Actor Anna Yamada attended a press conference for the NHK Saturday drama "Lira no Hanasaku Kemonomichi" (Saturday 10pm), in which she plays the lead role. She talked about the appeal of the main character she plays and her memories of filming in Hokkaido, which she calls "the place I've been the most outside of Tokyo in recent years."
◇ The character Satori is "in the process of searching for his own way of life"
"The Path of the Lilac Flower Blooms" is a drama adaptation of the novel of the same name by Yoko Fujioka, winner of the 45th Eiji Yoshikawa Literary Newcomer Award. Set in Hokkaido, the story depicts the growth of a former recluse girl who faces challenges in her quest to become a veterinarian. The script is written by Fumie Mizuhashi, who has also worked on the network's serial drama "Scarlet" (2019 second half).
Yamada plays Satori Kishimoto, a student in the veterinary medicine department at Hokuno University. After losing his mother when he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, things didn't go well with his father's new wife, and he spent three years of junior high school reclusive with his beloved dog Pearl. He was taken in by his grandmother Chidori (played by Jun Kazebuki) and graduated from a challenge school for high school, but he has a terrible time socializing.
Yamada says of Satori, "She has a varied background, including not going to school and spending her time at home, but she is a serious person who is full of love for living things. She was raised by a very warm-hearted grandmother called Chidori, and she is in the process of searching for her way in life."
"I wanted to portray Satori as someone who grows through her life at school and through her encounters and partings with various people, and I wanted to play a character that viewers could empathize with. I myself had a dog at home and remembered the time I spent with my grandmother, so I think there were many parts where I was able to empathize with the character."
◇Looking back on the location shoot in Ebetsu, Hokkaido
Filming began in Hokkaido in October last year, with Yamada working with student extras at a university in Ebetsu city. "Students helped us out with scenes where we had to interact with animals, and we talked to them about what their real lives are like, and I felt that they all shared a deep love for animals," he recalled.
"What made the biggest impression on me was when the dogs and cats barked or meowed they would say, 'It's not woof' or 'You don't need to meow', and when the sheep bleated they would say, 'It's not baaaaah' (laughs). I felt a lot of love in that. I was given some materials and studied them before filming, but I learned a lot from watching the students interact with animals."
Yamada also visited Hokkaido while filming the movie "Golden Kamuy" (directed by Kubo Shigeaki), which was released last year, and said with a smile, "Hokkaido has been the place I've spent the most time outside of Tokyo over the past few years."
"I have had the opportunity to go there quite often, so in a way I don't feel as nervous on the plane to Hokkaido anymore, and I've seen a lot of the inside of New Chitose Airport (laughs). It's a really great place. I actually quite like the cold, and the food and alcohol are delicious, and when I see how clear the air is and how vast the land is, I feel like I've 'come home.' It's a place where I can relax and shoot."
"The Path of the Lilac Flower Blooms" will start airing on February 1st. There will be a total of three episodes.
