“As a student, I fell in love with a teacher.
When I became a teacher, I fell in love with a student.”
Based on the manga series “Sensei Sayonara” (先生さようなら) by Yasuko Aoike (八寿子).
The storyline unfolds as a love story set in both the present and the past. At 27, Takuro Tamura serves as a popular art teacher at a high school. Yayoi, one of his homeroom students, leads a purposeless life until Takuro suggests she join the art club. One fateful day, Yayoi stumbles upon Takuro’s sketchbook. Inside, she finds out it contains countless sketches of an unknown woman. Turns out, the woman in the sketchbook is called Yumiko, who was Takuro’s Japanese language and homeroom teacher when he was a high school student himself.
Shonen Ninja’s Kosei Hiyama, 7 MEN Samurai’s Reia Nakamura and Rinne Sugeta join the cast of “Sensei Sayonara”, which will start on January 22nd, 2024 on Nippon TV. The main character, Takuro Tamura, will be portrayed by Snow Man’s Shota Watanabe – his first leading role in a drama. His group will also sing the theme song of the show – “We’ll Go Together,” a “sad yet cheerful” song that talks about moving forward.
The present and the past. This drama is a story of “goodbye” that repeats itself, interwoven with two love stories. Shota portrays Takuro as both his 17-year-old high school student self and his current self as a 27-year-old high school teacher.
Source: Oricon
Nakamura Reia as Kenta Shiraishi
Yayoi’s classmate and the ace of the basketball team. He is a popular guy who has many friends of both genders. When he hears Yayoi say “Shiraishi is my type” when talking to her classmates, he starts to become interested in her.
Rinne Sugeta as Shin Aoyama
A member of the same basketball club as Shiraishi. Although he is a tough boy and shows that he enjoys the company of boys more, he secretly hopes to have a girlfriend.
Kosei Hiyama as Yu Akagi
A member of the same basketball club as Shiraishi. He has many female friends because of his cheerful and friendly personality, but they are only friends…
Reia Nakamura about the drama and role
What was your honest reaction when you were selected to appear in this drama?
I was honestly very happy! I was happy to be able to work with Shota-kun again, with whom I had built a relationship through our collaboration on stage, and having a senior I could rely on gave me a sense of security going into the work site.
What were your impressions when you read the original story and script?
I was impressed by the way the forbidden love between a teacher and a student was portrayed as a straightforward romance without being realistically dark and serious. I also enjoyed reading the original script in a fast-paced manner.
What kind of character do you think Kenta Shiraishi is, and were you conscious of any particular aspects of his character?
He hates speaking ill behind people’s backs and corruption, but he is able to pull people around him in the right direction without making the atmosphere around him worse by pretending to have a sense of justice. That is why people gather around him, and even though he is popular, he is too nervous to speak to the girl he likes… I think he is a pure and cute character. I try to be conscious of my own pure feelings and to have a sense of sensitivity that is unique to high school students.
Please give us a highlight and a message to the audience
I will do my best to make this a wonderful work! I will also enjoy the nostalgic high school life as much as the current high school students.
Rinne Sugeta about the drama and role
What was your honest reaction when you were selected to appear in this drama?
It was my goal this year to appear in a drama series so when I was chosen for the role, I was honestly delighted. Since this is my first experience in a drama series, I’ll enjoy portraying a role while learning and savoring the atmosphere on set. I will do my best to leave my mark on the show so that I can perform in various productions in the future.
What kind of character do you think Shin Aoyama is, and were you conscious of any particular aspects of his character?
Shin Aoyama is an original character in the drama so the scriptwriter was inspired by the YouTube videos in which I appear. The director also told me I could be my normal self so while playing Aoyama, I mixed in my “Rinne Sugeta” style. Please enjoy me portraying a character who can’t read the atmosphere and has a hard time approaching girls.
Please give us a highlight and a message to the audience
It is a thrilling romantic drama for both fans of the original story and those who are unfamiliar with the original story. Also, the scenes where Aoyama and Akagi get involved with Tamura, Shiraishi, and Yayoi are a nice highlight. Please enjoy this fresh love drama.
Kosei Hiyama about the drama and role
What was your honest reaction when you were selected to appear in this drama?
Frankly speaking, I was very happy. I have always loved acting but I have always wanted to be involved in a love story or a coming-of-age type of film. So I was very excited from the moment I received the script to when we wrapped up the show. At the same time, I want to do my best to portray the nostalgia and frustration from my own student days.
What kind of character do you think Shin Aoyama is, and were you conscious of any particular aspects of his character?
Akagi, who I will be playing this time, is the kind of cool character that you always see in a class, I think. He gets along with anyone regardless of gender and is liked by everyone. When I was portraying the role, I was conscious of being honest with my feelings and not being influenced by the atmosphere around me.
Please give us a highlight and a message to the audience
The highlight of this drama is that the two students are affected by each other’s conflicting feelings about love – ones that are unique to students and have an initial feeling of youthfulness. Also, the conflicts they face in difficult positions that are not accepted by society, and their conflicting feelings affect and sway each other.
At the same time, I would like the audience to pay attention to Akagi’s ability to support his classmate Shiraishi. This is a work in which the sparkling and youthful atmosphere of a student is connected and sometimes intertwined with relationships with various people. It is sure to make you nostalgic and make you dream of living a student life like this. We hope you will pay attention to the various scenes in the show.
If you’re interested in Reia, Rinne and Kosei, make sure to follow them on the following sites!
YouTube | X (Twitter) | X (Twitter) (English) | Instagram | TikTok | Official site
In the final episode of “Kimi ga Kare ni Mukete Motto 100 Nichi” (100 Days to Go Until You Die), which will air on December 25th, the drama footage of “Sensei Sayonara” will be unveiled for the first time. It will be accompanied by the theme song “We’ll Go Together” by Shota‘s group Snow Man, which will also be shown on the official Shindora YouTube channel at 4:00 a.m. JST on December 26th. The long version of the trailer will be available on the official Shindora YouTube channel at the same time.
Stay up to date with the drama on their official channels!
Website：https://www.ntv.co.jp/sensei-sayounara/
X (Twitter)：@shindora_ntv
Instagram：@shindora_ntv
Official hashtags：#先生さようなら