is personal, is that when I was a student I actually attempted to take the bar exam, and although I eventually gave up on that path, I had always wanted to one day create a "legal drama" as an entertainment piece.
At that time, I happened to hear from a lawyer I knew that "The number of lawyers has doubled since the past, so just because you become a lawyer doesn't mean you can easily make a living" and "Lawyers can't get a job without disputes." This is when I heard the idea that forms the core of this work: "What if there were lawyers who encouraged people to sue in order to win cases?"
--Two years after you started planning the project, how did you feel when it was decided that the series would be broadcast on terrestrial television as a Friday drama?
TBS's Friday Drama is a drama slot that I've been watching regularly since I was a student, so to be honest, when the project was decided, I didn't really feel it. However, as the production gradually progressed, I began to feel a kind of pressure: "I have to create a work that will stand shoulder to shoulder with the dramas I watched in the past...!" However, now I think I have been able to transform that into a positive pressure: "Let's create a good work as a team!"
--Please tell us why you chose Mamiya-san as the lead actor and if you have any stories from the filming set.
The main character, Ryo Uzaki, is a lawyer who "lights a fire" in the hearts of people who have been oppressed by society and the power of those around them, and who have locked away their suffering and feelings of grievance. When I imagined the main character, the image of Shotaro Mamiya, who appears cool at first glance but has a muddy, passionate fighting spirit deep inside, perfectly matched, so I offered him the lead role.
On the set of Ignite, we shoot a single scene over and over again, changing the camera angle from beginning to end. This requires energy and concentration from the actors, but even when the camera angle doesn't show Mamiya-san, she never loses her energy and always plays Uzaki with all her might. The other cast members and staff receive Mamiya-san's energy, and one passionate scene after another is created that moves the hearts of the viewers. In that sense, I hope you don't miss a single scene.
--Please tell us why you chose the members of Peace Law Office, each with their own unique personality.
Kenjiro Todoroki, the representative of Peace Law Office, is the leader of a team that foments lawsuits in order to win compensation in court. I had worked with Todoroki Nakamura in the past on a drama I produced with chief director Hirotoshi Hara, and I had always wanted to work with him on a project together. As part of this, we were excited as the production team to offer him the role, as we felt that the character of Todoroki, the mysterious and suspicious representative of the office, would be a new frontier that Nakamura had never been known for.
Moka Kamishiraishi will be playing Mari Inoo, the only female lawyer at Peace Law Firm. Inoo is the mood maker of the office, which is filled with hot-blooded members such as Todoroki and Uzaki, and is also known as the "walking encyclopedia of law." Moka's image, which perfectly matches Inoo's character and her natural charm that oozes from her personality and the intelligence that makes her persuasive as a lawyer, was offered the role of Inoo.
The youngest and most talented member of the team, Takaido Toma, will be played by Ryoki Miyama. Although he is the youngest and coolest character in the agency, Takaido also has a mysterious side to him that he doesn't show anyone what he is hiding inside. I offered him the role because I thought that the character of Takaido would be able to make the most of Miyama's charms as both an actor and an artist, who have completely different faces. I also added some elements unique to Miyama to the character of Takaido, so I hope you will look forward to that as well.
--I understand that you yourself aimed to pass the bar exam. Was that something you were able to reflect in the production?
"Trials" are never simple, and both the plaintiff who sues and the defendant who is sued have their own life dramas that lead to their cases. I think that because I have had close contact with the reality of such trials in the past, I was able to carefully script a human story that shows how a client makes the decision to "file a lawsuit", something not found in conventional legal dramas.
--Please tell us if there are any attempts you are making for the first time in this work.
While the highlight of conventional legal dramas is the battles in the courtroom, this drama also has a lot to offer "outside the courtroom," including action scenes and car stunts. For this reason, we have incorporated a variety of filming approaches that make full use of the dynamism of images, which is BABEL LABEL's strength. We hope you will look forward to the drama from that perspective, starting from the first episode.
--In keeping with the title "Ignite," how do you hope to ignite emotions in viewers who watch this film?
I simply want people to be excited about the TV drama and think, "I've never seen a legal drama like this before!" Throughout all the episodes, the production theme has been to make it a TV drama that is different from a TV drama, and a legal drama that is different from a legal drama.
Lawless lawyers who encourage people to sue, action and stunts outside the courtroom, and a human story depicting the conflict that one person goes through before filing a lawsuit... I think this work "Ignite" is full of various "surprises" that have never been seen before. Don't miss this new TBS Friday drama, born only from the collaboration between TBS and content studio BABEL LABEL.
