TV Asahi Drama Premium "Hana Noren," starring actress Keiko Kitagawa , will be broadcast from 9:00 pm on March 8th. The drama commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Yamazaki Toyoko, known for a number of masterpieces such as "The White Tower," "The Magnificent Clan," and "Fubu Chitai." The live-action adaptation of Yamazaki's Naoki Prize-winning work depicts the life of Kawashima Taka (Kitagawa), a female impresario who dedicated her life to show business during the turbulent era from the Meiji to the Showa eras, modeled after Yoshimoto Sei, the founder of Yoshimoto Kogyo. Kitagawa portrays Taka's life from the age of 21, when she married her playboy husband, to the end of her life at the age of 61.
Hideaki Ito plays Kichisaburo, the playboy husband to whom Takaka marries, and Takaya Kamikawa plays Tomoe Ito, the gentleman for whom Takaka has a slight crush after Kichisaburo's death. Ryota Bando , who gained attention for his excellent performance in the drama " Light of My Lion " (TBS) broadcast last year, plays the son Hisao.
In addition, the comedy duo "Milk Boy" will appear as "Entatsu Achako", known as the originator of talk-style manzai, and will perform their masterpiece "Waseda-Keio-sen". Rakugo performer and comedian Tsukitei Hosei will play the popular rakugo performer Matsuzuru.
Kitagawa, who has been a big fan of Yamazaki Toyoko's works since she was in junior high school, commented with confidence about the final product, saying, "Based on the script that respects the original, I was able to act out the 'Senba dialect', which is one of the important elements of the work, to the fullest, so I believe I have created a drama that will allow you to fully enjoy the world of Yamazaki's works."
"Together with my stellar cast, I have portrayed the life of our heroine Taka, who lives her life as a wife, a mother, and a woman through a turbulent era.It's a story with both laughter and tears, so I hope that people of the younger generation will watch it and feel that period pieces are interesting," she appealed.
