Mio Imada of " Mrs. Green Apple " is currently the talk of the town for his Takuya Ise as Ise Takuya, the model for composer Izumi Takuya, in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and other times), starring Motoki Omori Mio. Chief Producer Kurasaki Ken, who oversees production, describes him as "a genius at expressing himself." Here, we'd like to look back at musicians who, like Omori, have shone as actors in the world of Asadora. For example, in "Cho-chan" (first half of 1987), currently being rebroadcast on NHK BS, Sera Kiminori plays the heroine's husband, but who else has played him in recent years?
◇ Yojiro Noda, Naotaro Moriyama...Tortoise Matsumoto is "the worst father in the history of Asadora"
Speaking of connections to "Anpan," Kurazaki CP's "Yell" (first half of 2020), which was produced five years ago, featured Yojiro Noda of the rock band "RADWIMPS." As you know, RADWIMPS was the artist who sang the theme song for "Anpan ." Noda's role in "Yell" was that of Masato Kogari, who was modeled after composer Masao Koga, and he shares some similarities with Takuya Ise by Omori) in " Anpan ." Omori's debut in this Asadora is sure to have reminded many fans of Noda from five years ago.
There was another musician who appeared in "Yell" that we cannot forget: Naotaro Moriyama. He played the main character's mentor, Todo Kiyoharu, and in the drama he performed a solo rendition of the school song "Furusato" (Hometown), known for the lyrics "Usagi Ohishikanoyama..." (The Asadora Is a Hishika Mountain). Many viewers mourned his tragic death in the 18th episode, "Song of the Battlefield," which was an unusual depiction of a battlefield for a morning drama. Furthermore, during the rebroadcasts that took place during the hiatus due to the spread of COVID-19, he provided commentary for some episodes, and his involvement was wide-ranging.
In "Ochoyan" (2020 Fall), the follow-up to "Yell," Tortoise Matsumoto of Ulfuls showed an overwhelming presence, for better or worse, as the protagonist's father, Takei Teruo. "For better or worse" refers to the character, who sends his young daughter to work as a servant at a teahouse, and then frequently shows up to beg for money, sometimes even taking it himself. Teruo's unrepentant "scumbag behavior" far exceeds the standard "useless father" moniker in Asadora, and viewers even called him "the worst father in the history of Asadora."
The show's screenwriter, Hiroyuki Yatsu, said of Teruo, "I wanted to portray him as a toxic parent," and commented on Matsumoto's acting, "In a word, it was the best." Since then, no other Asadora"scum dad" has surpassed (or fallen short of) Teruo, and Teruo, who still enjoys the title of "the worst father in Asadora history," could only have been made possible by Matsumoto.
◇ Kikkawa Koji was "unsuited" for Asadora, but he stood out with his "power"
In "Come Come Everybody" (2021 Fall Term), which aired one year after "Ochoyan" and became a huge hit, Sera played the dual roles of Yanagisawa Sadakazu, the owner of the coffee shop "Dippermouth Blues," and his son Kenichi. Furthermore, towards the end of the series, Moriyama Naotaro's mother, Moriyama Ryoko, appeared as Annie Hirakawa, a Japanese-American casting director.
The mysterious Annie Hirakawa's true identity is that of a "most important character" who is essential to concluding "a 100-year story depicting three generations of parents and children: grandmother, mother, and daughter." Moriyama Ryoko also made good use of her English lines, playing a part in bringing the drama to a grand finale.
The following year, in the drama "Maiagare!" (2022 Fall), Koji Kikkawa played the role of Okochi Mamoru, the "strict instructor" who trains the main characters at an aviation school. After debuting as an "idol singer" in the 1980s, he went on to star in films. In recent years, Kikkawa has established himself as a "character actor" through his performances in NHK's taiga dramas and TBS's Sunday Theatre. However, his appearance in a Asadora seemed unexpected, as he himself admitted, "I'm intimidating and not suited to being a 'morning face'."
On the other hand, he actively contributed to the character's development, suggesting changes to Okawachi's speech and manner from the original "wild" to "extremely polite and courteous." In the play, he stood out with his "power," backed by his acting career, and it is still fresh in our memory.
◇ Becoming a "dentist on a white horse" or a "Japanese MP with an Osaka accent"
The names mentioned so far are only a partial list, and if we look at works before "Yell," Pierre Taki of Denki Groove and Hamano Kenta of Zainichi Funk appeared in the Asadora"Toto Neechan" (first half of 2016), which is currently being rebroadcast on NHK General TV. Hamano was later cast in "Manpuku" (second half of 2018) and "Okaeri Mone" (first half of 2021), and his character Maki Zennosuke, the "dentist on a white horse" in "Manpuku," became a popular character.
Other cast members of "Manpuku" include Taiiku Okazaki Taiiku, who plays Charlie Tanaka, a California-born Japanese-American MP (military police) who speaks Japanese with an Osaka accent, as well as Maynard Plant and Blaze Plant from "MONKEY MAJIK."
Furthermore, in "Hiyokko" (late 2017), Kazunobu Mineta of Gin Nang Boyz, and in "Scarlet" (late 2018), Takanori Nishikawa, also known as "TMRevolution", added color to the works with their lovable characters, playing Beatles-loving Muneo Koiwai (Uncle Muneo) and world-renowned artist George Fujikawa, respectively.
Many musicians have left a strong mark as performers. Who will follow in the footsteps of Omori from "Anpan" will likely be one of the things to look forward to in future Asadora.
