Actor Ami Touma appeared at the production announcement press conference for the TV drama series "Chihayafuru -Meguri-" (Nippon TV, Wednesdays at 10pm) held in Tokyo on June 13th.
"Chihayafuru" is a manga by Yuki Suetsugu that was serialized in "BE・LOVE" (Kodansha) from 2007 to 2022. This drama is an original story that depicts the world 10 years after the trilogy that was adapted into a movie. The competitive karuta club at Umezono High School, where the story takes place, has few members and is on the verge of being disbanded. The protagonist, Meguru Aizawa, a second-year high school student and ghost member of the club, played by Touma, meets Kanade Oe (Mone Kamishiraishi), a part-time classical Japanese teacher and the new advisor of the competitive karuta club, and his fate begins to change dramatically.
Touma said, "I never thought I'd be participating in this production, even though I was just watching it. I was a bit nervous, but I hoped that I could convey the admiration I felt after watching this production through my acting."
"We started meeting once a month from around September last year," she said, recalling, "We were given a tatami mat and karuta set, so we practiced. Meguru is a girl who lives a life far removed from youth, so I thought about a lot of things and prepared for the role."
Finally, he appealed, "This work is also the story of high school students who feel like they don't belong. As they search for a way in life, they have a miraculous encounter with Mr. Oe. Their strong sense of unity comes across even through the screen, so I hope you will be able to feel the youthful moments of high school students."
Also attending the press conference were Touma, Nanoka Hara, Jun Saito Fujiwara, Soma Santoki, Riku Onishi, Rina Arashi, Aito Sakamoto, Keito Takamura, and Kamishiraishi. The drama will start on July Getsuku.
