On October 12th, actress Atsuko Takahata appeared at a press conference in Tokyo for the drama series "A Little Esper" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 9pm), which starts on the 21st, along with lead actor Yo Oizumi.
This will be the first time the two have worked together since the NHK Taiga drama "Sanada Maru" (2016). In "Sanada Maru," they played father and son, so Oizumi was delighted to be working with her again, saying, "It's been a while since we last met, and I even said to her, 'Mother!'"
Takahata also smiled and said, "It's fun." Looking at Oizumi, he continued, "You must be busy, but you always keep the set cheerful and lively, I think that's great..." to which Oizumi responded, "Stop looking at me like that (laughs)!", which caused the audience to erupt in laughter.
Takahata also talked about a filming episode, "The Wine Incident." Takahata recalled, "The day before we were going to shoot in Hakone, I was trying to get a full bottle out of the refrigerator, and it fell on my foot. It hurt so much that I went to the hospital and found out I had broken a bone." However, in Hakone, he wanted to take a bath in the hot springs, so he said, "I went in with my feet raised. People might have wondered, 'Why is that guy in the hot springs with his feet raised?' (laughs)."
The drama is based on an original script by hitmaker Akiko Nogi, known for works such as "Unnatural" and "MIU404." After being fired from his job and divorcing his wife, Bunta, a salaryman at rock bottom, passes the entrance exam for a mysterious company called "Nonamare" and becomes a "slightly psychic" who saves the world. Takahata plays Enjaku, Bunta's friend and a "microwave psychic" who can warm things up just by thinking about them.
The main cast members Aoi Miyazaki, Dean Fujioka, Shohei Uno, Takumi Kitamura, and Masaki Okada also appeared at the press conference.
