The 44th episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , entitled "Flying Gennai", was broadcast on November 16th, and the scene in which Hasegawa Heizo ( Nakamura Hayato) eats 28% buckwheat soba noodles from a food stall became a hot topic.
"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 episode 44, Tsutaju (Yokohama) is approached by a man named Teiichi (Yoshio Inoue), a native of Sunpu, who asks to write a book for Koshodo. Teiichi has a Sagara kite that Gennai (Yasuda Ken) made, and Tsutaju begins to wonder if Gennai (Ken Yasuda Ken) is still alive.
Tsutaju then meets Genpaku (So Yamanaka), Nanpo (Kenta Kiritani), Shigemasa (Jun Hashimoto) and others as she continues to investigate the mystery surrounding Gennai. One day, she finds a continuation of a play written by Gennai before his death left in front of a store. There is a note tucked between the drafts, and when Tsutaju visits the date, time and place written there, she finds Matsudaira Sadanobu (Inoue Yuki), Takatake (Tominaga Ai), Miura Shoji (Harada Taizo), Shibano Kuriyama (Shimada Kyusaku) and Hasegawa Heizo waiting for her.
Sadanobu and his men show Tsutaju the "death-bringing gloves" that are said to have taken the life of Iemoto (played by Tomoya Oku) and were the inspiration for Gennai's play, and explain how they came to join forces and the existence of an enemy. They then invite Tsutaju to join them.
In the episode, viewers were excited by the contact between the Anti-Chisai Alliance and Tsutae towards the end of the episode, and Heizo was shown acting as a spy in the theater town, searching for Osaki (Emi Kurara), who is said to have put poison in the gloves on the orders of Hitotsubashi Chisai (Ikuta Toma).
It was at this time that Nihachi soba noodles first appeared at a food stall. This was also featured at the end of the popular period drama "Onihei Hankacho," in which Hasegawa Heizo, played by Nakamura Kichiemon, plays the main character, and this sparked discussion among fans as to whether it was an homage.
Viewers responded with comments such as, "Heizo and 28% 8% soba... nice," "The 28% 8% soba stand is a homage to Onihei, isn't it...," and "Onihei and 28% 8% soba is just like the end of Onihei Hankacho." Other comments included, "Watching Heizo eating 28% 8% soba at the stand reminds me of the ending of Onihei Hankacho (the staff must have done it on purpose)," "The sweet treat followed by the 28% 8% soba is just like the ending of Onihei Hankacho," and "Hasegawa-sama eating soba at the stand really does feel like Onihei Hankacho. You can almost hear the Gypsy Kings' 'Inspiration'."
