The 14th episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8pm, etc.), starring actor Taiga Nakano, aired on April 12th, and Nobunaga's (Ayumu Nakajima) actions and words upon learning of the rebellion of his brother-in-law, Nagamasa Asai (Shun Oguri), attracted the attention of viewers.
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th Taiga drama. With Toyotomi Hidenaga (Koichiro) as the protagonist, it depicts the miraculous feat of unifying Japan together with his older brother Hideyoshi (Tokichiro) through their strong bond, a success story of dreams and hopes.
In episode 14, Nobunaga is furious when he learns that Nagamasa has defected to the Asakura side. However, he regains his composure thanks to Fujikichiro's (Sosuke Ikematsu) quick thinking and decides to retreat.
With only a small force, Fujikichiro is tasked with holding off the Asakura army until Nobunaga returns to Kyoto, acting as the rearguard. Koichiro (played by Nakano) takes on the most dangerous role among them. The brothers' life-or-death retreat begins... and so the story unfolds.
At first, Nobunaga couldn't believe Nagamasa's rebellion, and recalling his conversation with Nagamasa, he shook his head and muttered, "Why...?" He remembered Nagamasa saying that he would persuade the Asai people who didn't think highly of him, but now he had unexpectedly switched sides. Seeing Nagamasa calling him "older brother" reminded him of his own younger brother, Nobukatsu (played by Motoki Nakazawa), with whom he had once clashed in a power struggle for the family headship and who had also plotted a rebellion, and he couldn't stop muttering "Why...?". Then, as if his anger had reached its peak, Nobunaga cried out, "Nagamasa!"
In a scene that seemed to reveal Nobunaga's anguish as he uttered "Why..." when he witnessed Nobukatsu's death before his eyes, some viewers expressed sympathy, saying things like, "Nobunaga: 'I've been betrayed by my brother again...'", "Poor Nobu", "Nobu really trusted and relied on Nagamasa this much", and "He trusted and relied on him quite a bit...". Other comments included, "Oh no, Lord Nobunaga's mental state. His mental state", "The editing that draws parallels to his brothers is painful", "Losing a 'brother' makes him go so out of control, isn't that a huge weakness?", and "I like this version of Nobunaga, he's more human with his trauma."
