Actor Elaiza Ikeda will be appearing in the NHK drama series "The Great Passage ~ Watashi, Jiken Tsukurimasu ~" which will be broadcast on terrestrial TV in the "Drama 10" slot (General TV, Tuesdays at 10pm) from June 17th. Regarding the dictionary she was involved in through her role, she said, "It's easy to say that we have to preserve these words, but it's a really difficult task. Many teachers are involved in one dictionary, and the words have to be neatly stored in a dictionary that is only 8 centimeters in size. I think it took about 16 years to make "Odo Kai" (the dictionary that appears in the drama), but I think it's a very weighty baton to be passed on to the future."
The drama is based on Shion Miura's bestselling novel and depicts the passion of people working on dictionaries from the perspective of Midori Kishibe (played by Ikeda), a young editorial staff member who has been transferred to the dictionary editorial department. The protagonist of the original work, Mitsuya Majime, the extremely earnest head of the dictionary editorial department, is played by Yojiro Noda of the rock band "RADWIMPS".
"I'm not an expert on haiku, but I really enjoy reading them and I love them," Ikeda revealed. What is it about the Japanese language that he finds fascinating and profound?
"I think there are words overseas like 'Que sera sera' that we don't know the correct way to express in Japanese, but in the first episode (of the drama), Noda Yojiro has a line that says, 'There are no bad words.' I think words are born out of necessity, to communicate something to someone, so depending on how you use them, they can become very beautiful words. Japanese in particular has had a long history of wordplay, and the meanings embedded in them stimulate people's imaginations and allow for all kinds of expressions. I love being able to leave it to the imagination of others and enjoy it."
The drama will be broadcast on NHK BS and BS Premium 4K from February to April 2024, and has received high praise overseas, including winning the Gold Award at the World Media Festival 2025 in Germany.
"When I work on plays, I often find myself wondering why the scriptwriter chose a certain word. I often try to understand what they were thinking, thinking that there must be a reason behind their choice of word. Each time I do this, I feel the depth of the Japanese language and the care and consideration that goes into it. I am very happy that a work that takes as its subject the question of why a certain Japanese word was created and what meaning it contains has been well received overseas. I wonder how 'Gekioko Punpunmaru' will be translated (laughs)."
As the terrestrial broadcast begins, Ikeda appeals to viewers, saying, "I hope you will take this time to pamper yourself, drink something warm, eat something delicious, and relax and enjoy yourself."
"I hope that it will be a time of mental relaxation for those who watch it. Some people may feel that the story about dictionaries is a bit heavy and serious, but I think it is actually a light-hearted and gentle story that can be watched without hesitation and will make you want to take care of yourself after watching it."
