It has been revealed that musician Taiiku Okazaki will be appearing in the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) no Yumebanashi" (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and others), starring Ryusei Yokohama Ryusei, which will air its final episode on December 14th. Okazaki will play Eishosai Choki in the final episode, "Tsutajueiga no Yumebanashi."
Eishosai Nagayoshi was an artist who worked with Sharaku under Tsutaju (Yokohama). His "Kayotani Bijin" (Two Beauties in a Kayaking Net), which is written under the pen name "Koko," is thought to be another name for Nagayoshi, and depicts a woman holding a fan reminiscent of Sharaku's paintings. According to NHK, Okazaki will be the last new performer in " UNBOUND."
Okazaki commented, "I recently played the role of Eishosai Nagayoshi in ' UNBOUND,' and although I don't appear in many scenes, what I tried to keep in mind when playing him was the feeling that 'it's because he doesn't think too deeply that everything goes smoothly in life.' His wit and shallowness, in a good way, contrasted with his fellow student Utamaro, and as someone who tends to get trapped by overthinking things, I feel like playing Nagayoshi was a turning point in my way of thinking. My co-stars were all kind to me, a one-off guest, and it was a very loving set."
"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 the final episode, Tsutaju reopens his shop and continues to sell Sharaku's art. He then expands into the field of Japanese studies and continues to work energetically as a bookseller. However, one day, Tsutaju falls ill with beriberi.
While Teiya and Utamaro (Shota Sometani) and others are worried about him, he continues to create works and cultivate the world with calligraphy, despite his illness, together with his friends Masanori (Jun Hashimoto Furukawa), Shigemasa (Kenta Kiritani), Nanpo (Kenta Kiritani), and Kisanji (Toshinori Omi). Then, one night, Tsutae has a strange dream... and so the story unfolds.
