In the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , Toranosuke Kobayashi plays Kotaro Takeuchi, the childhood friend of the protagonist Rin (played by Mikami). In the 60th episode, which aired on June 19th, Kotaro made a long-awaited reappearance and reunited with Rin. Kobayashi spoke about Kotaro's character and his feelings towards Rin and Shimaken.
Kotaro, played by Kobayashi, is the eldest son of the Takeuchi family, who were formerly foot soldiers and were born in the same village as Rin. He and Rin have been close friends since childhood, but he is acutely aware of the disparity in their upbringings.
Regarding Kotaro's character, Kobayashi said, "Kotaro is a person with inherent purity and kindness. He was born into a family of foot soldiers and became a farmer, and I think he grew to like Rin, who was close to him from a young age, for small things like her lovely smile. As the story progresses, he becomes aware of the difference in social status between him and Rin, and I felt that he lives his life struggling with how to maintain that distance between them."
"When Rin decided to get married, I think she was hoping that her partner would be a good person and wishing for her happiness. When the marriage didn't work out and she came back to her parents' house with Tamaki, Kotaro looked fine, but I remember feeling sad while acting, thinking that he wanted to marry her, build a family with her, and be with the three of them... In a rapidly changing era, I imagine that Kotaro himself was struggling with various doubts as he grew into adulthood."
In episode 60, Kotaro arrives in Tokyo. He explains the reason: "I had been working in Tochigi for a long time, but life became difficult, and I had to earn money to protect my family. I came to Tokyo to change my lifestyle and to think about how I wanted to live my life from now on. I came to see Rin when I became a full-time employee after working as a waiter at a pharmaceutical company."
"I still think of Rin wholeheartedly, so of course I want to support her if she's having trouble in Tokyo. But it's not just that; Kotaro himself came to Tokyo with his own aspirations and various feelings towards his family, and I think he's working hard to change himself."
The episode also featured a scene where Kotaro meets Shimaken (played by Masaya Sano), who becomes his "love rival" for Rin's affections.
"I think Kotaro is dense, so I don't know if Rin has feelings for Shimaken, but just the fact that there was a smart-looking guy with stylish glasses and good handwriting near Rin in Tokyo made me feel a little jealous and inferior. I didn't want to look inferior, so I tried to act cool by saying, 'I work at a pharmaceutical company in Ginza...' but it was pretty obvious that I saw him as a rival," he said, reflecting on the scene of their first meeting.
He then sent a message saying, "I wonder what fate awaits Kotaro from now on. Whatever happens, I want to play him in a way that will make viewers continue to cheer him on and say, 'Go, Kotaro!'"
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