Haru Receives High Praise for Kin-chan’s Drama as Taiga Drama Role Becomes More Likely

The “24-Hour Television 47: Does Love Save the Earth?” (Nippon Television, August 31 to September 1) faced significant headwinds.

 

In the end, the viewership ratings surpassed those of last year, and the fundraising amount exceeded expectations. The clarity of the fundraising purpose and destination specifically for “childcare facilities” as well as the continuous display of a QR code on screen for easy donations, contributed to this success.

 

Haru’s role as Sumi has received rave reviews.

The MVP is undoubtedly Yasukko (26), but there were also notable contributions from announcer Asami Mito (37), who apologized for the donation embezzlement issue involving staff from affiliated Nihonkai Television in June, and Tao Tsuchiya (29), who was fully committed to the reconstruction support project for the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

 

Amid this, a major topic in the drama industry was the broadcast of the drama “Kin-chan’s Sumi-chan: The Woman Who Loved Kinichi Hagimoto” within “24-Hour Television” on the night of August 31. Particularly, there have been widespread praises for Haru (33), who played the heroine, with many calling her performance “wonderful.”

 

“Kin-chan” refers to Kinichi Hagimoto (83), who was the main personality when “24-Hour Television” was established. The drama depicts his wife, Sumiko (Sumi-chan), who continuously supported him behind the scenes as he became a national favorite.

“In the drama, Junji Ito (40) played Kin-chan, Shingo Katori (47) portrayed Manager Sato, and Takahiro Higashi (54), Kin-chan’s son, took on the role of Hachiro Higashi. Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (50) served as the narrator, generating considerable buzz and achieving a household rating of 15.6%, which is higher than the past three years when former Johnny’s talents starred in the program’s dramas. Amid this, Haru’s portrayal of Sumi-chan, the flower dancer of the French Theater who married Kin-chan after her retirement, garnered the highest acclaim both inside and outside the network.” (said a staff member from the production company)

The drama eliminated sexual expressions and depicted her as a “dancer,” while the real Sumi-chan was a stripper.