Segodon NHK 2018 Taiga drama

Title: 西郷どん
Title (romaji): Segodon
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Jidaigeki
Episodes: 47
Broadcast network: NHK
Broadcast period: 2018-Jan-07 to 2018-Dec-??
Air time: Sunday 20:00

Synopsis

Saigo Takamori, the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture). His simple honesty caught the attention of its charismatic feudal lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira. Nariakira’s assertion that the love of people is what will enrich and strengthen the nation captivated Saigo who took on Nariakira’s secret mission and eventually became a key person for Satsuma. No picture of him survives today and much of his life is a mystery. He is a man who was twice exiled and three times married. He overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate with exceptional bravery and action. Although he accomplished the restoration, he lost his life in a fight with the new Meiji government.

Cast
Saigo Clan

Suzuki Ryohei as Saigo Kichinosuke / Takamori
Kuroki Haru as Iwayama Ito
Kazama Morio as Kichibe
Matsuzaka Keiko as Masako
Sakuraba Nanami as Koto
Watabe Gota as Kichijiro
Omura Kon (大村崑) as Takamitsu
Tsukaji Muga as Kumakichi
Nikaido Fumi as Aikana
Nishikido Ryo as Judo / Shingo

Ookubo Clan

Eita as Ichizo / Toshimichi
Hirata Mitsuru as Jiemon
Mimura as Masu

Satsuma Domain

Kitagawa Keiko as Oichi / Atsu-hime
Takanashi Rin as Fuki Kakihara Rinka (柿原りんか) as young Fuki
Kitamura Yukiya as Ooyama Kakunosuke / Tsunayoshi
Takahashi Mitsuomi as Arimura Shunsai / Kaieda Nobuyoshi
Horii Arata as Murata Shinpachi
Sawamura Ikki as Akayama Yukie
Minamino Yoko as Ikushima
Koyanagi Rumiko as Yura
Kaga Takeshi as Shimazu Narioki
Watanabe Ken as Shimazu Nariakira
Aoki Munetaka as Shimazu Hisamitsu
Toda Naho as Kiku
Tokui Yuu as Yamada Tamehisa
Itoda Jun (井戸田潤) as Katsura Hisatake
Ryu Raita as Zusho Hirosato

Tokugawa Shogunate

Matayoshi Naoki (又吉直樹) as Tokugawa Iesada
Fujiki Naohito as Abe Masahiro
Sano Shiro as Ii Naosuke
Mito DomainIbu Masato as Tokugawa Nariaki

Others

Tanaka Michiko as Tama
Onoe Kikunosuke (尾上菊之助) as Gesshou

Nishida Toshiyuki as narrator

Production Credits
Original work: Novel Sego-don by Hayashi Mariko (林真理子)
Screenwriter: Nakazono Miho
Directors: Noda Yusuke, Bonkobara Makoto (盆子原誠), Okada Ken
Music: Fuuki Harumi

Saigo Takamori was from Kagoshima and there is a site, appropriately enough called "Kagoshima Love" which provides a pretty good guide: https://kagoshimalove.com/saigo-articles?lang=en

Ha, Suzuki Ryohei and Kuroki Haru also worked together in Tenno no Ryoriban, where she played his sister-in-law. Sato Takeru should put in a cameo for laughs.

Happy to see Fujiki Naohito feature in another taiga :)

Hope it'll turn out to be a solid taiga outing for Suzuki.

So much for my theory that viewers preferred taigas with a male actor in the lead. "Naotora's" first two weeks ratings were were 16.9% and 15.5%.

First two weeks of "Segodon": (01) 15.4% – (02) 15.4%

:headscratch:

I haven't seen any of this yet and apparently very few people in Japan have either. Best rating of 15.5 during week 5.

(01) 15.4% – (02) 15.4% – (03) 14.2% – (04) 14.8% – (05) 15.5% – (06) 15.1% – (07) 14.3% – (08) 14.2% – (09) 14.8% – (10) 14.4% – (11) 14.6%

Those ratings are normal nowadays. It's pretty good for Taiga. Almost nothing except Asadora gets 15+.

I watched the first 10 episodes or so. Really enjoyed the first few episodes but interest waned quickly after Saigo went to Edo. It's the same story again told many times before, I don't know how they can expect to retain viewers' interest retelling the same story over and over again.

I've really been enjoying this series. While there have been some 'slow' episodes, overall it's been very enjoyable, insightful too. I feel that every cast member is giving their all for this Taiga Drama to tell the story as best and bold as it can be.
I already feel that when it end's, I'm going to have that empty feeling again.
This show really demonstrates an insurmountable amount of crap one man has endured in his young life so far. I doubt that most people today could go thruogh what he has without going insane.

Final ratings in for "Segodon". Overall average of 12.69, highest was episode 5 at 15.5 and the low was episode 37 at 9.9