View topic - Go: Hime-tachi no Sengoku - 2011 NHK Taiga

Episode 14 of GOU titled "Rien seyo"(Divorce) was aired on April 17. This episode tells how Gou and her first husband, Saji Kazunari, got married and then got divorced. Her short marriage life with the first husband was told in one episode, but Hashiba Hideyoshi's wickedness stood out more in this episode.

GOU's Hideyoshi had been criticized as a "Foolish(Ridiculous) Lord" so far. Sen-no-Rikyu (Ishizaka Koji) can see through his secret intentions, One (Otake Shinobu) is always in disbelief with everything he has done, and he always shows disgraceful/shameful behaviours in front of Ishida Mitsunari (Hagiwara Masato). He lacks the basic charms of Hideyoshi that got him chosen by Oda Nobunaga, which are quick-witted and skill in deceiving people. Even if it's a standard procedure, that Toyotomi Hideyoshi is described as the evil one among the Three Great Heroes of Sengoku, like one of his bad side which he shows in the Imjin War and all, but it is very unusual for an adaptation to make him look so bad even before he become the ruler of Japan.

The problem of GOU's Hideyoshi is, he looked like a fool straight from the beginning. He has a wicked intention of wanting to make Ichi and Chacha as his. In this drama, Hideyoshi's mind seem to be only about that. Although he always deny it in public, but every character around him can easily see that intention. And this drama lacks the points of why a sharp and able person like Ishida Mitsunari can be loyal to this Hideyoshi.

However, Hideyoshi in this episode have started to act the way he suppose to be. Hideyoshi forced Gou to separate from her husband, but he used a mean planned scheme. And then he confessed his planned scheme in front of Gou, Chacha, Hatsu, One and Mitsunari. He let Gou to feel angry toward himself, and he seem to be in joy to see Gou getting angry. Apparently this Hideyoshi is a pure evil without any good points left. However we can consider the fact he confessed about his scheme as honesty. It's quite a contrast with the part when he was lying to Gou that the marriage was to stop the war with Oda Nobukatsu.

Maybe we can say that his character of "I'll do what I want", "I'll get what I want" is his evil charms. It is one of the reason why the brutal dictator, Hideyoshi, became the popular "TAIKO-san". In terms of that, we can say that this episode is the turning point of where Hideyoshi started to show his trueself to people around him. The flashy Osaka castle which was the reflection of Hideyoshi's interests and preferences, has just been completed as well in this episode. The more honest Hideyoshi is one of the highlight of the story from now on.

source: http://npn.co.jp/article/detail/29074811/