The TBS Tuesday drama "Mirai no Musuko" (Tuesdays at 10 PM), starring actress Mirai Shida, depicts Mirai (Shida), who was half-hearted about love, work, and dreams, suddenly becoming the mother of a boy named Sota (Yu Amano) who claims to be her son from the future, and struggling to live life on her own terms. Ahead of the final episode airing on March 24th, we asked producer Saeko Amamiya, who worked on this series, to reflect on the filming.
◇Expectations are high for Mirai Shida's impressive acting skills.
Amamiya recalled that acting skills were essential to make the bold premise—a boy claiming to be her son from the future—convincing. She cast Shida because she had high expectations for his acting abilities.
"I asked Ms. Shida to take on the role because I believed that her acting skills would allow viewers to immerse themselves in the story without feeling any sense of incongruity, even with the fantasy setting. When I was reading the original manga 'Mirai no Musuko ~A Son Fell from the Sky to Me, a Girl Who Has Never Had a Boyfriend for 10 Years!' (serialized in Shueisha's "Young Jump+") by Kumiko Aso and Hajime Kuromugi, Ms. Shida's face came to mind. I wonder if it was fate that her name is the same as the main character's name, Mirai."
In the first episode, Mirai, having landed a role in a drama, takes Sota to the set, but things don't go well. After that, various things pile up, and Mirai reaches her breaking point, crying in front of Sota, saying, "I can't even see my own future. I'm the only one not making any progress. It's so miserable. Every day is miserable. Every day is embarrassing. There's no way I can be a mother like this!"
Shida's passionate performance garnered praise from viewers, with many saying they were captivated by her acting. It's also said that her performance brought tears to the eyes of the staff on set.
"The performance was so breathtaking that even the staff watching the filming were moved to tears. I got goosebumps right from the start. I think it was a scene that really showcased the incredible talent of actress Mirai Shida."
◇How to interact with child actor Yu-kun
Sota claims to have come from the future of 2036 to reconcile Mirai with her father, "Ma-kun," but Mirai can't believe him at first. However, she can't leave young Sota alone, so they begin a strange life together. Through their daily life together, Mirai and Sota gradually deepen their bond.
On set, filming doesn't always proceed in chronological order. "Sometimes we filmed scenes with distance between the characters, scenes where their parent-child relationship is established, and so on, all jumbled together. But even so, Ms. Shida prepared herself emotionally for each scene, and I think her acting skills allowed us to show how they gradually became a parent and child," he recalls.
Even when they weren't filming, Shida sometimes looked like Yu-kun's "real mother."
"When Yu-kun does something well, she praises him properly, and when he needs to concentrate, she takes the lead as the main actor. I think Shida-san is doing for Yu-kun what her own mother did for her when she was a child actress."
Episode 9 ended with a shocking twist: Souta, who was supposed to be born in 2031, did not appear before Mirai. Amamiya appealed to viewers, saying, "In the final episode, the truth between Mirai and Souta will finally be revealed, so please look forward to it!"
