The 45th episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Ryusei Yokohama, entitled "His Name is Sharaku", was broadcast on November 23rd. In this episode, attention was focused on Tei's performance as he shook up Tsutaju (Yokohama) and Utamaro (Sometani Shota), as well as AI Hashimoto's passionate performance.
"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 "create a stir in society" by spreading rumors that Hiraga Gennai (Ken Yasuda Ken) might still be alive. Sadanobu is the one who drove Harumachi (Okayama Amane) to her death, and Tsutaju worries that helping Sadanobu will put her family and store in danger. Tei (Hashimoto) encourages her, saying, "Since the option of not doing it is blocked, you have no choice but to do it."
Tei, who believes that "defeating villains is good for the world," suggested, "Why not take this opportunity to have a really ridiculous party, in the style of Tsutaya Juzaburo?" Sadanobu urged Tsutaya that by lavishing money on the party and "creating the most extravagant and ridiculous party ever," it would be a "commemoration for Harumachi."
Then, while visiting the theater town, Tsutaju hears that this year's Soga Festival will be held, in which actors dance in the streets. This gives him the idea of displaying actor portraits depicting the actors' natural faces. To make it seem as if the portraits were drawn by Gennai, he asks the artist to draw them in the style of Gennai's Western paintings, and asks playwrights and kyoka poets to come up with a name for the fictional artist. Kisanji (Omi Toshinorisa) then suggests, "How about 'sharakusai' (meaning 'sharakusai')?" Everyone gets excited by this, saying it sounds like something Gennai would say, and they decide on the name "Sharaku," meaning to "portray the joys of this world" or "the joy of 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 visits Utamaro. Tei reveals his true feelings, saying that he would like to see "a painting that represents the karma, passion, and fate of two men, Tsutaju and Utamaro," and ultimately sways Utamaro. The final scene of the episode shows Utamaro, having made up his mind, returning to Tsutaju.
On social media, viewers responded with comments such as, "Otei-sama is amazing," "Otei-san is a capable wife," "Otei-san is too cool (I'm in love)," and "The episode started and ended with Otei-san." Furthermore, her "true feelings" expressed in front of Utamaro also became a hot topic, with comments such as, "Otei-san, have you been into Tsutaju x Utamaro up until now?", "Otei-san declares herself a fujoshi...," "Good news: Otei-san is a fujoshi," and "Otei-san is amazing, so amazing, does that mean Otei-san is a rare fujoshi?"
