Creation and Conception
Juri Ueno and Masami Nagasawa were originally approached for the role of Ruka and Michiru. Asami Mizukawa was cast for the other woman character Taeko Asano planned to have in the drama. Takeru, however was a last minute addition because the producers wanted a male presence in the drama. Initially the drama, was to be only about domestic violence (DV) and gender identity disorder portrayed by Nagasawa and Ueno respectively. A character who used DV was then created.
Ueno was picked by Asano, who saw her performance in Rainbow Song. According to Asano, it was her intuition which said Ueno was perfect for the role of Ruka Kishimoto, a character with gender identity issues. Eita was cast because of his "feminine feel". Nagasawa was selected because Asano thought of her as the "smiling woman who worries".
Takeru's friendship with Ruka was in the "grey zone". Asano stated that Ueno was very enthusiastic about her role from the beginning, asking about the hairstyle and clothing when she accepted the role.
Read more about this topic: Last Friends
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