Shohei Miura played Fujiwara no Ise in the NHK Taiga drama "Hikaru Kimi e" (General TV, Sunday 8:00 pm and others), starring Yuriko Yoshitaka. In the 39th episode "Todaenu Kizuna" broadcast on October 13, Ise left this world uttering words full of points for retort, "What did I do...", but Miura's appearance as an arrogant heel who exuded presence with his sometimes over-the-top acting must have been deeply engraved in the hearts of Taiga drama fans.
◇Although he appears as a "brave and beautiful confident man"...
Screenwriter Shizuka Oishi said about this work at the production announcement press conference in May 2022, "I want to depict the amazing sex and violence of the Heian period." At the first preview screening in December last year, he also emphasized that "it's not just a love story." He also promoted the film as one that would feature "a vivid world of men's politics with all sorts of schemes and tactics," and it seems that Ise, played by Miura, embodies this "vivid world of men's politics with all sorts of schemes and tactics" as the "loser."
Starting out as a "brave and confident man of beauty," Ise enjoyed the height of his power, quickly rising through the ranks with the help of his father Michitaka (Iura Arata), but after Michitaka's death, his "lack of popularity" due to his own arrogance also became a hindrance, and he lost his position as if rolling down a hill.
It was unfortunate that his younger brother Takaie (Ryusei Ryo) had to leave the capital after the foolish act of shooting an arrow at Kazan-in (Hongo Kanata), and as a result was unable to reunite with his mother Takako (Itaya Yuka) alive, but this incident spurred his stubborn personality to the point where he grew to resent his rival Michinaga (Emoto Tasuku), and after the death of his younger sister Sadako (Takahata Mitsuki), he became obsessed with curses. However, it was to no avail, and instead he ended up shortening his own life...
◇Viewers say that "the villain role was perfect"
Ise's life of downfall was such that Miura's villain role was so well-played that it was impossible for viewers to sympathize with him, and he became a great spice to the drama.
In particular, in the second half of the film, he gave a passionate performance as "Ise, an insane man whose only source of support was curses." In episode 38 "Dazzling Darkness" (broadcast on October 6th), one week before his "departure episode," he tried to crush a wooden human figure with his teeth, and while laughing maniacally in front of Michinaga, repeatedly cursed, "I'll sweep away Michinaga." It goes without saying that he captured the attention of viewers with his "over-the-top acting."
It could be said that "Ichimura was a perfect fit for the role." On social media, there were comments such as "He was perfect for the villain role," and "I think he'll be getting more offers for villain roles like this in the future." It will be interesting to see how this affects his acting career in the future.
