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.

“While the setting was slightly altered, Haru’s confident demeanor, appropriate level of sexiness, and the fashion and hair/makeup from that era fit perfectly. Haru’s public image aligned well with the strong-willed Sumi-chan, who remained behind the scenes, loving Kin-chan and protecting her children and family.” (said a representative from a major talent agency)

 

Particularly highly regarded was her portrayal of aging, especially in scenes where Sumi-chan, in her later years, is shown lying in a hospital bed due to declining health.

 

Haru’s determination has received high praise.

“Viewers who watched the drama likely didn’t recognize Haru because of the bold aging makeup applied. In fact, her aging makeup was also a topic of discussion in the NHK morning drama ‘Asa ga Kita,’ which marked her rise to popularity as an actress. The character was based on Asako Hirooka, a businesswoman and educator active in Osaka.

 

Typically, NHK’s morning drama leads are young, so there’s a tradition of applying less intense aging makeup. However, in the later parts of ‘Asa ga Kita,’ the aging makeup was quite striking, surprising the audience. This time, it went even further. Her determination was once again praised by the drama’s director and screenwriters.” (said the source)

 

In recent years, there has been a trend in morning dramas where works based on women who pioneered new eras receive strong support from viewers, leading to higher ratings. For example, in the first half of 2014, “Hanako and An,” based on the life of Hanako Muraoka, the Japanese translator of “Anne of Green Gables,” garnered significant acclaim. The lead actress, Yuriko Yoshitaka (36), received high praise for her performance and secured a leading role in this year’s historical drama “Hikaru Kimi e” ten years later.

 

“There aren’t many historical dramas centered on women, but they are produced at a pace of about once every four to five years. The lead actors for the 2025 and 2026 historical dramas have already been announced, but if a female-led historical drama is produced in three or four years, Haru’s name will undoubtedly be mentioned for the lead role. Her ability to portray the life of a single woman has been reaffirmed.” (said a source from NHK’s drama production team)

 

It’s surprising that she has hardly appeared in NHK dramas since her morning drama role. What will happen next remains to be seen.