The 15th episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , titled "The Gloves that Bring Death", was broadcast on April 13th, and viewers were drawn to the brilliant deduction of Matsudaira Takemoto, played by Koji Ishizaka.
"UNBOUND (Berabou)" is the 64th taiga drama, depicting the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo(or "Tsutajyu" for short), who is said to have built the foundations of Japan's media industry and pop culture. The script was written by Yoshiko Morishita, known for "Drama 10 'Ooku'" which was broadcast on NHK two years ago and became a big hit.
In the 15th episode, Tokugawa Ieharu's (Mashima Hidekazu) eldest son, Iemoto (Tomoya Oku), suddenly collapses during a falconry and passes away. His death puts Ienari (Ken Watanabe) in a difficult position. One day, Takemoto summons Ienari... and so the story unfolds.
Takemoto presents Ienari with the gloves suspected to be the cause of Iemoto's death. The gloves were a gift from Tanehime to Iemoto, but their origins can be traced back to Ienari. Ienari is prepared for this, but Takemoto deduces that the "culprit" who put the poison in the gloves is "a villain who saw this gift as a godsend," and that it must be someone other than Ienari.
After laughing to himself, Takemoto asked Okitsugu, "Did you think I would suspect you?" He explained, "If you (Okitsugu) had plotted this, you would have done something, such as withdrawing quickly. It's embarrassing that I managed to get hold of these (the gloves). It's only proof that you didn't know."
Furthermore, Takemoto prefaces his remarks by saying, "Don't underestimate me," and then yells at Ikenaga, "Even if I don't like you, if I were to use this opportunity to overthrow you, I would be turning a blind eye to a truly evil villain. I'm not that stupid!" On the other hand, while acknowledging Ikenaga's loyalty to the Tokugawa, Takemoto also criticizes him for "believing too much in the power of money, both in you and in the rest of the world," and is then shown joining forces with Ikenaga to solve the case.
On social media, viewers responded with comments such as, "Just as you'd expect from Kindaichi Kosuke!" and "Just as you'd expect from Kindaichi Kosuke, brilliant deduction," referring to Ishizaka's previous role as Kindaichi Kosuke in a Kadokawa film directed by Ichikawa Kon. In addition, there were comments such as, "White Eyebrows has understanding," "He really looked at people. As expected," "Surprisingly, White Eyebrows recognized Otsugu as innocent," "White Eyebrows makes him more likable here," and "Ahhh, I love this kind of development."
The episode doesn't end there, however. Towards the end, a disturbing development is seen with Takemoto coughing in agony and Hitotsubashi Harumori (Ikuta Toma) manipulating a puppet in the dark. Then, in the shocking final scene, Takemoto dies dead. Comments such as "It's you again! This is too horrifying!!", "Harumori, were you pulling the strings again?", "The confrontation between Hakubimo and Tanuma was so good... Hakubimo...", "Scary, scary, scary! This is not how a taiga drama should end!" and "Wha-aat, this is too scary, is this what they call a Morishita script? Scary..." were also posted.
