The ninth episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (General TV, Sundays at 8pm and other times), starring actor Nakano Taiga, titled "A Man Called Takenaka Hanbei", was broadcast on March 8th, and it was revealed that the average viewership rating (according to Video Research, Kanto region, same below) was 10.4% for households and 5.9% for individuals.
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th taiga drama. It depicts the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, Hidenaga (Koichiro) and his older brother Hideyoshi (Tōkichirō), who achieve the great feat of unifying the country with their strong bond. It is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the rise to power.
In the ninth episode, Koichiro (Nakano) and Tokichiro (Ikematsu Sosuke) set out to seduce Takenaka Hanbei (Suda Masaki), a retainer of Saito Tatsuoki (Masaki Suda), the lord of Mino Province. However, Hanbei, who is known for his wisdom, is quite an eccentric person, and Koichiro and Tokichiro are repeatedly at his mercy. Meanwhile, the two receive an unexpected offer from Ando Moriyasu (Tetsushi Tanaka), a senior retainer of the Saito family.
After hearing the report from the two men, Nobunaga (Shun Oguri Shun) besieges Inabayama Castle, the Saito clan's castle, but Hanbei suddenly appears before Tatsuoki when he is in a desperate situation...
The same episode also features a scene in which Hanbei talks about himself. "I love war," he begins, "I'll devise a strategy even though I'll never be on the battlefield, and then things will go as planned and I'll win the battle. That's a joy that can't be replaced by anything else. I'll use any strategy to win the battle. I feel like something's wrong, but I can't control my impulses. I'm scared of myself."
