INTERVIEW } Jiyoung talks about her experience in the set of Higanbana

Jiyoung is starring in an NTV drama "Higanbana~Keishicho sosa nana ka~" wherein she plays the role of Kaoruko Nagami, a medical examiner, along with Horikita Maki as Nagisa Kinomiya, the lead role.

Q: What kind of character is Kaoruko Nagami?
A: Kaoruko is a returnee (kikokushijo, referring to the children of Japanese expatriates who take part of their education outside Japan) and a medical examiner. Although she's not in the crime scenes with the 7th division they support each other, and their job is to find new informations about the case.

Q: Is there a point where you're having a hard time with this role?
A: Since it's a medical examiner role, there are lots of medical terms. Even though she's a returnee, it's still a Japanese role, the pressure of getting a perfect Japanese when speaking is strong. So, I'm focusing with my intonation, and I'm doing my best. And since I work with really talented seniors, I think I cannot afford to make a mistake, so I also ask my manager to help me in memorizing.

Q: In 2014, Higanbana was broadcasted as a special drama, what was your reaction when you heard that it would become a continuous drama?
A: I heard that it's unusual for a SP drama to become a series, so I was very happy. My co-stars are famous actors and great seniors. They're very impressive, being able to see them again was fun. Also during the SP drama, my schedule was full so I couldn't even talk to them. This time, I can have fun with them.

Q: The episode 5 will be a feature episode of Kaoruko. She'll reveal that she has a sister, how was to play the sister role?
A: Since I'm the youngest child in real life, I couldn't imagine myself as the older sister. Onaka Kotomi plays the role of my little sister, and she was very kind, so it was easy to play the role.

Q: You have lots of scenes with the 7th division, what kind of talks you have with them during breaks?
A: The other day, I was talking with Maki-san, and she's active in various genres with movies, stage plays, and dramas, right? So I asked "What job is the most fun?", then she replied, "All things are fun in different ways. I think that you too will do a lot of things from now on. Good luck and do your best.", she encouraged me.

Q: What do you want to challenge in the future?
A: No matter how much I practice Japanese, it's still difficult to perfect. That's why to lessen the actions and script, I would like to do musicals (laughs). Of course, there's still script in a musical, but it's also good if it will be covered by a song.

Source: Dogatch | Translation: Kang Jiyoung World