Yu Aoi Returns to Primetime After 18 Years—Exclusive Look at Her Fully Immersed on Set

〈It already feels like a masterpiece〉

A woman with long black hair tied into a bun, wearing a yellow shirt and jeans, stared intently at a single point in front of her. The woman was actress Yu Aoi (40).

Around lunchtime in mid-May, filming for a television drama was taking place at a coin laundry in a residential neighborhood in central Tokyo.

“It’s for ‘Until the T-Shirt Dries,’ which will air in TBS’s Friday night drama slot starting in July. The series is a completely original story written by Miku Ubukata (33), the screenwriter behind ‘silent’ (Fuji TV), the 2022 drama that became a social phenomenon among young viewers. The director is Hiroyasu Doi (62), who directed the acclaimed 2017 TBS drama ‘Quartet.’

The story is a suspense drama centered on the love and secrets of two married couples caught up in an accident. Aoi plays the protagonist, Sakiko (40), an editor at a publishing company who works on a bridal magazine. She is the type of person who faces everything sincerely and enjoys a happy married life with the husband she loves. However, after she and another couple become involved in a certain accident, their peaceful lives suddenly begin to fall apart.”

— TV magazine writer

For Aoi, this marks her first starring role in a terrestrial television drama series in 18 years, since “Osen” (Nippon TV).

Commenting on the role through TBS’s official website, Aoi said:

“I’m looking forward to confronting things that I couldn’t accomplish 18 years ago and seeing how I’ve changed as a person.”

“Aoi is known as a chameleon-like actress with remarkable range who fully immerses herself in every role. In a November 11, 2020 interview with ‘Web Kawade,’ discussing the film ‘Wife of a Spy,’ she said:

‘I’m not the type of actor who becomes possessed by a role, but while I’m performing, I physically experience what that character experiences. At least while the cameras are rolling, I do become that person.'”

— The same source

Her words seemed evident on set.

Even before filming began, Aoi appeared to have completely transformed into her character.

Inside the coin laundry, numerous staff members were busy discussing the upcoming scene and moving back and forth around her. Amid the activity, Aoi remained intensely focused, occasionally taking deep breaths and adjusting her costume as she quietly prepared for the take.

Since the drama was announced, social media has been filled with comments such as:

“With Aoi, Ubukata, and Doi working together, there’s no way this can miss.”

and

“It already feels like a masterpiece.”

The anticipation surrounding the series continues to grow, and many viewers are eagerly awaiting its premiere.

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