Watashi no Ao Oni

Title: 私の青おに
Title (romaji): Watashi no Ao Oni
Format: Tanpatsu
Genre: Drama
Broadcast network: NHK BS Premium
Broadcast date: 2015-Nov-18
Air time: Wednesday 22:00

Synopsis
27-year-old Tsujimura Riko (Murakawa Eri) works as an editor at a small Tokyo publishing company. One day, she comes back to her hometown of Takahata-machi in Yamagata Prefecture with mixed feelings for the first time in many years. She is here to produce a sequel to the classic nursery tale ‘Naita Ao Oni’ by Hamada Hirosuke, an author who is a native of Takahata-machi, for the town’s revitalisation project. In an attempt to help with the project, the people running businesses in the shopping street including Riko’s parents (Toyama Toshiya, Ito Kazue) have publicly solicited the sequel and publication of an illustrated book. In fact, there is a secret as well as bitter memories between Riko ­and a former high school classmate Natsume Ayaka (Kinami Haruka). Ayaka had put other people at a distance, but some incident caused her to open her heart only to Riko. Although Riko is reunited with Ayaka through an unexpected turn of events, they are unable to face each other honestly as a result of feelings of indebtness for the past. Meanwhile, Riko obtains the help of Hamada Hirosuke Commemorative Museum’s curator Morioka Kota (Nakajima Ayumu), who is drawn to the charm of Hamada’s works, and the popular author Yuki Kazuya (Mashima Hidekazu) whom she was in charge of in her previous editorial role at a major publisher, and focuses on creating the illustrated book, but …

Cast
Murakawa Eri as Tsujimura Riko
Kanai Miki (金井美樹) as young Riko
Kinami Haruka as Natsume Ayaka, Riko's classmate
Kamishiraishi Moka as young Ayaka
Nakajima Ayumu (中島歩) as Morioka Kota
Mashima Hidekazu as Yuuki Kazuya
Naito Risa as Seto, illustrator
Babazono Azusa (馬場園梓) as Uchida Kotomi, Riko's classmate
Shiratori Hasumi (白鳥羽純) as young Kotomi
Toyama Toshiya as Tsujimura Teruo, Riko's father
Ito Kazue as Tsujimura Sachie, Riko's mother
Hashimoto Manami as Midori
Yamanaka Takashi as Kosaka
Shimada Kyusaku as Takemoto
Ishizawa Tomoyuki (石澤智幸) as Yoshihara