The 25th episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (NHK General, Sundays at 8pm, etc.), starring Taiga Nakano, aired on June 28th, and Danko Ichikawa made his first appearance as Ran Mori. Regarding his co-starring with Shun Oguri, who plays Nobunaga, Danko said, "When I faced Nobunaga, played by Shun, I vividly remember the overwhelming magnetism in his eyes that guided my acting. When I consulted him about a scene I was struggling with, he told me, 'Do whatever you want. I'll accept any version, so it's okay,' and I felt that his great tolerance helped me a lot."
"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.
This will be Dango's first appearance in a historical drama series. He will play Mori Ran, the third son of Mori Yoshinari and a young retainer of Nobunaga.
In the 25th episode, Nobunaga's new castle, Azuchi Castle, was completed. At the celebratory banquet, Nobunaga suggested that his retainers have a sumo match, and for some reason, he nominated senior retainers such as Hayashi Hidetada (played by Suwa Taro), Sakuma Nobumori (played by Sugawara Daikichi), and Ando Morinari (played by Tetsushi Tanaka) as opponents for Mori Ran... and so the story unfolded.
Dango recalls, "Before the sumo match, Nobunaga tells Mori Ran, 'You be his opponent,' to which Mori Ran replies, 'Yes, sir.' With just the words 'You be his opponent,' Mori Ran instantly sees through Nobunaga's intention that the purpose of the sumo match is to punish a vassal suspected of betrayal, and with the feeling of 'I understand everything, please rest assured,' he replies simply with 'Yes, sir,' without letting anyone around him realize it. It's a short line, but it contains a lot of meaning."
Furthermore, Dango revealed, "Even after that, he joked, 'Is it alright if I go easy on him?' to prevent Nobunaga from realizing the purpose of the sumo match, acting as if he was simply enjoying the entertainment." He added, "From beginning to end, Mori Ran made it his duty to 'show consideration to Nobunaga that was a step above the ordinary,' and I feel that the scene described above, even if only for a moment, clearly shows that kind of character."
