The 38th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday at 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada , was broadcast on May 21st, and the acting of Yuumi Kawai, who plays Ranko, became a hot topic.
In episode 38, the Asada family is heartbroken by the news that Go (Kanata Hosoda) has been killed in battle. While everyone else is saying, "Go is a great man," Ranko remains silent. Nobu (Imada) has no words to say to Ranko, who stays up in the middle of the night lighting incense. The next day, when Nobu's student comes to pay his respects and says that he wants to serve his country well one day, Ranko is unable to bear it and leaves.
Standing at the stone yard, Ranko's memories of Gou come back to her. When Nobu comes looking for her, she murmurs, "What... noble thing? Every time everyone says it's noble... every time I hear it over and over again... I just can't stand it."
Nobu says, "Gou-chan is fighting with his life on the line for Ranko, my family, and the people of this country. You should say that's admirable," to which Ranko replies, "What do you mean? Gou-chan's already exhausted..."
Nobu says, "Ranko must be prouder than anyone of Gou-chan's death in battle," to which Ranko responds, "You really think so, big sister? Boys should become soldiers and go to war. Fight without sparing your life. Die with honor like Gou-chan. If he dies in battle, then we'll all say he was a great man."
When Nobu answered in the affirmative, Ranko raised her voice and wailed, "That's a lie! Everyone's a lie!" She exploded with emotion, saying, "Our family... We're going to be Go-chan's wife! I told you to definitely come! Go-chan said he'd come too! He'll definitely come. He's not gonna come... He's not gonna come! What's so noble about that? Everyone... they're all lies. We're not noble, we'll never be noble!"
Kawai's acting in this scene received rave reviews on social media, with comments such as, "I was in tears that morning after seeing Yuumi Kawai's amazing acting ability," "It was truly a Yuumi Kawai theater," "She has a monster-like presence," "I was moved by Ranko's soulful cry," and "I felt like I was hit head-on by Ranko's anger and sadness."
