Ginnikan Ep 1: Drama Notes

Ep. 1: "Buying out a Revenge"

Episode Synopsis. A lordless samurai and his son who have left behind their home clan, were traveling when they got stopped by a young samurai. This young man is seeking revenge against the father and kills him. The 10 year old son Tsurunosuke (Tamayama Uta) almost gets killed too but a merchant intervenes. The merchant, Wasuke (Tsugawa Masahiko) an owner of an agar wholesale business, Ikawaya, offers to buy the samurai's revenge with one bag of ginnikan (Edo period's silver currency). The bargain is accepted, and Tsurunosuke, now a homeless orphan, has no choice but to go with Wasuke to become a lowly apprentice in his shop in Tenma, Osaka. The shop's head clerk, Zenjiro (Shiomi Sansei) is very strict with him and not at all pleased that the precious ginnikan was exchanged for this boy. That hard-earned money was intended for the rebuilding of Osaka's Tenmangu (shrine), which was destroyed in a fire. Of course, the boy is unhappy with his situation, too. He also dislikes the shop's main source of livelihood: agar. To top it off, he is sent to learn to make agar in a production site in Fushimi, Kyoto... Three years have passed, the boy, now 13 year old, comes back to Ikawaya. Taller and a bit more docile than before, he takes on the apprentice name, "Matsukichi". Matsukichi (Hayashi Kento) starts his new life as a humble apprentice. But inside of him, the proud Samurai spirit still lingers...

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KodoGuru S4 Ep.1: Drama Notes

Ep. 1: "Spicy fried meat and bean sprouts of Kiyose City, Tokyo"

Episode Synopsis.
Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) arrives in Kiyose, Tokyo for his appointment with an eyewear shop owner (Shiga Kotaro). However, the client is at the moment playing mahjong so Goro goes to the mahjong parlor instead and waits for him to finish. Afterwards, the two proceed with their meeting which ends on a good note, if only the owner had not insisted on making Goro try out some of his flashy sunglasses. Later, Goro aims to satiate his hunger by looking for an eatery near the station. He tries out "Miyuki Shokudo", a simple greasy spoon that offers affordable set meals with hefty amounts. Despite his hunger, Goro is taking a bit of time deciding what to order as he gets lost in the shop's varied menu: written on numerous strips of paper, attached all over one wall...
(pix: tvtokyo)

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