The NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", starring actor Taiga Nakano (NHK General, Sundays at 8 PM, etc.), will air its 18th episode on May 10th, subtitled "Hashiba Brothers!", and the synopsis and scene stills have been released.
◇The following contains spoilers.
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th Taiga drama. With Toyotomi Hidenaga (Koichiro) as the protagonist, it depicts the miraculous feat of unifying Japan together with his older brother Hideyoshi (Tokichiro) through their strong bond, a success story of dreams and hopes.
The script is written by Hiroyuki Yatsu, known for his work on "Hanzawa Naoki" (TBS) and the Asadora drama series "Ochoyan." The music is composed by Hideaki Kimura, and the narration is provided by actress Sakura Ando.
In the 18th episode, Hideyoshi (played by Sosuke Ikematsu) is promoted to chief retainer of the Oda family and is granted northern Omi Province. He builds Nagahama Castle in his territory and becomes a castle-owning daimyo, and together with Koichiro (played by Nakano), he adopts the surname Hashiba.
Koichiro is put in charge of governing the castle town, but he is overwhelmed by the lack of manpower. Hanbei (Masaki Suda) advises him to increase the number of his trusted retainers, so he decides to hold a selection test to find capable retainers. Many applicants gather, and unique young men such as Ishida Mitsunari (Leo Matsumoto) and Todo Takatora (So Kaku) remain for the final test...and the story unfolds from there.
