The third episode of the Tuesday drama "Toki Sude ni Osushi!?" (TBS, Tuesdays at 10 PM), starring actress Hiromi Nagasaku, will air on April 21st. We spoke to producer Chiaki Masuda about the highlights and behind-the-scenes stories from the filming.
The drama tells the story of Minato Machiyama (played by Nagasaku), who, having finished raising her children, is bewildered by the "time to herself" that she finally has again at the age of 50, but begins her second life and jumps into a "sushi academy" where she can become a sushi chef in three months.
◇Highlights of Episode 3
When Kurumi (First Summer Uika) finds an article about Oedo (Kenichi Matsuyama) being involved in a violent incident in the past, it sends shockwaves through Yokota Sushi Academy. With the principal ordering the instructors to stay home, and rifts forming among Minato and the other classmates, it's a turbulent third episode.
The story depicts how Minato tries to resolve the conflict between Oedo, who has followed a rigorous training path of "three years cooking rice and eight years making sushi," and Kurumi, a former consultant who prioritizes time and effort. The story also delves into what happened in Oedo's past.
Akio Kaneda will play Hijikata, Oedo's mentor and a great supporter who raised him as a craftsman; Riki Honda will play Tsunazawa, a friendly temporary lecturer who is the complete opposite of Oedo; and Macho Aoki will play Jin, Kurumi's husband who shares her values of prioritizing Taipa. A diverse cast of guest actors will also be appearing.
And tonight's episode of "Snack Veteran-ko" is filled with scenes that were inspired by interviews with people of the same generation as Minato, Izumi (Yumiko Udo), and Ranko (Tsubaki Nekozawa). There are also ad-libs from the cast! I can't reveal everything here yet, but there are plenty of fun scenes right up to the end, so please enjoy the broadcast to the very end!
◇Behind-the-scenes stories from the filming of Episode 2
Episode 2 was a horse mackerel feast. Among those who watched, we received comments such as, "I'm hungry right now!" and "I ended up buying horse mackerel the next day," and in a way, we think we captured their stomachs, so we enjoyed reading the feedback. In fact, the studio during filming was filled with delicious-looking food, and everyone had an overwhelming craving for horse mackerel, with their stomachs rumbling the whole time we were filming!
Among the tasks, filleting a horse mackerel was particularly difficult, requiring quick and graceful movements, so all the cast members practiced beforehand. In particular, Mr. Matsuyama, who played the role of the teacher, Mr. Oedo, seemed to have come to understand the meaning behind each step of the sequence of movements through repeated practice. He said that the more he practiced and the more he learned, the more difficult the movements seemed and the more confused he became. However, the results of this intensive training were clearly evident in the actual filming, and he did such a great job that even the supervising teacher, who was watching the filming monitor with a serious expression, broke into a smile.
Furthermore, despite being warned by Principal Yokota, Professor Oedo ended up yelling at the students, resulting in the "I messed up" expression we see today. During filming, no one expected that expression to come out, and both the staff and cast were struggling to contain their laughter during the shoot. I think that expression offered a glimpse into the earnestness and endearing side of Professor Oedo, who is usually so strict.
