Shima Tabata plays Sakuma Natsumi, a friend of Yui (Hashimoto) in the NHK Asadora drama "Omusubi " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. and others), starring actress Kanna Hashimoto . She talked about her thoughts when she was chosen to appear in the drama and her impressions of the heroine, Hashimoto.
◇ Her family is also happy about her first appearance in a Asadora: "They always give me feedback, so I'm happy."
Tabata, who will be making her first appearance in a Asadora, revealed, "Appearing in a Asadora has been my goal since I started this job, so I was very happy. At the same time, I was surprised and thought, 'Huh? Really?'"
"I always watched Asadora with my mother and grandmother, so I wanted to appear in one someday. I'm from Kumamoto, and when I told my family that I was going to appear in a Asadora, they were all really happy! On the day that I appeared, they would always give me feedback like, 'You were on it again today!' or 'I saw it!', so I was really happy."
Tabata plays Natsumi, also known as "Natchan," the daughter of Misae (played by Kimura Midoriko) and Yui's childhood friend. She inherits her mother's cheerful personality and works in the product development department of a convenience store.
Tabata recalls, "At first, I was worried about how the dialogue between the shopping street team would turn out, but once we started filming, it really felt like we were old friends. There's a lot of improvisation in the shopping street scenes, but no matter what we say, Kimura Midoriko and Uchiba Katsunori always pick up on it. The shopping street scenes are friendly and fun."
Regarding Natsumi's personality, he analyzed, "She was one of the first to volunteer during the Great East Japan Earthquake, and I think she has a very strong sense of justice and is the type of person who wants to help people in trouble."
"I think the basis of this is what she saw when she was six years old, watching everyone during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Natsumi saw how people helped each other even in times of hardship. I didn't experience the earthquake myself, so some parts of it were hard for me to imagine. When I decided to play Natsumi, I did a lot of research on the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, but before acting, I went all the way to Kobe to see the location of the play. I went to a cafe in a shopping district that was actually affected by the disaster, and an elderly woman I met there told me her story for about an hour or two. Learning about what happened at the time made it easier for me to imagine the extent of the damage in the affected areas."
◇What was your impression of Kanna Hashimoto, with whom you co-starred for the first time?
The currently airing 22nd week, "What are ideals and reality?", sees Natsumi teaming up with Yui, a registered dietitian, to develop bento boxes for convenience stores.
"Up until now, Natsumi has mostly been the one listening to Yui's problems. Her mother, Misae, is someone who often helps people and gives advice, so maybe that's why she sees her mother like that. So when I read the script for week 22 and saw that 'Natsumi is asking Yui for advice!', I was surprised and thought that this shows just how harsh society is. After working for seven years and developing sweets, it didn't go well and she was transferred to the bento development department, and I think that's what she's feeling frustrated about. On top of that, even with the bento, things didn't go as she had hoped... Natsumi's attitude of complaining but still working hard and trying to produce something even better made me want to be like her."
He said that this was his first time acting alongside the heroine, Hashimoto, and commented on her impression of him, saying, "She's a very tough person, and I felt that she was someone who was very considerate of her surroundings so that all of her co-stars could act easily."
"They were very considerate, asking questions like, 'Is this okay?' and 'Is this not difficult?' It was a learning experience watching them. I was a bit nervous at first, but when I was sitting in the waiting area they started talking to me, and as we both love baseball, we had a great time talking about it."
Finally, she sent a message to the viewers, saying, "Until now, Natsumi has been portrayed as a bright and cheerful person, but in the 22nd week, she struggles with her life as a working adult and hits a wall. Despite this, Natsumi continues to move forward without giving up, which I think is very strong and cool, so I hope you will watch it. I would be happy if viewers would watch Natsumi and think, 'I should try my best too' or 'I'll give it one more go.'"
