Morning Drama ‘Tora ni Tsubasa’ Wraps Up with Huge Success as Cast Popularity Soars

The highest viewer rating was over 18%! Sairi Ito, Nozomi Morita, Yeon-Soo Ha, Shiori Doi, and others are all smiling!

2024-09-30

Ito, heading to the venue, wore an all-black stylish outfit. After arriving, she chatted with her fellow cast members on the terrace, a beer in hand.

The mega-hit ‘Tora ni Tsubasa’

“Cheers!”

The much-talked-about morning drama Tora ni Tsubasa finished filming on August 31. A week later, at a restaurant in Shirokane, where nearly 200 people involved with the production gathered, lead actress Sairi Ito (30) led the toast.

As the lead who successfully completed nearly a year of filming, Ito spent the day chatting with her co-stars, including Ha Yeon-Soo (33) and Yuki Sakurai (37), and was moved to tears by a video message from her “mentor,” Kaoru Kobayashi (73), and the producer’s speech. The celebration lasted five hours.

Tora ni Tsubasa is an original story based on the life of Japan’s first female lawyer, Yoshiko Mitsubuchi. The clever and charming heroine, Torako, faces various injustices while asking herself “What now?” and pushes her way through the male-dominated legal world, touching the hearts of many viewers. With two weeks until the final episode, as of September 10, the highest household viewership rating was 18.9% for the 100th episode, surpassing even Maiagare! and Boogie Woogie, marking a mega-hit.

The reasons for the show’s massive success

Takahiko Kageyama, a media critic and professor at Doshisha Women’s College, explains, “There are two reasons why Tora ni Tsubasa was such a success.”

“First is the script by Erika Yoshida. It tackled numerous social issues such as gender inequality, racial discrimination, gender identity, and atomic bomb trials, resonating with a wide range of generations. Despite this, the drama didn’t have the usual heaviness often associated with such themes, as it compassionately addressed these issues while skillfully blending in moments of light humor that allowed viewers to relax. The second reason is lead actress Sairi Ito, who brought out the full appeal of the script. The scene where she sends off her husband, Yusaku (played by Taiga Nakano, 31), as he departs for war, with the two trying to hold back their tears while making funny faces at each other, is unforgettable. Her ability to balance both serious and comedic acting fit perfectly with the tone of the show.”

The supporting cast also saw their popularity soar. Misato Morita (28), who played Hanae, Torako’s school friend and later sister-in-law, left a strong impression with her role as the legendary armpit hair AV actress in The Naked Director (Netflix), but Hanae was a completely different type of character. In contrast to Torako, who gained fame as Japan’s first female lawyer, Hanae was a devoted mother who remained dedicated to her family. However, in the early part of the story, she also showed her cunning side by delivering the memorable line, “Live shrewdly,” which became a talking point.

“Another rising star is Shiori Doi (32), who played Yone Yamada, a classmate of Torako’s who later became a lawyer in the postwar legal world. Yone, scarred by a tragic past, constantly dressed as a man. Though she was unfriendly and often clashed with Torako, Doi herself is a cheerful and friendly person. Her brilliant portrayal of this complex role garnered attention, and she has been cast as a regular in the October drama The Incompetent Hawk (TV Asahi),” says Kageyama.

With the best script and the best actors, the secret to its massive success was truly “like giving wings to a tiger.”