On April 5th, actor Takumi Kitamura at a press conference in Tokyo for the Fuji TV Getsuku drama "Saba-can, Uchuu e Iku" (Mondays at 9pm), in which he stars and which starts on the 13th. Kitamura, who is working with Ryunosuke Kamiki for the first time, revealed his admiration for Kamiki from his days as a child actor.
Kitamura said, "I've been acting since I was in the third grade of elementary school, and out of the hundreds of auditions I went to, there was Ryunosuke Kamiki... he's like a god to me," expressing his feelings towards Kamiki from his childhood acting days. He continued, "I really admired him. He was someone who had already been recognized as an actor, beyond the realm of a child actor. I thought, 'Wow, he's amazing,' while I was failing auditions every day. I also thought that I hoped I could co-star with him someday, and that I had to work hard until then."
Kamiki said of Kitamura, "I've seen Takumi's work, and I'm impressed by his delicate acting, his performances that really tug at your heartstrings. I watched him thinking what incredible expressive power he has." He added, "I'm so happy to be working with him this time, to be able to see the kind of acting I've always thought was amazing on TV, up close. I was really looking forward to it." Kitamura laughed and lightened the mood by saying, "I suddenly felt a tremendous amount of pressure."
The second half of the press conference that day was Natsuki Deguchi from Tokyo, where Kitamura, who plays the rookie teacher Shunichi Asano, and Kamiki, who plays JAXA employee Makoto Kijima, are located, and Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, where Natsuki Kodai Kurosaki, Kouyo Marin Nishimoto Yamashita, Marin Nishimoto, Touha Natsume, and Yumepote are located. Speaking via live broadcast, Deguchi said, "The drama 'Saba-kan' (Canned Mackerel) is filled with the feelings of the high school students who actually sent canned mackerel into space, so we are working hard on filming with the hope of carefully conveying that to everyone!"
As a surprise, astronaut Soichi Noguchi also made an appearance at the press conference. Noguchi said, "Personally, I think Kamiki is a perfect fit for the role of a JAXA employee. The setting and everything else makes him seem like someone who could actually exist, and he gives off the vibe that they might have based the character on him, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the footage."
The drama is an original coming-of-age story based on the true story of students at a fisheries high school in Fukui Prefecture who challenged themselves to achieve their big dream of "developing space food." The story follows a rookie high school teacher, played by Kitamura, as he supports and accompanies his students in achieving their dreams, and in the process, grows himself.
