Miho Nakazono is the scriptwriter for the Asadora drama "Anpan " (NHK General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00am and others), starring Mio Imada Nakazono, who used to correspond with Mio Imada , the manga artist and picture book author who created "Anpanman" and who is the model for Takashi (Kitamura Takumi), the Takashi Yanase of the main character Nobu ( Takumi Kitamura ), talked about what inspired her to draw " Anpan" and her interactions with Yanase.
◇Unsure about Asadora offer?
"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Noriyuki Yanase (1918-1993). It is a "story of love and courage" that will make you feel the joy of living, depicting how the two met, overcame all sorts of rough seas, and arrived at "Anpanman", the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
Nakazono, who also wrote the script for the Asadora"Hanako to Anne" in the first half of 2014, revealed, "The last morning Asadora was really tough. I had to wake up in the morning and write without having time to catch my breath, so I sometimes got exhausted halfway through. I thought it was getting too tough physically, so when (production manager) Kurasaki Ken asked me to do the part, to be honest I thought about turning it down (laughs)."
However, during a meeting with Kurazaki, they happened to agree that they both wanted to draw Yanase.
"In my career as a screenwriter, this was the first time that I'd agreed with a producer when it came to choosing a subject. If I could write a story by Takashi Yanase, I absolutely wanted to write it. I wanted to do my best no matter how hard I had to push myself, so I accepted the offer."
◇ Secret stories of interactions with Yanase
Nakazono began corresponding with Yanase when he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, after reading Yanase's poetry collection "Aisuru Uta" (Beloved Songs) and sending him a fan letter.
"I lost my father when I was 10 years old, and when I read the poem that Yanase wrote, 'We are born alone, we die alone, how lonely humans are, how strange humans are,' I felt a great sense of relief."
Through correspondence he developed a friendship with Yanase, but his initial impression of him was, "I know this is really rude, but I thought he was weak," he laughs.
"At that time, Yanase was still worried about not having a masterpiece, and his letters were quite complaining. He would write to me, an elementary school student, saying, 'I've taken on another job that won't pay me' (laughs). He was a very honest and straightforward person, and he invited me to several concerts. When we met there, I remember him kindly asking, 'Are you hungry?' So I had the impression of him as a kind old man who hadn't been rewarded for much."
He revealed that he feels a deep connection with Yanase that cannot be explained simply by saying it's a mysterious bond.
"As I was rereading the letters I had written to him back then, I came across a piece of paper that he had drawn for me in the caricature corner of a department store before we started exchanging letters. There were several manga artists there and I was waiting in line when someone called out, 'Next person,' and I took a seat, and it just so happened that it was Yanase. When the caricature was brought out, I saw that it had been signed by him in his own hand along with the date and I was like 'Whaaaaaat?!' I didn't remember this at all, but I felt like that's when we were destined to be together. At the time, I was writing poetry every day, and it was thanks to Yanase that I fell in love with writing and then went on to become a screenwriter. In that sense, I now realise that he was the one who really shaped who I am today."
◇ I was surprised by Takumi Kitamura's appearance that looked just like Yanase
While writing "Anpan," which is modeled after the Yanase couple, with whom he has such a deep connection, he says he is sometimes filled with a strange sensation, as if he is wrapped up in Yanase.
"This isn't a feeling I get much with his other works, but it feels like Yanase is letting me, a lazy person, write. When I'm writing, sometimes I feel like Yanase is close to me. Sometimes when I start writing a scene, and then when I finish, I don't really remember it, so I think maybe it was Yanase who wrote it, and not me."
In the first episode (broadcast on March 31), Takumi Kitamura, who plays Taka, who is modeled after Yanase, was also a hot topic for his "exact likeness" of Yanase. Nakazono was surprised, saying, "When I saw the first scene, I thought, 'Isn't this just like Yanase?' and it gave me goosebumps."
"He really was that kind of person. I don't know how Kitamura-san prepares for his roles, but someone so young is playing the middle-aged Yanase. I'm sure he's never met him, so I was amazed at how he could act as if he was possessed by the character. Maybe Yanase himself has descended upon the set as well."
He also gave his stamp of approval to Imada's performance as Taka's wife, Nobu, saying it "exceeded expectations."
"I've been working with Imada since 'Doctor X', and he has a really good personality, which shows on screen. Nobu is a bit of a strong-willed character, and depending on the actor playing him, he could have become a bit of an annoying character, but because it's Imada, I can write with confidence."
Finally, when asked what message he wanted to convey through "Anpan," he said, "The message in the lyrics of "Anpanman March," which is 'For what purpose were we born? What is our purpose in life?' is one of the things, but I also feel that it is extremely precious that Anpanman was born as a result of the experience of separation from loved ones and hunger caused by the war. I felt this even more strongly while putting together the drama, so I would like to convey Yanase-san's spirit in its entirety."
