Quotes of the Day
Eriko Kitagawa announces her presence in the lofty lobby of TBS television network's headquarters in Tokyo as a timid, ruffled-bloused housewife would: a small side step, brief eye contact and a nervous giggle. Soft curls, a conservative skirt and subtle makeup complete her outfit. Is this the scriptwriter who single-handedly brought Japanese television drama to the world stage and at the same time empowered the typically demure female lead? We sit down to—what else?—tea, and instantly Kitagawa's sayonara-girl image snaps with her cocky first statement: "I always know what I'm writing will be a hit."
Confident, outspoken and deceptively bold, Kitagawa turns out to be the embodiment of her characters—ladies who can take it on the chin and still look good in a skirt (and who are often accompanied by blue-collar stiffs with sensitive, yearning souls). Since she began writing in 1989, Kitagawa has become a one-woman production company—blend David Kelley's productivity with Oprah's sassiness and you approximate Kitagawa's flavor—conceiving and scripting 11 different drama series, including last year's The Smile Has Left Your Eyes and Beautiful Life. Her one-hour shows have been the top-rated hits in Japan and have gone into syndication in half a dozen countries. She's done it by scripting quirky, multidimensional characters such as the plucky Minami (Tomoko Yamaguchi), who rebuilt her life after her fiancé left her waiting at the shrine in Long Vacation, and Tell Me You Love Me's indefatigable Hiroko (Takako Tokiwa), who fell in love with a deaf painter.
Kitagawa's career trajectory provides a wellspring for conjuring up determined female leads: she clawed her way into the male-dominated TV business, starting as an assistant at a local production company and writing scripts on the side. At the same time she married her longtime boyfriend (though keeping her maiden name, Kitagawa) because, as she explains, "I got so busy that the only way we could spend time together was to get married." It took her nearly three years to finish her first drama, a sci-fi adventure, which was bought for less than $500 and turned into a made-for-TV movie that attracted little notice. Her next try, Just the Way You Are, was her breakthrough, capturing 32% of all viewing households. She has since penned Long Vacation, a touchstone for anyone studying Japanese, and Beautiful Life, Japan's most watched TV drama of all time. (It was proving so popular in Malaysia that two of the country's terrestrial stations aired it.)
Because of their appeal across the region, 11-episode TV dramas might be Japan's cultural ambassadors to the world. Japanese dramas are often the first medium to discuss controversial social issues, such as teen marriage or sexual harassment, and even to introduce the latest Japanese fashion trends. But unlike many of her peers in the Japanese TV biz, Kitagawa doesn't try to track the country's famously ephemeral trends with a magnifying glass and a questionnaire. Instead she goes straight to the source for inspiration. "I don't think too much about the current situation in Japan," she says. "My marriage, having a child, those are the things that most affect me and my scripts."
In a land of conformity and caution, Kitagawa stands out for her individualism. But there is one more, equally telling secret to her success: Kitagawa doesn't pen a script until the cast is chosen, so that she can customize each role. "I feel very attached to [Takako] Tokiwa and Takuya [Kimura]," she says of the two performers who have starred in many of her dramas. "I feel that every role I write, I write a great deal just for them." Don't expect to see either of them starring in her upcoming project, though. Kitagawa is planning a new cast for her next series about young people starting out in life. "I'm interested in something simple and strong," she muses, as she finishes her tea. She should consider an autobiography.
- Kate Drake | Tokyo
- TV writer Eriko Kitagawa churns out award-winning drama by tapping a unique source: herself