Okada Masaki Monogatari

The late Ninagawa Yukio's " Cymbeline ", photograph by Watanabe Takahiro A rather belated Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your Christmas has been peaceful and full of love… This time, I just want to share a short epiphany about one of Okada Masaki’s mentors. When I first learned that Okada Masaki was going to star as the titular character in the Bunkamura “Hamlet” 2019 production, I was very excited. When I realised that Simon Godwin was going to direct the production, I was even more excited . I thought, how amazing it was to have Masaki being tutored by a British Shakespearean director?! I wasn’t trying to have the white supremacy here at all; it was just an excitement to have a British Shakespearean director directing the 2019 Hamlet production. At that time, I didn’t know that Shakespeare stories had often been performed in Japan, and that there was a number of Japanese directors who had actually directed such performances.

The three main cast of Daiyukai 2018: Okada Masaki, Fuji Sumiko, and Watabe Atsuro In which I learned that timing for release can be a major issue for a series… Friday last week, I managed to squeeze the two hours for Okada Masaki’s 大誘拐 Daiyukai  or the Great Kidnapping before watching the final SGRS episode , so I thought I better release this article. The main cast of Daiyukai 2018 are Fuji Sumiko-san as the rich lady Yanagawa Toshiko, Okada Masaki as Tonami Kenichi and Watabe Atsuro-san as Detective Ikari Daigoro. Watabe-san played with Masaki in the ST MPD Scientific Investigation Squad. He also paired up with Sato Takeru in the very funny Bitter Blood. The story revolved around Kenichi who wanted to kidnap Yanagawa-san and thus he listed his two friends. On the D-day, the trio kidnapped Yanagawa while she was sightseeing in a mountain with her aid. I originally thought the movie would be a serious movie… but it was actually silly movie. Well, at least we have t...

Right. I’m typing with red eyes because I just finished crying. I wasn’t expecting the last episode to be very emotional. I mean, it’s the last one, so of course it was emo. But I didn’t cry mostly because it’s the last episode. Rather, it was because of what this episode revealed… (so DO NOT READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED!) ( Update 17 Dec 2018: I've just re-watched the last episode and realised I have mis-heard some sentences, particularly in the last few scenes. I'm trying to fix my misinterpretations now, and will put tags if I question my own interpretations but haven't got time to fix them) Now. We’re back in 1995. The episode started with Mangetsu arriving with the Shikoku Rakugo film he obtained from the Shikoku inn owner.  Unlike in the manga where Yotaro and Mangetsu (and another guy I forgot the name – will check later), here Mangetsu went to Shikoku and brought the film with him. In this drama, Konatsu and Matsuda-san also watched the film togeth...

I'm sad that this Friday is the last episode of SGRS... but I'm relieved that I have finally translated Okada Masaki's looooong interview with NHK that was uploaded on 12 October 2018. Enjoy!  The septuagenarian Yakumo ( source ) A long interview of Okada Masaki as the lead actor for the “Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū” 12 October 2018 This is Shibuya Hanako from the Dorama club AD. Did you see the “Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū” last night? Celebrating the first episode, I interviewed the lead actor Okada Masaki. Okada-san is playing the Shōwa Rakugo story teller named Hachidaime Yūrakutei Yakumo. I will talk about the original work, the shootings and the Rakugo! Q: First of all, please tell me whether you’ve read the original work.  A: I have. The original work was truly readable. I was scared but also drawn into it to the extent that I couldn’t open the next page to see what it would be. Also, I thought that Yakumo would be a difficult role to play…(laugh...

Sorry for the spoilers ahead, but I was very happily surprised to this scene! ( Source ) The episode started with a flashback of Kiku talking with Shisho about Rakugo. Shisho Yakumo VII had tremor in his hands. The way Kiku looked more stern than the shy Kiku of Eps 3-4, I think the scene was after Suke was expelled. Then back to the present where the very old, trembled-hand, Yakumo was praying in front of his Shisho’s grave. Then Shinnosuke (“Shin-chan”), Konatsu’s son, came, asking Jiji (grandpa) to stop praying and get back to the city with him. Konatsu and Yotaro prayed at a temple. Were they asking for another kid? At the Yose, Konatsu prepared for her debut Shamisen performance. Mangetsu was performing there, but he felt terrible with his own performance. Interesting, thinking how Mangetsu was very frontal towards Yota in Ep 1, but now they’re friends and Yotaro consoled Mangetsu when the latter wasn’t happy with his own Rakugo. At home, Yakumo was practicing his Raku...

Shisho Yakumo VIII visited Yotaro for the first time in Yota's rental room Yotaro was sad because not many people came to his show; he thought it was because of his tattoo photo. But Matsuda-san said it was because of the pouring rain (which was indeed intense). Yota being Yota, he just decided to open his kimono and danced around, offending some traditional viewers who then left. Yota apologised to Yakumo, who – despite saying that Yota was indeed stupid – actually asked to see Yota’s tattoo. Bewildered, Yota showed his shisho the tattoo. He was even more surprised that Yakumo wasn’t offended by the tattoo. Shisho instead said something soothing that made Yota shed grateful tears. As Yota left in gratitude, Konatsu looked at Yakumo, bewildered with his unexpected open-mindedness. Mangetsu visited Yota who was spirited again and was training his rakugo. Mangetsu seemed to suggest that Oyabun (a Yakuza boss who used to employ Yotaro) was the father of Konatsu’s baby. Konat...