Haru Kuroki:Teaming up with Kayo Noro for April drama "Galaxy's Vote" - "Election Entertainment" as she aims to become Tokyo governor

It has been revealed that actress Haru Kuroki will be starring in the April Kansai TV/Fuji TV drama "Galaxy's Vote." Kuroki will play an election strategist who strives to help the hostess of a bar, played by Kayo Noro, become the governor of Tokyo.

Hoshino Mari (Kuroki), secretary to her father, Secretary-General of the ruling Democratic Party, is seen by those around her as her father's successor, and leads busy days at the party headquarters in Nagatacho, swamped with secretarial duties. One day, her father receives an envelope from an unknown sender, containing a newspaper clipping reporting the death of a medical school dean who fell to his death and a letter in vivid handwriting that reads, "You killed him." Feeling uneasy, Mari secretly investigates her father's past actions and uncovers certain truths. However, this information is passed on to her father, and she is fired from her job as secretary and leaves home. Having lost everything, Mari meets Tsukioka Akari (Noro), who runs a small snack bar by herself. Then, the incumbent governor of Tokyo resigns due to a scandal, and a sudden gubernatorial election is called... This is the "election entertainment" story.

The original work is by Hiruta Naomi, who has worked on such shows as "Shizuka-chan and Dad" (NHK), "Fake Marriage" (Kantele), and "The Tale of Genji: I'll Make a Dictionary" (NHK, 2024), and will be produced by Sano Ayumi, who has worked on "Quartet" (TBS) and "Elpis: Hope, or Disaster" (Kantele, 2022).

Hoshino Mari, played by Kuroki, is a character who, once she finds something she is aiming for, forgets about her surroundings and goes straight for it. She fights as Akari's "election strategist" in the Tokyo gubernatorial election, which also serves as a way to get revenge on her father, who covered up suspicions of fraud and treated her cruelly.

Tsukioka Akari, played by Noro, is a bar owner living in the city. She is always cheerful and bright, but in the past she "lost everything." She continues to work at the bar owned by the bar owner who saved her at the time. Akari had always thought that "politics was something far away," but Mari suddenly appears before her, completely changing her life... This is the role she plays.

The drama series "Galaxy's Vote" will be broadcast on Kansai TV/Fuji TV every Monday at 10pm starting in April.

◇Comments from Haru Kuroki and Kayo Noro

-How did you feel when you received the offer?

Kuroki: I was very happy to receive a passionate letter from Producer Sano and to be able to work with Director Matsumoto again. To be honest, I was a little worried about whether I could do it, but when I read the script, I thought, "This is definitely going to be interesting," and my expectations grew.

Noro: I've always loved Producer Sano's work and followed X, so when I heard about the role I was like, "You're kidding me?!" I was very happy, but at the same time, I was worried about whether I could live up to expectations because I'd never played such a big role before. But I pulled myself together and told myself, "Now is the time to put in more effort than usual, Noro!"

-What were your impressions after reading the script?

Kuroki: "Talking about politics might sound difficult, but the lines really cheer me up. I especially like the line, 'It's not pretty talk. It's 'beautiful things.'" Although the theme is politics, I was drawn to the passion of this story, which also touches on the difficulties humans face in life. There are times when I am moved by Akari's words and can't help but cry. I would be happy if this could be a small opportunity for viewers to feel encouraged when they face difficulties.

Noro: The script is so engaging that you can almost put yourself in the shoes of each character, and it's really interesting! All the characters are so "hardworking," and it makes me cry no matter how many times I read it. Mari has her own "hard work," and Akari has her own "hard work," and although I think each person is different, it warms my heart to see that they all have something in common.

--Please tell us about the appeal of the role you play.

Kuroki: As the daughter of the Secretary-General, Mari has sometimes made decisions that she felt were "wrong," but she is a woman who wants to be "honest" and "live honestly." In her pursuit of "the happiness of the whole world," she sometimes rushes ahead, leaving others behind, but I think that's what makes her so endearing.

Noro: Akari has a painful past, but now she works happily as a hostess at a bar. I feel a little embarrassed to be playing her, but I think she is a cheerful, hardworking, and charming woman.

--This is the first time you two have worked together in earnest. What are your impressions of each other?

Kuroki: I saw you on variety shows and dramas and I had the impression that you were someone who brightened up the people around you, and you were just as I imagined. You take your work seriously, and because you act so honestly, you can exchange emotions with me, which is really fun.

Noro: I was relieved to find out that we have something in common - we both love comedy and are good friends with Bananaman! He's such a great actor, so at first I was worried about whether it was okay to talk to him so forcefully, but recently we've been having a great time talking about Dondécolleté's Watanabe Ginji (laughs). Even during filming, he's surprisingly joking around in places no one notices, which is super cute (laughs). I'm excited to think that I'll get to know this reliable leader even more in the future!

-Please give a message to our viewers.

Kuroki: It's a passionate drama about two women, Mari and Akari, teaming up to delve into the world of politics and carve out a world where they can be happy. It's a work that I want to share especially in this day and age, when there's a tendency to think that living life to the fullest and with integrity is a bit shameful. I hope you enjoy watching our buddy pair forge ahead with such strength.

Noro: Both Mari and Akari have their own difficulties, but it's wonderful to see them working so hard towards happiness. I want to make this a drama that will energize all viewers, so please look forward to it!

◇ Comment from scriptwriter Naomi Hiruta

When Sano-san told me about this project, the first image that came to my mind was a scene where a group of old men in expensive suits were having a difficult conversation (probably about something bad?) in a high-end restaurant (a vague image of it) with deep bass music that stirred up anxiety, and then suddenly, a sliding screen door was slid open, and two women in suits appeared with a flourish, declaring something difficult, and the story continued next week! Something like that... but I had no idea what would happen next...

"Um, I'm very happy to have the opportunity, but I think it would be better if it wasn't me... someone like Mr./Ms. XX or Mr./Ms. XX (who write cool, socially conscious scripts)..." As I slowly backed away, tail between my legs, Sano-san said the same thing he would repeat at every opportunity thereafter, and it was as if he had slammed open the sliding screen doors of my heart.

"Hiruta-san. I'd like you to write it."

Oh, that makes me so happy... But I think I'll give it my best... And with the light that those words lit up as my support and my guide, Mr. Sano and I talked and talked and talked, listened to many people, researched and learned and thought, tormented and cried and laughed and argued...and so began our journey.

With my beloved Sano-san, who never let go of my hand and was always by my side no matter what, even though I was emotionally unstable and would say troublesome things at any opportunity (lol), one by one, with each step I took, one amazingly wonderful person after another joined my team, and each time we shared a cheer of "Yay!", which gave me the courage to take another step forward, and I realized, "Ah, that's right, I should write this," and so I wrote it. (I'm still writing now...)

My, and our, biggest "yay!" is for you to have fun. Things you once believed in can no longer be believed in, things you once took for granted suddenly or little by little disappear, things are too connected or not connected, there are too many or too few, things never end or never begin, things you didn't want to change have changed, and things you want to change don't, in this unsettling, anxious, unstable, vast and lonely world, you're still trying to move towards a brighter future, and if we can at least bring you "a week of fun," I would be truly, truly, the happiest. I hope it reaches you.

◇ Comment from producer Ayumi Sano

I still remember my boss telling me when I was a new employee, "Don't talk about politics and religion at drinking parties." I always thought that was normal.

It wasn't until the end of 2019 that I realized this wasn't the case. At the time, I was doing a homestay in Los Angeles, USA, and a mother and her middle school-aged child were having a discussion while watching a speech by President Trump. When I said, "In America, you talk about politics with your children, don't you?" she looked at me in surprise and said, "Politics is life." Politics is life. To be honest, I had never thought of it that way. It sparked a renewed interest in politics and elections.

Through various connections, I met Yamada Yuri, who shared my interest in politics and elections, and together we interviewed various politicians and people involved in politics, experiencing the complexity, fascination, humanity, and hope of politics. As I gathered the seeds of a project in this way and wondered who I should ask to write the script, the first person to come to mind was Hiruta Naomi, with whom I had hoped to work someday. I wanted to emphasize the fact that politics is an integral part of our lives, and I also wanted the drama to be a celebration of humanity, as well as a drama about politics and elections. We exchanged many words every day, read many documents, learned from each other, and sometimes clashed, but Hiruta wrote a script filled with love and hope that was far greater than I had imagined.

And Kuroki Haru and Noro Kayo have agreed to join us in this challenging project of politics and elections. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Mari and Akari, as Hiruta-san imagined them, and I'm already thrilled by their wonderful combination on set.

Believing that we can change politics and society through our own power. It may be presumptuous, but after the broadcast of this drama, we have set ourselves the goal of increasing voter turnout by even 0.1%, and we would like to run through to the end with our incredibly reliable staff and cast in order to create a new type of "election entertainment."