The 39th episode, which aired on October 13th, depicted the final moments of Fujiwara Nobunori, played by Takasugi Mahiro. He was the younger brother of the main character Mahiro (Murasaki Shikibu, played by Yoshitaka), and was a "lovable presence" for both his family and the viewers. What role did Nobunori play? We spoke to Takasugi after he finished playing the role.
◇ "It was fun" to make comments that deliberately didn't read the atmosphere
This is Takasugi's first appearance in a taiga drama in 12 years since "Taira no Kiyomori" (2012). He appeared in the role of Nobunori from the second episode "Encounter" which aired on January 14th, and in contrast to Mahiro, he is not good at studying, and although he is nonchalant, he always cares about Mahiro, and he has played the role of a "brother who cares about his sister."
His lines are close to modern language, and perhaps due to his laid-back personality, he often speaks in a modern style with drawn-out endings. Takasugi himself has been conscious of the character's "lightness" in a good sense from the beginning.
"I was told at the beginning to make him a bit brighter and lighter, so I was conscious of that, and I think I was able to lay the groundwork to a certain extent. On top of that, he was considerate and caring about his family, and after that, I just had to act according to the script. After all, I've been acting for a year, so as long as I kept the core of "brightness and lightness" intact, I knew I'd be fine."
Perhaps due to this "lightness," just by being there brightens up the atmosphere and improves the sense of distance, and Takasugi has become an indispensable presence in the work, even more so than just his appearances.
"When Korenori appeared, I had the impression that he could change the atmosphere of the place, and he was a character that could do that and could be moved freely, so I enjoyed playing him."
Takasugi also revealed that it was fun to play the role of Korenori, who had many scenes in which he talked with his "older sister" Mahiro, and who made many "hard-hitting" remarks that deliberately did not read the atmosphere.
"Even when he talked about the time he saw Nobutaka (played by Sasaki Kuranosuke) cheating, he said and did so with his older sister in mind. After all, family is the most important thing. Sometimes things he said out of consideration for his family could bring about disaster, but I think it was mainly for his older sister and father."
◇Korenori is also passionate when it comes to love, and "regrets" about dying first
The only exception to this for Korenori was the love romance with Saiin no Chujo (played by Kosaka Nao) depicted in the 35th episode "Tears of the Empress" that aired on September 15th.
When his secret rendezvous with his lover is discovered, he is put in danger, but he avoids it by composing a song. Takasugi saw this development as a joke, but it also gave us a glimpse of Koreki's passionate side, as he is consumed with love for someone of a different social standing.
"Koreki is also passionate when it comes to love. On the other hand, I also get the impression that he has a lot of naivety. I personally wanted Koreki to be pure-hearted and passionate, otherwise he wouldn't be able to care so much for his family. I think he worked hard at his studies behind the scenes, but he ended up messing around and hiding it from his family."
In the end, Koreki passed away before his sister Mahiro and father Tametoki (Kishiyama Goro). Takasugi joked, "There are only about 10 episodes left (until the final episode)," but he also revealed his true feelings, saying that he regrets dying first among his family.
Korenori wanted to leave a song before he died, but at the very end, Takasugi was to demonstrate calligraphy, saying with a wry smile, "I was scared because I didn't think I'd do it, and at first I didn't know what I was writing." Even so, he said, "I wanted it to look like I was thinking of everyone at the end, and I also wanted them to laugh."
So what did family mean to Korenori?
"I felt that it was a place where I really felt safe when I returned home after going to the Imperial Palace and going outside. The set of the Tametoki residence was filled with a warm atmosphere, and I realized that it was my sister, my father, Ito (Shinkawa Seijun), Otomaru (Yabe Taro), and Kinu (Kurashita Honami) who created it."
