Hidetoshi Nishijima & Mana Ashida cast in TBS drama “Sayonara Maestro”

Hidetoshi Nishijima & Mana Ashida are cast in TBS drama series “Sayonara Maestro.” The drama series features an original screenplay by Satomi Oshima (“Nagi’s Long Vacation“) and will have Hidetoshi Nishijima & Mana Ashida play father and daughter. Their relationship is estranged after something happened 5 years earlier. The father, Shunpei Natsume, is a genius orchestra maestro, but oblivious to anything outside of the music world. They begin to live together again.

“Sayonara Maestro” will first air January, 2024 in Japan (takes over TBS’ Sunday 9PM time slot after “Worst to First: A Teen Baseball Miracle“).

Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki: Since he was in his 20’s, Shunpei Natsume (Hidetoshi Nishijima) was a world famous maestro and lived abroad, while working with renown orchestras. He was always passionate about music and his passion inspired other musicians. But, Shunpei Natsume has zero abilities outside of music. He is unable to do simple things like housework. His life has been focused on himself and his music. Something happened that changed Shunpei Natsume’s life. Due to that incident, his family, including his daughter Hibiki Natsume (Mana Ashida), left him and he left the music field.

5 years later, Shunpei Natsume returns to Japan for the first time in decades to conduct an orchestra in a province. He meets his daughter Hibiki that he hasn’t seen in 5 years and they begin to live together. Unlike her father, Hibiki Natsume hates music and lives her life without it. Her father’s genius ability in music clouds his view outside of music and he is unaware of his daughter’s feelings. Shunpei Natsume faces Hibiki as her father and her life, that stopped 5 years ago, slowly begins to move again.