Karin Ono is starring in the serial drama "Watashi no Shiranai Watashi" (Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV, Thursday 11:59 pm). The drama is an original work by Rieko Obayashi, and Ono plays the protagonist who struggles to recover her memories of the lost year in order to prove her innocence after being suspected of murder. This is Ono's first time starring in a drama, so we asked her about her enthusiasm.
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Ono-san revealed his thoughts about being the sole lead in the drama, saying, "I felt more encouraged than anxious because I would be working with such encouraging co-stars and staff." He finished reading all the scripts before filming began. He was drawn into the story, saying, "After reading the script for episode 1, I couldn't help but pick up the script for episode 2."
Mei (Ono) wakes up to find that she has lost her memory for the past year. Her life before she lost her memory is suddenly transformed, and she finds herself engaged to a doctor, gains social status, and is reunited with her best friend, whom she thought was dead.
But gradually, his close friend and other people around him start to take away the things that are important to him, and he is even suspected of murder... and so the story unfolds. Ono-san approached the performance with passion, saying, "One of my challenges was to go even a little bit beyond the shock I felt when I read the script."
Mei is the type of person who does not assert her own feelings and prioritizes those around her, but as she faces hostility from her supposed best friend Midori (Baba Fumika), she transforms into a strong woman who is determined to protect the things that are important to her.
Ono analyzes Mei as "a human character who is packed with weakness, immaturity, and clumsiness. The script is not straightforward, with the timeline going back and forth, so it's difficult to structure it, and Mei herself is a character made up of so many elements, so it's difficult to balance that and express the strengths and weaknesses of her expressions."
For Ono, certain words he received from the production staff of this film have been a source of support.
"I was told that I didn't need to use obvious expressions like widening my eyes when I'm surprised. I was happy that they asked me to use a new expression. That has become the core of my acting now."
2025 is set to be a year of great progress for Ono, who will be appearing in her first taiga drama, "UNBOUND ~Tsutajueigano Yumebanashi~", which began on the 5th. Ono smiled charmingly and said, "I'm going to live happily! I'm going to have a busy and difficult life, so I think it's about how we can have fun, be grateful, and have fun together. If we could even enjoy the difficult and tough things, that would be the best."
