Ryuto Sakuma of the popular group "ACEes" appeared at the completion announcement event for the drama series "W-30 'Nagatan and Ao to - Ichika's Cookbook - 2'" (WOWOW), starring Mugi Kadowaki, held in Tokyo on February 19th. When asked how he felt about playing a father role for the first time, the 23-year-old said, "It was a strange feeling. I wondered whether I was already playing a father at my age." He added, "Shu Yamaguchi (who plays him) also has similar feelings, so I thought it was fine to have that feeling. I just played the role of someone who can't quite grasp the reality of having a child."
Mano Riku, who plays Okabe Michiya, Shu's adopted son, also appeared. Mano, who called Kadowaki "mother" and Sakuma "father" on set, praised Sakuma as "a cool and kind father." He added with a smile, "I was happy when he would say things like, 'Be careful' on steps and other dangerous places, and 'That scene was great.'" Hearing this, Sakuma blushed and laughed, "It's embarrassing to hear that again (laughs). I was closest to him (during filming) so I was concerned about him enjoying himself, so I'm glad he thought that. I'm glad Riku was my first father (playing the son)."
When asked about the imprint he had on his face during filming with Kadowaki, Sakuma said with a wry smile, "You don't often film a kissing scene on the first day, do you? However, the cast and staff were the same (as in the previous film), so they had the feeling that 'it can work with just the two of us,' and they just threw in a kissing scene from day one." Then, looking back on the filming, he said, "Then, both of us (with Kadowaki) were like, 'Should we go with this?'"
When asked about an unexpected side of Kadowaki that he saw on set, he revealed, "I sometimes saw him lying down on the tatami mat in a yukata," and said, "He pays so much attention to each and every staff member that I felt like that was a technique to relieve their tension. It made me realize that he is always on when he is on set." He was impressed by Kadowaki's behavior as the leader.
The drama is based on the manga of the same name by Yuki Isogai (Kodansha). Set in Kyoto shortly after the war, the gourmet love story begins when the protagonist, chef Ichika Kuwanoki (played by Kadowaki), marries off in an arranged marriage to Shu Yamaguchi (played by Sakuma), the third son of a long-established hotel owner in Osaka, in order to keep her family's struggling restaurant, Kuwanoki, afloat. The previous series, "Nagatan and Ao to - Ichika's Cooking Book," was broadcast and streamed in 2023, and drew attention for the frustrating love story between a couple with a 15-year age difference and Ichika's "delicious-looking dishes."
The new series begins immediately after the events of the previous series, and sees the arrival of a new family member for the couple. With the arrival of Sakae, the second son of the Yamaguchi family and Shu's older brother, Kuwanoki, which had begun to recover from financial difficulties, faces another challenge. The cast members from the previous series, including Rinka Kumada, Shunya Shiraishi, Takehiko Ono, Motosuke Iida, Yoshiko Tokojima, Aoi Nakamura, and Keiko Toda, are reprising their roles. New regular cast members include Toranosuke Kobayashi as Sakae Kawashima, Shu's brother who has returned from the United States and who stirs up the story, and Yuri Tsunematsu as Shoko Kawashima, Sakae's sickly but cheerful wife.
"Serial Drama W-30 'Nagatan and Ao to - Ichika's Cooking Book - 2'" will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand every Friday at 11pm starting February 20th. There are 10 episodes in total, with the first episode being free.
