It was revealed on May 19th that Kenjiro Tsuda Tsuda, a voice actor and actor, will appear in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00am and others), starring Mio Imada . He will play Akira Tokaibayashi, the chief editor of the Kochi Shimpo newspaper. This will be Tsuda's second morning Asadora appearance, following "Yell" in the first half of 2020, in which he also served as the narrator.
Tsuda commented, "It asks an important question: 'What is justice that cannot be reversed?' It is a story of despair and hope of two people living through the turbulent times before, during, and after the war. I am very happy to be able to take part in this production that is filled with love and courage."
The character he plays, Akira Tokairin, meets Nobu (Imada) in the black market after the war and encourages him to take the recruitment exam for the Kochi Shimpo newspaper.
Tsuda revealed, "In order to live up to the expectations of the producers who entrusted me with such important roles, I am moved by the rich words that come out of the script, guided by the directors who provide careful direction, and supported by the energy of the warm-hearted staff, and I am living the time of ' Anpan' together with the wonderful cast."
He added, "Filming is hard, but I'm having a great time on a great set full of smiles. I hope that this story reaches many people. I hope it resonates with the hearts of all those living in these current times of uncertainty and turmoil."
In addition to Tsuda, Yui Narumi and Yuki Kura were also announced to appear as "the main people that the protagonists meet at Kochi Shimpo." Narumi plays Oda Kotoko, who joined Kochi Shimpo alongside Nobu as the first female reporter after the war and is usually modest, but when she drinks she becomes tongue-tied. Kura plays Iwashimizu Shinji, a reporter at the Kochi Shimpo editorial department who later becomes one of the founding members of "Monthly Kujira," a comprehensive magazine that is unusual for a local newspaper. "Anpan" marks the second morning Asadora for both of them.
Chief Producer Ken Kurasaki, who is in charge of production, said, "We have assembled a cast that will breathe new life into the story, which is set at the Kochi Shimpo newspaper, which is modeled after the Kochi Shimbun newspaper, which was liberated from the long wartime system after the war and was full of vitality."
"Kenjiro Tsuda plays the very human Tokairin, who asks Nobu and the others what the world needs in the post-war period and the role of the media, and passionately gets those around him involved. Ever since we worked together on the TV drama series 'Yell,' I have been drawn to the human sexiness that Tsuda exudes, and I think that this is because he always faces the people and events in front of him sincerely, so there was a part that linked him to the role of Tokairin," she explained. "On Yui Narumi's audition form for the heroine role, she wrote, 'I want to be a person like Anpanman,' and as this was before the planning for ' Anpan' was announced, I was surprised when I first met her, thinking it was fate! Even at the final audition, she tearfully told me, 'I want to change my life,' and that has always stayed in my heart. I wanted to work with her somewhere, so I entrusted her with the role of Kotoko, who joined the company at the same time as Nobu."
He further expressed confidence in the casting, saying, "Yuki Kura has played a variety of roles, including in overseas works, and I was attracted to Kura's versatility, as he can appear to be both a theorist and a passionate person. The producing staff, who he has worked with on ``Ochoyan'' and other productions, have a great deal of trust in him, so we offered him the role. He will play Iwashimizu, a junior who is forthright in saying what he thinks but is also endearing, and his dialogue with Tokairin is also a highlight. I hope you will look forward to his important part in the Kochi Shimpo, which could be said to be the starting point of Nobu's and Taka's writing careers, as they were the first female reporters hired after the war."
"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobu (1918-1993), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman." It is a "story of love and courage" that will make you feel the joy of living, depicting how these two, who were once nobody, overcame all sorts of rough seas to become "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
