The fifth episode of the drama series "Lion's Lair" (TBS, Friday 10pm), starring actor Yagira Yuya, will be broadcast on November 8th. We spoke to producer Matsumoto Yuka about the highlights and behind the scenes of filming.
The drama is a human suspense story in which Kouto (Yagira) and his younger brother Mijito (Bando Ryuta), who has autism spectrum disorder, meet a mysterious boy (Sato Ozora) who calls himself "Lion" and become embroiled in an incident. The script is completely original and is written jointly by Tokuo Koji, who worked on "My Housekeeper Nagisa-san" (TBS) and the "Ossan's Love" series (TV Asahi), and Ichinohe Yoshino, who is making her drama debut.
◇Highlights of Episode 5
Aiko, played by Ono Machiko, and the mysterious young man X, played by Okayama Amane, who have barely spoken a word up until this point, are finally starting to get serious! And once it starts moving, I think it will have a shocking impact on everyone...!
I can't talk about the scene specifically because I want to keep it a surprise until the broadcast, but the director, myself, and many of the staff were moved to tears while watching the monitor during filming. It may be a heart-wrenching episode...
However, I think that the things that viewers are curious about will be gradually unraveled in the first four episodes. Also, it is because of these hectic days that this episode shows Kouto's conflicts and decisions, Mijito's new challenge, and Lion's dedication to living desperately.
◇Behind the scenes of the filming of episode 4
I'm sure those who watched episode 4 have many favorite scenes, but this episode was filled with many wonderful moments after Kouto, Mijito, and the lion started living together.
As for the behind-the-scenes story of the filming, the last scene where Kouto tells the lion that his mother might be alive was a scene that I was personally moved by. When filming that scene, I dried it more thoroughly and carefully than usual, and confirmed my feelings. If the movements and shapes had been too rigid, Ozora-kun, who plays the lion, might not have been able to act naturally, and it was also a difficult scene for the director to get the balance right.
For that reason, many parts were left to the acting department, and the lion's "tickling" after Kouto sheds tears, and the three of them laughing and saying "It's not tickling time" were slightly different from the stage directions in the script, but they were wonderful scenes that could only be created at that time, and exuded the relationship that the three had built up up to that point.
