Hiromi Nagasaku Returns to Lead a Commercial TV Drama for the First Time in 14 Years

Nagasaku to Lead the Tuesday Drama Slot

In late February around lunchtime, women were seen chatting in front of a famous sushi restaurant in Setagaya, Tokyo. At first glance, it might appear to be a group of friends enjoying lunch together, but one detail stood out: among the women dressed warmly with masks, one was wearing a spring-appropriate outfit. That woman was actress Hiromi Nagasaku (55).

In fact, this scene was taken during a break from filming the April season TBS Tuesday drama “Toki Sudeni Osushi!?”.

“This drama marks Nagasaku’s first lead role in a commercial network series in 14 years. She plays Minato Machiyama, a 50-year-old protagonist who lost her husband in a sudden accident 14 years ago and has since lived earnestly as a supermarket full-time employee for her only son. The original script follows a single mother, having finished raising her child, as she learns sushi at the ‘Sushi Academy’ with friends and embarks on a second life for herself,” explained a television magazine writer.

On this day, filming seemed to be taking place inside the sushi restaurant. During breaks, Nagasaku appeared in a refreshing outfit: a blue cardigan with white pants. Amid the busy movements of the staff, she chatted happily with several female staff members, her relaxed expression noticeable.

Nagasaku, affectionately called eternally youthful, has long been loved as an actress who doesn’t seem to age. She won Best Supporting Actress at the “35th Japan Academy Prize” in 2011 for “Rebirth” (“Yōkame no Semi”), in which she portrayed a morally complex woman who, after an affair, kidnaps her lover’s baby (Erina) and raises her for four years. In the latter half of 2022, she played the mother of a heroine aiming to become a pilot in the NHK morning drama “Maiagare!”, earning positive reviews.

In the current drama, she portrays a woman starting her second life after raising a child, yet her youthful energy remains unchanged. On TBS’s official YouTube channel “You Tuboo”, she commented on starring in the Tuesday drama slot:

“I think the atmosphere will completely change once I’m chosen. I imagine a bit of romance will come into it too. That part worries me a little. At this point, what can I do? Something like that (laughs).”

She also addressed viewers, especially those who have spent much of their lives caring for others rather than themselves:

“I hope that through this work, people can gradually find small hints for having time and awareness to live for themselves.”

With her charming and adorable smile, she seems likely to bring energy and warmth to the audience.

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