Get ready to immerse yourself in a captivating new love tale – an exquisite and transitory romance – set to blossom this spring in the shadow of Tokyo Tower!
Kaori Ekuni revives her legendary romance novel “Tokyo Tower” in the age of 2025!
TV Asahi has decided to adapt Naoki Prize-winning author Kaori Ekuni’s legendary romance novel “Tokyo Tower” into a drama series for the Oshidora Saturday slot for the April 2024 season.
Ekuni’s works, including “Twinkle Twinkle,” “God’s Boat,” and “Reisei to Jounetsu no Aida,” have been adapted into numerous films and television programs.
2001’s “Tokyo Tower” was a huge hit as it depicted the beautiful but unforgivable love between 21-year-old Toru Kojima and his wife Shifumi, who is over 20 years older than he is. In 2005, it was made into a movie with Hitomi Kuroki and Junichi Okada, and in 2014 it was adapted into a TV drama in South Korea, creating a huge movement in each generation.
This film depicts a story unique to the new era of 2025 and the subtleties of the character’s hearts and minds in a modern Tokyo location, bringing new emotions and reverberations to the audience.
Episode 1 Synopsis
Kojima Toru (Nagase Ren), a medical student who was bored with the same old scenery and the same old routine, meets an architect, Asano Shifumi (Itaya Yuka). Toru is invited to Shifumi’s office, where he drinks a cup of coffee and enjoys the peaceful atmosphere while listening to pleasant music. Toru looks at the wall and sees a black-and-white photo of Tokyo Tower.
Toru asks, “Do you like the Tokyo Tower?”
Shifumi replies, “I don’t like it.”
Toru recalls his own feelings toward Shifumi, who says that the tower looks lonely, and he strangely feels a sense of love for the time he spends with her.
Unable to put aside his desire to see her again, Toru visits the office again a few days later. When she gave him a souvenir from her business trip, and said, “Somehow, I had a feeling you would come back to see me again.”
Toru made up his mind and told her, “I want to know more about you…”
Meanwhile, his close friend Koji, who attends the same university, feels a sense of “urgency” as he observes Toru being drawn to older women.
Ren Nagase takes on his debut leading role in a romantic drama, embracing thrilling scenes with his body.
The main character, Toru Kojima, a medical student, is played by King & Prince’s Ren Nagase, who has acted in a wide range of TV dramas such as “New Nobunaga Chronicle: High School is a Battlefield” (NTV) and “The Last Man: The Blind Profiler” (TBS), films such as “According to Our Butler” (2019), “Yowamushi Pedal” (2020), and “Court Game” (2023), variety shows and music.
He will portray the character of Toru, a sincere and pure-hearted young man who is overwhelmed with love, while grappling with the intricate nuances of his thoughts, emotions, and melancholy, which fluctuate with every passing moment.
This will be Nagase’s first starring role in a romantic drama, and he is very enthusiastic, confidently saying, “This is the first time I’ve starred in an ‘unusual’ romantic drama! I’m actually very enthusiastic about it! As you can see from the stills, there are many exciting scenes, so I am sure that I will be able to show my fans something they have never seen before.“
Shifumi is the first person that Toru, who had never known true love, has ever really loved. He is madly in love with her and wants to monopolize her, but where will his heart lead him as he is tossed around by the wall of “reality”? Nagase, who possesses both beauty and delicacy, plays Toru differently from Junichi Okada in the film version, weaving this beautiful and unforgivable love story.
Yuka Itaya plays Shifumi Asano, the “adult woman” whom Toru, played by Nagase, longs for.
Itaya, who has made her presence felt in numerous dramas and films, gives a strong performance as the talented architect Shifumi in this film. She falls into an intense but sad “unforgivable love” with Toru, who is more than 20 years younger than her, after meeting him by chance.
Despite the fact that she has a husband, Shifumi’s heart is shaken by Toru’s intense approach, and she ends up taking the plunge into an illicit love affair.
Itaya, who plays Shifumi, says that from the time she was offered the role until now, she has been asking herself, “Is it okay if it’s me (for the role)?” But she also expressed her enthusiasm for the role, saying, “I think that the feelings that make people fall in love with others do not change no matter how old they get, so I want to keep that in mind when I play the role.“
Tokyo Tower, a landmark of Tokyo, turns red as it gently illuminates two people in love.
The visual for this film depicts Nagase and Itaya embracing in front of the red-colored Tokyo Tower. Tokyo Tower, a landmark of Tokyo that has watched over many lovers, gently illuminates the loving couple in this film.
Another couple with an age difference is indispensable to this film. Koji Ohara, a friend of Toru’s who has a strong yearning for love with an older woman, and Kimiko, a married woman who falls in “unforgivable love” with Koji.
Ren Nagase (Toru Kojima) comments
“Tokyo Tower,” written by Kaori Ekuni, was made into a movie in 2005 and a TV drama in South Korea. How did you feel when you were chosen to appear in this film?
When I heard about the story, I was surprised to learn that it depicts a forbidden love. “Tokyo Tower” has been made into a movie many times before, but I think the way it is portrayed differs depending on the time period. This time, as a “Reiwa” version, I thought I would play a different “Tokyo Tower” while preserving the worldview of the original work.
What did you think when you read the original “Tokyo Tower?“
My image of adultery was that it would be a very messy affair, but in Kaori Ekuni’s “Tokyo Tower,” the pictures that I imagined while reading the book were very beautifully manifested. I believe that this aspect of “beauty” is also a characteristic of this work, so I would like to create a work that takes care of that aspect.
This film will be your “first starring role in a romantic drama.”
It’s exciting, isn’t it? Taking on something a bit challenging for the first time (laughs). I think people are drawn to quirks or eccentricities; it really gets the adrenaline going! Being the first shot at such an “unconventional” romance genre, I’m actually very fired up!
As you can see from the stills that have been released, there are many exciting scenes, so I am sure that I will be able to show my fans something they have never seen before, and I am sure that this will be a work that will improve me as a person as well.
This time, Nagase will play the role of Toru Kojima, who was played by Junichi Okada in the 2005 movie.
Of course, I’ve seen the movie “Tokyo Tower!” The fact that Okada-san’s buttocks were beautiful and the scene where Jun Matsumoto-san, playing Koji, eats a peach in the bath left a strong impression, even if it wasn’t a part of the main story.
I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of expressions would appear in our “Tokyo Tower” production, and I hope to create something symbolic and memorable like that.
In terms of portraying the character of Toru, I aim to find my own interpretation of him without being overly influenced by Okada-san’s portrayal. Instead, I plan to engage with Itaya-san and the other cast members on set to discover what kind of performance we can create together and to find the essence of Toru that emerges from within myself.
What do you think it is about the charm of an “adult woman” that makes her so attractive?
I met Itaya-san for the first time today, and I immediately sensed the charm that she possesses herself! I was very relieved to be able to sense the elements that made me fall in love with her as Toru, and that made Toru attracted to her.
I wonder if being 20 years older is considered too much of a gap from the public’s perspective, maybe? But perhaps that’s precisely why there’s an attraction to the differences in life experiences accumulated over time and the resulting sense of composure.
The way she swept younger boys off their feet, even if unknowingly, was very stimulating for someone of Toru’s age, and that kind of charm made him want to pursue her more and get to know her better, I think. So I can understand why Toru is attracted to Shifumi.
What does “Tokyo Tower” mean to you?
It is something that makes me feel the end of the day when I see it on my way home from a trip to the countryside or on my way home after work. When I see Tokyo Tower glowing red in the car on the way home, I think to myself, “Ah, I have done my best for the day.“
After reading Ekuni’s “Tokyo Tower” and watching the movie, the light of Tokyo Tower makes me feel a little sadder than before, and I think I will probably feel that way more when the shooting of the drama starts.
What are you looking forward to when you are about to start the crank-in?
There are many scenes that are quite aggressive in terms of the theme of the film, but it is the first time for me to work on such scenes, I hope to discuss them with the director on the set and make it a beautiful film.
Please give a message to the viewers who are looking forward to the drama.
Not only can I relate to the feeling of falling for someone, but also to the thrill that arises from encountering obstacles, and the excitement that comes from the sense of taboo, knowing it’s something you shouldn’t do. That’s why I hope viewers can immerse themselves in the beautiful world of “Tokyo Tower,” replacing themselves with the characters, indulging in the allure of the story, and enjoying the romance with a younger guy, which may not be feasible or appropriate in real life.
I would be delighted if we could deliver a stimulating, yet beautiful and delightful love story to everyone
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