The eighth episode of the drama series "Light of My Lion" (TBS, Friday 10pm) starring actor Yuya Yagira will be broadcast on November 29th. We spoke to producer Yuka Matsumoto about the highlights and behind the scenes of the filming.
The drama is a human suspense story about Kouto (Yagira) and his younger brother Mijito (Bando Ryuta), who has autism spectrum disorder, meeting a mysterious boy (Sato Ozora) who calls himself "Lion" and becoming embroiled in an incident. The script is completely original and is written jointly by Koji Tokuo, who worked on "My Housekeeper Nagisa-san" (TBS) and the "Ossan's Love" series (TV Asahi), and Yoshino Ichinohe, who is making her drama debut.
◇Highlights of Episode 8
In episode 8, Kouto, Mijito and Lion continue to spend time on Sado Island. Then, Manami (Ono Machiko) is finally released and arrives. I would like you to pay attention to the relationship between these four people who are finally reunited. Although there are conflicts and unfamiliarity with the arrival of Aiko, there are things that only the four of them can talk about and create an atmosphere, which I think makes this episode taste different. I received a lot of comments saying, "I can cry just from the preview!", but it is not normal for Kou and Mijito to have lions in their lives, and even though it is actually an abnormal situation, this episode is one where you feel your heart pounding with sadness when you think about life without lions. And here is an announcement: "Lion's Lair" has a total of 11 episodes! It is the second half, but the story is completed in the remaining four episodes, including episode 8. I hope you will continue to enjoy watching until the end.
◇ Behind the scenes of episode 7
In episode 7, Kou, Mijito, and Lion went on a trip to hide, but they really all went to Sado Island to film the location. The filming on the ferry from Niigata to Sado was a battle against the violent rocking caused by the weather the day before, but everyone got seasick but managed to get through it safely. There were seagulls flying around the ferry all the time, and if you stretched out your hand they would fly right up to you, so Yagira, Bando, and Ozora were all excited about the seagulls when the cameras weren't rolling! The seagulls, who are the second key animal in this drama after the lion, gathered in large numbers (laughs). The next day, Bando and the lion didn't rest either, and they went on a "tub boat" ride together with great energy, ate grilled turban shells, and thoroughly enjoyed the nature of Sado. During the filming at the pension, we had a marshmallow roasting contest before shooting the campfire scene, and Yagira was the best at roasting marshmallows and handed them out to the staff. Contrary to the tense situation of the drama, the filming of episode 7 was fun, going out of the studio and the usual filming locations! We were also grateful to the people of Sado Island who said, "We're watching the drama!"
