The Fuji TV Monday Getsuku drama "Canned Mackerel Goes to Space," starring actor Takumi Kitamura , will begin airing on April 13th. The original coming-of-age story is based on the true story of students at a fisheries high school in Fukui Prefecture who take on the big dream of developing space food. Kitamura plays the protagonist, a rookie high school teacher.
The original story is "Canned Mackerel Goes to Space" (East Press), co-authored by teacher Yasuyuki Kosaka and writer Kimiyo Hayashi. It dramatizes the process by which high school students created canned mackerel as "Japanese space food," which was approved by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and how astronauts actually enjoyed it on the International Space Station (ISS). This remarkable achievement was also featured in a high school English textbook (Sanseido) and became a hot topic.
Kitamura plays Shunichi Asano, a rookie teacher at Wakasa Fisheries High School; Natsuki Deguchi Natsuki Deguchi, a student at the same school; Ryunosuke Kamiki Kijima, who is in charge of developing Japanese space food at JAXA; and Sonim plays Yuki Minagawa, who works at JAXA's Space Education Center.
In the first episode, Shunichi Asano is assigned to Wakasa Fisheries High School in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, a school proud of its canned mackerel produced as part of its curriculum. Asano, who enjoys diving as a hobby, has fulfilled his long-held dream of becoming a teacher in a seaside town and arrives at his first day of work in high spirits.
However, none of the students listened to what he had to say. Furthermore, he was shocked when his colleague, Masaki Kurose (played by Yoshiyoshi Arakawa), told him, "Why did you come to this school? It's going to close down soon." Feeling dejected, Asano spotted Nami Sugawara on his way home. He was surprised to see Nami, who always seemed bored at school, dancing with such energy.
Nami's dismissive remark, "Nobody expects anything from me," made Asano realize what she needed to do. Determined to succeed, she suggested an off-campus practical training session at the port's fish market.
Meanwhile, Makoto Kijima, an engineer at JAXA developing ISS resupply vehicles, failed the astronaut selection process, a dream he'd had since childhood, and was ordered to transfer to a department that develops Japanese space food.
The Space Japanese Food Development Room was a small department consisting of only two people: Kijima and his superior, Ryoji Higashiguchi (played by Kosuke Suzuki). Higashiguchi, recognizing Kijima's uncompromising attitude towards his work, proposed that they work together to create a draft of the "Space Japanese Food Certification Standards."
