"Magudaraya no Maria," a drama starring Machiko Ono and Kisetsu Machiko Ono, is currently airing on NHK's Saturday drama slot (General channel, Saturdays at 10 PM). In the second episode, airing on April 25th, Fujiwara's character, Shimon, recalls a painful past experience. Scene cuts have also been released.
◇The following contains spoilers.
"Magudaraya no Maria" is a live-action drama adaptation of the novel of the same name by Maha Harada. It is a human story that looks at the irreplaceable value of life, and depicts the weight of life based on the "karma, atonement, and rebirth" of those who have committed sins, as found in the original work.
The story is set in a fictional town called "Tsukihate." For some reason, those whose lives are fading away end up in Tsukihate. Are they trying to die, or are they trying to live? Shimon, a man who has pushed himself to the brink and resolved to commit suicide, is one of them. However, through his encounter with Ria (nicknamed Maria), who works at "Magudara-ya," and the food she prepares, he is saved by "unconditional love" and cultivates the "courage to live again"...
Ono will play Maria, or Arima Ria, and Fujiwara will play Oikawa Shimon. The cast also includes Ryota Bando, Iwashita Shima, Tanaka Ryuzo, and Omi Toshinori. The theme song is a new song written by Nakajima Miyuki called "Ichiju".
In episode 2, Shimon (Fujiwara) is recognized for his cooking skills by the proprietress Reiko (Iwashita) and is given a job at the diner "Magudaraya" run by Maria (Ono). However, he is disturbed when he spots a boy who looks remarkably like Yuta (Bando). The boy introduces himself as Maruko, but he wanders around harboring a secret he cannot tell anyone, and ends up collapsing in the land of the dead.
Upon meeting Marugitsune, Shimon recalls the painful experiences that led to Yuta's suicide, as he is the spitting image of Marugitsune, and confronts his own regrets.
