The 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and other times), starring actor Nakano Taiga, will begin airing on January 4th. The opening of the first episode, "Two Monkeys," was animated, and viewers expressed surprise, saying, "The Toyotomi Brothers are suddenly animated?!" and "What a novel beginning. The Toyotomi Brothers."
"Toyotomi Brothers!" is the 65th taiga drama. It is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, Hidenaga (Koichiro) and his older brother Hideyoshi (Tokichiro), who achieve the great feat of unifying the country with their strong bond.
In the first episode, Koichiro (Nakano), born into a poor farming family in Nakamura, Owari, spends his days contentedly cultivating the fields and living with the soil. One day, a group of bandits attacks the village, and his childhood friend, Nao (Shiraishi Sei), is about to be kidnapped. His brother, Tokichiro (Ikematsu Sosuke), returns to the village for the first time in eight years and saves him from the predicament.
The story unfolds as Tokichiro, who dreams of becoming a great success in the service of the young Sengoku warlord Oda Nobunaga (Shun Oguri Shun), asks Koichiro to become his retainer...
At the beginning, as the subtitle suggests, the film shows an animation of two monkeys running around, and gradually transitions to live-action footage of Tokichiro and Koichiro.
Sakura Ando, the narrator, then spoke in her own voice, explaining, "Once upon a time, in the land of Nakamura in Owari Province, there were two brothers who lived a poor but tough life. The older brother's name was Tokichirō, and the younger brother's name was Koichirō. This is the story of these two nameless monkeys, who rose from humble beginnings to become rulers of Japan in a time of war. Is it true or false? Be careful. They were charmers. Don't let them steal your heart."
Viewers responded on social media with comments such as, "So that's how Toyotomi Brothers starts," "The Toyotomi Brothers started straight away as an anime," "I was surprised when I thought the Toyotomi Brothers anime was starting," "I thought the Toyotomi Brothers was starting to look like a Ghibli movie," and "I wondered what would happen when the anime started, but it was good and interesting."
