Ryusei Yokohama has played Segawa (Hananoi/Sei) from the first episode of the taiga drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)" (NHK General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring Fuka Koshiba. Although this is her first taiga drama, she has embodied the elegance and sophistication of the legendary courtesan, as well as her sadness and sorrow, and shown viewers how she has risen to new heights as an actor. Here, we would like to explain how the role of Segawa in "UNBOUND" has been positioned, based on Koshiba's solid track record so far and what she said a year ago.
◇ "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Asa ga Kita," and "Tokusatsu Gagaga"
Since her debut as an actor in 2012, Koshiba has charmed many viewers with her natural cuteness. Her presence was first highlighted in the film "Kiki's Delivery Service" released in March 2014. In this film, based on the children's book by Eiko Kadono, she played Kiki, a 13-year-old apprentice witch, and the following year won the Newcomer Award at the 57th Blue Ribbon Awards.
At that time, Koshiba was 17 years old. She was selected to play the eldest daughter of the NHK Asadora"Asa ga Kita" starring Haru, which began in October of the same year, and began appearing in the drama in January 2016, playing the role of a "daughter who shows a rebellious attitude towards her mother." She was a hit in the living rooms of homes across the nation.
The next time she made a big impact was in the drama series "Tokusatsu Gagaga" that aired on NHK in January 2019. This was her first lead role in a drama series, and not only did she lovably portray the protagonist, a secret special effects otaku, who goes through a variety of emotions from delusion to conflict, excitement, and struggle, but she also showed off her talent as a comedienne all at once.
Koshiba's activities in the same year were remarkable, and after her breakthrough work "Tokusatsu Gagaga", she appeared in a series of dramas such as "Love and Job Hunting Dumpa" (NHK BS Premium), "If You Get Bitten by a Rapper, You'll Become a Rapper" (TV Asahi), "Besharigurasshi" (TV Asahi), and "Yuganeda Hamon" (NHK BS Premium). In December, she also took on the role of a female announcer in the drama "Parallel Tokyo" in the NHK special "Series Experience the Capital Direct Earthquake". She showed her "range" as an actor, from comedy to serious roles.
◇ The smooth delivery of the lines in "Wave, Listen to Me!" and the perfect timing
Looking beyond 2020, she has starred in a number of TV dramas, starting with "Yokai Share House" (TV Asahi, 2020), which also had sequels and a movie version, "Mokomi: She's a Little Weird, But..." (same channel, 2021), "She Was Pretty" (Kantele/Fuji TV, 2021), "The Incidents Are Happening Around Her" (NHK, 2022), and "Wave, Listen to Me!" (TV Asahi, 2023) ("She Was Pretty" is a co-starring role with Kento Nakajima).
In addition to the works mentioned above, she has also starred in one-off dramas and movies, and even if she was not the lead, she has played the heroine or a subsequent major role, which shows that she has become one of the actors who is indispensable when talking about the current film industry.
In particular, her role in "Wave, Listen to Me!" as a "super depressed woman" with her trademark blonde hair and her sharp, machine gun-like talk became a hot topic when it was broadcast. At first, as the role was far removed from Koshiba's public image, there were many concerns from fans of the original work that "this doesn't suit her," but from the first episode of the drama, her smooth delivery of lines and perfect "timings" captured the hearts of viewers, leading to her winning the Newcomer Award at the 2024 Elan d'or Awards.
◇The attention to detail he put into creating the role: What he said exactly one year ago
After that, he continued to produce works almost without interruption, and finally arrived at "UNBOUND."
She said that she took on the role of a courtesan with the thought that "this might be the first and last time considering my age," and that "so I wanted to give it my all, so I studied a lot," and learned how to "smoke a kiseru, write letters to customers, walk in geta wooden clogs, and dance." She also revealed that she was particular about preparing for the role, saying, "I thought it would be uncool if I choked, so I tried to get used to the smoke by smoking non-nicotine cigarettes."
Naturally, she was also conscious of her sex appeal. "I would never say that I'm sexy (laughs), so I was much more conscious of my small gestures and gazes than I have been in previous roles," Koshiba said, all in order to embody the seductive and refined character of the legendary courtesan. She also revealed her thoughts, "The script described Segawa's emotions in a way that was painfully clear, so I was thinking about how to convey that to the audience without spilling it all out while acting. Segawa is a character who is harboring very complicated emotions, so I wanted to act carefully so as not to miss even the slightest nuance and so that the audience could pick up on it from his eye movements."
The role of Segawa seems to have opened a new door for him as an actor, but behind his enthusiasm, Koshiba may have had a certain thought. When I spoke to him exactly one year ago, he said, "I always end up being seen as younger than my age. I think that's partly because I'm often given roles that make me look younger, but I'd like to be able to take on more substantial roles and projects. I've always had the image of myself as being 'full of energy and cheerful!', so I'd like to be able to show a calmness and 'gravitas' that suits my age, even through the roles." And it seems that "UNBOUND" provided one of his "answers" to that question.
