Light of My Lion:Total 11 episodes Interview with the drama producer: Episode 9 "This might be a bitter episode that requires a bit of courage"

The 9th episode of the drama series "Light of My Lion" (TBS, Friday 10pm) starring actor Yuya Yagira will be broadcast on December 6th. 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 a completely original one, co-written by Tokuo Koji, who worked on "My Housekeeper Nagisa-san" (TBS) and the "Ossan's Love" series (TV Asahi), and Ichinohe Yoshino, who will be making her drama debut.

◇Highlights of Episode 9

Last time, we announced that this drama will have a total of 11 episodes, but this episode 9 may be a bit bitter and require a bit of preparation. However, what I can say for sure is that this episode is what makes the 10th and final episode possible. It's a very important episode that will lead us to that point!

I can't go into specifics, but not everyone is strong when living an ordinary life, and when we face difficulties, we are bound to feel fear, difficulty, lack of confidence, and struggle with ourselves. In reality, we often can't be cool like heroes. Even in such circumstances, we struggle, we realize what is most important, and I hope you will think about these kinds of things while watching this episode.

◇ Behind the scenes of Episode 8

While filming the scene in a store where Koto and Mi-kun (Mijito) find and purchase socks with lions on them to say goodbye to the lion they are saying goodbye to, an 8-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder who lives near the filming location heard that the program was being filmed there and came to see it with his mother.

Outside the filming, someone was saying to the boy, "Do your best, Mi-kun!", and when Bando-san noticed, he came outside to meet the boy.

He looked so happy and shook hands with Bando-san, who reached out his hand to him. It was a heartwarming moment, as it was just like when Mi-kun met Mio for the first time at the zoo in episode 3 and shook hands with her shyly.

Also, the mother who came with us said, "Mikkun's attention to detail and detailed behavior are so similar to my son. It's really amazing to watch him!" Even though it was still early in the series, they shared many thoughts about the drama and cheered us on, making it a heartwarming and encouraging time for both the staff and the cast. Also, the boy's name was similar to Kouto, Mijito, and Shuuto, and we were touched by this wonderful encounter!