In the Asadora drama "Anpan " (NHK General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada , Motoki Omori of " Mrs. Green Apple " plays the role of Takuya Ise , modeled after the composer Izumi Tasuku. This is Omori's first drama appearance, and he spoke about how he felt when he received the offer and how he gained about 3 to 5 kilograms to prepare for the role.
◇Delighted at the offer to appear in the Asadora
"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013), the manga artist and picture book author who created "Anpanman," and his wife, Nobu (1918-1993). It is a "story of love and courage" that will fill you with the joy of living, depicting how these two, who were once nobodys, overcame all sorts of rough seas to become "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
The offer to perform came about after production manager Ken Kurasaki saw the live tour "Mrs. Green Apple 2023-2024 FC TOUR "The White Lounge"" which took place from 2023 to 2024. Omori smiles and says, "I was honestly very happy when Kurasaki saw our live performance and contacted me."
"It was a live tour that mixed in some theatrical performances, so I think that people were able to feel something from that, and it was really an honor to have held the event. I received a really enthusiastic offer, and I honestly wanted to appear, but as it was a Asadora, I was worried about whether I could do it and whether they were overestimating me. But I was excited, and it was such a great offer that I immediately replied, 'I want to appear.'"
◇ Takuya Ise is "into new light"
Takuya Ise, played by Omori, has composed numerous music for commercials, movies, television, and radio plays. He also has a passion for musicals, composing over 15,000 songs in his lifetime. He was in charge of the music for the musical "Look Up at the Stars in the Night Sky," for which he was responsible, and when Takashi Yanai(Takumi Kitamura) was tasked with creating the stage art, Ise Takuya was tasked with composing the song "Te no Hira wo Taiyou ni," for which Takashi wrote the lyrics.
Regarding Takuya, Omori says, "He is very pure and unwavering, sincere and straightforward when it comes to music and acting. He is a simple-minded young man who sometimes loses sight of what is going on around him."
"For Taka, Takuya is the first person he has ever come into contact with from the younger generation, and I thought of him as a ray of light who will create the next generation after the war. The role has an impact on Taka, and Takuya himself has many thoughts about the times, and he simply wants to brighten up Japan through music and acting. I felt that this was the underlying feeling, so I gained weight for the role so that the character could convey a sense of hope. Kitamura had lost a lot of weight for the war part, so I felt that by gaining weight, he would be seen as a new light in the next generation."
He said he had gained about 3 to 5 kilograms.
"The role is visually appealing, and the lines have a pleasant intonation to them, and the amount of dialogue is very Anpan. He's a basically theatrical young man, so I hope his behavior and speech will suggest that he's loved acting since he was little. I hoped to be able to portray the character with a slightly different tempo than the characters I've played in 'Anpan' so far."
◇If you had to rate your own acting?
Takuya will be 18 years old when he first appears, and will be wearing a school uniform. Omori said, "I've never worn a school uniform in my life, so I was surprised at how fresh my appearance was. I thought it would be great if I could play the role in a youthful and fresh way."
"I made my debut at the age of 18, and it was like a dream come true. I compared myself to the person I was before I stepped onto that stage, and I felt like I was searching for common ground, thinking about what frustrated me and what I hoped for as I pursued my path as an artist."
To play Takuya, he also had his long nape cut short.
"Until recently, I had blonde hair at the back of my neck, but I was thinking backwards from the start of filming for the Asadora, and wondering how I could make the change in my appearance fun for everyone. Since I'll be turning my hair black for the Asadora and cutting my nape, I thought I'd have fun growing it out and dyeing it before then. I had a lot of fun preparing for it. Cutting my nape made it easier to use a hair dryer, so I'm grateful for that (laughs)."
"Anpan" is Omori's first drama appearance, and she confesses, "I really don't know what will happen when it actually airs."
"However, Takumi told me that the tempo was something he had never experienced before and that it was very easy to perform, so I was convinced that what I was trying to do was the right direction.Takumi's words have become a guideline for me, so if I were to rate my acting myself...I'd say around 80 points (laughs)," he said confidently.
