is the 49th NHK Taiga drama. It was shown on NHK from January 3 to November 28, 2010, spanning 48 episodes.The name Ryōmaden translates to "The Legend of Ryōma". It is an unusual Taiga Drama as the final episode will be broadcast as early as November, due to second phase of Saka no Ue no Kumo, a series of NHK Special Drama, being broadcast beginning in December. The story centers on the life of 19th-century Japanese historical figures Iwasaki Yatarō and Sakamoto Ryōma. It has been announced that the series will be aired in several other countries, for example Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Production
Production Credits Original – Yasushi Fukuda Music – Naoki Satō Titling – Shishū Narrator – Teruyuki Kagawa Historical research – Manabu Ōishi, Tatsuya Yamamura Architectural research – Sei Hirai Clothing research – Kiyoko Koizumi Beauty and costume direction – Isao Tsuge Sword fight arranger - Kunishirō Hayashi Production coordinator – Kei Suzuki, Kanako Iwatani Casting – Keishi Ōtomo
Cast Masaharu Fukuyama as Tatsuomi Hamada as young Ryōma
Sakamoto family Shinobu Terajima as – older sister of Ryōma - later Tao Tsuchiya as young Otome Kiyoshi Kodama as – father of Ryōma Tetta Sugimoto as – oldest brother of Ryōma Wakako Shimazaki as – Gonpei's wife Atsuko Maeda as – Gonpei's daughter Tamaki Matsumoto as young Harui Rei Ōtori as – oldest sister of Ryōma – later Chieko Matsubara as – stepmother of Ryōma Tamiyo Kusakari as – mother of Ryōma Yōko Maki as – Ryōma's wife
Iwasaki family Teruyuki Kagawa as – the founder of Mitsubishi, born in Tosa Keizō Kanie as – Yatarō's father Mitsuko Baisho as – Yatarō's mother Maiko as – Yatarō's wife
Tosa clan Masaomi Kondō as - the 15th head of the Tosa Domain Munetaka Aoki as – nephew of Yoshida Tōyō Min Tanaka as Nao Ōmori as – leader of the Ryōko Hirosue as – first crush of Ryōma Hiroyuki Miyasako as – older brother of Kao Takeru Satoh as – assassin of the Bakumatsu period Takaya Kamikawa as – brethren of Ryōma, born in Tosa Domain Pierre Taki as
Chōshū clan Katsuhisa Namase as – master of Katsura Kogorō Shōsuke Tanihara as – disciple of Yoshida Shōin Yūsuke Iseya as Toshio Kakei as Kyōsuke Yabe as Hiroyuki Onoue as
Satsuma clan Katsumi Takahashi as Mitsuhiro Oikawa as Kenichi Takitō as
Chiba Dojo Shihori Kanjiya as – daughter of Chiba Sadakichi Kōtarō Satomi as – management of sword school Chiba Dōjō Ikkei Watanabe as – older brother of Chiba Sanako
Tokugawa Bakufu Tetsushi Tanaka as – the 15th and last shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate Nakamura Hayato as – the 14th shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate Tetsuya Takeda as – a Japanese naval officer and statesman Tortoise Matsumoto as – one of the first Japanese people to visit the United States Tomoharu Hasegawa as Matsudaira Katamori
Shinsengumi Taizō Harada as – the commander of the Shinsengumi Satoshi Matsuda as – the vice-commander of Shinsengumi Rakuto Tochihara as – the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi
Kyoto Mimawarigumi Ichikawa Kamejirō II as Tatsuya Nakamura as SION as
Kaientai Yō Ōizumi as – son of a bun store owner in Kōchi Jun Kaname as Yūta Hiraoka as – a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period, born in Wakayama domain Kenta Kiritani as Daijirō Kawaoka as – Ryōma's adopted child Atsushi Korechika as
People in Nagasaki Yū Aoi as – geisha girl of restaurant in Maruyama Hirotarō Honda as – business tycoon in Nagasaki Kimiko Yo as – business tycoon Terry Itō as – photographer
Foreigners Timothy Harris as Matthew C. Perry – the Commodore of the U.S. Navy Randy Buinz as Townsend Harris – a successful New York City merchant and minor politician Tim Wellard as Thomas Blake Glover – trading merchant in Nagasaki, born in Scotland Jeffrey Rowe as William Alt Patrick Harlan as Ernest Satow Daniel Foley as Rutherford Alcock Péter Frankl as Léon Roches Dennis Zomerhuis as Anton L. C. Portman
Season overview The box set is available in a general DVD version, and a Blu-ray Disc version. Season Episode DVD release dates DiscsSeason 11-13September 22, 20104Season 213-28November 26, 20104Season 329-38January 28, 20113Season 439-48March 25, 20113Highlight1-48April 22, 20113
The 1st episode and last episodes are 75 minutes long. The others are 45 minutes long, excepting commercials. SEASON 1 RYOMA THE DREAMEREpisodeTitleDirected byTravelogueOriginal airdateRating1Keishi ŌtomoKōchi, Kōchi about Sakamoto Ryōma23.2%221.0%3Hitoshi ManabeAki, Kōchi about Iwasaki Yataro22.6%4Keishi ŌtomoChiyoda, Tokyo about Sakamoto Ryōma23.4%5Hitoshi ManabeShinagawa, Tokyo about Sakamoto Ryōma24.4%6Shimoda, Shizuoka about Yoshida Shōin21.2%7Kazuki WatanabeKōchi, Kōchi about Kawada Shōryō20.2%8Aki, Kōchi about Iwasaki Yataro22.3%9Keishi ŌtomoChiyoda, Tokyo about Yamamoto Takuma21.0%10Hitoshi ManabeKōchi, Kōchi about Hirai Kaho20.4%11Kazuki WatanabeKōchi, Kōchi about Yoshida Tōyō21.4%12Hagi, Yamaguchi about Kusaka Gensui17.7%13Keishi ŌtomoKōchi, Kōchi about Sakamoto Ryōma18.8%SEASON 2 RYOMA THE ADVENTUREREpisodeTitleDirected byTravelogueOriginal airdateRating14Kazuki WatanabeKōchi, Kōchi about Takechi Hanpeita18.5%15Keishi ŌtomoKyoto about Takechi Hanpeita18.4%16Sumida, Tokyo about Katsu Rintarō21.9%17Tōjō KajiwaraTosashimizu, Kōchi about John Manjirō21.8%18Kazuki WatanabeOsaka about Sakamoto Ryōma18.4%19Tōjō KajiwaraShimonoseki, Yamaguchi about Battles for Shimonoseki19.0%20Keishi ŌtomoFukui, Fukui about Matsudaira Shungaku20.4%21Kazuki WatanabeKōchi, Kōchi about Yamanouchi Yōdō20.0%22Keishi ŌtomoKyoto about Oryō19.5%23Hitoshi ManabeKobe about Katsu Kaishū19.2%24Tōjō KajiwaraKyoto about Shinsengumi20.1%25Kazuki WatanabeKyoto around the Kinmon Incident20.3%26Kōchi, Kōchi about Okada Izō17.9%27Keishi ŌtomoTama, Tokyo about Tanaka Mitsuaki17.3%28Kōchi, Kōchi about Takechi Hanpeita17.0%SEASON 3 RYOMA THE NAVIGATOREpisodeTitleDirected byTravelogueOriginal airdateRating29Keishi ŌtomoNagasaki about Omoto15.8%30Kazuki WatanabeNagasaki about Glover17.9%31Toshitake FukuokaNagasaki about Kameyama Shachū16.0%32Tōjō KajiwaraMuroto, Kōchi about Nagaoka Shintarō16.7%33Keishi ŌtomoUreshino, Saga about Ōura Kei13.7%34Hitoshi ManabeNagasaki about Kondō Chōjirō16.3%35Kazuki WatanabeKyoto about Satchō Alliance15.4%36Keishi ŌtomoKyoto about Teradaya sōdō16.8%37Tōjō KajiwaraHagi, Yamaguchi about Takasugi Shinsaku17.6%38Kazuki WatanabeKagoshima about Sakamoto Ryōma and Oryō15.8%FINAL SEASON RYOMA THE HOPEEpisodeTitleDirected byTravelogueOriginal airdateRating39Keishi ŌtomoKitakyūshū about Kiheitai13.7%40Kazuki WatanabeNagasaki about Sakamoto Ryōma14.3%41Keishi ŌtomoShimonoseki, Yamaguchi about Takasugi Shinsaku16.3%42Tōjō KajiwaraFukuyama, Hiroshima about Kaientai16.1%43Kazuki WatanabeKyoto about Sakamoto Ryōma18.0%44Toshitake FukuokaNagasaki about Kakure Kirishitan16.2%45Takegorō NishimuraYokosuka, Kanagawa about Oryō15.3%46Tōjō KajiwaraKōchi, Kōchi about Sakamoto Ryōma15.7%47Kazuki WatanabeKyoto about Taisei hōkan17.6%48Keishi ŌtomoKyoto about Sakamoto Ryōma21.3%Average rating 18.72% – Rating is based on Japanese Video Research (Kantō region).
Highlight SeasonOriginal airdateOriginal airtimeRatingSeason 1December 29, 201021:00–21:595.2%Season 222:00–22:594.3%Season 3December 30, 201021:00–21:596.1%Season 422:00–22:595.8%
Navigator: Munetaka Aoki (Season 1, 2), Teruyuki Kagawa (Season 3, 4)
International CountryTranslationNetwork(s)NotesSubtitledVideoland Television NetworkNovember 15, 2010 – SubtitledChannel JJanuary 17, 2011 – SubtitledThai PBSMarch 17, 2011 – September 1, 2011 Dubbed/Subtitledi-CABLE Entertainment ChannelMay 9, 2011 –NoneTV Japan2010NoneNHK 2010
Soundtrack and books Soundtrack NHK Taiga Drama Ryōmaden Original Soundtrack Vol.1 (January 27, 2010) NHK Taiga Drama Ryōmaden Original Soundtrack Vol.2 (May 26, 2010) NHK Taiga Drama Ryōmaden Original Soundtrack Vol.3 (September 8, 2010)
Books Official guide NHK Taiga Drama Story Ryōmaden First Part (December 8, 2009) NHK Taiga Drama Story Ryōmaden Latter Part (June 30, 2010) NHK Taiga Drama Story Ryōmaden Last Part (October 22, 2010) NHK Taiga Drama, Historical Handbook, Ryōmaden (November 19, 2009)
Novel Ryōmaden I SEASON1 RYOMA THE DREAMER (November 28, 2009) Ryōmaden II SEASON2 RYOMA THE ADVENTURER (March 25, 2010) Ryōmaden III SEASON3 RYOMA THE NAVIGATOR (July 17, 2010) Ryōmaden IV SEASON4 RYOMA THE HOPE (October 9, 2010)
Photo album Masaharu Fukuyama - Sakamoto Ryōma Photo Album (July 1, 2010) Oryō - Yōko Maki Photo Album (September 22, 2010) 2010 Years, the Journey with Masaharu Fukuyama and Ryōma Sakamoto (December 9, 2010)
Comics and other Ryōmaden, Comic Version, First Volume (January 25, 2010) Ryōmaden, Comic Version, Second Volume (April 19, 2010) Ryōma Design. (November 2010)
Reception Impact Ryōmaden made a huge impact in Japan. Kōchi, Sakamoto Ryoma's birthplace reported an increase in tourism when the drama started airing. The Bank of Japan (Koichi Branch) initially estimated the economic benefit to be around 23.4 billion yen. However, they have revised the estimation to 40.9 billion yen in April 2010, due to an increase in tourism because of 'Ryoma Fever.' The final estimation is around 52.5 billion yen, 2.3 times the value from the initial estimation. The Nagasaki Branch also estimated around 21 billion yen of economic benefit to Nagasaki, the place where Ryoma was in the Kaientai business. Copies of the necklace Ryoma wore are selling well, and it is the number one selling item in the NHK gift shop.
Accolades 2010 Teamwork of the Year Award Hashida Sugako Awards :ja:橋田賞 Hashida Sugako Award recognised TV Shows that have touched people of Japan or the Japanese Culture - Fukuyama Masaharu in Ryomaden Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Award The award was given to those who made the biggest impact to tourism in Japan. Koichi and Nagasaki has reported an increase in tourism due to Ryomaden effect. for Domestic Tourism- Fukuyama Masaharu TV Navi Awards for Best Principal Male Actor 2010 – Fukuyama Masaharu 4th Int'l Drama Festival, Tokyo Drama Award: Best Drama (Series Drama) 4th Int'l Drama Festival, Tokyo Drama Award: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Kagawa Teruyuki 4th Int'l Drama Festival, Tokyo Drama Award: Special Award – Filming staff of "Ryomaden" 2011 Elan d'Or Awards: Best Series (TV Guide Award) 2011 Elan d'Or Awards: Best Producer (TV) – Suzuki Kei 2011 Elan d'Or Awards: Newcomers of the Year – Kiritani Kenta & Sato Takeru 2011 Elan d'Or Awards: Special Prize – Terajima Shinobu 2011 Galaxy Awards: Special Award for Contribution to Art (Television category) Individual Award – Fukuyama Masaharu
References
External links
2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden" Edo-Tokyo Museum 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden" The Museum of Kyoto 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden" Kōchi Prefectural Museum of History 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden" Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture 2010 NHK Taiga drama exhibitions "Ryōmaden" VL Japan Channel website
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