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Rena Matsui Stars in NHK Night Drama Blue Flower, Forest of Vessels

This marks the first live-action adaptation of a Yuki Kodama manga since "Kids on the Slope" in 2012, and NHK's night drama slot continues its recent trend of adapting literary and manga romances set in regional craft communities.

Key Facts

  • Rena Matsui stars as Aoko Baba, a pottery painter in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture, in the NHK night drama 'Blue Flower, Forest of Vessels.'
  • The 32-episode series, each 15 minutes long, airs on NHK General from Monday to Thursday at 22:45 starting in fall 2026.
  • Matsui took up pottery to prepare for the role, saying she felt the clay fit into her hand and imagined Aoko's excitement.
  • The drama is a live-action adaptation of Yuki Kodama's manga, which ran in Monthly Flowers from 2018 to 2022.
  • Most filming takes place on location in Hasami-cho, and the series will also stream on NHK ONE.

Reporting from 4 sources: Anime News Network, Eiga Natalie, Comic Natalie, Cinema Today.

Rena Matsui Stars in NHK Night Drama Blue Flower, Forest of Vessels

NHK announced production of the night drama "Blue Flower, Forest of Vessels," a live-action adaptation of Yuki Kodama's manga, starring Rena Matsui. The 32-episode series, each 15 minutes long, will air on NHK General from Monday to Thursday at 22:45 starting in fall 2026. Matsui plays Aoko Baba, a pottery painter in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture, whose work is challenged by a Finnish ceramic artist named Tatsuki. The story follows their relationship as they create vessels together. Most filming takes place on location in Hasami-cho. Matsui took up pottery for the role, saying she felt the clay fit into her hand and imagined Aoko's excitement. Yoko Izumisawa writes the script, and Hiroe Fukagawa directs. Kodama, a Nagasaki native known for "Kids on the Slope," said she is thrilled to see her work adapted faithfully. The drama will also stream on NHK ONE.

Matsui, a former SKE48 and AKB48 member who also writes novels, took up pottery to prepare for the role. She said she felt the clay fit into her hand and imagined Aoko's daily excitement. The drama is set in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture, a town known for Hasami-yaki pottery. The story follows Aoko Baba, a pottery painter at a local kiln, and Tatsuki, a Finnish ceramic artist who arrives and declares his vessels do not need painting. The original manga ran in Monthly Flowers from 2018 to 2022.

Executive producers are Mamoru Inoue (LesPros Entertainment) and Satoshi Endo (NHK). Producers are Kyohei Morinaga and Nanami Honda, both of LesPros Entertainment. The series will stream on NHK ONE with simultaneous and catch-up viewing. Kodama, a Nagasaki native, said seeing her work adapted feels like having her wheel-thrown vessels painted and fired in a kiln. She added that she is thrilled to see actors' real performances bring Aoko, Tatsuki, and other characters to life.

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

Aohana: Utsuwa no Mori Rena Matsui Yuki Kodama

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