The 32nd episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , entitled "Shinnosuke no Gi", was broadcast on August 24th, with Jyo Kairi appearing in the role of Tokugawa Ienari.
" 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, Tsutae (Yokohama) visits Shinnosuke (Inowaki Kai) and learns that relief rice has been distributed.
Tsutae explains that this is because Okitsugu's measures have been successful, but the residents of the tenement house are bombarded with anger and resentment towards him for having gained advantages during Tanuma's time...and so the story unfolds.
Tokugawa Ienari, played by Shiro, was born as the eldest son of Hitotsubashi Harusame (Ikuta Toma), and passed from Toyochiyo to Ienari. He became the 11th Shogun at the age of 15. He established a long-term government that lasted for approximately 50 years, making him the longest-serving Shogun in history. Together with the senior councilor Matsudaira Sadanobu, he worked to rebuild the country's finances and improve public morals, but his attitude towards government affairs gradually changed against the backdrop of changing times and domestic and international circumstances. This is the first time Ienari has been portrayed in a taiga drama.
Speaking of Shiro, he attracted attention for his role as the son in the 2018 film "Shoplifters" (directed by Hirokazu Koreeda), which won the Palme d'Or, the highest award at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, and also appeared in the historical drama "Segodon" in the same year. He was 12 years old at the time.
He is now 18 years old, and comments of surprise have been posted on social media, such as "The boy from Shoplifters has grown up so much," "Jo Kairi has grown up so much, he looks completely different," "Jo Kairi has been in the entertainment industry for a long time, but he's still only 18. I hope he becomes a good general..." and "I'm surprised at how much more grown-up he has become... he was so cool."
