Ishihara Satomi, Iura Arata & Tanaka Rena starring in TBS drama SP "Koi"

Ishihara Satomi, Iura Arata and Tanaka Rena will be starring in the TBS drama SP "Koi" which will be shown during this autumn and is based on the 1996 Naoki Award novel by Koike Mariko which has sold 900,000 copies to date. Straight after the novel won the award, there were many offers to make it into a drama or movie which Koike did not accept as it was felt that nobody could portray the lead character Fumiko. Scriptwriter Minamoto Takashi then started to prepare the script 5 years ago which finally made Koike decide to give the go-ahead.

The story is set in the 70s where Ishihara plays Fumiko, an university student, who gets involved romantically with her assistant professor Katase Shintaro (Iura) and his wife Hinako (Tanaka). However, on 28 February 1972, the police finds Shintaro seriously injured and a young man working in a electronics store (Saito Takumi) dead in a bungalow at Karuizawa while Fumiko and Hinako are also present at the scene. The truth behind the case is not known and the case is quickly classified as a crime of passion which leads to Fumiko being sent to prison. 40 years later, a report writer Torigai Mitsuhiko (Watabe Atsuro) comes to know about this case and goes to interview the elderly Fumiko (Harada Mieko) in prison which leads him to find out what really happened at the bungalow.

Filming has begun in the beginning of April primarily in Karuizawa and will also be shot at various places in Nagano, Tochigi and Chiba in order to show the passing of the seasons.

Source: Nikkansports