Anpan:[Character introduction] Takashi Yanase is the model for Takashi Yanai, and Takumi Kitamura, who has loved manga and drawing since he was young, will be making his first appearance in a Asadora.

" Anpan " is the NHK Asadora drama series starring Mio Imada , which will begin airing on March 31st in the first half of the 2025 fiscal year. It is a story of love and courage based on the married couple Takashi Yanase Takashi (1919-2013), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman," and Nobu Komatsu (1918-1993). There is only one week left until the series starts airing. Here, we will introduce Takashi Yanai, played by Takumi Kitamura .

◇How did you meet Nobu? I got a job in the PR department of a pharmaceutical company, but...

Takashi Yanai , the model for Takashi Yanase , lost his father, a newspaper correspondent, at a young age and was taken in by his uncle's family. He met Nobu at the school he transferred to. He loved manga and drawing from a young age. He got a job in the advertising department of a pharmaceutical company, but was drafted and sent to war.

After the war, he met Nobu again at a newspaper company in Kochi Prefecture. After following Nobu to Tokyo, he worked in the advertising department of a department store, and then, with Nobu's encouragement, he decided to become an independent manga artist and began to engage in a variety of activities.

This is Kitamura's first appearance in a Asadora as Taka. His childhood role will be played by child actor Kimura Yuuki.

◇What about the drama's script, music, narration, and theme song?

The drama depicts how Asada Nobu and Takashi Yanai, "two nobodys," overcome all sorts of rough seas and arrive at "Anpanman," the embodiment of "irreversible justice."

The script is written by Miho Nakazono, known for the TV Asahi series "Doctor X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon." The narrator is NHK announcer Risa Hayashida Risa, and the music is by composer and musician Izutsu Akio. The theme song is a new song by rock band RADWIMPS called "Tamamono."

It will be broadcast on NHK General TV from March 31st, Monday to Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and other channels.