The seventh episode of the historical drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (NHK General, Sunday 8pm and others) starring Ryusei Yokohama , "Opportunity Arrives: 'Hagi no Hana'", will be broadcast on February 16th. Following on from the sixth episode last week, "Scales Peel Off: 'Setsuyoshu'", director Fukagawa Takashi said, "Tsutajue (Yokohama) gradually enters the world of books" and added, "The highlight of the story will be how he overcomes the bitterness that comes with trying to do something." So what does Fukagawa think is so "amazing" about Yokohama as an actor?
◇ The stoic Ryusei Yokohama : "It's amazing how he can express himself even when he thinks too much"
"UNBOUND (Berabou)" is the 64th taiga drama, depicting the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo(or "Tsutajyu" for short), who is said to have built the foundations of Japan's media industry and pop culture. The script was written by Yoshiko Morishita, known for "Drama 10 'Ooku'" which was broadcast on NHK two years ago and became a big hit.
This is the first time that the story will be set in the mid-Edo period, when colorful townspeople's culture flourished, and the protagonist, Tsutae, is youthful and energetic. Fukagawa-san reveals his impression, saying, "Of all the protagonists in previous taiga dramas, I think he is the one who meets the most people."
"It is said that around 10,000 people lived in Yoshiwara at the time, and Tsutaju meets them as well as people from all over the city. In the script, Tsutaju meets an incredible number of people, regardless of their status, and she meets Tanuma Okitsugu encounter. Yokohama himself was conscious from the very beginning of having the vitality to meet and get by with so many people, and I think that through Tsutaju we will see a slightly different Yokohama from our previous works."
From Fukagawa's perspective, Yokohama is an actor who is "falling in love with him, and he's not just cool, he's also incredibly stoic in the way he works."
"Even though we didn't write the script together, there are times when I feel like we made it together. I was amazed that there is someone out there who thinks so carefully about things like, 'There is this line, but in order to say that line here, I want it to feel like this here (in a different scene before)'. He often watches scenes in which I'm not in, and sometimes it's not good to think too much, but it's amazing that he can express it even when he thinks too much."
Citing the example of a scene in which Yokohama improvised a kabuki performance of "Mie" in front of Hasegawa Heizo Nakamura Hayato, he explained, "Yokohama is the type of person who is always telling various people about his ideas and things he would like to try."
"I'm looking forward to seeing them act for the first time, and every time I feel like I have to stand up straighter because I think, "If they've put so much thought into it, I can't do something embarrassing either." A lack of study is immediately noticed, so it feels like a "competition."
◇The "darkness of Yoshiwara" appears frequently in the story. If you don't depict the darkness, "you can't see the light"
Once again, the common understanding among the multiple production staff, including Fukagawa, is that "the main character is not Superman."
"We all agree that the main character is not someone with special powers that can solve anything, but an ordinary person with nothing. However, the directors' awareness is that he was born in Yoshiwara, shouldered the hardships of Yoshiwara, and is driven by a desire to make it a better place. He may do things that are uncharacteristic of a main character, such as relying on Heizō (making him a fool), but there is an element of his justice that is right, or rather, of 'accepting both good and bad', and this justice can take on various directions, so it's fun to direct it."
Regarding the "darkness of Yoshiwara" that frequently appears in the work, he thinks, "Everything has two sides, and where there is light, there is also dark. If you don't depict the darkness, you won't be able to see the light, and vice versa."
"I've said that I can express and communicate darker aspects by depicting them well, so when I'm filming I always think about whether it's enough to just have fun. But personally, my ideal would be for the viewers to really enjoy themselves and say, 'Those 45 minutes went by in a flash.'"
