The ninth episode of NHK's evening drama "Kaedama Bravo!" (General TV, Monday to Thursday, 10:45 PM), starring actress Kana Kita, aired on January 19th, and featured comedian Koume Tayu. He plays Yamaki Takeaki, a student at an adult ballet school. Koume, who made waves with his appearance in last year's taiga drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)," has actually been cast in four NHK dramas in the past year, becoming a regular actor for the station.
As a comedian, Koume is known for his surreal, self-deprecating comedy routines, where he wears white makeup and a kimono, concluding with a cry of "Damn it!" However, in all of the NHK dramas he has appeared in over the past year, he has acted without makeup. His roles have included the owner of a soba restaurant ("Tokyo Salad Bowl"), the section chief at the protagonist's workplace ("I Want to Die Alone"), the owner of the teahouse Namba-ya ("UNBOUND"), and a student at an adult ballet school ("Bravo, the Replacement"), making him a typical "everyday person" to watch with ease.
For this reason, it has become a kind of routine for people to comment on social media about Koume's appearance, saying things like "Where was he?", "I didn't notice him," or "I didn't know him." Even if we ignore the "gap" between his appearance as a comedian and his current appearance, this is proof that Koume has fully blended into the work as his character.
So where is the demand for them as actors? Last year, Fujinami Hideki, chief producer of "UNBOUND," which has used many comedians including Koume, said, "I think there is a question of who you can call a comedian," and explained the reason for using them, saying, "We trusted them to have a presence even in short scenes."
"I've always thought that comedians are very good at capturing and expressing characters in a short amount of time. In this drama ("UNBOUND"), there are quite a few characters who leave after saying a few words, and scenes with a large number of people, so when I think about the kind of person who can leave a lasting impression in those scenes, I think it would be someone who makes a living from comedy, as they are good at that," he said, revealing his satisfaction.
Koume himself was once a member of Umezawa Tomio's theater company, and his mother was an actress who was active as a member of Toei's first New Face class under the stage name Fukami Keiko, so it's not hard to imagine that he was originally equipped with the talent to be an actor, and there's something appealing about his somewhat nonchalant way of speaking. Before you know it, he's become a supporting actor in his "real" state... It seems there will be many more opportunities to see Koume's acting, which gives such an impression.
