Fumiya Takahashi plays Kentaro Karashima , the husband of Meiko ( Nanoka Hara ), the third daughter of the heroine's family (the Asada family), in the NHK morning drama " Anpan " (General Asadora , Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). In the 108th episode, broadcast on August 27th, Kentaro and Meiko were shown going on a date together for the first time in a long while, which became a hot topic among viewers. Looking back on this scene, Takahashi, who is an uncle to his nieces and nephews in his private life, spoke about his feelings about playing a father for the first time.
◇Kentaro is conscious that "nothing will change"
Takahashi's character, Kentaro, is a native of Fukuoka and a classmate of Taka ( Takumi Kitamura) from Tokyo Higher School of Fine Arts. He is a true friend to Taka, who had no friends in his youth. After serving in the Kokura Regiment with Taka, he was safely demobilized. They opened a shop together in Kochi's black market, but when Taka got a job at the Kochi Shimpo newspaper, he closed the shop and left Kochi. He then went to Tokyo to work for NHK, where he became a director. He and Meiko shared a common interest, married, and had two daughters.
In episode 108, Meiko laments the changes in her relationship with Kentaro since their marriage, confessing, "Even after I become a mother, I want to dress up and walk around town with Kentaro." Kentaro, who heard this from Taka, becomes flustered and goes to Meiko. Kentaro tells Meiko, "You're the prettiest," and they enjoy their time together like lovers.
Looking back on this scene, Takahashi laughs and says, "I thought that was very Kentaro."
"It seems like wives all over the world feel that they've become like a father and mother, and I wonder if Kentaro has become like that too. On the other hand, I was conscious of playing the role with the idea that "nothing has changed" in terms of his honesty and charm. For Kentaro, Meiko was special and important even before they got married, but I think his stance is that she is nothing more and nothing less. I don't think that feeling has changed even after they got married."
◇How do you feel about playing the role of a father for the first time?
Takahashi, now 24, has often played life-sized characters in his previous works, but this is his first time playing a father. "Not only was it my first time playing a father, but it was also my first time wearing a wedding ring," he revealed.
In his private life, he seems to dote on his two older brothers' children, and he smiles as he says, "I have nephews and nieces, so it was very easy for me to act in a role where I interact with young children."
Even during filming, he showed consideration by casually supporting the child actor with his hand to prevent him from falling over when he was eating, and the staff reportedly talked about how "Ken-chan's support for the child actor during filming is amazing."
"I think I naturally remembered because I had nephews and nieces nearby. I was able to do that naturally without even thinking about it because I was always watching the atmosphere between my brother and the other children. I think it comes from experience, so I'm grateful to my brothers."
Takahashi says that when he spends time with his nephews, he often watches the anime series "Anpanman" together.
"Now I only watch Anpanman! I think it's a really great show that children can enjoy innocently. When my nephews get a little older and can understand the story, I'd like them to watch ' Anpan' as well."
