Osozaki no Himawari (2012)

Osozaki no Himawari 2012 / 遅咲きのヒマワリ 2012 / 遅咲きのヒマワリ～ボクの人生、リニューアル～ , Osozaki no Himawari ~Boku no Jinsei, Renewal~ , Late Blooming Sunflower ~My Life, Renewal~

The drama is set at the beautiful Shimanto River in the Kochi prefecture and revolves around a group of seven men and women and the unfolding of their lives. Ikuta plays a man named ‘Joutarou’, who’s a typical example of the so-called ‘lost generation’ in Japan. The term ‘lost generation’ refers to people who face a scarcity of employment right after graduating from school and therefore are left without any real prospects. He was lucky to find a regular employment but it didn’t last long and he was laid off due to downsizing. Around the same time he was also dumped by his girlfriend. Fed up with his life, he somehow ends up in a ‘revitalization group’ of the Shimanto River area in Kochi. (Source: Tokyohive)