A new character relationship chart for the NHK morning drama " Anpan " starring Mio Imada(General Asadora , Monday to Saturday 8:00am and others) has been released on the drama's official website. From the 16th week "Live for fun" which begins on July 14th, the names of "Ken-chan" aka Kentaro Karashima(Fumiya Takahashi) and "Konta" aka Konno Kota (Sakurai Kento) in the "Friends of Taku (Takumi Kitamura)" category have disappeared from the relationship chart.
"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."
In the 16th week, it is the last day of the business trip to Tokyo. Nobu (Imada) and Taku find Maki Tetsuko (Toda Keiko), also known as the "Queen of the Underpass". Nobu takes shorthand notes while asking Tetsuko questions. Tetsuko, who is interested in Nobu's shorthand notes, says something and leaves. On the way back, Taku has an unexpected reunion with his war comrade Yagi (Satoshi Tsumabuki).
After finishing his interview and returning to Kochi, Nobu starts writing an article about Yagi instead of Tetsuko. Then, two days after the latest issue of "Monthly Whale" was released, the editorial department received a phone call. This phone call would greatly change Nobu's fate... and so the story unfolds.
Ken-chan is the love interest of Meiko (Nanoka Hara), the third daughter of the Asada family. However, in the previous week, the 15th week, "Let's go! Tokyo" (July 7-11), he closed his black market shop and disappeared in front of Meiko.
Incidentally, in the "Anpan Cast and Character Relationship Chart [From Week 16]" section on the official website, there are still solo shots of both Ken-chan and Konta, and some say this is simply due to space constraints.
Viewers have responded with comments such as, "Kentaro is not there," "What about Ken-chan? I would like to think that he is not there because he does not belong anywhere in this relationship chart...It would be a shame for Meiko to fade out like this," and "Ken-chan survived the war together with Takashi, so personally I hope that he will marry Meiko and live happily ever after. I believe he will return."
