Actress Eiko Koike stars in the NHK Saturday drama "Mushoran Mitsuboshi" (NHK General, Saturdays at 10 PM), which premiered on May 23rd. In the first episode, which aired on the same day, she plays the protagonist, Yoko Ginbayashi, who becomes a registered dietitian at a prison. She reflects, "To be honest, I was really conflicted at first about whether or not to accept this role." Koike spoke about the drama and her role.
"Mushoran Mitsuboshi" is based on a masterpiece non-fiction book by Keiko Kuroyanagi, a currently working prison nutritionist, which depicts the little-known state of food inside prisons. The story follows a protagonist who made a name for himself as a skilled Italian chef, but by chance ends up working as a prison nutritionist, and depicts his struggles to overcome troubles and commotions with prison guards and inmates behind bars. It is a "prison social comedy drama."
Koike said of the main character, Yoko, "She has a very cheerful personality. I think her positive attitude is similar to my own."
"Actually, Keiko Kuroyanagi, the original author of this drama and the model for the main character, was on set, and I could immediately tell from her expression and tone of voice that she is a very positive person. Being a 'prison nutritionist' is a very difficult job. However, with her positivity and cheerfulness, I felt a great deal of respect for her, knowing that she is able to connect with the inmates on a one-on-one basis. I am trying to portray that kind of character."
On the other hand, Koike reveals, "To be honest, I initially struggled a lot with whether or not to accept this role." The reason for this was...
"I felt that we had to acknowledge the fundamental premise that behind every inmate are people whose wounds have not yet healed. Otherwise, viewers might feel uncomfortable watching the drama or be reminded of painful past experiences. The drama's tone is quite poppy, so I wanted to make sure that it didn't just come across as a fun, feel-good story."
Also, in the first episode, the scene where he's on his bicycle heading to prison for his first day of work left a strong impression on me. It really did.
"During filming, I asked the director, 'Is there anyone who rides a bicycle while shouting, "This is bad, this is bad!"? Is that okay?' The director said, 'It's fine, it's fine,' so we went ahead and filmed it, and when I saw the finished product, I was very satisfied. The character of Yoko Ginbayashi is a little ditzy, and she's helped out by children, but that's what makes her so charming, and I felt that her character is more than just strength and positivity."
The drama will consist of five episodes.
"Hamasaki Prison, where the story takes place, is known for its Oishi Kyushoku, so it's a rule to include local cuisine once a month. In episode 2, Yoko comes up with another idea, saying, 'You can't feel the seasons when you're in prison, so let's incorporate a sense of the seasons into the school lunches,' and the story depicts everyone putting their heads together to make it happen. That also connects to the ending of the drama. By the way, the curry, fried squid with lemon that were served on set in episode 2, and the tofu donuts in episode 3 were made by the cooking instructor, and they were absolutely delicious. I hope you'll look forward to seeing what kind of dishes will be featured in each episode."
