It was revealed on September 7th that Kaoru Fukuda and Takuro Mashiko of the comedy duo " Uji Koji " will be appearing in the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama Yokohama. This will be the first time that Fukuda and Mashiko will be appearing in a Taiga drama. Fukuda and Mashiko, both natives of Tochigi Prefecture, will play wealthy merchants from Tochigi who have connections with Utamaro (Shota Sometani) in the upcoming " UNBOUND" drama.
"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.
Fukuda, who plays Kibe, a wealthy merchant from Tochigi, commented, "I'm just trying to do my best to play my role properly and not cause any trouble. I've read through the role many times with my son. Now, the drama is heading towards its climax."
Mashiko, who plays Kamaya Ihei, said, "There were scenes where I was standing next to Tsutaju and Utamaro's realistic acting, so I was extremely nervous. I was worried that my stomach would growl (it grows often...). I learned so much from working with the two of them." He added, "I hope everyone in Tochigi will look forward to seeing how Utamaro, played by Sometani, and we at Uji Koji will be involved in this story."
