"One Day Her Panties," by Kato Yobi, which won the 49th Creative Television Drama Award, has been adapted into a drama and will be broadcast on NHK General on May 31st at 11 PM. The lead role in this drama is played by actor Yuki Kura. He has a string of upcoming projects, and his role as Kuroda Kanbei in the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" has also been generating buzz. "I sometimes think this is the most enjoyable time of my life," says Kura, radiating a sense of fulfillment. We asked him about his thoughts on "One Day Her Panties," his first leading role on NHK, and his impressions of Mizuki Yamashita, who plays his wife.
◇"I thought a lot about what 'being myself' and 'being normal' mean."
The drama is a story about a couple living their ordinary lives, with a slightly humorous atmosphere. A big commotion that ensues from a trivial incident involving the wife's panties changes the relationship between the two... Kura plays Namiki Sota, who is seen as an eccentric person by those around him and has trouble getting along with society. Sota's wife, Yui (Yamashita), is an aspiring manga artist, and thinking of Yui, Sota takes a bold action, but Kura reveals, "I didn't want to make him too much like a character."
"In works like this, it's easy to exaggerate and overact, but this time, after discussing it with the director, we decided to try something different and avoid going in a comedic direction. It was necessary to portray that Sota is just an ordinary person, and if we had done it in a comedic way, it would have felt like a desecration of the work, which we felt was wrong. There are some playful scenes, but basically, I played a character that feels like a real person."
Kura also said, "I thought a lot about what it means to be 'true to oneself' and what it means to be 'normal'."
"Being ordinary is a form of individuality, and being told you're different from others is also a form of individuality. Everyone has some kind of individuality, so deliberately distinguishing between them seems like a lack of love."
Through his role as Sota, who is sometimes subjected to curious stares and unkind words from those around him, Kura himself has been hurt, but what he aimed for was "a drama that leaves viewers feeling a little refreshed or with a warm feeling after watching it."
"It might be quite impactful, and some people might find it really stinging, but even with all that, it makes you feel a little more open-minded, like, 'It's okay for things to be this way.' I think it's a drama that makes you feel very kind to people, not just spouses, but lovers, friends, and you can really feel love."
◇ Mizuki Yamashita, who plays his wife, said, "He's an actor who will always return what you entrust to him."
Reflecting on Kato Yobi's script, Kura said, "Even if I didn't try to force anything, the script was interesting, so I felt confident that anything would work out. I was helped by that from the script reading stage." Kura placed great trust in Yamashita, who played Yui. The two are the same age and co-starred in the film "Six Lying University Students" (2024).
According to Kura, Yamashita is "an actor who always returns what he entrusts to others."
"The script was packed with all sorts of things, and it was incredibly serious. Scenes like the one where the two of us eat together were almost entirely ad-libbed, but even when I initiated a conversation, he would respond very naturally, so there was no awkward tension, and it was great that we could both be ourselves in that moment. He would pick up on my witty remarks, jokes, timing, tempo, expressions, and movements, so in a way, we were able to maintain the freshness of being able to perform something different each time."
This year, the films "Love Trial" and "Kyojo Requiem" have already been released, and he is currently appearing in the Kansai TV/Fuji TV drama series "A Vote in the Galaxy." In addition to "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", he also has upcoming projects such as the films "Blue Lock" and "Matching TRUE LOVE," and his popularity is increasing day by day. We asked Kura what he finds most rewarding about being an actor.
"When I'm acting and I see something different from what I had imagined, including the way the characters' emotions move, it's a moment when I feel glad to be doing this job, and experiencing that makes me feel like I've leveled up again. I think that's very rewarding. I've been given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, and I encounter different challenges each time, but I also find that enjoyable, so I sometimes think that this might be the most fun period of my life." (Fumio Kishitani/MANTANWEB)
