"Shinsengumi!" premieres on NHK On Demand

It has been announced that the NHK Taiga drama "Shinsengumi!" (2004), starring actor Shingo Katori, will be streamed for the first time on NHK On Demand from September 29th.

"Shinsengumi!" is the first taiga drama written by Koki Mitani. It depicts the youthful ensemble of Kondo Isami (played by Katori), the leader of the Shinsengumi, who maintained peace in Kyoto during the late Edo period and lived with faith in the future until the very end, and his companions.

At the time of broadcast, Mitani stated, "When we look back on it in 20 years, it will surely be an all-star cast," and the series features a star-studded cast including Koji Yamamoto(as Hijikata Toshizo Toshizo), Fujiwara Tatsuya (as Okita Soji), and Sakai Masato (as Yamanami Keisuke).

Mitani commented, "I have worked on three Taiga dramas, but I believe that the first one, 'Shinsengumi!', is the one that changed my life as a screenwriter. I have a deep attachment to all three, and I can't say which one is the best, but the first Taiga drama was definitely a big milestone. It was the first time I had worked on a drama that ran for such a long period of time and was based on historical facts. And I believe that I have created something that I can be confident in, and that I can still have people watch it. That's why I have always hoped that this work would be seen by a wider audience. I am overwhelmed that the streaming ban has been lifted, like a thaw, and that the series is finally here. I hope that everyone will take this opportunity to watch 'Shinsengumi!' and the other two."