The English title of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND ~Tsutaju Eika no Yume Banashi~", starring Ryusei Yokohama and set to start on January 5, 2025, has been decided to be "UNBOUND". The visual and teaser video for the "Global Ver." were released on October 26th.
The English title "UNBOUND" means "liberated" or "unconstrained" and was chosen to express the protagonist Tsutaya Juzaburo, who lived an " UNBOUND " life unconstrained by status, origin, or convention. "UNBOUND" also means "unbound," which brings to mind the image of Tsutaya Juzaburo, who runs a publishing business and eventually develops the culture of ukiyo-e and books.
According to the station, ahead of the broadcast of " UNBOUND," they will continue to use a variety of materials to spread the appeal of the show to the world.
It was also announced that the music for this work will be written by American composer John Gramm, following the 2020 taiga drama "Kirin ga Kuru." The theme song will be performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Tatsuya Shimono.
John Gram commented, "The taiga drama 'Kirin ga Kuru' was the pinnacle of my composing career so far, and I am thrilled to be in charge of the music for another taiga drama."
Regarding the main theme, he said, "I approached it from two perspectives." He continued, "One is to pay tribute to Tsutae, who started out with neither funds nor social status, but achieved great success through hard work, leadership, and intelligence. The other is to praise Edo culture, where commerce developed and the arts flourished during more than 250 years of peace. I think one of the charms of ukiyo-e is that beautiful and intricate works of art that were previously out of reach became available to the general public, causing a sensation not only in Japan but around the world. The main theme, which captures the relentless passionate energy of the Edo period, is an extremely difficult piece to perform, but the performance by the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Tatsuya Shimono has produced a piece that is full of emotion and a sense of unity. I hope you will look forward to it."
"UNBOUND - Tsutaya Juzaburou's Dream Story" is the 64th taiga drama, depicting the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo, who is said to have built the foundations of Japan's media industry and pop culture. The production team bills him as "a man of great talent who was born with nothing - no parents, no money, no artistic talent - but became the darling of his time as the 'media king of Edo.'"
