Isu WOWOW Original Drama Blu-ray

Stories written by Akutagawa Prize-winning author Naoki Matayoshi around celebrated chairs come to life in this drama. Four accomplished actresses enter his unique, mysterious world for the first time, each taking on two different roles.

Alongside his work as a comedian, Matayoshi earned acclaim as a writer when his debut novella Hibana won the Akutagawa Prize. He wrote the original scripts for the anthology drama Isu. An incomparable chair enthusiast who even served as editor-in-chief of Naoki Matayoshi Magazine: Isu, he brings together chairs and women’s lives in these stories.

Each episode features one real chair, weaving its origins and distinctive qualities into eight varied, unique and mysterious stories. The eight chairs include vintage pieces and original models that will delight interior-design enthusiasts. Matayoshi selected them himself and appears as a mysterious chair-shop owner, introducing their history and the beauty of their forms. The leading actresses play different protagonists in their first starring WOWOW dramas and their first participation in a Matayoshi production. Enjoy their strikingly varied performances along with the fascination of the chairs.

In the first story, Susumu witnesses a couple arguing and cannot help speaking to Nana, who looks dejected. She has just moved and cannot change a light bulb by herself, so he lends her his No. 14 chair and they begin walking together. Stories of sightings of the neighbourhood’s mysterious Speed Star bring them a little warmth, but both are hiding secrets they cannot tell anyone.

In the second story, Yoshimi seems to lead a glamorous everyday life as she updates her mother over the phone. One day, a former classmate whose name is also Yoshimi, often mentioned in those conversations, suddenly asks to see her. Meeting again after a long time, the classmate says she heard something unexpected when she used to attend the piano lessons run by Yoshimi’s mother...

In the third story, after their close friend Haruka’s funeral, Saya, Anna and Eri reminisce together on a rooftop. The four were always together. They remember that Haruka, who loved making oden in a large pot, treasured a La Chaise chair too big to fit in her small room. Before she died, she said she wanted to see the sea. What did her friends do for her?

In the fourth story, Natsuki begins work as an apprentice at a hair salon while she and Sota, her boyfriend since their student days, pursue their respective dreams. One day, the salon manager introduces her to a debonair actor who gave the salon its stylish Y Chair. At an age when city life makes her want to reach beyond herself, she receives an attractive proposal from this actor, who knows a great deal about interiors.

In the fifth story, Kana works at a local factory. Quiet at work, she is naturally cheerful. After the Louis Ghost chair she has always wanted is delivered to her home, she sits alone at her dining table, grinning. Suddenly Chie, an elementary-school girl she has never met, arrives and asks to borrow the stylish chair for a scavenger race. Reluctantly carrying it outside, the two trudge along together and become aware of a strange coincidence.

In the sixth story, Izumi and Yuta are a married couple who ran a small cafe. They filled it with water-resistant Navy Chairs, developed at the request of the US Navy, hoping to keep customers coming even in the rain. Eventually, as the cafe’s business begins to struggle, their relationship becomes distorted.

In the seventh story, a mysterious beautiful woman dressed in red visits the bar Ningentachi no Koe ga Suru, where hired manager Tatsumi has been passing the time alone. She suddenly begins reciting a contemporary poem, perhaps her own work, but Tatsumi cannot make sense of it. Then she leaves with the words “Put it on my tab,” leaving him utterly bewildered.

In the eighth story, Kozue, who works part-time, lives with her younger sister Yoko, a popular YouTuber. Unable to tolerate Yoko’s behaviour, including bringing her boyfriend Toru home without permission, Kozue moves out. Coming to her senses, she realises she at least wants back the Ant Chair she bought herself. She sneaks into the empty home to retrieve it...

Bonus footage includes a collection of promotional spots and a message video from Naoki Matayoshi.