Soar! The presence of child actor Asada Basuji, who passed the baton to Fukuhara Haruka

NHK’s morning drama “Soaring! (NHK), in which actress Haruka Fukuhara plays the heroine, entered its 8th week, “Now, to the Aviation School! (NHK), in which actress Haruka Fukuhara is the heroine.

The heroine, Mai Iwakura, who awakens her dream of flying in the sky through her university’s human-powered airplane club “Naniwa Birdman,” takes the entrance exam to an aviation school. After passing the first and second rounds of the examinations, she finally goes through the final interview and is admitted to the aviation school.

In the previous morning drama “Chimu Dodon,” the hashtag #Chimu Dodon Ruminations” was used daily to inundate the film with criticism, causing it to burst into flames. For actress Yuna Kuroshima, it was a tragedy that her morning drama became “black history. However, the current drama has not been affected by such criticism, and the show’s popularity seems to be on a steady rise.

The reason for the increase in the popularity of “Soar! What was the catalyst for the rise in the program’s favorability?

The turning point was probably the Goto Islands episode that portrayed Mai as a child. In particular, the presence of Asada Haro, who played Mai as a child, is unforgettable.

This was Asada’s third appearance in a morning drama, following “Natsuzora” and “Chimudo-don. In the movie “MOTHER Mother,” starring Masami Nagasawa and released in 2020, she played the role of Fuyuka, a young child being raised by a poisonous parent, Akiko (Nagasawa), and brought tears to her eyes. She attracted attention from early on as a child prodigy,” said a producer at a production company.

(A producer from a production company) “The role of Mai in her childhood is a difficult one, as she is sensitive to other people’s feelings and is unable to say what is on her mind. In the first week, the scene in which her mother Megumi (Hiromi Nagasaku) takes Mai back to her hometown on the Goto Islands is carefully depicted.

She is a very mature child.
She is more sensitive than other people. I wanted to let her take her time.

Megumi confides her concerns to her grandmother Shoko (Takahata Junko). However, seeing Megumi overly concerned about Mai, Shoko urges her to return to Osaka because she will take care of Mai herself.

She is too shy to tell you how she feels,” Shoko says. She said, “Mai is too shy to tell you how she feels, and she might get a fever.

At first, Megumi could not accept her mother’s words, but eventually she came to understand that Mai was not going to stay in Gotō any longer.

I think Mai should stay in Gotō a little longer. I think Mai should stay in Gotō for a little longer. If she takes her time at her own pace, she will get better.

She then made up her mind to leave Mai behind. Mai simply nods her head in sadness.

Asada’s performance, in which she expresses such complicated feelings with a single facial expression, grabs the hearts of viewers with each passing episode.

Then came the final scene of the first week. In the last scene of the first week, when her mother Megumi leaves the island, Mai confides her feelings to Sachiko for the first time.

She says, “My mother wants me to stay here. That’s why I can’t leave.

The scene in which Mai expresses her feelings and tearfully says goodbye to Sachiko has been a hit with many viewers.

Mai was a child actress who received tremendous support from viewers. Fukuhara, who took over the baton from Asada Basuji, has been eagerly attending the scenes of Mai as a child actor.

Fukuhara, who accompanied Asada on location in the Goto Islands, watched Asada’s Mai’s performance closely and said, “Basji-chan created the core of my character on the set. In the 13th episode aired on October 19, there was a scene where the father, Kota (Takahashi), takes Mai to an amusement park.

Takahashi, Asada, and Fukuhara were present during the filming of the scene, and a photo of the three of them was posted on the drama’s official Twitter page. Katsunori Takahashi, who appeared in “Saturday Studio Park,” said that when he saw Fukuhara’s performance, which sometimes reminded him of Mai in her childhood with her slow speech, “I feel like I am acting with that Mai (Asada) even when I am acting with her (Fukuhara). Perhaps it is because Fukuhara came from a background as a child actor that she is able to play such roles.

This work carefully depicts the child actor’s childhood over a three-week period. This is unprecedented in the history of morning dramas.

However, without the Goto Islands episode, the character of the heroine Mai Iwakura, who soars high into the air against the headwind, would not have been created. Like the Brahmin kite that soared into the sky of the Goto Islands, we hope that this drama will give us, the viewers, even more hope and courage….