Anime @ Work : Anime scriptwriter Yamanobe Kazuki's Anime and Historical Drama Update - No.4

This time I would like to discuss long-standing historical TV dramas. Namely, I would like to talk about Mito Komon and Ooka Echizen, two shows that immediately come to mind when this subject is raised.

The first one, Mito Komon, is a fictional series that revolves around the adventures of Mito Komon, which is a nickname for Mito Mitsukuni (1628-1701), the second feudal lord of the Mito clan of the Edo era. Accompanied by his vassal, the hero travels around the country and rescues people from criminal elements he keeps coming across.

The show began airing on August 4, 1969 as part of the National Theater program run by Japan's TBS network. At present, it has surpassed 37 series made up of 1,000 episodes. By Japanese television-show standards, this figure can only be described as nothing more than astounding.

The other show, Ooka Echizen, is about Ooka Echizen (1677-1752), a magistrate (or a judge as we would say today) who had lived during the middle of the Edo era. Known as a top-class magistrate, he had won the sympathy of the lower classes with the brilliance of his judgments, which were in fact so brilliant that the people later began to refer to them as The Ooka Discourses on Government. Based on such judgments of this magistrate, the stories of the show depict the life and sentiments of the Edo townsfolk. Like Mito Komon, this show was televised as part of The National Theater program and aired from 1970 through 1999, covering 15 series comprised of 400 episodes.

What make these two shows largely endearing to the Japanese people are the clear plot lines that dependably unfold in the same way every time. At heart, they are morality tales where justice always prevails over evil and metes out punishment. For this reason, the shows are appreciated by a wide audience, ranging from children to the elderly, and have enjoyed long-lasting runs.

In the case of Ooka Echizen, the same actor had been playing the leading role since the show began airing, but the broadcast has already finished. However, in the case of Mito Komon, the show continues to be broadcast today, with cast replacements having occurred over time. From the 1st through the 13th series, the role of Mito Komon was played by Eijiro Higashino, from the 14th series through the 21st series, by Akira Nishimura, from the 22nd series through the 28th series, by Asao Sano, from the 29th through the 30th series, by Koji Ishizaka, and from the 31st series onwards, the role is being played by Kootarou Satomi. Such acceptance of cast replacements is one of the factors contributing to the show's ongoing staying power.

Even today, historical drama fans never seem to run out of topics regarding this show. They discuss points of interest like how Eijiro Higashino's portrayal of Mito Komon was the most dignified or how the portrayal by Akira Nishimura was striking. While the casting of James Bond of the 007 series draws worldwide attention, for the Japanese people, the role of Mito Komon is an object of public attention as well when it comes to talking about Japanese historical dramas on TV.


Profile of Yamanobe Kazuki
Scriptwriter
Member of the Writer's Guild of Japan
Representative Director of the scenario production company, Edgeworks

Official site of Edgeworks http://www.edge-works.co.jp