It was revealed on December 12th that actor Haruka Ayase will be the narrator of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND - Tsutaju Eika no Yume Banashi", starring Ryusei Yokohama , which will start on January 5th, 2025. This will be Ayase's third time participating in a Taiga drama, following "Yae no Sakura" (2013) and "Idaten: Tokyo Olympic Banashi" (2019). This time, she will play Kurosuke Inari, who safely escaped the Great Fire of Meiwa and returned to the restored Yoshiwara, watching over Yoshiwara, Edo, and Tsutaju (Yokohama) from heaven, and sometimes accompanying Tsutaju as she guides the story.
Ayase revealed, "From the moment I received the offer, I was nervous about whether I could do it. I discussed what kind of narration I should do while receiving requests and advice from the director, producer, and screenwriters, and then recorded it."
Historical dramas often use difficult words from the past, and taiga dramas often have many characters. I hope that my narration will invite viewers into the story and accompany the people who live in the story, including Tsutaya Juzaburo. I'll do my best! Please look forward to the 2025 taiga drama "UNBOUND- Tsutaju Eika no Yumebanashi."
"UNBOUND- Tsutaya Juzaburou's Dream Story" is the 64th taiga drama, depicting the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo, who is said to have built the foundations of Japan's media industry and pop culture. The production team bills him as "a man of great talent who was born with nothing - no parents, no money, no artistic talent - but became the darling of his time as the 'media king of Edo.'"
