The 22nd episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , titled "I, a drunken impostor", was broadcast on June 8th, showing Koikawa Harumachi (Kurahashi Itaru), played by Okayama Amane, finally "breaking out of his shell".
In the 22nd episode, Harumachi once gave up writing, but when his talent as a sarcastic person was discovered by those around him, he made a comeback by using his own invented "fake characters." He also bowed down to Masaen (Yutaka Furukawa), who had called him a "thief," and showed off his best "party tricks."
Okayama, who plays Harumachi, shared his thoughts on the scene where he dances in a fundoshi, saying, "It was a scene that expressed emotions that Harumachi had never expressed before, and I think it was also a turning point for Harumachi." He reflected, "It's a memorable scene because I consulted with my (supervisor) on a lot of occasions and practiced beforehand. I think Harumachi may have found more people he likes. That sounds very simple, but I think it was quite a revolutionary night in the world of Harumachi."
Speaking about Harumachi again, she said, "I think that after I started working with Tsutae, Harumachi's life entered a period of meeting people," and added, "I think he started to realize in a short span of time that, 'There are people like this too.' I think Harumachi is someone who has lived his life with some immaturity as a person, so the fact that he is actually growing little by little, like a baby learning to walk, is what I find so fascinating about playing Harumachi."
" 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.
