The role of Nishioka, who is also popular in the original work, in the drama version of "The Great Passage"

Mukai Osamu stars in the drama series " The Great Passage ~ Watashi, Jisho Tsukurimasu ~" (NHK General TV, Tuesdays at 10pm) co-starring actor Elaiza Ikeda and rock band "RADWIMPS" member Noda Yojiro. He plays Osamu Mukai Masashi, a former dictionary editor in the publicity department of Genbu Publishing. The third episode, which will be broadcast on terrestrial TV on July 1st, features a scene where Mukai confronts a professor who admires "Shigeru Mizuki". Mukai spoke about the drama and his role.

The drama is based on Shion Miura's bestselling novel, and depicts the passion of people working on dictionaries from the perspective of Midori Kishibe, a young editorial staff member who has been transferred to the dictionary editorial department. Noda plays the protagonist of the novel, Mitsuya Majime, the head of the dictionary editorial department who is an extremely earnest person. The drama has been broadcast on terrestrial TV since June 17th in the "Drama 10" slot.

Nishioka, played by Mukai, is Majime's only friend. Once upon a time, he read Natsume Soseki's "Kokoro: The Last Will" and simply said, "It was long and very funny." This is still talked about in the dictionary editorial department. Although he may seem frivolous, he is a quick-witted and reliable man when the time comes. He is secretly proud of being a member of the team that made "Odo Kai," and is pushing forward with various promotional projects in preparation for its release.

The character is popular in the original work, and was played by Joe Odagiri in the film version released in 2013.

When taking on the role, Mukai said, "I was conscious of his enthusiasm for supporting the creation of the dictionary behind the scenes, despite his light-hearted appearance and behavior. Although his job doesn't directly involve compiling dictionaries, he creates them through advertising and public relations activities. I imagined him as someone who was serious about his work."

In the third episode, Midori (Ikeda) rents a room in the former boarding house where Majime (Noda) lives with his spouse, Kaguya (Miura Rie).

Just as she becomes acquainted with the "dictionary fiend" Matsumoto-sensei (Kyōhei Shibata), who founded "Odo Kai," the outside editor Araki (Ryō Iwamatsu), and the dictionary editors, she receives an angry call from Professor Akino (Masanobu Katsumura), the manuscript writer who requested an explanation for Shigeru Mizuki's words. In front of the bewildered Midori, Nishioka (Osamu Mukai), a former dictionary editor, appears... and so the story unfolds.

Mukai played Murai Shigeru, the model for Mizuki, in the morning drama "GeGeGe no Nyobo" which aired in the first Asadora of 2010, and revealed that he "felt something of fate" in the role.

"The scene where I persuade the professor is a symbolic one in which my feelings about dictionary editing and my respect for Shigeru Mizuki clash. It also made me realize once again how difficult it is to create a dictionary," he recalled.

Regarding future highlights of the drama, he said, "Just like a child growing up little by little, the dictionary will get bigger. Each time it does, we will face obstacles such as what paper to use or how to design the book. In the end, I think we will get to find the answer as to why ' The Great Passage' is being made into a drama now."