The NHK taiga drama "Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)" starring Yuriko Yoshitaka aired its final episode on December 15th. The drama would not have been as exciting without the passionate performances of the cast, but one of the people who contributed greatly to this success is First Summer Uika, who played the role of Kikyo/Sei Shonagon. Here, we would like to unravel the reasons why First Summer Uika was able to shine in the drama, based on comments made in past interviews.
◇Reincarnation? The high synchronization rate is unmatched
This is First Summer Uika's first appearance in a taiga drama. She first appeared in the sixth episode, "Two Talented Women" (broadcast on February 11th), and since then, she has contributed more to the excitement of the drama than her previous appearances.
Sei Shonagon is known as the author of "The Pillow Book," a masterpiece of Heian literature that rivals "The Tale of Genji," and for which the phrase "Spring is the dawn" is so famous. However, her portrayal of a brilliant and brilliant woman in the play was truly remarkable, and it seemed that the part that "only First Summer Uika can play the role" remained true until the very end.
First Summer Uika continues to perform well, so much so that some on social media have called her a "reincarnation." Her synchronization with the role is unmatched, and she herself is self-aware of this, saying, "She's a character whose way of thinking and expression is very similar to mine."
In a previous interview, she said, "People sometimes say on social media that I'm their 'reincarnation,' but I don't think, 'No, that's an exaggeration,' or more like, 'It could be,' and I feel that close to her (laughs). I felt the same way when I read the script for the drama. I've been told that it's rare to play a historical figure and feel like 'it's like you' or 'it's like you're watching yourself,' but I never thought I'd empathise with it to this extent. No, it went beyond empathy. It was like 'That's what you would say in a situation like this' and 'What would you say otherwise' and there were times when I really felt that I was like Sei Shonagon. The more I got to know her, the more my anxieties disappeared."
First Summer Uika said that the more she got to know Sei Shonagon, the more the anxiety and pressure she felt about playing the role of Sei Shonagon in a drama starring Murasaki Shikibu was blown away.
"Once I realized that this is pretty much me, there was never a time when I thought, 'I don't understand this feeling at all.' This is a bit off topic, but the Sei Shonagon in educational manga, as well as manga and illustrations based on the Heian period, are all drawn with a stern, somewhat fox-like face and there are many who are somewhat similar. That was also reassuring in terms of the visuals (laughs)," she said.
◇ "I always tried to impose a great challenge on myself..." The strength of my thoughts bore fruit
From the middle of the story onwards, as Sei Shonagon's sadness following the death of her loyal Sadashi changes into hatred for Michinaga, First Summer Uika said that "the initial sense of closeness to her was lost," but at the same time, she did not forget to empathize with the character's feelings.
"I think Kikyou (Sei Shonagon) is an open and uninhibited character, but people are never one-dimensional; they change over time, so I think Kikyou also changed over time. There were times when I thought, 'If it were me, I might not behave like that,' but I think that's because I have not yet lost a 'shining prince' in my life who is comparable to Sadako-sama for Kikyou. That's what I thought," she revealed in an interview after filming wrapped up.
Regarding the scene in episode 43 (broadcast on November 10th) in which Sei Shonagon, who with her own hands destroyed her friendship with Murasaki Shikibu (Mahiro) with her own open hostility, "declares the end of the war" by saying, "I have supported my life by harboring resentment, but I think that it's time to stop", she explained, "There are times when the strings suddenly snap. You've been working hard at something and then it snaps, and you think, 'I can't do this anymore, I've stopped.' It was a similar feeling of giving up, or of retiring. It's not in the script, so it's just my imagination, but I think that's how the resentment suddenly disappeared."
In an interview, First Summer Uika described her time living as Sei Shonagon as "a year of living without putting down the burden of chrysanthemum vulgare."
"There wasn't a moment when the thought of Taiga didn't cross my mind, and because of that I even had my (usual) hairstyle cut in a hime cut. That way, wherever I went people would ask me, 'That looks kind of Japanese, doesn't it?' and I would reply, 'Now, with the Taiga drama, peace.' In that way, I spent the year constantly trying to impose the Taiga drama on myself. There were moments when it felt comfortable, and moments when it was a heavy pressure, but I also felt that I couldn't do it without it, and that if I forgot it would be over," she revealed the strength of her feelings.
"The experience I gained here was special, and if I were to write an essay in the future, I'm sure I will include this taiga drama, ' To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e) Light' as a chapter, and it will definitely appear in my memory when I die. It has been so engraved into my memory," she said, and there is no doubt that First Summer Uika herself has made her name in the history of taiga dramas as Sei Shonagon with her outstanding performance this time.
