Arashi's Kazunari Ninomiya (25) and actress Mao Inoue (22) will co-star in a drama special on TBS. The story is based on two novels written by professional windsurfer Natsuki Iijima, who died of cancer in 2005.
During Iijima's battle with cancer, he wrote an essay titled "Gan ni Ikasarete," which formed part of the basis for the 2007 film "Tengoku de Kimi ni Aetara," a biography of Iijima that starred Takao Osawa and Misaki Ito. Around the same time, Iijima penned a novel also titled "Tengoku de Kimi ni Aetara," as well as a sequel titled "Kamisama ga Kureta Namida." The drama special is based on those two books, which sold more than 450,000 copies combined.
The drama is also being called "Tengoku de Kimi ni Aetara." Ninomiya plays the main character, a psychiatrist working in the counseling room of a cancer treatment center by the beach. While tending to the patients, part of his job involves taking dictation from them when they want to send a letter to a loved one.
Inoue plays the psychiatrist's wife and mother to the couple's twin daughters. Other cast members include Nobuko Miyamoto as a nurse, Yusuke Santamaria as a surgeon, and Naoto Ogata as the owner of a surf shop.
The broadcast date for the drama has not yet been determined.
Source : Tokyograph
