The 32nd episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , entitled "Shinnosuke no Gi" aired on August 24th, depicting the exploits (?) of "the man who was Joemon" played by Yano Masato. The moment his name was announced in the opening title sequence, viewers erupted in cheers such as "The man who was Joemon is appearing!" and "The man who was Joemon has arrived!", proving that he is now a huge hit.
" UNBOUND (Berabou)" is the 64th taiga drama and depicts the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo(or "Tsutajyu" for short), who is said to have laid the foundations for Japan's media industry and pop culture. The script was written by Yoshiko Morishita, who is known for her work on the highly talked-about "Drama 10: Ooku," which aired on NHK two years ago.
In the 32nd episode, the three main families submit a letter of opinion recommending Sadanobu (Inoue Yuki) as the new senior councilor, but Mizuno Tadatomo (Komatsu Kazushige) and Matsudaira Yasufuku (Aijima Kazuyuki) from the Tanuma faction work hard to get Okitsugu(Ken Watanabe), who continues to be suspended, back into the castle, and Okitsugu is once again allowed to enter the castle.
Meanwhile, Tsutaju (Yokohama) visits Shinnosuke (Inowaki Kai) and learns that relief rice has been distributed. Tsutaju explains that it is because of Okitsugu's measures, but the residents of the tenement house are angry and rebellious towards him for having profited from the Tanuma era.
One day, the delivery of relief rice is postponed, leading to a dispute between Shinnosuke and his family, who live in poverty in tenement houses, and the shogunate officials. Suddenly, a "man in rags" yells out, "You mean to tell me to eat a dog?"
The "man who was Joemon" nearby asked loudly, "Is that true?! Did he really say that?", and the "man in rags" pointed at the official and said, "You samurai over there," instantly making the samurai the bad guy. The samurai denied it, saying, "I didn't say that!", but the "man who was Joemon" crept up on the panicked samurai and pretended to be angry, saying, "You look very handsome, and you must be eating your fill! But you tell us to catch a dog and eat it! Eat it!", thus escalating the commotion.
This is a play between the "man who was Joemon" who wants to stir things up and the "man in rags," and although Tsutae is the only one who is suspicious, everyone around him is incited by the words of the "man who was Joemon" and loses his composure.
Viewers were excited on social media, saying things like, "Here it is! The man who was Joemon!", "Here it is, the man who was Joemon," "The information manipulation is at work," "Those professional citizens are at it again," "He's working behind the scenes again," and "The 'man who was' is inciting again!"
The true identity of the "man in rags" was revealed to be Hitotsubashi Harumasa (Ikuta Toma), and comments such as "Is that Ikuta Toma from earlier?", "Hitotsubashi himself!", "Hitotsubashi himself is acting?", "Harumasa is actually coming to the scene?", "Is it really Hitotsubashi Harumasa?", "Isn't it a bit too aggressive for Harumasa to come to the scene himself?", and "Toma... he's scary" were posted one after another.
