Yuki Nakajima: Creating Dramas Focused on Humanity

Since joining NHK, my primary work has been directing television dramas. I believe I have worked across a relatively wide range of genres, including morning serial dramas (Asadora), contemporary dramas, period pieces, fantasy, and action. My most recent work is as the chief director for the Taiga drama "Dear Radiance" (Hikaru Kimi e). Incidentally, a television drama director is similar to a film director. For me, making television dramas is a process of confronting human nature. Unlike documentaries, which follow and record real people living real lives, the basis of drama is fiction. Even when dealing with real historical figures, the true thrill of drama lies in using the creative freedom that fiction allows to dig deep into "humanity," finding and expressing emotions and multifaceted traits that rarely surface. Because we must present a condensed story within a limited timeframe, I struggle every time with what to focus on and what to cut. However, I want to continue approaching that unanswered question from ancient Greece—"What is a human being?"—through visual media, using every means at my disposal.

The most critical point in drama production is scriptwriting. While it is rare for a director to actually "write" the script, once a project is greenlit, I begin working on the script alongside the screenwriter and the program producer. It is no exaggeration to say that more than half of a drama's quality is determined by the script. The Korean drama industry, which once imitated Japanese trendy dramas, has now easily overtaken Japan and is dominating the global market. This is because of the immense power they pour into scriptwriting. A strong story captures people's hearts. What about Japan? Amidst buzzwords like "time performance" (taipa) and "going viral," some people tell me that viewers want to watch dramas only after knowing the ending, or that they don't want their emotions stirred or to see anything painful. However, if we cater only to those demands, I don't think strong stories can be born. Is a drama featuring only smooth, well-behaved people really interesting?

In social life, people suppress many different emotions. I want to continue making dramas for as long as time permits—dramas where people can let out those normally stifled feelings, whether it's crying, laughing, or feeling frustrated, and come away thinking, "Maybe humans aren't so bad after all."