Actor Ichinose Hayate stars in the TV drama series "Little Women - Sisters in Love and Me Who Doesn't Love" (Nippon TV, Sunday 10:30 pm) starring Hotta Mayu. He plays Yukishiro Ritsu, a childhood friend of the main character Machida Ryo (Hotta). "When I'm with Ryo, how much of my feelings do I have to show? It's quite difficult to get the balance right," Ichinose said about the role.
◇For the main character, she is the "one and only best friend" who transcends gender boundaries.
The drama is based on the timeless best-seller "Little Women" by American author Louisa May Alcott. It is a socially conscious sisterhood comedy set in the present day, inspired by the idea that "if those four sisters were alive in Reiwa Japan..." In addition to Hotta, Nimura Sawa, Hata Mei, and Nagahama Neru co-star as the second, eldest, youngest, and third sisters, respectively.
Ritsu, played by Ichinose, is Ryo's childhood friend of 20 years. He lost his parents at an early age and grew up with his grandfather, a hotel owner. He currently works as a reporter in the culture department of a newspaper company. To Ryo, Ritsu is his "one and only best friend" regardless of gender. Meanwhile, to Ritsu, Ryo is the "person he likes" and has secretly had feelings for since childhood. After an incident in high school, Ritsu tried to give up on his feelings for her, but by chance they have a fateful reunion...
Ichinose describes the young man Ritsu as "a truly bottomlessly kind person."
"He has a crush on Ryo, and he cares about others so much that he wonders if telling him would be pushing him. He is a very charming character."
Ryo, the man she has feelings for, is headstrong and eloquent. His personality causes him to quit his job at a drama production company and return to his old dream of becoming a screenwriter. Ritsu's role is to support Ryo.
"I think Ryo is a woman with a difficult personality, but Ritsuko accepts those aspects of her and embraces her gently. It's easy to understand, and rather than being a busybody or trying to be helpful, as he listens to her kindly, Ryo realizes something and solves the problem herself. It's a strange relationship."
◇ "If I wanted to hide my feelings, I could," but...
Again, she also reveals about Ritsuko, "I feel that her age and way of speaking are very similar to mine."
"I'm a newspaper reporter by profession, and I thought that I could have become one too, depending on the choices I made in life. In that sense, it's an easy role to get into, but I also feel that it's difficult to know how much of my feelings I should show because it's so similar to me. If I really wanted to hide my feelings, I could, but that wouldn't get through to the viewers. The subtleties of those emotions, and how much I show, change depending on the scene, so it's like there's a consistency, but not necessarily."
Regarding the drama, she said, "First of all, the four main sisters are all very charming characters, and I think a lot of people will be able to sympathize with them."
"The four of them have different personalities, but they are bound together by a strong bond as sisters. I think the way they respect each other and compete with each other is a big part of the appeal of the show. In addition, it also depicts how they interact with the opposite sex, and as the subtitle says, "Sisters in Love and Me Not in Love," Ryo has doubts about the happiness of getting married. So will Ritsu tell her how she feels, or not, and if she does, how will Ryo take it? The original story is from 150 years ago, but I think the drama itself is something that people can relate to now, so I hope people of all ages and genders will enjoy it."
