Voice actor Hiroaki Hirata, known for his role as Sanji in the popular anime "ONE PIECE," will appear in the 33rd episode of the NHK Taiga drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)" (General TV, Sundays at 8 p.m. and other times), which will be broadcast on August 31st.
The subtitle of the episode is "Uchikowashientame no Kudoku." Hirata plays Magabuchi Kageyoshi, a popular Edo magistrate who enjoyed great popularity among the common people. Due to repeated natural disasters, the price of rice has skyrocketed, leading to growing public discontent, and riots have broken out across Edo. Hirata reports on his current situation to the elder councilors and Tanuma Okitsugu(played by Ken Watanabe).
Also in the episode, Akiyoshi Otaka will appear as Makino Sadanaga, one of the elder councilors who supported the shogunate, along with Matsudaira Yasufuku (Aijima Kazuyuki), the chief elder councilor. Photos of each of them in costume have also been released.
"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.
