It has been announced that former "Nogizaka46" and actor Mizuki Yamashita will star in the WOWOW drama series "My Murdered Husband Came Back," which will begin airing in July. This will be Yamashita's first time playing the lead role in a drama series, and also her first time appearing in a WOWOW drama series. She will play the protagonist, who has a brutal past.
This suspense mystery is based on the novel of the same name by Mina Sakurai, published by Shogakukan in 2021. The protagonist, Mana Suzukura (played by Yamashita), takes the first step towards her dream of becoming a designer while hiding the secret of having killed her abusive husband. However, one day, the husband she thought she had killed suddenly appears with no memory of it... and so the story unfolds. There are 6 episodes in total. It will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand (the first episode will be broadcast and streamed for free).
The script was written by Hideya Hamada, who has worked on the "Ichikei no Karasu" series and "Blue Moment" (both Fuji TV), and Yoshino Ichinohe, a young and talented actress who gained attention for "Light of My Lion" (TBS). The director will be Ayaka Kato, who has worked on the drama "Taikan Yoho" (MBS) and the movie "Tokyo Disaster" (2023).
Yamashita commented, "I have the impression that WOWOW's dramas are made very carefully, so I was very happy to be able to appear in one for the first time. I think I was an unreliable leading actor, but I feel that the staff made wonderful use of my immaturity through the footage."
Looking back on the filming, she said, "One thing the director often told me on set and when recording the monologue was, 'I want you to try not to show any emotion as much as possible.' Even when Mana is attacked by the stalker, she is unable to cry out for help out loud. She never cries or screams or becomes distraught. She just lives. It's not that she thinks life is boring, but because she believes that people like her shouldn't exist. On a bitterly cold day, I was crawling in the mud so hard that I thought I might not be able to breathe, and it felt very realistic as I lost consciousness."
Addressing the viewers, she said, "I think each viewer will interpret the film in their own way. I don't want you to side with Mana, but I hope that this work will help you to have a stronger sense of your existence in this world. I would be very happy if you can find the light in the darkness through this work."
