Actors Nao and Ryuhei Matsuda star in NHK's "Drama 10 'Tokyo Salad Bowl'" (General TV, Tuesdays at 10pm). The original work is "Tokyo Salad Bowl - International Investigation Case File" by Kuromaru, known for "Kurosagi". Although it is a so-called "detective story", it seems to resonate with viewers as a human drama, but is that really the case? Mio Ietomi, the drama's production manager, shared her thoughts, saying, "I was strongly conscious of depicting people more than depicting a case."
The drama is set in Tokyo, where approximately 700,000 foreign residents live, and features Nao playing the role of international police officer Koda Mari, a green-haired woman, and paired with Yukino Ryo, a Chinese interpreter played by Matsuda, in a socially conscious entertainment series that follows the life of someone who is at risk of falling through the cracks of Japanese society.
Much of what is depicted is the environment, troubles, or "pitfalls" faced by foreigners living in Japan, which is why it is called a "social drama." As a "detective" drama, it naturally deals with crime, but the director was particular about depicting it to the point where "the flow of emotions leading up to that point makes sense," and "it would make sense even if the story were about a Japanese person, regardless of nationality."
"Compared to news or documentaries, dramas communicate directly to the viewer's senses, so if you can't fully depict how they arrive at the crime, no matter how good the characters are, they will end up looking like 'criminals.' I felt that unless we were extremely conscious of depicting the people rather than the crime, the final impression left on the viewer would be, if anything, a bad one that the production team hadn't intended, so I had extensive discussions with the directors about whether it was a crime story or a human story."
With many foreign cast members (or people with foreign blood running through their bodies) and a diverse range of languages being spoken, imposing certain standards is strictly prohibited in the production of this international drama. "It wasn't like, for example, how it would be in Sri Lanka. Ietomi-san says, I tried to respect each person's values, the colors they see, and the smells they smell," and it seems that this is why all the characters are so human, and the drama is a first-class piece of entertainment.
The show has also raised a number of issues based on the current situation, such as the fifth episode (broadcast on February 4th) which focused on the environment and position of foreign workers. There are only a few episodes left to air.
"Detective Agawa (Mikami Hiroshi), who holds the truth that connects the present with the past four years, appears and touches upon the core of Yukino's past. It feels like we are delving into a more central personal story than the interactions with foreigners up until now, but I was conscious of not forgetting that behind why Yukino was so troubled, and why Yukino's "beloved one" Oda (Nakamura Aoi) went so far as to risk his life, is the painful conflict in her life with the foreigners that we have been depicting up until this point. So I hope to convey that this is not a disconnected story, but rather a story of the burdens that Yukino has carried to get to this point, and I hope that people will see it that way."
Finally, we asked Ietomi what he hopes viewers will take away when they have watched all the episodes in a row...
"I hope it will catch people's attention. I think there are many times when people have ignored it up until now, or have been so put off by it that they have not given it any further thought, but I hope it will make people pay at least a little attention to why they are here, what they are doing, and if there was a child with them, what will that child be like in 10 years' time. I think it will be received in a divided way, just like in the scene in episode 5, and no matter how excellent the entertainment it is, I think there will be some people who will not be interested. My biggest wish is that if people can experience something they have never seen before here, then I hope it will catch their eye next time."
The drama consists of nine episodes. The final episode (episode 9) will be broadcast on March 4th.
