Actor Koseki Yuta will be appearing in the Tuesday drama "Ano Kuzu wo Hitte Yatai Nanda" (TBS, Tuesday 10pm). He plays Ooba Souto, an elite civil servant who works at the same city hall as Hokomi (Nao). This is Koseki's first appearance in a Tuesday drama, and he said he was surprised at how viewers have "deciphered" the work, saying, "I thought it was sharp and deep that they were deciphering a romance drama as if it were a suspense drama. I made such a discovery." We asked Koseki about his impression of Nao and what we should look forward to in the drama.
◇Ooba, the young ace, also has a clumsy side when it comes to love
The drama is a completely original story. The protagonist Hokomi (Nao), whose boyfriend ran away on her wedding day, meets a mysterious blonde man, Kairi (Tamamori Yuta), at the lowest point in her life, and starts boxing to change herself in this romantic comedy.
Regarding Ooba, a young ace who works in a department directly under the mayor, Koseki said, "I'm playing him as a man who is good at his job, refreshing, and has a broad perspective, the kind of man the mayor can rely on." He also has a clumsy side when it comes to love, but "when I look at him objectively, I think, 'Eh, that's not something normal people do,' 'Be a bit more aggressive,' 'He's too nice,' but that's also Ooba's true feelings, and he does it naturally. He's a person who respects many people, so I think there are many things I can learn from him."
The drama has received a lot of feedback on social media in the form of comments and letters, and he is surprised at how deeply people can interpret it. "I was surprised that I could see a love triangle and a love square in the first or second episode," he recalls.
In the fourth episode, the "hidden face" of Nade (Tamai Shiori), who works at the same city hall as Ooba, is revealed. "I thought that this role would destroy the public image I had of Tamai in a good way, and I'm having fun doing that on set," he said.
◇ "It was a team filled with calmness and a sense of security"
She has worked with Nao, who plays Hokomi, on many productions. "We had worked together on a few productions in the past, so I felt a sense of security. It was fun working with her," she says with a smile.
According to Koseki, the atmosphere on set changes depending on the mood of the actor playing the main character.
"The atmosphere, including the teamwork and the staff, always changes drastically. This time, the team was filled with Nao's gentleness, calmness, and a sense of security. Everyone had a positive attitude to make a good production, but they were also calm and warm. It was an atmosphere that made you want to go to the set."
In the sixth episode, which will air on November 12th, there will be a bicycle scene with Ohba and Kairi. Koseki predicts, "There will be a really cute, heartwarming scene that will go down in history, something that has never been seen in a drama before."
