Sanadamaru (2016)

A bad Taiga. I was actually really looking forward to it. However the script was horrible and ruined everything for the interesting roles I was looking forward to.

There were some good performances by the supporting cast like Takeuchi Yuko as Yodo and Kohinata as Hideyoshi or Kusakari as Masayuki however the storyline was so uneven.

Kuroki Haru as Ume (based on Hotta Sakubei's sister Nobushige's first wife) and Matsuoka Mayu as Haru (based on Otani Yoshitsugu's daughter, Nobushige's fourth wife) did the best with what was given to them.

Sadly Mayu's role was treated like dirt by the script writers despite playing the most significant and youngest of Nobushige's wives, the daughter of Otani Yoshitsugu, mother of Daisuke and developer of the Sanadahimo. I was so looking forward to Yoshitsugu's daughter since historically her life was full of drama and historically she was Nobushige's support during Kudoyama and Osaka.

There was way too much focus on Yukimura's youth and Nagasawa Masami's largely fictional character based on the second of Nobushige's wives (Takanashi Naiki's daughter) who historically did nothing and wasn't present during Kudoyama and Osaka which ruined a lot to me.
Nagasawa should have been written out before Yoshitsugu's daughter arrived.

Another disappointment was what the writers did to Yoshida Yo's character Ina/Komatsu. Her character similar to Mayu's character was downplayed.

If you want a fair and accurate portayal of Ina and Otani's daughter rather watch Sanada Taiheiki. The writers of Sanadamaru out of some reason did not like them.

Read More

One of the finest Taiga produced by NHK

Sanada Yukimura. Can't possibly go wrong with that. The drama does an excellent job of depicting the life and times of the man known as "Nihon ichi no tsuwamono", Japan's greatest warrior.

As far as casting is concerned, Sakai, Oizumi and Kusakari were the perfect picks for their respective roles. Uchino Seiyo as Ieyasu was an excellent choice as well, and did a great job of humanizing that role from his very first appearance. While the female cast was lackluster with the exception of Nagasawa Masami's role of Kiri, its hardly noticeable.

The script is generally decent, and is almost excellent towards the end, from Sekigahara to Tennoji.

Musical score is pretty standard for your average Sengoku period play. No single piece makes you want to rewind and rewatch the scene, as it is with Kirin Ga Kuru, no piece of score is particularly memorable. Mediocre at best.

Overall a worthwhile watch if you're interested in Sengoku period Taigas. Up there with shows like Gunshi Kanbei.

Read More