Actors Nao and Matsuda Ryuhei co-star in NHK's "Drama 10 'Tokyo Salad Bowl'." The final episode (episode 9) of the series aired on March 4th, and Mikami Hiroshi made a strong presence in the final three episodes (episodes 7-9) as Agawa Hiroya, the detective who holds the truth and connects the present with the past four years. His first appearance on a terrestrial TV drama in a long time attracted a lot of attention from viewers, but how did the drama staff see him? We spoke to production manager Ietomi Mio, who revealed, "I was able to maximize the value of my current acting ability."
◇A tumultuous finale: "She thought it through thoroughly and stood up as Agawa."
The drama is based on the manga "Tokyo Salad Bowl - International Investigation Case File" by Kuromaru, who is also known for "Kurosagi". Set in Tokyo, where about 700,000 foreign residents live, the drama is a socially conscious entertainment in which the green-haired international investigation police officer Mari Koda (Nao) teams up with the troubled Chinese interpreter Ryo Ariki (Matsuda) to pick up the lives of those who are about to fall through the cracks of Japanese society.
Agawa, played by Mikami, is a highly skilled veteran detective who is fluent in Chinese, but makes a mistake by getting too involved in the foreign community. He once intentionally mistranslated something while questioning a foreigner, which led to an incident involving Yukino's "beloved one," Satoru Oda (Aoi Nakamura). He was temporarily sidelined, but returns as Koda's partner.
He will make his full appearance in the seventh episode, which will air on February 18. The drama will unfold at a turbulent pace towards the final episode, with the truth behind Agawa's "mistranslation incident" and information leak four years ago, as well as the reason behind the suicide of his partner Oda, who was involved in the incident, being revealed along with Yukino's past.
In the film, Mikami exuded an almost outlandish presence as Agawa, whose character, who seems to be portrayed in greater depth than in the original, comes to terms with his past mistakes and the darkness he has fallen into, trying to resolve the issue on his own.
Ietomi expressed his gratitude, saying, "I think he put a lot of thought into the role of Agawa."
"His career began with Shuji Terayama, and he has participated in not only trendy dramas but also highly artistic works. There is no doubt that he is someone who has created an era, and I felt that he is someone who really thinks about creation and life."
◇ Can we leave something behind for the film industry? - Mikami Hiroshi's appearance "Agawa was just like he was in the film"
Mikami, now 62 years old, sees Agawa as a role that "I couldn't have played 10 years ago, and I won't be able to play 10 years from now," and said, "When I read the original work, I thought that Agawa Hiroya is a man living on the edge. I felt like the 'final flame' that should burn in his life was smoldering. I thought it was interesting." He also said, "The quality of the edge is different, but if I can make use of the edge expressions that I have now that emanate from my whole body, I might be able to fit the role -- I took on the role with that feeling."
Ietomi also acknowledges, "This Agawa would not have come about without Mikami."
"I felt a lot of respect for 62-year-old Mikami-san, who thought, 'I'll give it a try,' despite the various conflicts and tensions he must have had. His appearance in a mid-episode episode may not have been the easiest format for him to follow... but I think he enjoyed this new encounter, including that, and was able to maximize the value he is able to bring out as an actor, which is something he can only bring out now. I offered him the role because I thought it was an interesting dynamic to have someone who has done a lot of 'real acting' go up against Ryuhei-san and Nao-san, but more than that, I think Mikami-san's attitude of wondering if he could leave something behind in the world of film, and what he could do for acting, was just like Agawa in the play."
