The NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", starring actor Taiga Nakano (NHK General, Sundays at 8 PM, etc.), featured the return of Motochika Chosokabe (played by Hiroyuki Isobe) in its 25th episode, "Omens of Disaster," which aired on June 28th, drawing the attention of viewers.
"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.
Chōsokabe Motochika was a samurai warlord from Tosa Province (present-day Kochi Prefecture) during the Sengoku period. 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 engage in a major war against Motochika.
Isobe, who plays Motochika, is the bassist for the rock band "[Alexandros]," and this is his first appearance in a Taiga drama. He first appeared in episode 10, "Nobunaga's Entry into Kyoto" (aired March 15).
In the 25th episode, Nobunaga's new castle, Azuchi Castle, is completed. Motochika performs a dance at the celebratory banquet and meets Nobunaga for the first time. He reports that the pacification of Shikoku is progressing smoothly and that it is "thanks to your approval, Lord (Nobunaga)," and that "that is the greatest reward." Nobunaga tells him to continue as planned.
Towards the end, Nobunaga holds a grand horse parade in Kyoto, where Motochika coincidentally reunites with Koichiro.
When Koichiro asked Motochika why he dressed like a girl, he revealed that he had been told he looked like a girl since he was a child, and then explained that "even now, dressing like this makes me feel at peace."
Furthermore, Motochika, who said he would have liked to stay in this attire forever if possible, responded to Koichiro's question, "Do you dislike war?" by saying, "War is not something you do whether you like it or not," and declared that the pacification of Shikoku was the "great ambition" of the people of Tosa.
On social media, viewers reacted to the spotlight on Chosokabe Motochika, saying things like, "Isn't it pretty rare to see Chosokabe Motochika featured so prominently?", "I feel like Motochika is quite rare," and "It's unusual to see Chosokabe Motochika featured this much in a historical drama!" There were also comments such as, "Is Chosokabe Motochika a genderless man??", "A genderless Chosokabe-san!?", and "A Chosokabe Motochika with a penchant for cross-dressing. I like this character setting, it's fitting for the Reiwa era."
Furthermore, comments included: "I thought it was cool how Motochika, who loves gorgeous kimonos and has a gentle side, shows ambition to unify Shikoku but firmly states that war is not something to be fought based on likes and dislikes!" and "When asked, 'Do you dislike war?', Motochika replies, 'War is not something to be fought based on likes and dislikes.' This is quite a memorable scene in this film." Other comments included: "Isobe-san is really giving a great performance," "I thought the boy playing Chosokabe Motochika was doing a pretty good job, and it turns out he's the bassist from Alexandros," and "It didn't seem like the acting of someone who isn't a professional... amazing."
