NHK Taiga Drama

[shikisoku]

Annual Historical Dramas: 40 years sketching the shape of the nation

NHK's first Annual Historical Drama serial, A Flamboyant Life, began in April 1963, during the golden age of Japanese cinema. Under the slogan "We can match the movies!" NHK fought for audience share through the new medium of television, then sometimes described as "story-telling with electronic pictures." The first serial featured a number of famous actors, including Onoe Shoroku, Sata Keiji, Awashima Chikage, Kagawa Kyoko, and Yachigusa Kaoru.
The second serial, Ako-Roshi, had an even more distinguished cast. In the leading role was Hasegawa Kazuo, then at the height of his popularity, with support from Onoe Baiko, Yamada Isuzu and Takizawa Osamu. By featuring top actors from film, kabuki and contemporary theater, NHK's period dramas quickly won a huge public following.
The importance of casting was underscored by the third serial, Taikoki. A rising star of contemporary theater, Ogata Ken, took the lead role, with Takahashi Koji, an understudy at Bungakuza Theater, playing Oda Nobunaga, and Ishizaka Koji, a student at Keio University, taking the role of Ishida Mitsunari. A key scene in a big battle was shot from a helicopter, opening up new horizons for TV drama. Ako-Roshi achieved an average 31.9% audience share and Taikoki 31.2%. And so, by as early as the third serial, NHK's Annual Historical Dramas had established themselves as a Sunday evening fixture.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/digitalmuseum/nhk50years_en/categories/p51/index.html



04 (43) Shinsengumi!
05 (44) Yoshitsune
06 (45) Komyo ga tsuji
07 (46) Furinkazan
08 (47) Atsuhime
09 (48 ) Tenchijin
10 (49) Ryomaden
11 (50) Gou

[AngusH]

Man, so many titles in that list I'd love to see.

I finished watching Yoshitsune a little while ago and thought it was very well done, and I'm on the third episode of Hojo Tokimune which is also nice thus far.

How is Komyo ga tsuji if anyone is watching it?
_________________
"While he hears Masashige alone still lives, let him believe that he will prevail at last!"

[nagaeyari]

I've seen a few episodes here and there, and it's fairly decent, in my opinion.

[Ashigaru]

I liked Hojo Tokimune and Musashi a great deal, but Shinsengumi really turned me off, and I didn't bother with Yoshitsune when I found out who was playing the lead role. I haven't bothered with the Taiga Dramas since then, but this upcoming Furinkazan sounds kind of promising.
_________________
Meditate upon exile, torture, wars, diseases, shipwreck, so that you may not be a novice to any misfortune.
- Seneca

[AngusH]

[Tatsunoshi]

Thanks for posting the list. There are some on there I hadn't heard of and now can start looking for.

[kitsuno]

I saw Hideyoshi, Mori Motonari, and Tokugawa Yoshinobu all the way through. I thought all three of those were great - Hideyoshi is pretty much THE classic Taiga drama as far as I am concerned. Although I think my favorite was probably Mori Motonari.

[Kazuki]

[ltdomer98]

[shikisoku]

I don't like those "smap" boys so I didn't watch Shinsengumi very often in the beginning.
But I was getting into it after they arrived at Kyoto.
I couldn't watch Yamanami's seppuku without tears!
Now I have DVD-BOX set.

The NHK Shinsengumi members looked too young because we are use to watch older actors played Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo etc..
But real Shinsengumi members were so young.
Kondo joined Mibu Roushi gumi when he was 29(Nagakura was 25, Saito and Todo were 19), Katori Shingo who played Kondo was 27 then.

It's interesting to see Katori's face was changing from when the series started to ending.
He grew up alot during "Shinsengumi!"

[shikisoku]

Oh by the way,
Gakt will play Uesugi Kenshin in Furin-Kazan 2007.

[Kazuki]

[ltdomer98]

[shikisoku]

Furin-Kazan Press Conference
http://www.nhk.or.jp/drama/html_news_fuurin.html

The actor on the center is Uchino Masaaki who plays Yamamoto Kansuke.
He played Bunshiro on "Semi Shigure" <-this drama was awesome.
http://www.nhk.or.jp/drama/archives/semishigure/html_midokoro.html

NHK's Friday Jidaigeki (now thursday) is pretty good too.

[kitsuno]

Who exactly is Gakt? Just some J-popper?

[Kazuki]

Gakuto is a J-pop/J-rock artist who got his major press with Malice Mizer back in the day. He's pretty ambitalented in terms of sheer number of instruments, and has a very good classical education, however, he's a total nutjob. He claims to be a 500-year old Norweghian vampire or somesuch.

Take Gakuto at a grain of salt.

-Kazuki
_________________
"Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue." -Francois Duc de La Rochefoucald

[ltdomer98]

[shikisoku]

[Ashigaru]

NHK has been trying pretty hard to get younger viewers interested in the Taiga dramas, hence all the boy band recruits. I'll tolerate Gackt as long as they keep those WaT losers away from the historical stuff.

And hey, there are certain roles where Ueto Aya would be appropriate. Not many, admittedly, but she's not the worst female candidate out there. Hamasaki Ayumi would be pretty weird in a jidai geki.

Musashi had good casting, I think. Nakama Yukie was great in Musashi as one of Kojirou's paramours. Yonekura Ryouko was pretty decent as O-tsuu as well.

Takenaka Naoto is a good actor with a great voice, but the dude is in EVERYTHING. He's gotta be the hardest working actor in Japan. The guy needs to take a break.
_________________
Meditate upon exile, torture, wars, diseases, shipwreck, so that you may not be a novice to any misfortune.
- Seneca

[ltdomer98]

[ltdomer98]

[Ashigaru]

[kitsuno]

I like Tsuruta Mayu. She should be in everything Jidai-geki.

[ltdomer98]

[kitsuno]