The eighth episode of the TBS Tuesday drama "Toki Sude ni Osushi!?" (Tuesdays at 10 PM), starring actress Hiromi Nagasaku, will air on May 26th. Producer Chiaki Masuda spoke 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 8
Due to years of habit, Minato has spent most of her days off doing nothing but housework. In this eighth episode, she explores "play rehabilitation," wondering, "How do adults have fun on their days off!?" In the process, she learns why Mr. Tateishi (Shiro Sano), a senior in her class who is always cheerful and has more vitality than she thought. The true identity of the dapper Mr. Tateishi, who has been shrouded in mystery until now, will also be revealed.
The answer to living a joyful life lies in "shrimp"... Episode 8 is an episode that will give you courage and encouragement, helping you reclaim feelings you've unknowingly put off and confront feelings you've forgotten.
And then, Minato and Oedo (Kenichi Matsuyama) go on an unexpected aquarium date!? The story will start to move forward significantly towards episode 9. Ryuhei Maruyama of "SUPER EIGHT" will appear as an "unforgettable person" in Oedo's life! Please look forward to the story as it is gradually revealed.
Episode 8 features a rare scene where all the academy members go out together, and there are lots of events, so I hope you'll enjoy watching it!
◇Behind-the-scenes stories from the filming of Episode 7
As the cast members have also mentioned on social media, in the flashback scene where she plays catch with Nagisa (played by Motoki Nakazawa), the actual filming involved a scene with a young Nagisa. However, Ms. Nagasaku suggested that since Mr. Nakazawa has baseball experience, they should teach her how to play catch, so they practiced together beforehand.
During breaks in filming, several staff members joined in the practice. Also, when Minato and Nagisa went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, they played claw machines together, showing their parent-child bond. The innocent smiles they showed in those moments were somehow similar to their own, and the Machiyama family was truly adorable behind the scenes of filming.
Needless to say, Matsuyama-san and Doi (Shiori)-san's on-screen chemistry was fantastic, but even in the spontaneous posing during the off-shot photo shoot and during Matsuyama-san's rock-paper-scissors photo shoot for social media, they were perfectly in sync without saying much, creating a very pleasant atmosphere to watch. I think the unique ambiance that only Matsuyama-san and Doi-san could create brought to life the "past" of Oedo and Mio that wasn't depicted in the drama.
The relationships between the parent and child, and the ex-husband and wife, were beautifully reflected in the sense of distance between them even behind the scenes of filming. And just like in episode 4, whenever Hotate appeared, everyone's faces would inevitably light up; it was a very harmonious set.
