Mio Imada , who played the main character Yanai Nobu in the NHK morning drama " Anpan " (General Asadora , Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), has just reached the final episode. Looking back on her co-starring with Takumi Kitamura, who played her husband Takashi, Imada said, "He supported me from start to finish," and now that filming has finished, she spoke of her feelings for Kitamura.
◇ Takumi Kitamura is "surprisingly funny"
"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobu (1918-1993). It tells the story of how the two met, overcame all sorts of obstacles, and arrived at "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
He has previously co-starred with Kitamura, who plays Taka, in the "Tokyo Revengers" film series, and "Anpan" marks their sixth time working together.
"I got to work with her again this time. I've played her role as an old girlfriend before, but in ' Anpan' I played a childhood friend who becomes a married couple, so it was the closest role I've played to date."
That's why I was able to see many moments that were completely different from the Kitamura I had seen up until then.
"I had always had the impression that Kitamura was calm, cool, and looked at everything from a bird's eye view, but I learned that while he has that side to him, he's also surprisingly humorous. I think there were many aspects of him that I was able to get to know because of the distance we have as childhood friends and husband and the long one-year filming period."
Looking back on the year of filming, Imada said, "There were many fun moments, but because I'm human, there were also moments when I felt lost or a little difficult." At times like those, he said that Kitamura's presence helped him.
"Kitamura-san is very observant of his surroundings, so he notices my feelings and supports me in a subtle way. When I was unsure how to act, I consulted him and he thought it through together with me. He helped me a lot in that way, and I really respect him. He really supported me from the beginning to the end."
◇What I felt through Nobu & Taka
Nobu and Taka met when they were in elementary school, and grew older together as a married couple, with the final episode (broadcast on September 26th) depicting the two in their 70s. Imada laughs, saying, "Towards the end of filming, there were a lot of things going on, including ad-libs, so I'd like to believe that we had perfect chemistry."
"Taka in his later years really looked like Takashi Yanase. There was a scene that marked a turning point for Nobu and Taka, where Nobu poured out the conflicts he had been carrying up until that point, such as 'I couldn't have children' and 'I never amounted to anything'. Taka received it and said 'That's great,' which was a great relief for Nobu, and I think it made it easier for him to live his life as himself. I think he began to feel proud that this was the place he belonged."
Nanobu is a "hachikin" (a lively woman in Tosa dialect) and Taka is a "tasuigaa" (a weak, unreliable person in Tosa dialect). At first glance, they seem to be complete opposites, but they are a well-balanced couple who aim in the same direction and help each other grow.
Imada says of the two, "They recognize and respect each other's shortcomings, and although they have differences, they are alike in that they care deeply for each other."
"If I have such an opportunity in the future, I will be drawn to someone I can respect, and I would like to work hard so that the other person will think the same of me. Through Nobu and Takashi, I felt that a relationship where you respect each other is wonderful. They both act for others rather than for themselves, and I thought they had a lot of love, so I felt that I would like to treat people with consideration and love."
