The 56th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " starring Mio Imada (General TV, Monday to Saturday at 8:00 am and others) was broadcast on June 16th, and viewers were drawn to the scene where Takashi ( Takumi Kitamura) and Kentaro (Fumiya Takahashi) make a picture story in the promotional team.
In episode 56, Taka is assigned to the propaganda team because of his talent for drawing. While the propaganda team is performing a kamishibai (paper theater) show in which Momotaro is a Japanese soldier, villagers yell, "Japanese soldiers are liars," causing a commotion. Kasuya (played by Shunsuke Tanaka) shouts, "How dare the soldiers of the Kokura regiment be defeated by unarmed men! Our mission as the propaganda team is to stabilize the public sentiment in the occupied territories, not by force." Taka is ordered to create a kamishibai (paper theater) show that will not incur the animosity of the local people and will be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders.
Feeling the hostility from the locals, Taku asked Kentaro, "How is this a just war? How is this... a just war?" and "Why did we undergo rigorous training, shoulder guns, and cross the sea?"
When Kentaro said, "For peace in the East. To protect the good people of the continent from the invasion of the United States and Britain," Taka replied, "That's what we were told over and over again, but I think it's a real nuisance for the people here." Kentaro empathized, "You're right, you're not welcome," and added, "Even if you're hated, you're still in the dumps. My squad has been requisitioning houses since we came here. We've been driving out the people who live here for the military... It's so rude. This is what war is all about," he said with a complicated expression.
A few days later, the squad leader gives permission, and Kentaro is allowed to work in the propaganda squad. Takashi worries, "Whatever story we show, we're not welcome here..." but after seeing the interaction between Iwao (Hamao Noritaka) and the local boy Rin (Shibuya Soraji-kun), and the words "The existence of East Asia and Japan-China friendship are twin relationships" written in his late father Kiyoshi's (Kazunari Ninomiya) notebook, he comes up with an idea for a picture storytelling show.
The Kamishibai will be subject to strict screening, and if they do not pass the screening, Taka and Kentaro will be returned to their original squad and assigned to combat duty. The two of them hurriedly began creating their Kamishibai for the screening at 9:00 the next morning.
Comments on social media included, "It's reassuring to know that the two of them can work together," "The combination of Taku and Take-chan is really soothing," "It's at this point that their father Kiyo's diary comes to life. I'm surprised it wasn't just a keepsake to serve as a talisman, but was actually a plot twist," "They're risking their lives to make a picture-story show..." and "It's a refreshing way of depicting war that's never been seen before."
