The 24th episode of the NHK Asadora drama series "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday at 8:00 am and others), starring Mio Imada , was broadcast on May 1st, showing members of the Asada and Yanai families glued to the "legendary live commentary" of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, "Go Maehata!", as it was being played on the radio.
" Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobuyuki (1918-1993), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman." It is a "story of love and courage" that will make you feel the joy of living, depicting how these two, who were once nobody, overcame all sorts of rough seas and arrived at "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
In episode 24, Ranko (Yuumi Kawai Yumi) reveals her true feelings to Nobu (Imada).
As autumn approaches, Usako (Sara Shida) has improved her naginata skills. Nobu is overwhelmed by her, as she practices even on weekends. The new year arrives, and it is the day of Takashi's (Takumi Kitamura ) entrance exam. With the support of his family and a sweet Anpan from Kusakichi ( Sadao Abe ) that proves he has passed, Takashi sets off towards his dream. After failing to get into one of the two schools, Takashi clings to a ray of hope and takes the exam at Tokyo Higher Arts School... and so the story unfolds.
The Berlin Olympics was held in 1936, on the eve of World War II, as a show of German prestige. Seeking revenge for her loss at the Los Angeles Olympics four years earlier, Hideko Maehata competed in the women's 200-meter breaststroke final and won the first gold medal in Olympic history for a Japanese woman.
The famous commentary by announcer Sansei Kawanishi, "Go Maehata!", was also "recreated" in the 2019 taiga drama "Idaten: Tokyo Olympic Story," in which Abe, who plays Kusakichi in " Anpan," was one of the stars. On this occasion, Maehata was played by Moka Kamishiraishi and Kawanishi was played by Tortoise Matsumoto.
