Yuriko Yoshitaka stars in the NHK Taiga drama "To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others). The drama has only the final episode, "Beyond the Story," to air, but there is no doubt that many great performances and memorable scenes by the unique cast have been created over the past year. Here, I would like to trace the footsteps (achievements) of Naohide, who had a major influence on the main characters Mahiro (Murasaki Shikibu) and Fujiwara no Michinaga no Michinaga, and the role of Katsuya Maikuma, who played the role.
◇ "Are you going home?" "Shall we go together?" ... Heart-warming lines become a hot topic
Naohide, played by Maikuma, is an original character in the drama who performs satirical plays as a member of the Sangaku troupe during the day and acts as a noble thief for the poor at night. His popularity has increased with each appearance. However, he is also known for his "tragic end."
Naohide was nihilistic and a little twisted, yet he also showed a casual kindness, and he also had a ``dark side'' that attracted female fans.
In the fifth episode, "Confession," which led to the reunion of Mahiro and Michinaga, Naohide's words to Michinaga, who was leaving to confirm what Mahiro had said (that Michinaga's brother had killed Mahiro's mother), "Are you going home?" became a hot topic. The scene in the eighth episode, "The Uninvited," where Naohide asks Mahiro, "Will you go with me?" also captured the hearts of viewers, with some saying, "I want Naohide to say that to me too!"
Maikuma himself could not hide his surprise at the reaction, saying in an interview, "I didn't think it would become such a big deal." "He's not a character that appears that often, and he does have a role in the story, such as reuniting Mahiro and Michinaga, but I never expected that Naohide would be such a heart-fluttering character."
◇ Katsuya Maikuma reveals the final moments of Naohide and the thoughts behind "mud on his hands"
Maikuma's high level of physical ability, which enabled him to perform Naohide's acrobatic movements, also attracted attention, but his performance ended in the ninth episode, "A Distant Country," in which Naohide met his "tragic end."
At the end of the 8th episode, "The Uninvited," Naohide was caught while stealing from Higashisanjo Palace and was then brutally murdered. When Michinaga discovered his body abandoned in Toribeno, he was holding mud in his hands.
In the play, when Michinaga discovers Naohide's body and is speechless, he finds the mud in Naohide's hand, wipes it away, and then lets Naohide hold his own fan in place. However, there is a certain feeling embedded in that handful of mud.
Maikuma said, "It was rebellion against the country and authority. I wanted his death to look like one that exuded regret, and I wanted to pass that baton to Michinaga." For Michinaga, who would later become the most powerful man of his time, and Mahiro, who wished for that, Naohide's death was a major turning point, and we applaud Maikuma for fulfilling that role so brilliantly.
"To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)" is the 63rd taiga drama. It is set in the aristocratic society of the mid-Heian period, and the protagonist is Murasaki Shikibu (Mahiro), who later wrote "The Komyo ga Tsuji" in 2006, and depicts the glittering world of the Heian aristocracy and the life of a woman who lived, wrote, and loved with all her heart.
The final episode, "Beyond the Story," will be broadcast on December 15th with an extended 15 minutes.
