Ichinose Wataru plays Sasaki Yuma, the "self-proclaimed manager" of Yoneda Ayumu (Naka Riisa) in the NHK morning drama "Omusubi" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. and others), starring actress Hashimoto Kanna. We spoke to production manager Usagawa Takashi about the reason for casting Ichinose, who plays Yuma in a comical way, and what makes him appealing.
Ichinose, who made waves last year when he played the lead role of a young sumo wrestler in the Netflix series "Sanctuary," is appearing in a morning drama for the second time since "Yell" in the first half of 2020. He often plays villains, making the most of his unusual background as a former martial artist and his blessed physique, but in "Omusubi," he plays the lovable and charming Yuma.
Regarding the reason for casting Ichinose, Usagawa revealed, "I offered him the role because I thought that the character Yuma, for whom carefreeness as a person is important, and the purity that Ichinose possesses would match perfectly."
"Ichinose has a strong image of playing a ruffian in 'Sanctuary' and a hated rugby player in the movie 'From Miyamoto to You,' but when I saw him appear on a variety show, I saw that he was the epitome of purity, and I fell in love with him at first sight, thinking, 'What a wonderful person.' This role is different from Ichinose's previous image, but I asked him to take the role because I wanted people to see the real Ichinose."
Yuma is a character who adores Ayumu, and Ichinose himself said, "I respect Naka-san, so I'm having a lot of fun acting," and Usagawa praised his performance, saying, "It's a natural performance that seems to be connected to the real Ichinose."
"Ichinose-san says that when he plays a villainous character, he gets himself pumped up for the role, but the role of Yuma is really effortless, and he said, 'It's a character that adores Ayumu-san, so it's fun to be able to act naturally.' His natural acting is the best, as if he's just playing the role of the real Ichinose-san."
How will Yuma, who travels with Ayumu, become involved in the story? Of course, we can't take our eyes off future developments, but we can also look forward to Ichinose-san's acting, which has a different appeal from "Sanctuary."
