The 128th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada , was broadcast on September 24th, and viewers' attention was drawn to actor Maehara Ko, who plays Takeyama Keizo, a TV producer and "Anpanman otaku."
In episode 128, one day, TV producer Takeyama visits Nobu (Imada) wanting to turn Anpanman into a TV anime. When Nobu asks Takeyama which character he likes, he replies, "It changes depending on the day, but today I like Kabirunrun." Takeyama remembers which book each character was featured in, and Nobu is amazed by his detail, saying, "He's like a walking encyclopedia of Anpanman."
However, Taka ( Takumi Kitamura) refuses, saying, "There was talk of making an anime version once before. They asked me to change the setting. They wanted to make it a story about a hero with an Anpan face beating up the bad guys." "I don't want Anpanman to be hurt."
Unable to give up, Takeyama visited the Yanai household again a few days later. Since Taka was not there, he told Nobu, "I can't help but respect the weak and uncool Anpanman," and entrusted him with a new proposal.
When Nobu returned home, Taka told him, "I think you're different from the producers who've brought me proposals up until now," and "I thought I could leave Anpanman in your hands." Taka stood up in silence, called Takeyama, and agreed to the animation, saying, "You know, I don't trust you or the TV station yet. But I trust my wife. So let's do it. Thank you very much."
Taka was also in charge of the lyrics for the theme song, and Takeyama praised them highly, saying, "The lyrics were wonderful." However, when Taka bowed and said there was just one phrase he wanted changed, Taka replied, "Because it's a children's program, I don't want to compromise. But more than anything, I want to make everyone involved in this work happy," and decided to rewrite the lyrics. He then asked Takeyama, "Anything else?" and confirmed, "There are other things you asked me to fix, right?" Takeyama apologized, and revealed the problematic part he had been hiding.
Speaking of Maehara, who plays Takeyama, he also made an impression by playing Komatsubara of the Salt Gang in "Manpuku" in the second half of 2018, and Hatano, one of the botany friends of the protagonist Mantaro (Ryunosuke Kamiki) in "Ranman" in the first half of 2023.
On social media, people were saying things like, "Takeyama-san was an incredibly passionate guy," "It's only because of Maehara Ko-san that his earnest acting really hits home," "Maehara-san is so good at playing the sincere, passionate otaku," and "As a fan of the Salt Army, it's so touching to see Maehara Ko-san take on the role of an important character who livens up the final stages, it's heartwarming and I could cry."
