Mio Imada stars in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. and others). In the 8th week "Encounter, Parting" that begins on May 19, Misuzu Kanno will appear as Setsuko Wakamatsu.
Setsuko, played by Kanno, is the mother of Jiro Wakamatsu(Ayumu Nakajima), who works as a first engineer. Upon learning of Nobu's (Imada), she brings the idea of an arranged marriage between the two to the Asada family.
When the announcement of her appearance was made, Kamino commented, "My mother would often say, 'Whenever Anpanman sees someone in trouble, he lets him bite off his face. He's the most wonderful hero.' I often think about my mother's words in my daily life or when I watch the news, and at that time, the story of the Yanase couple, with a script by Miho Nakazono, is being made into a Asadora! I never thought I would be able to become one of the cells of the story. I was so happy that I couldn't help but dance."
"I was a bit nervous about joining the cast midway through, but Director Yanagawa (Tsuyoshi) eased my anxiety with his excellent direction, starting from the costume fitting, and Nishimura Takemasa (Tosa dialect instructor) helped me to breathe life into the Tosa dialect with his guidance that only an actor can provide. I was helped by the great tolerance and casual kindness of the Asada family. All the staff love this production, and I am happy to be on a set filled with a gentle excitement with Mio Imada's brightness and passion at the center. I am from the generation that has family members who experienced that war. I would like to pass on the meaning of the things they have told me, and the lives they have connected. I can't wait for everyone to meet Jiro, the proud son played by Ayumu Nakajima."
"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobu (1918-1993), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman." It is a "story of love and courage" that will make you feel the joy of living, depicting how these two, who were once nobody, overcame all sorts of rough seas to become "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
