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Capturing the chemistry of characters on TV
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WHEN the Japanese TV drama “Tokyo Love Story” hit the television screens in 1991, it captured the hearts and minds of viewers across East Asia and was widely acclaimed for its relatable concepts that primarily focused on the issue of romance.
Today, it is considered one of the timeless classics of Japanese TV dramas. Its endearing popularity still has fans travelling to Japan to visit the filming locations in Tokyo and the Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku.
The man behind the great success is screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto.
Sakamoto, who adapted the Japanese manga of the same title into the 11-episode drama, is one of Japan’s most celebrated screenwriters.
Speaking at a forum at the 2016 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival, Sakamoto said, “I re-adapted ‘Tokyo Love Story’ when I was 22. I had a very idealized version of love then, which I brought to the drama. The love depicted in the manga is more realistic — that’s probably the main difference between the two portrayals.”
Known for his interesting character developments and his engaging themes, Sakamoto has been voted “Best Screenwriter” four times at Japan’s Television Drama Academy Awards. His deep interest in movies from a young age led him to pursue a career as a screenwriter.
Although “Tokyo Love Story” was arguably the TV drama that cast him into the spotlight, Sakamoto does not count the drama as a personal favorite of his.
Instead, it is the 2011 TV Drama “Still, Life Goes On,” a show that focuses on the theme of perseverance and forgiveness, that he counts as the one he most enjoyed scripting. The series saw him voted “Best Screenwriter” at the 70th Television Drama Academy Awards.
“It was the most memorable script that I had ever written, and I felt it reflected my best work so far,” he said.
Over the years, Sakamoto has also changed his scripts to highlight more forceful and controversial themes. For example, he recently scripted the drama “The Best Divorce,” which highlighted some uncomfortable issues on love.
Explaining his change in style, he said, “The viewership of Japanese TV dramas has fallen in recent years. To attract audiences, I had to come up with more creative plots for my shows. I complement my personal preferences with the audience’s, so as to cater to what they’d like to watch as well.
“I also prefer writing scripts that have a real-life story element to it and not entirely crafted from fiction.”
Sakamoto prefers to include deeper and heavier themes in his scripts, which have sometimes been criticized by audiences, but he plans to continue writing this way.
“It will engage my audiences further to reflect on the works that I’ve written,” he said. He cited the example of the popular American TV drama, “The Walking Dead,” which similarly reflects such themes, and is one of his favorite shows.
Contrary to many screenwriters who often focus on scripting their dramas toward a perfect ending, Sakamoto prefers instead to emphasize on character development in his works.
“I don’t focus on the endings, but rather on the chemistry between the characters.
The perfect moments in dramas and shows come when there is good chemistry between the characters — that is what is important.”
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