CBC to air new drama slot "Drama Trip" late Thursday night, first episode is "If there was no love in the world"

It has been revealed that CBC TV will be creating a new drama slot on Thursday nights starting in July. The slot will be called "Drama Trip" and the first drama will be "If There Was No 'Ren' in this World," starring Haruka Shimazaki and co-starring former "Bishonen" member ISSEI (Kanzashi Issei), which will air from 12:58 a.m. on July 31st.

The series is based on the manga of the same name by Yachinatsu, which was serialized in the romance web media "AM" in 2021. Set in a world where romance does not exist, people do not have a specific partner and children are raised by everyone working together, the story follows the protagonist Otoha (Shimazaki), who is aware of her "love" - a minority group that falls in love with a specific person - and her struggles, as well as Hare (ISSEI), who is also in love, but unlike Otoha, hides her romantic feelings. After the broadcast, the series will be available on TVer.

◇Comment from Haruka Shimazaki, who plays Otoha

In a world where the feeling of "love" does not exist, Otoha has always felt uncomfortable with her own sexuality. When I was given the role of Otoha, I wanted to carefully express "the figure of someone who faces her feelings and tries to move forward while living in a world where she is not understood." Since I decided to play Otoha, I spent every day thinking about "What is love?" and "How should we face minorities?"

I hope that this work will reach your heart in some way. Being true to your feelings is categorized as "not normal" in the eyes of society. Through Otoha, I felt the injustice and suffocation of this more deeply than ever before.

If you are feeling lonely, uncomfortable, or suffocated right now because you are different from the people around you, please don't deny those feelings and please believe in yourself. Even if you are not understood, I believe that the courage to face your own feelings will surely give you the strength to live. I would be happy if you could feel even a little of that through this work.

◇Comment from ISSEI, who plays Hare

When I first read the script, I was shocked by the uniqueness of the worldview and theme, and since it was a role I had never played before, I decided to take on this project in the hopes of growing along with the character of "Hare." The atmosphere on set was very warm, and the teamwork with my co-stars and staff was wonderful, making it a fulfilling experience. Thanks to that, I was able to take on the role sincerely, so I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

This drama depicts the nature of human relationships and emotions in a sharp yet gentle way in a bold setting of a world where "love" does not exist. I hope that viewers will also sympathize with the characters' wavering hearts while imagining "what if I were in this world?" Please watch it.

◇Comment from Yachinatsu, the original author

At first glance, the plot is shocking, and more than two years have passed since the serialization ended, so I was surprised when I heard it was being made into a TV drama. It was my first time serializing a story manga, so I was a bit anxious about how it would turn out, but I'm very happy that so many people have supported this work and it has been made into a live-action drama.

"I'm excited because I feel like the characters will become even more lovable thanks to the compelling script that adds depth to the original work and the cast with such presence. I'm really looking forward to the TV drama version of "Moshi Ren"!"

◇Comment from Director Kazunori Kon

If the ability to fall in love with someone was absent from this world, wouldn't that world have a different shape? For example, in a world where you can casually have sex with someone you get along with, love hotels should exist in the same way as karaoke bars do in our world... and so on. I read the original work many times and worked together with the staff to create this mysterious world.

Because it is a science fiction world, I wanted to make the emotional movements of the characters living there convincing, so I tried to capture the emotional exchange that occurred on the spot. I think the delicate yet strong emotions of the actors are reflected on screen.