The 24th episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8 PM, etc.), starring actor Taiga Nakano, titled "Strategist Kanbei!", aired on June 21st, and many viewers reacted to a caption that was suddenly inserted at the end.
"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.
In episode 24, after being imprisoned by Murashige (Tortoise Matsumoto) for a year, Kanbei (Yuki Kura) had reached his physical and mental limits.
The stalemate between Murashige, who continued to hold out in his castle, and the Oda army had reached a deadlock, but Koichiro (Taiga Nakano) succeeded in cutting off the supply lines for provisions. Persuaded by his wife, Dashi (Kasumi Yamaya), Murashige finally decided to surrender. Entrusted with acting as an intermediary to Nobunaga (Shun Oguri), Koichiro entrusted Dashi with a message for Kanbei.
Just when it seemed the battle would end without unnecessary bloodshed, Murashige fled. Arioka Castle, having lost its lord, fell easily, and all of Murashige's remaining retainers were massacred as a warning to others, and Dashi was also beheaded.
The only remaining target was Miki Castle, where Kanbei, who had been rescued from prison, once again lent his support to Hideyoshi (played by Sosuke Ikematsu) and others. Instead of a full-scale attack, they succeeded in forcing the castle to surrender through stratagem. The battle ended with the ritual suicide of Bessho Nagaharu.
Then came the end of the episode. The screen showed Nobunaga and Mitsuhide (played by Jun Kaname), followed by the caption, "Two years until the Honnoji Incident." It then previewed, "Next time: 'Omens of Disturbance'."
On social media, viewers reacted with comments such as, "Oh, the countdown to Honnoji has begun...", "An ominous countdown has appeared," and "Only two years left until the Honnoji Incident...it's unsettling." There were also comments like, "It's almost Honnoji," "Honnoji is getting closer...", "Hey, stop putting in weird captions," and "Please stop the countdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!" as well as comments such as, "Even though it's been done countless times in past historical dramas...the Honnoji Incident is still special...personally, I think it's the greatest event of the Sengoku period."
