Title: 紅白が生まれた日 Kōhaku ga Umareta Hi
English Title:
- The Day Kōhaku Was Born
- The Day Red and White Song Battle Was Born
Language: Japanese
Year: 2015
Episode: 01
Cast:
- 松山ケンイチ Matsuyama Kenichi
- 本田翼 Honda Tsubasa
- 星野源 Hoshino Gen
- miwa
- 小林隆 Kobayashi Takashi
- 六角精児 Rokkaku Seiji
- 高橋克実 Takahashi Katsumi
- 中島ひろ子 Nakajima Hiroko
- 松澤一之 Matsuzawa Kazuyuki
- 趙珉和 Cho Tamiyasu
- 玉置孝匡 Tamaki Takamasa
- 菊田大輔 Kikuta Daisuke
- 小松和重 Komatsu Kazushige
- 遠藤要 Endo Kaname
- 原史奈 Hara Fumina
- 泉梨華 Izumi Rika
- 竹森千人 Takemori Sento
- 恒吉梨絵 TSuneyoshi Rie
- 草村礼子 Kusamura Reiko
SYNOPSIS
Shindō Tatsuya returned to work at the broadcasting station after the war. He is traumatized by all the violence he witnessed at the front and he resigned from his job because he feels helpless, but his friends convinced him that he can only do what he can under the circumstances. Tatsuya then went back to work, eager to create radio programs for the people.
Takeshita Mitsue used to work as an announcer during the war, but she was forced to quit afterwards because her male colleagues are coming back to work. However, Mitsue came back and requested to do odd jobs so she can earn money to support her mother and sister.
The Civil Information and Education (CIE) section of the Occupation Forces' General Headquarters (GHQ) seized the broadcast station, so that they can control radio broadcasts and provide censorship guidance to promote democracy. The CIE has tasked the station directors and producers to come up with a new music show that would appeal to the masses.
Tatsuya came up with the idea of a Red and White music contest between two teams that will broadcast on New Year's Eve. The Red team will be composed of female performers, and the White team will be composed of male performers.
REVIEW
Kōhaku ga Umareta Hi is about how the Kōhaku music show came about in 1951. Now called 紅白歌合戦 Kōhaku Uta Gassen, it is broadcast on television and radio annually in Japan, and internationally by select overseas cable channels.
I think it was fascinating how the drama focused on the person who came up with the idea for Kōhaku, and various individuals who helped make the premiere show a success. It was amazing how simple the first show was, especially considering that the recent shows are grand spectacles.
I only found out about Kōhaku in 2009, when my favorite idol group Arashi was invited to participate for the first time. I have been keeping an eye on news about the music show since then, especially since Arashi has been the male host since 2010.
Unfortunately, as much as I want to watch the whole program from start to finish, I just can't afford to spend four hours watching it as it airs because New Year's Eve is a special holiday. I mean, there are some customs I have to observe when welcoming the new year, and most of these tasks cannot be done while sitting in front of the television.
I usually just watch the parts where Arashi is featured, such as the group's performances. I think a detailed schedule is released where it is indicated at what particular time the artists will appear or perform. For me, that minute-by-minute itinerary is definitely a godsend!
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紅白が生まれた日 Kōhaku ga Umareta Hi
