The first episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , was broadcast on January 5th, and the narrator Ayase Haruka appeared in the drama as "Kurosuke Inari", which became a hot topic. It was scriptwriter Yoshiko Morishita's wish that Ayase be the narrator and appear in the drama. Morishita explained the reason for casting Ayase.
"UNBOUND" is the 64th taiga drama, and Yokohama plays the main character Tsutaya Juzaburo, also known as "Tsutaju," who would later be known as the "media king of Edo." The drama depicts the turbulent life of Tsutaju, who is said to have built the foundations of Japan's media industry and pop culture.
Following "Yae no Sakura" (2013) and "Idaten" (2019), this will be Ayase's third taiga drama, in which she will play Kurosuke Inari, a deity enshrined in Yoshiwara. She will guide Tsutae through the story while accompanying him.
When asked about his intention to have a "god" narrator, Morishita explained, "I didn't really have the idea of a person telling the tale. When I wondered what kind of being had been watching over Tsutae and the others all the way from Yoshiwara, I heard that there was a deeply devout god named Kurosuke Inari, who (feudal lords and the like) came to pray to, and at that moment I felt that it was only natural that Inari should tell the tale!"
He has teamed up with Ayase on a number of projects, including "Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World" (2004), "JIN" (2009, 2011), "Stepmother and Daughter Blues" (2018), and "High and Low" (2021).
Regarding Ayase's voice, he said, "I've always thought that it's an easy voice to listen to, a voice that flows easily into your ears," and explained the background to the offer, saying, "There are many things in this story that you can't understand without an explanation, so I wanted someone with a familiar voice to narrate it. So I thought Haruka would be perfect, and asked her."
His cheerful narration was impressive, but he introduced the story by saying, "They did a lot of different versions, including more serious ones, but we decided to go in a direction that is more Edo-like and would also have fun with Inari, so we ended up with that version."
In the first episode, Kurosuke Inari appeared disguised as a courtesan. He explained the setting of Yoshiwara to viewers in an easy-to-understand way on their smartphones. Morishita expressed her gratitude to Ayase, saying, "I wish Inari could show us around with his body, rather than just with his voice (laughs). He said it was okay, so thank you!" When asked about his impressions of the first episode, he said, "It seemed like he was really into it (laughs). I hope everyone will like it."
