[Discussion] Fumou Chitai

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raven_frost
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[Discussion] Fumou Chitai

Post by raven_frost » Oct 12th, '09, 13:27

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Introduction
During WWII, Iki Tadashi was a staff officer at the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army. After the war, he was captured by Soviet troops and forced to do hard labour for 11 years as a prisoner in a concentration camp in Siberia. Returning to Japan upon his release, he rejects the invitation of the Defence Agency to be a part of their organisation and naturally finds himself without employment. Meanwhile, Daimon Ichizo, the president of an Osaka trading company, Kinki Corporation, which started as a wholesale dealer in textiles, hopes to transform the company from an old industrial conglomerate into a full-fledged integrated company. Painfully aware that the company needs men of talent who make judgments from a broad picture and can run the company in an organised way, Daimon decides to target outstanding staff officers who had been with the Imperial Japanese Army headquarters during WWII … After two years of job hunting, Iki, who has no qualifications but military credentials, plunges into the business world.

Official Website
http://wwwz.fujitv.co.jp/fumouchitai/

Cast
* Karasawa Toshiaki as Iki Tadashi
* Wakui Emi as Iki Yoshiko
* Yanagiba Toshiro as Kawamata Isao
* Koyuki as Akitsu Chisato
* Sasaki Kuranosuke as Akitsu Seiki
* Nakamura Atsuo as Akitsu Noritake
* Hashizume Isao as Tanigawa Taisa
* Amami Yuki as Hamanaka Beniko
* Takenouchi Yutaka as Hyodo Shinichiro
* Ito Shiro as Hisamatsu Seizo
* Danta Yasunori as Kaizuka Michio
* Furuta Arata as Ashida Kunio
* Abe Sadayo as Tawara Hideo
* Matsushige Yutaka as Koide Hiroshi
* Kishibe Ittoku as Satoi Tatsuya
* Harada Yoshio as Daimon Ichizo
* Tabe Mikako as Iki Naoko
* Endo Kenichi as Samejima Tatsuzo
* Hakamada Yoshihiko as Hanawa Shiro
* Kajihara Zen as Kaname Kaibe
* Takahashi Taira as Iki Makoto

raven_frost
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Post by raven_frost » Oct 14th, '09, 09:47

(Translated and summarised from Chunichi News, 5 October 2009)

Leading Actor Karasawa takes on Second Challenge in Yamasaki Toyoko's Fumou Chitai

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The press conference for Fuji TV's 50th anniversary drama production, Fumou Chitai which starts on 15 October (Thursdays from 10.00 p.m., 9.00 p.m. for Episode 1) was held at ANA Intercontinental Hotel Tokyo in Akasaka, on 4 October, and the main cast spoke enthusiastically about the drama's costumes.

The drama is based on author Yamasaki Toyoko's bestseller. This is the second time that leading actor Karasawa Toshiaki, 46, is acting in a drama adapted from Yamasaki's original novel since Shiroi Kyoto six years ago.

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A former Japanese army elite returns to Japan after being confined for 11 years in the harsh land of Siberia since the end of WWII. He joins a trading conglomerate and suddenly finds himself fighting with other companies in the world in the "battlefield" of business. This literary masterpiece will be broadcast for six months, ending in March next year.

The original novel sold 5.12 million copies and in 1976 it was made into a film starring Nakadai Tatsuya.

Karasawa stars as Iki Tadashi, the protagonist. Wakui Emi, 38, stars as his wife; Yanagiba Toshiro, 48, his good friend; Koyuki, 32, the woman who gives him emotional support; Hashizume Isao, 68, a senior officer from his days in the army; Harada Yoshio, 69, the CEO of the trading conglomerate. Amami Yuki, 42, Takenouchi Yutaka, 38, and other members round out the sterling cast.

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Karasawa, who is taking a second turn at a Yamasaki novel, says with confidence, "I feel grateful. She told me, 'You had a lot of nerve!" when she saw me in Shiroi Kyoto and so I once again been given a role," but, "This time, I haven't met her yet." He breaks into a sheepish grin.
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While Hashizume praises him, "Karasawa-kun has a small face but nice eyes that draws a person in," he also says, "But he's usually rather noisy," commenting on Karasawa's manner of speaking, and the people around him burst into laughter.
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Post by Issy » Oct 14th, '09, 10:05

wow, i love the cast. thanks for starting this thread. will be watching it. hope that it get subbed.

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Post by Luna14 » Oct 15th, '09, 08:41

I'm surprise this drama is not going to be sub.
There are so many famous actors appearing in this drama.
And it seems like a great story.

I'm very sad it won't get sub.
:pale:

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Post by raven_frost » Oct 15th, '09, 13:04

Perhaps some group might pick it up but they're waiting to catch the Ep 1 first. This is a long commitment!


From Japan Times:

Yamazaki Toyoko's classic novel "Fumo Chitai" (A Barren Land) has been made into movies and TV shows, and it has been turned into a new series to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Fuji Television (Thurs., 9 p.m.).
Iki Tadashi (Toshiyuki Karasawa) is captured by the Soviet Army in the final days of World War II and sentenced to hard labor in a Siberian prison camp. After eleven years he is released and returns home to Osaka, where his wife, Yoshiko (Emi Wakui), has been raising their two children by herself. He takes time to reacquaint himself with her and his children before taking up offer from the president of a trading company who wants him to join his sales staff.

Iki becomes one of the "corporate warriors" who help Japan emerge from the ruins to become a world economic power.

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Post by furransu » Oct 16th, '09, 11:23

hopefully someone will upload the raw, i haven't been able to find a good quality version.. ep1 has 14.4% ratings btw

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Post by Tadanga » Oct 17th, '09, 15:21

The cast is really impressive.
If they had Abe Hiroshi on the list, it would qualify as a "modern taiga" dorama.
No way I'm touching this without subs. It would be a waste.

EDIT : Heiwa Fansubs just announced they would soft sub this drama !!!

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Post by dokodemodoa » Oct 18th, '09, 00:45

yay! :cheers: :cheers:

goodluck for heiwa fansubs
It has a quality cast that would probably guarantee the quality. I mean they all can act! and very-very good at it.

Though the rating's a bit low.. 14.4 with those people in?
Is it the popularity matter, the story, or the duration?

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Post by dmatrix95 » Oct 19th, '09, 14:32

I would love to watch this series with English subtitle. I love Toshiaki Karasawa. Does anyone know where I could watch it? Thanks.

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Post by auroragb » Oct 19th, '09, 15:20

The first ep was quite impressive. MUCH better than the period drama from last season. I wonder if this will get 2+ season like the original (I've never seen it) or just one season?

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Post by lenrasoon » Oct 19th, '09, 15:31

i also love the cast, and i'm looking forward to watch this drama.

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Post by chokubi » Oct 20th, '09, 12:21

Ep1:
Right from the start it was very dramatic and emotional, and you get this very strong sense of redemption-seeking and camaraderie from the lead actor.
Karasawa Toshiaki's acting for this episode was phenomenal by the way, and the effort he took to master his Russian lines blew me away too.
But towards the last 1/2 hour it starts becoming very political and that kind of threw me off.
Maybe I should have read the synopsis or something.
Anyhow, a few members of the main cast have yet to appear or make a general screen presence.
So I guess I will keep watching this. (It's suppose to be promising anyway :P )

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Post by dmatrix95 » Oct 26th, '09, 13:31

I have a question. I know it is off topic but I have been trying to find out the answer.

Does anybody know if Toshiaki and his wife Tomoko have children? Just curious. Thanks.

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Post by Chuks » Oct 26th, '09, 14:16

auroragb wrote:The first ep was quite impressive. MUCH better than the period drama from last season. I wonder if this will get 2+ season like the original (I've never seen it) or just one season?
There will be 2nd season.
The drama will complete on March 2010.

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Post by Chuks » Oct 26th, '09, 14:16

dmatrix95 wrote:I have a question. I know it is off topic but I have been trying to find out the answer.

Does anybody know if Toshiaki and his wife Tomoko have children? Just curious. Thanks.
They don't. Some people say they choose that way, but some people say Yamaguchi Tomoco is infertile. But who knows.

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Post by Chuks » Oct 26th, '09, 14:19


dmatrix95
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Post by dmatrix95 » Oct 26th, '09, 14:59

Chuks wrote:
dmatrix95 wrote:I have a question. I know it is off topic but I have been trying to find out the answer.

Does anybody know if Toshiaki and his wife Tomoko have children? Just curious. Thanks.
They don't. Some people say they choose that way, but some people say Yamaguchi Tomoco is infertile. But who knows.
Thanks for answering. It's okay if they don't have any children as long as they are happy together. Love both of them.

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Post by Chuks » Oct 26th, '09, 16:25

Yes, me too.

Karasawa Toshiaki is hilarious.

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Post by dmatrix95 » Oct 26th, '09, 18:03

Chuks wrote:Yes, me too.

Karasawa Toshiaki is hilarious.
Yeah, he seems like. Everytime I watch his interviews, people seem laughing and having fun. I just wish I can understand what they are saying. :lol This is why I am studying Japanese language right now.

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Post by raven_frost » Nov 7th, '09, 02:17

Having followed four episodes of Fumou Chitai, I wish the story wasn't told in this manner. It gives it a very detached air. Sometimes I feel like I'm watching a documentary that's throwing facts on a man's life at me.

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Post by Issy » Nov 7th, '09, 10:41

raven_frost wrote:Having followed four episodes of Fumou Chitai, I wish the story wasn't told in this manner. It gives it a very detached air. Sometimes I feel like I'm watching a documentary that's throwing facts on a man's life at me.
i had this feeling as i was watching ep1. although it's a great story and cast but somehow did not connect to it much at all. that's why i kept delaying watching ep2 and the rest. :unsure:

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Post by Tadanga » Dec 11th, '09, 23:12

What's missing is insight into the lead's mind and experience his journey through his feelings.
But we are not gonna get that: he is a traditional Japanese man with an extensive military background, which means he keeps his mouth shut at all times and wears a poker face as default.

He actually manages to withstand huge amounts of pressure and stress without twitching all the way to episode 7 where he starts to falter and the cracks expose the huge volcanic activity within.

I think this was never supposed to fit into the mini-series format but should actually be given the taiga lenght in order to allow the writers a chance to lay it down properly.
In fact, there's talk of a second season.

I am giving this show a chance and plan on watching it all the way through if Chucks manages to conjure up the strenght to sub the whole thing.

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Post by Sakari » Jan 22nd, '10, 06:03

I just finished reading The Barren Zone, the English translation of Toyoko Yamasaki's novel. Curiously, there is a foreword stating that this is the first of four linked novels. Indeed, it only covers the period from 1945 to 1959 and ends where Iki is returning from his first visit to the US. However, I have not found translations of the other three, Well, I don't even know whether they have been written.

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Post by Keiko1981 » Oct 17th, '10, 21:55

Epsiode 1
The look Beniko gives Hyodo after performing the song and
"I've never seen middle-aged Mr. Innocent before." :rofl:
By the way, this drama has a very good composed music in it.
:thumright:
Soon at episode 2, still a long way to go. :)

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