A fan appreciation event for the NHK Taiga drama "Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)," starring Yoshitaka Yuriko, was held on December 2nd at the NHK Hall (Shibuya, Tokyo), with Yoshitaka, who plays the main character Mahiro (Murasaki Shikibu), and Emoto Tasuku, who plays Michinaga, among others in attendance.
The drama's 46th episode, "Toi no Nyuko(The Invasion of the Toi)," aired on December 1st, with only two episodes left. Yoshitaka was sad, saying, "Next year, the posters will be taken down," and, while adding, "I thought I was dreaming this year," she was persuaded by those around her and said mischievously, "Let's put it up over 'Berabou.'" In her final greeting at the event, Yoshitaka said, with a sense of regret, "It feels like a lie that it's going to end in two more episodes, but so many people have supported and watched over us. I feel so lucky." She added, "I'm sad, but when I think about how this work has become so precious that it makes me sad, it's truly a treasure. Please watch until the end for the remaining two episodes." Emoto appeared with short hair and a tan. "I went to an island to tan," she said. In addition to Yoshitaka and Emoto, Machida Keita, who plays Kinto, Shiono Akihisa, who plays Emperor Ichijo, and Mikami Ai, who plays Akiko, also appeared at the event. The hosts were First Summer Uika, who plays Kikyo (Sei Shonagon), and Kaneda Tetsu of "Hannya," who plays Saishin. At the event, they introduced a ranking of "Top 10 Famous Scenes I Want to See Again," and shared stories from the filming, looking back on "To You Who Shines" with the packed audience of 2,900 people. There were about 28,000 applications for the Fan Appreciation Day, with a winning ratio of 18 to 1. The event will be broadcast on the 14th of December from 3:50pm to 3:50pm on the general channel.
"Dear Radiance" is the 63rd taiga drama. Set in the aristocratic society of the mid-Heian period, the protagonist is Murasaki Shikibu (Mahiro), who later wrote "The Tale of Genji," said to be the world's oldest novel written by a woman. The script was written by Oishi Shizuka, who is writing a taiga drama for the second time since "Koumyo ga Tsuji" in 2006, and depicts the glittering world of Heian aristocrats and the life of a woman who lived, wrote, and loved with all her heart.
