The TV drama series "PJ ~Aviation Rescue Team~" (TV Asahi, Thursdays 9pm) was produced with the full cooperation of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and stars actor Seiyo Uchino. We spoke to Ai Yoshikawa, who plays Yuuna, the daughter of the main character Usami (Uchino), about the behind-the-scenes of filming and her impressions of Uchino.
The drama depicts trainees aiming to become pararescue jumpers (PJs) of the Air Rescue Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, an elite rescue unit known as the "last line of defense" for saving lives, as they undergo rigorous training under the strict and unconventional chief instructor, Usami.
Yuuna, played by Yoshikawa, is a fourth-year university student living with her mother Mako ( Kyoka Suzuki), who is divorced from Usami. Yuuna feels resentment towards her father Usami, who has devoted himself to his work without regard for his family, as being selfish. However, she chooses the "Air Rescue Corps" as the topic of her university graduation thesis, and comes to Komaki Air Base where her father is, to cover the training situation.
Yoshikawa-san said that she was conscious of "strength of will" when acting. "The 'Isamu' in my name means courage, so the staff told me at the beginning that they wanted me to be a strong person. Since I'm descended from Usami-san, I'm not timid (even at the Self-Defense Force base), but rather I'm conscious of playing the role of a strong-willed girl."
This was his first time acting alongside Uchino. "He's a very passionate person. He had been working on his physique since before filming began because he needed to be the best in the class for the role of instructor, but apparently he had less time to do muscle training after filming began...but he always finds time between shoots to do muscle training. The filming itself is very tough, so he wants to take a break in between...it's so cool," he said, expressing his impression of how Uchino approached the role.
When asked about Uchino's "true self," she smiled and said, "He's a very charming person. He sometimes tells stories that make everyone laugh. I had the impression that he was a little scary because he plays a strict instructor, but he's actually very kind and friendly. If I ever wondered, 'Is everything okay?', Uchino would (without me noticing) go over and speak to me, and I felt that he was someone who was very observant of those around him."
This will be her first time acting alongside Suzuki, who plays the mother, since the drama "Yoko Kanransha" (TBS) in 2013. "The last time we worked together, I played a character who did terrible things to the daughter of the character played by Suzuki, so this time I was in the role of the daughter, and we were talking about how interesting it would be. I never thought I'd get to play Suzuki's daughter! (laughs)."
As the story approaches the middle, Yuuna's feelings, who initially rebelled against her father, seem to be changing. "As Yuuna comes to understand her father's job, she also changes little by little. When she sees her father on set and learns that he is saving people, I can feel her way of thinking changing even as I act. There is a line where she blurts out her true feelings to her mother, so I hope you will pay attention to that," she said.
