The 15th episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8 PM, etc.), starring actor Taiga Nakano, aired on April 19th, and viewers were surprised when a scene appeared about four and a half minutes into the episode in which Ichi (Aoi Miyazaki) is stabbed by Nagamasa (Ayumu Nakajima).
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th Taiga drama. With Toyotomi Hidenaga (Koichiro) as the protagonist, it depicts the miraculous feat of unifying Japan together with his older brother Hideyoshi (Tokichiro) through their strong bond, a success story of dreams and hopes.
The script is written by Hiroyuki Yatsu, known for his work on "Hanzawa Naoki" (TBS) and the Asadora drama series "Ochoyan." The music is composed by Hideaki Kimura, and the narration is provided by actress Sakura Ando.
In episode 15, Nobunaga (Shun Oguri) requests reinforcements from Yoshiaki (Ukon Onoe) and Ieyasu (Kohei Matsushita) in order to counterattack the Asakura and Azai clans. However, their actions are slow, as they secretly wish for Nobunaga's downfall.
Meanwhile, Koichiro (Nakano) and Fujikichiro (Ikematsu Sosuke) try to buy time to allow Ichi to escape, but Ichi's thoughts are with Nagamasa, and their plan fails. At the same time, Nobunaga begins his march into northern Omi. Facing the Asakura and Azai armies across the Anegawa River, the two armies finally face off... and the story unfolds from there.
The opening title sequence of that episode showed Ichi about to leave Asai's place. Then, Nagamasa's father, Hisamasa (Takaaki Enoki), and Naotsune (Kanata Irei) appeared. Ichi was returning to Gifu because Nagamasa had ordered a divorce, but she was suspected of informing Oda of their movements and was about to be beheaded. Nagamasa also arrived on the scene, and, like her, looked at Ichi with suspicion, asking, "Is it true that you informed Oda?" He then drew his sword and, calling her a traitor, stabbed her. The next moment, it was not Nagamasa but Fujikichiro who was holding the blood-stained sword, and it was revealed that this was all a dream that had taken place in Fujikichiro's mind after he had been confined to bed following the retreat in the previous battle.
On social media, viewers expressed surprise with comments such as, "Was it all a dream?", "It was just a dream, lol", "It was all a dream, I was so surprised", "Oh, it was just a dream, don't scare me like that!", and "I'm glad it was just a dream," but also relief at the "reveal." Other comments included, "Please don't use dream endings", and "It was all a dream!!...Well, that's not the type of thing he does."
