Churasan
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Contents
Details
- Title: ちゅらさん / Churasan
- Also known as: The Promise to The Chura Sea
- Genre: Asadora drama, family drama
- Episodes: 156 Episodes x 15 minutes
- Viewership: Ep1=21.3, High=29.3, Avg=22.2
- Broadcast network: NHK
- Broadcast period: 2001-04-02 to 2001-09-29
- Theme song: Best Friend by Kiroro
- Related dramas: Churasan 2, Churasan 3
Synopsis
The 64th NHK Asadora Renzoku Drama is Churasan. A story of a young woman, Kohagura Eri, who was born in Kohamajima Island, Okinawa on 1972-05-15, the day when Okinawa was restored to Japan from the U.S. Eleven years later, Kamimura Shizuko and her two sons, Kazuya and Fumiya, from Tokyo come to stay as the guests of a small inn run by Eri's family. Eri's fun-loving, yet eccentric family welcomes them warmly. However, Eri is shocked to hear one of the sons, Kazuya is terminally ill and Shizuko and her sons came to Okinawa to spend his last moment together in beautiful nature. Fumiya, Kazuya's younger brother, and Eri promise to marry each other someday. However after Kazuya's death, Fumiya and his mother leave the island to go back to Tokyo. Years later, they are reunited, Eri as a nurse and Fumiya, a doctor, working at the same hospital in Tokyo.
Story's settings include Okinawa, Naha, and Tokyo.
Cast
- Kuninaka Ryoko as Uemura Eri
- Kohashi Kenji as Uemura Fumiya
- Sakai Masaaki as Kohagura Keibun
- Tanaka Yoshiko as Kohagura Katsuko
- Miyara Shinobu as Yonabaru Makoto
- Yamada Takayuki as Kohagura Keitatsu
- Kitamura Kazuo as Shimada Daishin
- Murata Takehiro
- Kanno Miho as Jyonouchi Maria
- Yo Kimiko
- Gori as Kohabura Keisho
- Fujiki Hayato as Kaneshiro Masahide
- Sato Aiko as Kohagura Nanako
- Toda Keiko as Shimoyanagi Satoko
- Shimizu Michiko as Kanda Hidemi
- Yamaguchi Ayumi as Kohabura Shoko
- Kawata Hiroki as Shimabukuro Shoichi
- Ayukawa Makoto as Joji Ganaha
- Kabira Jiei as Ganaha Takeshi
- Konishi Manami
- Maehara Eri as Yonabaru Rumiko
- Suzuki Shogo as Uemura Kazuya
- Maya Kyoko as Uemura Shizuko
- Taira Tomi as Kohagura Hana
- Tanami Yatsuko as Shimada Mizue
- Endo Yuya
Production Credits
- Director: 榎戶崇泰, 遠藤理史, 大友啟史
- Screenwriter: Okada Yoshikazu
Awards
- 30th Television Acadamy Awards: Best Actress: Kuninaka Ryoko
- 30th Television Acadamy Awards: Best Supporting Actress: Taira Tomi
- 30th Television Acadamy Awards: Best Newcomer: Gori
- 30th Television Acadamy Awards: Best Screenwriter: Okada Yoshikazu
- 30th Television Acadamy Awards: Special Award: ゴーヤーマングッズ
Trivia
- After watching episode 86 (2001-Jul-11), a number of viewers called NHK complaining about a scene involving alcohol drinking. In the episode, a young man and the father of his girlfriend engaged in a drinking competition with Okinawan liquor, Awamori, for the sake of his proposed marriage to the daughter who is the heroin in the play. Most of the complaints claimed that the scene encouraged and glorified excessive drinking that could cause an acute alcohol poisoning. The "Okinawa Bottoms-Up Prevention Conference" representing parents who have lost their children to acute alcohol poisoning allegedly demanded that NHK run a character generator warning saying that this style of drinking would put the drinker in danger of death.
Related News
"Churasan" Reflects Growing Up Okinawan
Ryoko Kuninaka wanted to show the charm of Okinawa, the setting of the TV drama "Churasan" which means 'beautiful' in the Okinawan dialect. Ryoko was chosen from 2,084 women who auditioned for the lead female role of Eri Kohagura (the real-life maiden name of her mother, although the story is not based on her mother's life) for national broadcaster NHK.
"Churasan" is set in Okinawa and Tokyo, and follows Eri's growth, emphasizing the important relationship of life and familial love. Location shooting took place on Kohama Island and throughout Okinawa. The series covers the period from the 1972 Okinawa Reversion through 2001, showing the maturation of the heroine as she becomes a nurse, wife and mother; and also reflects the signs of the times.
"Churasan," the first NHK TV novel in the 21st century, is also the first with a lead role about an Okinawan heroine. The mother of the story writer, popular dramatist Yoshikazu Okada, was born in Naha City. Okinawan culture and nature was also incorporated into "Churasan," with Ms. Kuninaka's performance of Ryubu, Okinawan traditional dancing.