Saki Aibu (25) and Manami Higa (24) will co-star in a TBS drama special titled "Ashita mo Mata Ikite Ikou." The drama will depict the friendship between volleyball players Saori Kimura (24) and Yumika Yokoyama. In April 2008, Yokoyama passed away at the age of 21 due to a rare form of cancer.
Kimura and Yokoyama will be played by Aibu and Higa, respectively. The two athletes were one year apart at the same high school, and they were said to have been as close as sisters. Yokoyama's death occurred just one month before Kimura and the rest of Japan's national team competed in the preliminaries for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The drama is based on Yokoyama's writings, which were later published as a book by the title "Ashita mo Mata Ikite Ikou." The story begins during their time in high school, when the highly talented Kimura was selected for the national team and the promising Yokoyama was diagnosed with cancer.
To play the parts, Aibu and Higa received volleyball training under the guidance of former national team member Mari Ochiai (28).
"Ashita mo Mata Ikite Ikou" will air on October 25, just a few days before Japan's national women's tournament begins.
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