Actor Ryuhei Matsuda attended a press conference on January Getsuku at TV Asahi (Minato Ward, Tokyo) for the drama "Detective-san, Your Backpack is Open" (Fridays at 11:15pm, excluding some areas), which starts that evening, along with his co-star Hikaru Takahashi. Despite being the lead actor, he revealed that he was unaware of "important information" about the filming locations, which drew criticism from his co-stars.
Matsuda himself was involved in the planning of this film, and it is a heartwarming mystery that was born from a collaboration with screenwriter and director Shuichi Okita. Set in the small rural town of Nishigaya Onsen, the story follows detective and inventor Yosuke Ichinose (played by Matsuda) as he solves a series of strange requests in a relaxed and unconventional way, making it a heartwarming story filled with laughter and tears.
Matsuda introduced the role, honestly sharing some behind-the-scenes stories, saying, "I play the role of a detective, but it started out with me not wanting to run around or do much action (laughs). I just wanted to catch the culprit easily and then just chat, so I left that feeling entirely to Okita, and the world expanded from there."
The filming took place at the "Tazawa Onsen Masuya Ryokan" in Nagano Prefecture, and Takahashi said, "It was my first time filming in a hot spring, and it's an inn that's been designated as a cultural property..." Matsuda, who was sitting next to him, seemed surprised. When Takahashi retorted, "You didn't know?!", Matsuda honestly admitted, "I'm surprised. So you were filming in a place like that," to which those around him further teased, "It was written there (laughs)."
With the first episode due to air soon, Matsuda said, "It's a work that has the word 'unusual' in it, with unusual inventions and the unusual residents of Nishigaya Onsen. I'm curious to see if people will accept that and enjoy it. I hope they will. With each episode, more friends will join in, and it will become more lively and have a festival-like atmosphere, which will be a highlight."
Also attending the press conference were Okura Koji, Mizusawa Shingo, Katayama Yuki, and Ken Mitsuishi.
