The 45th episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , titled "His Name is Sharaku", was broadcast on November 23rd, and viewers were surprised by the person who appeared last (tome) in the cast credits behind the opening titles.
" 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 45, Tsutae is summoned by Sadanobu (Inoue Yuki) and others and asked to help them take revenge on a puppet-loving daimyo.
Tsutaju is ordered to spread the rumor that Hiraga Gennai (played by Ken Yasuda Ken) is still alive and cause a stir. While visiting the theater town, he learns that this year's Soga Festival will be held, where actors dance together in the streets. He comes up with the idea of displaying actor portraits showing the actors' real faces.
To make it seem as though the actor paintings were done by Gennai, they ask the artist to paint them in the style of Gennai's Western paintings, and ask comic storytellers and kyoka poets to come up with a name for the fictional artist. Kisanji (Omi Toshinorisa) then suggests, "How about 'Sharakusai'?" Everyone gets excited, saying it sounds like something Gennai would say, and they decide on the name "Sharaku," meaning "to portray the joys of this world" or "to enjoy capturing things as they are."
On the other hand, the creation of the "Gennai-style actor portraits" did not go smoothly because Tsutae was unable to draw a "clear picture," and friction arose between him and the artists, including Shigemasa (Jun Hashimoto).
Unable to bear seeing Tsutaju's troubled state, Tei (Hashimoto Ai) visits Utamaro (AI Hashimoto). When Tei reveals her true feelings, that she wants to see the painting that is the fruit of the karma, passion, and fate of the two men, Utamaro and Tsutaju, Utamaro makes up his mind and returns to Tsutaju.
With only three episodes left in the drama, the excitement is building, but the finale of the episode's cast credits was played by Harada Taizo, who plays Miura Shoji.
On social media, comments such as "Today's Tome was the unexpected (?) Harada Taizo. Who would have thought that the day would come when he would be the Tome of a Taiga drama...", "Come to think of it, the Tome actor in today's opening credits was Harada Taizo, right? He's appeared in many Taiga dramas so far, but is this the first time Harada Taizo has appeared as the Tome? Amazing", "I'm quietly moved that Harada Taizo is the Tome in the credits", "The biggest surprise this week was that the Tome in the opening credits was Harada Taizo (Miura Shoji). ♪I hate crooked things - this is Miura Shoji♪" and "It's quite moving to think that the day will come when Harada Taizo will be the Tome in the cast credits of a Taiga drama" were posted one after another.
