Anpan: An Interview with Nanoka Hara, the Nanoka Hara for Meiko (2)

Nanoka Hara plays Karashima Meiko, the third daughter of the heroine's family (the Asada family) in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and others). In the 92nd episode (broadcast on August 5th), she is depicted practicing singing with Takuya Ise(Motoki Omori), a young man she meets at the cafe where she works, in order to fulfill her dream of competing in the preliminary round of "Nodo Jiman." Hara, who is actually a big fan of the band "Mrs. Green Apple," of which Omori is the vocalist, looked back on her scenes with Omori, saying, "Their performances definitely come to mind in my mind."

"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobu (1918-1993). It tells the story of how the two met, overcame all sorts of obstacles, and arrived at "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice." It is a "story of love and courage" that will fill you with the joy of living.

In episode 92, Nobu (Imada) is waiting for Takashi (Takumi Kitamura) at the cafe where Meiko works, when Takashi shows up with Kentaro (Fumiya Takahashi). Meiko is reunited with her crush Kentaro after a long time, and Kentaro, who is a director at NHK, encourages her to try out for the preliminary round of "Nodo Jiman."

Later, Takuya, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation from a counter seat, asked Meiko, "Do you want to practice with me? You want to enter the preliminary round of Nodo Jiman, don't you?" He then played "Tokyo Boogie-Woogie" on the piano set up in the cafe and helped Meiko practice her singing.

Hara's eyes sparkle as she says, "When I first heard I'd been cast, I was really surprised, and when I heard I'd have a scene with Omori, I was so happy I jumped for joy."

"I really love Mrs.'s songs and they've been a driving force behind my work, so I was happy to be able to meet Omori-san, and it was like a dream come true to be able to act together. It wasn't a duet, but we were able to lightly hum along and sing together... It was truly the best time to be treated like this."

When Hara was 15 years old and in junior high school, Mrs. performed the opening song for a TV drama she watched every week, and that's when she became a fan.

When asked if he had told Omori that he was a fan, he recalled, "The staff told me. After that, I told him myself, but I couldn't express my feelings well..."

"When I told Omori-san that I really loved Mrs.'s song "Spring," he asked me, "I'm so happy. What do you like about it?" There were so many things I liked that I couldn't decide what to say, so I ended up summing it up in one word: "I love the lyrics."

Hara, who was left feeling regretful, organized what he wanted to say in his head and explained it again when they met for filming the next day.

"When we met, I told him exactly what I liked about him. He said, 'I'm surprised at your enthusiasm. I'm happy,' so I have no regrets. I feel relieved now (laughs)."

When asked what she told Omori, she smiled and said, "I was saved by the lyrics of 'Spring' and I'm glad I continued acting, and I had always wanted to tell him that if I ever had the chance to meet him, so I was very happy to meet him this time.I also told him that the scenes where we sang together would definitely come to mind in my mind."