Taira no Kiyomori!

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I am currently watching the first episode of Taira no Kiyomori, NHK's 2012 Taiga drama. I am so excited! The cast is superb, many of whom I've seen in Japanese dramas, delivering great performances. I am a bit bias here: the first drive for me to watch it is to hear Okada Masaki's lovely voice narrating the drama as Minamoto no Yoritomo. But when I saw the trailers etc, I realise the drama's potentials. I just hope that I can discipline myself and watch it just one episode per day. That is, hopefully my online links are not broken. This drama is still airing in Japan anyway, so fan-based attempts to sub it might be seen as breaching the copyright. Which is SO not the intention of those hard working fans who have been subbing this drama!


Click here for the first episode of Taira no Kiyomori (English sub, of course). The first scene already gave me the goosebumps. For the narrator is Minamoto no Yoritomo (Okada Masaki) himself, reminiscing about his fallen enemy, Taira no Kiyomori (Matsuyama Kenichi) in a rather positive way. I've been so impressed with Masaki this week, for his performance as a shogun's son in Lightning Tree, as Dr. Black Jack in The Young Black Jack, as a fallen teenager in I Give My First Love to You, and as a young MD in Seinaru Kaibutsutachi. I am now eager to see how he interprets the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate in Japan during the Heian Era! Did I tell you he just turned 23 last August?

I'd say the only Japanese actor I want to see here but unfortunately not involved in this project is Watanabe Ken. But his daughter (Watanabe Anne) was cast as Hojo Masako, a swordswoman from the Hojo clan who married Yoritomo. Never saw Anne's performance before, but if she's even just half as amazing as her father, it's already worth the watch.

Okay, onwards, and I'll let you know how it is later! 

PS 26 Sept 2012:

Click this YouTube link to listen to Taira no Kiyomori opening music. It's beautiful!


Pic 1: the main cast of Taira no Kiyomori
Pic 2: Okada Masaki as Minamoto no Yoritomo, the narrator of the story

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