NHK’s serial TV novel ‘Blossom’ began airing on September 28.
Actress Mariko Kaga appeared in the first scene as the 1980s version of the work’s protagonist, Tama Hano, who had become 80 years old.
Why did the production place a different actor alongside Shizuka Ishibashi, who plays Tama in her younger years?
3-Line Summary
1. Mariko Kaga played Tama Hano in her 80s
2. The first broadcast began in the 1980s
3. Her subsequent appearances have not yet been finalized by episode
The First Scene Began in a Study in the 1980s
‘Blossom’ is a work that portrays the life of Tama Hano, a protagonist who pursues freedom, modeled on novelist Chiyo Uno. Instead of beginning in childhood, the first broadcast first showed Tama, who had become 80 years old in 1982, writing a manuscript.
The Tama played by Mariko Kaga writes on manuscript paper in a study and says words conveying the meaning, “Writing every day—that is what matters.” Sankei News reported that, following this scene, in which she was depicted with her hair swept up, black horn-rimmed glasses, and a navy kimono, viewers reacted that she resembled Chiyo Uno.
The story then returns to Tama’s childhood in the spring of 1908, in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. By placing one person’s childhood and old age side by side, the structure reveals from the first episode the breadth of time the protagonist will experience.
The Production Team Chose an Image of a Woman in Her 80s Rather Than a ‘Lookalike’
According to an interview with chief producer Shunpei Murayama, the production’s executive in charge, published by Yahoo! News, the team communicated with Mariko Kaga to create the 1980s Tama Hano, but explained that it was not trying to imitate Chiyo Uno exactly. Although they showed materials about Chiyo Uno in advance, the key was the credibility of Tama as a woman in her 80s.
They were also conscious that glasses were a symbolic item that brought Chiyo Uno to mind. At a press conference on September 7, Mariko Kaga said that she had found good glasses, and the production team regarded those glasses as one of the starting points for the role.
This choice is connected to an approach aimed at showing the hardships the character had endured and the strength that remained afterward, rather than reproducing her outward appearance. The production team said it hoped the image of a wonderful adult, like the Tama played by Mariko Kaga, would give viewers strength.
Tama’s Timeline Created by Two Actors
Young Tama is played by Shizuka Ishibashi, while Tama, a popular writer in the 1980s, is played by Mariko Kaga. The production team explained that it had determined from the early planning stage that the story could only work if Tama in her 80s existed, and that it believed dividing the role between actors would be more effective to watch than having one lead actor play her entire life.
Mariko Kaga’s appearances are being considered for episodes in which a chapter of the story ends or the story makes a major move. However, the production team said that it had not completely decided which week or which episode she would appear in. Rather than revealing the ending in advance, the elderly Tama in the first episode can be read as a device that first presents one possible image of the life toward which young Tama is heading.
References
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