It was revealed on March 8th that Isobe Hiroyuki of the rock band "Alexandros" will be appearing in the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and other times) as Chosokabe Motochika. This will be Isobe's first time appearing in a Taiga drama.
Isobe plays Chosokabe Motochika, a Sengoku period warlord from Tosa (present-day Kochi Prefecture). He was originally allied with Nobunaga, but eventually became a powerful daimyo in Shikoku and came into conflict with the Oda clan. Hidenaga and Hideyoshi would later wage war against Motochika.
Isobe said, "I am truly honored to have been given this extremely rare opportunity. When I found out I would be playing the role of Chosokabe Motochika, to be honest, I was reminded of the time when I jumped out of a Cessna while skydiving; the altitude was so high (4,000 meters) that I didn't feel scared at all. It just didn't seem real."
After that, Isobe said that he "studying Chosokabe Motochika and the Sengoku to Azuchi-Momoyama period that surrounded him" once again, and said, "With each passing day, I feel more and more at ease with the reality of playing an important part in this history, and I am facing it every day. Immediately after receiving the offer, I went to Kochi Prefecture, visited Chosokabe Motochika's grave, and even paid my respects. When I discovered Chosokabe Motochika lighters being sold in a convenience store in Tosa, I was once again reminded of how popular he is and felt a sense of responsibility. I intend to play Chosokabe Motochika as written by screenwriter Yatsu (Hiroyuki) with all my heart, soul, and all my effort. I would appreciate your support."
Filming has already begun, and he confessed, "I've always loved watching behind-the-scenes footage, so when I entered the set, I was so excited that I wanted to go backstage and look around every corner, seeing how elaborate it was and the lighting that recreated broad daylight even though it was inside a studio."
"The makeup artist taught me a lot about skin tones and makeup characteristics that suit the era, and the costume designer also taught me about fabrics and armor that suit the era, and how to wear them. Everything looks radiant. At the same time, and it may sound cliched, I was reminded of how difficult it is to produce an output that is exactly as I imagined. It's the same when you're doing music; you think you've played it this way, but when you listen to it later, it doesn't sound that way... In the music world, I've been filling in those errors every day over my 15-year career, but when it comes to acting, it's naturally all from scratch again. It's quite frustrating. Frustrating, but happy. I will continue to work hard. I'm truly grateful that at my age I have the opportunity to take on such new and exciting challenges."
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th taiga drama. It depicts the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, Hidenaga (Koichiro) and his older brother Hideyoshi (Tōkichirō), who achieve the great feat of unifying the country with their strong bond. It is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the rise to power.
