It was revealed on April 15th that James Onoda of the popular band Kome Kome Club will play the role of kyoka poet Motono Mokuami in the NHK Taiga drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring Yokohama Ryusei. Onoda, who played the role of a bathhouse owner in the third episode, will be reprising the role under a different name. For Onoda, “Berabou” is his first historical drama.
Onoda plays Motono Mokuami, a kyoka poet who was active alongside Ota Nanpo (Kenta Kiritani) and others. He has been playing around in the world of kyoka since early on, and while running a bathhouse, he leads the Edo kyoka world under the kyomama name "Motono Mokuami" alongside Ota Nanpo and Shuraku Kan'e (Hamanaka Bunichi) and others. His wife is Chienonaishi (Nana Mizuki), a leading female kyoka poet. He becomes closer to Tsutae (Yokohama) at a kyoka gathering held by Nanpo. It was also announced that Mizuki, who plays his wife, will be making her first appearance in a taiga drama.
Onoda revealed, "About 40 years ago, when I made my debut as a singer with Kome Kome Club, wearing eccentric makeup and costumes, I never would have imagined that I would receive an offer to appear in a taiga drama!"
He added, "I will be appearing as I am not wearing my real face. I will be appearing once again as Motokiami, a kyoka poet who composes poems full of playfulness, including puns and sarcasm. There are kyoka poets with a diverse range of characters, including Tsutae, who is revolutionizing entertainment. I feel a sense of affinity with these elements, which are also present in Kome Kome Club, across the ages. Please look forward to future episodes of UNBOUND."
"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.
