It has recently been announced that the NHK drama series "The Great Passage: I Will Make a Dictionary," starring actress Elaiza Ikeda and rock band RADWIMPS member Yojiro Noda, will be broadcast on terrestrial television from June 17th in the NHK's "Drama 10" time slot (General TV, Tuesdays at 10pm).
Based on a bestselling novel by Shion Miura, the drama depicts the passion of people working on dictionaries from the perspective of Midori Kishibe (played by Ikeda), a young editorial staff member who has been transferred to the dictionary editorial department. Midori Kishibe, a young editorial staff member at major publishing company Genbu Shobo, is suddenly transferred from the editorial department of a popular fashion magazine to the dictionary editorial department one day. Despite being at the mercy of encounters with the unknown, she finds pride and fulfillment in creating dictionaries... This story was broadcast on NHK BS and BS Premium 4K from February to April 2024.
Noda plays the protagonist of the original work, Mitsuya Majime, the extremely earnest head of the dictionary editorial department, and stars Mukai Osamu Mukai Naomi, who also wrote the NHK drama series "Shizuka-chan to Dad" and "This Is Not Expenseable!".
Ikeda commented, "It's been a year since the show ended, but I still hear people say, 'I watched The Great Passage.' And from these conversations, they sometimes teach me things about the words, the feelings they put into them, the past, and the future. I get to learn about someone's life through the show. These moments make me happy. It feels like I'm being told inside stories about the important process of weaving your own boat, and it makes me feel loved. The people who encounter this show through this rebroadcast will draw new plans, weave, and set sail...I may be able to help them do that! For me, that is a rare happiness!"
Noda said, "I still remember the excitement I felt when I first picked up the script for this drama and began reading it. The characters dive into the ocean of words, struggle, worry, are saved, and while frightened by the vastness of the ocean, continue to search desperately for their own words. I love them all. I really wanted to be involved in this production. Now that it will be broadcast again on NHK General TV, I am truly happy (and a little envious) that there will be people who will be able to watch it with a fresh mind. Our hearts will be right next to you, sitting upright, accompanying you on this adventure. As the story progresses, you will surely notice colors, scenery, and smells that you have never known before in your everyday life. I hope you enjoy watching it."
