Joe Odagiri, Ken Watanabe play teacher and student in drama special
On October 11, TBS will broadcast a drama special titled "Hei no Naka no Chuugakkou," starring Joe Odagiri (34). The story is a human drama scripted by veteran writer Makiko Uchidate, filmed in an actual prison.
The story is set in the Asahimachi Junior High School, the only junior high school in Japan inside a prison. The school provides education to prisoners of all ages who were unable to receive the regular compulsory education. Odagiri plays the main character as a teacher in the school, and the show focuses on his interactions with the various students, which include Ken Watanabe (50) as a former steeplejack serving 15 years for two murders, Seiji Chihara (40), Hideji Otaki (85), and Shota Sometani (17).
The drama was shot at the real location, within the Matsumoto Juvenile Prison in Matsumoto, Nagano. This is said to be the first television drama filmed within actual prison walls.
Poll source: TOKYOGRAPH