It was revealed on January 20th that the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou), " starring actor Ryusei Yokohama , has won the December 2025 Monthly Award at the Galaxy Awards, which recognizes programs, individuals, and organizations that have contributed to the advancement of broadcasting culture.
" UNBOUND (Berabou)) is the 64th taiga drama, depicting 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, known for her work on the NHK drama "Drama 10: Ooku," which became a huge hit.
The Galaxy Awards were established in 1963 by the Broadcasting Critics Association in the hopes of improving the quality of Japanese broadcasting culture. The association commented, "Yoshiko Morishita's script, which portrayed Tsutaju as the king of entertainment, was brilliant. The production team's determination and resolve were evident in the way they didn't just ignore Yoshiwara, but instead directly portrayed how Edo culture blossomed from there. The fantastical developments at the end, which are typical of fiction, and the way they neatly tied up the plot despite it not seeming to be based on historical fact, were nothing short of brilliant."
Other winners of the award include the teledocumentary 2025 "Behind the 'Success' of the Expo: The Unpaid Problem Left Behind" (Asahi Broadcasting Corporation), the drama "Bokutachi-n-Ichi" (Nippon Television Network), and the drama "Synanthrope" (TV Tokyo Network).
