It has been revealed that popular group Hey! Say! JUMP member Kei Inoo and actor Rikka Ihara will be co-starring in the April drama series "Parallel Couple: The Truth About My Dead Wife and I" (Kantele/Fuji TV, Tuesdays at 11pm). This is the first time Inoo will be playing the husband in this "married couple love and mystery" drama about a couple who are separated in an accident, but are caught up in a "miraculous reunion" as they pursue the "truth behind their deaths" and "the truth behind their affairs."
This completely original mystery is set in two worlds, one where the husband died in an accident and the other where the wife died in an accident, and the two pursue the mystery of each other's deaths. Namikawa Kanta (Ino), who works at a commercial production company, and his wife Natsume (Ihara) are a happy couple that everyone envies. However, three years into their marriage, Natsume is frustrated by Kanta's excessive doting on her. One day, Kanta discovers evidence of Natsume's affair. Hesitating, he tries to confront her, but Natsume dies in an accident. However, Natsume suddenly appears in her room and is surprised, asking, "What?! Why is Kanta still alive?!"... and so the story unfolds.
This is Inoo's first attempt at playing a husband, and the role he plays is one in which he loves Natsume so much that he becomes an overly doting man, making her overly healthy lunches every day and forcing her to share his schedule, unilaterally imposing his idea of what makes his wife happy. Although he is jealous of his wife's suspected infidelity, he grits his teeth and tries to find out the truth behind their deaths.
Namikawa Natsume, played by Ihara, is a commercial producer who teams up with commercial director Kanta. She was living a happy life at work and at home, but after a certain incident between her and Kanta, who she loves too much, she is unable to express her true feelings. Then, just as she begins to wonder, "In this day and age when you can be happy without getting married, is it really necessary to get married and be with someone?", she is caught up in an incident that changes her fate.
"Parallel Couple: The Truth About My Dead Wife and I" will be broadcast on the Kansai TV/Fuji TV network from April 1st, Tuesdays at 11pm.
◇Comment from Kei Inoo
The episode that I thought would be the last one was going to be "Eh! Is it okay to do this so soon!?" and we are looking forward to seeing how it ends. Kanta dotes on his wife Natsume, so he makes her lunches and cares about her health, but I think some people may see his behavior as pushy, so I hope I can create a character that will encourage viewers to discuss these aspects. I'm sure Kanta will always feel like a newlywed, and personally, I would like to keep feeling like a newlywed forever.
When I was too shy to look Ihara in the eye, she asked me, "What's your favorite food?" and I thought she was a really kind person (laughs). I want to look like a married couple in their third year of marriage, so I'm usually too shy to look people in the eye when I meet them for the first time, but this time I'm making a conscious effort to look Ihara in the eye and talk to her! (laughs). In the first episode, we both die, and we learn the truth behind the affair allegations, so I think each episode will be full of exciting developments, so please look forward to it!
◇Comment from Rikka Ihara
I thought it was a parallel world story when I read the script, but there were many other elements scattered throughout, and I felt that it was a work that would evoke many different emotions in 30 minutes, with conversations that I could empathize with, parallel stories that were exciting, and sad and mysterious. Kanta's value is that "married couples live in one world together," while Natsume's is that "we each acknowledge each other's worlds." Their values are a little different to begin with. I hope to strike a good balance between expressing Natsume's "conflicts" and "worries," which she hesitates to express in words and turns a blind eye to, and to resonate with the viewers.
Inoo-san spoke to everyone there without discrimination, and I thought he was a very considerate person. He said he was shy, and although it was only the third day since we met, he started to make eye contact with me from the second half of the day (laughs). I hope that in playing a married couple, we can become a couple that everyone loves. It's a completely original story, and I think it will be more innovative than you can imagine, so I hope you will look forward to it!
◇Comment from Producer Koji Tanaka
I looked at some surveys, and some data showed that over 50% of couples kiss every morning. No, that's a lie, right? Am I the only one who thinks this doesn't make sense in this day and age when it's said that "one in three couples will get divorced"?
The husband in this drama believes that a couple is one, while the wife believes that a couple is two separate people. The husband wants to kiss each other every morning, but the wife doesn't. What if this mismatched couple were to suddenly find themselves living in a world where they've lost each other, and could only see each other for three minutes every day... would they be happy? Sad? Would it be a hassle? I want to portray the sadness and conflict that arise from such an unusual situation, as well as the emotion that comes after.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how the slightly mysterious and exciting world view created by director Masaya Kakei, who worked on my favorite dramas "Loss: Time: Life" and "Subarashii Senbou" combines with the "I-I duo" of Ino and Ihara, who are loved by people of all ages and genders.
