The 31st episode of the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , aired on May 11th, featuring the first appearance of Shigetaro Tada, the director of Teito Medical University Hospital, played by Michitaka Tsutsui. This marks Tsutsui's first appearance in a Asadora in 26 years, since "Watashi no Aozora" in the first half of 2000, and it has become a topic of discussion among viewers.
Rin (Mikami), Naomi (Uesaka), and the other first-generation students of the Umeoka Girls' School Nursing Training Institute are finally beginning their practical training at the hospital. Rin and the other nursing apprentices are led by Burns (Emma Howard) to meet with the hospital director, Tada, and the deputy director, Watanabe (Morita Kanro).
Sitting at his desk, Tada greeted everyone by saying, "I am Tada, the hospital director," and added, "It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to our Teito Medical University Hospital." When Watanabe said, "It's nice to have female students around. It would be great if you could help out a little," Burns replied in broken Japanese, "I don't help doctors. I'm a nurse. Nice to meet you."
Tada's expression remained stern throughout the exchange, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking. According to the program's official website, Tada is described as "having a certain understanding of 'nursing,' but his true feelings remain hidden."
Tsutsui's long-awaited return to the Asadora has sparked numerous comments on social media, such as, "Is this the first time since the runaway boxer husband in 'My Blue Sky'?", "Welcome back to the Asadora!", "It's been a while since I've seen him, so I was surprised!", "So Tsutsui Michitaka is appearing here - that's great!", "He's aged well, and he looks great as the dignified hospital director," "Is he friend or foe?", and "I wonder if the hospital director will be a key character going forward?"
In addition, many viewers recalled the 1993 Fuji TV Monday 9pm drama "Asunaro Hakusho," in which Tsutsui co-starred with Ishida Hikari, with comments such as, "Tsutsui Michitaka - Asunaro Hakusho!", "It reminds me of 'Asunaro Hakusho'", and "It's been over Getsuku years since Kakei-kun from 'Asunaro Hakusho'."
