Okada Masaki Monogatari

Hamlet (Okada Masaki) & Ophelia (Kuroki Haru), photo by Hosono Shinji Act Guide 2019 Summer Theatre Reviews: Hamlet Review by Ichikawa Aki Translated by Icha In the olden days, I used to think that I knew nothing of the agony of youth euphoria. However, as years go by, I found myself entangled in the bottomless magnetic force of this drama. “Hamlet” as described by the British director Simon Godwin was fast yet clear at the same time. The details were trimmed and compacted into a three hours’ performance, but it was not merely a digested version that just chased after the plots. Fully decorated words were repeatedly conveyed with such a heated passion, perhaps because the cast truly lived their roles to the fullest. With clear dialogues, Okada Masaki’s Hamlet was a philosophical young man with a bitter sense of humour. Although he occasionally had the bright antics, he was actually looking down into an abyss of nothingness. The bandages on his wrists, the belt ...

Okada Masaki as Hamlet (photo by Hosono Shinji ) Below is my translation of Nobue Hiroshi’s review of ‘Hamlet’ in Asahi Weekly. 日本語の原作は こちらです。 The true face of Okada Masaki, whose determination is admired by our Radio Man 23 June 2019 By Nobue Hiroshi, translated by Icha, from Asahi.com With a selection of music, TOKYO FM’s Radio Man Nobue Hiroshi talks about society in his “Radio Pa Pa” series. This time, it’s about “a night in Tsuruhashi Osaka where Okada Masaki collapsed on the spot during a discussion”.  A theatre visualises words and dialogs. A theatre spins out stories that have cross-overs with realities. Tossed into the stage under the gaze of hundreds and thousands of piercing eyes like Damocles’ sword, the actor plays a life where even the strangest thing can happen. A stage without a performer is but a space with nothing. That’s why a one-off purity, a determination if you will, drifts in theatres. It resembles the situation in an independent, silent s...

Oricon  has released the results of its survey on the satisfaction levels of Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū Episodes 1-3. I have translated the article below and have also translated the graph. The article was also uploaded in Asahi Shimbun , which shows how prestigious this drama is (for Asahi is a serious newspaper).  Okada Masaki as Hachidaime Yūrakutei Yakumo Prepared with such a suicidal love, Okada Masaki’s performance is highly praised, satisfaction level of “Shōwa genroku rakugo shinjū” increases 4 Nov 2018 Starring Okada Masaki as a Rakugo master who displays his masterpiece, the NHK Drama 10 “Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū” is popular. Supervised by a rakugo master Yanagiya Kyōtarō, Okada’s rakugo surprised rakugo fans in a good way. According to the “Oricon Drama Value” satisfaction level published by the Weekly Entertainment Business Magazine “Confidence”, viewers sing their praises one by one. The satisfaction level of the drama itself is also rapidly...