The NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring Ryusei Yokohama , will air its final episode on December 14th. The drama depicts the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo(abbreviated as "Tsutajyu"), who is said to have built the foundations of Japan's media industry and pop culture. Scriptwriter Yoshiko Morishita revealed her impression of Yokohama, who plays the main character, Tsutaju.
Morishita's impression of Yokohama was that he was "self-sacrificing."
"I got the impression that he was just exposed and ready to offer himself up, and that didn't change until the end. I don't think he's that talkative normally, so I think it must have been quite a burden for him to live as Tsutaju, who talks so much all the time."
Morishita praised Yokohama, saying that the amount of lines was enormous and that it must have been "extremely difficult," and reiterated that "my impression of him hasn't changed."
"I was totally self-sacrificing from the start to the end. I was like a seeker of truth, from start to finish."
When Yokohama was entrusted with the role of Tsuta Shige, a "cheerful Edokko" who is not in his public image, there was naturally anticipation about "what would come out of it." However, Morishita said that he did not "make the role look like the real person."
"I thought that would be rude to people like this who are seeking the truth, so I didn't write anything about that at all."
According to Morishita, in the role of Tsuta Shige, "Yokohama's cheerfulness has become a spiritual pursuit," and "he is someone who takes great care in his acting to convey the movements of the heart."
"Rather than getting into the role from the outside, I think he used a methodology of creating the role from the inside, and I think he gave a lot of thought to his performance."
