A talk event for TV Tokyo's 60th anniversary special drama "Haretara Iine" was recently held in Tokyo, featuring leading actress Mei Nagano and co-star Kyoko Yoshine. This is the first time Nagano and Yoshine have worked together, and Nagano said, "I love her even more now," while Yoshine said, "She has such positive energy, and it makes me want to help her. She's so fragile, and I love her so much," showing just how much they love each other.
The drama is a human drama based on Yoko Fujioka's novel "Haretara Iine" (Kobunsha Bunko). The protagonist, Takahashi Saho (Nagano), a nurse from the present day, travels back in time to 1945 during the war and faces difficult situations as Yukino Sae, an army nurse working at a field hospital in the Philippines. The screenplay is written by Okada Yoshikazu, who worked on NHK's serial TV drama "Hiyokko," and the director is Fukagawa Hidehiro, who worked on the movie "Kamisama no Karute." The song used in the drama is "Haretara Iine" by DREAMS COME TRUE, which is also the title of the drama. The drama has been available on Amazon's video streaming service "Prime Video" since January this year, and will be broadcast on the same channel from 9:00 pm on March 30th.
Yoshine, who played Yukino Sae's best friend, army nurse Fujiwara Mitsu, said about Nagano, "There were some difficult times during filming, but afterwards we would go out to eat and talk about our troubles. When I started crying, Mei started crying too, and I felt she was a bundle of kindness. It saved me. I'm glad we were able to work together on this difficult production and work hard together."
Nagano said about Yoshine, "She has a straight gaze, and even when the camera is not rolling, she faces things honestly and sincerely, and as someone of the same generation, she was an inspiration to me." She said that she often consulted Yoshine about her acting, and looked back, saying, "Just like the characters, we helped each other out." She went on to talk about her charms, saying, "She really laughs out loud. It's really cute. When Kyon-chan is on set, it just brightens up the scene. She has both coolness and cuteness."
At the event, Nagano and Yoshine took part in a "telepathy quiz." The quiz involved guessing what the other person was thinking about a given topic, and if they answered correctly they were presented with goods featuring TV Tokyo's character Nanana. Before the challenge, Nagano mistakenly thought there was only enough goods for one person, but when she found out there was enough for two, she said, "I don't have to cut Nanana in half. Thank goodness! It almost started a fight," drawing laughter.
They couldn't answer the first question correctly, but when it came to the second question, "What was the toughest scene on set?", they answered each other about the ocean scene, and they were able to communicate telepathically. Holding the Nanana goods in their hands, the two of them had happy smiles on their faces.
In preparation for the broadcast of the drama, Yoshine commented, "There are many difficult scenes, but there are also bright scenes, so I hope that viewers can feel a little happiness." Nagano sent a message saying, "If you watch it, I think you'll understand why the title is 'Haretara Ii ne' (It's Good When It's Sunny). I myself was saved by the song and was able to film while staying positive. Seeing how patient and resilient they are, I was impressed by how wonderful it is, and I wish I could live a resilient and straightforward life too."
