Scarlet (スカーレット, Sukāretto) is a Japanese television drama series and the 101st Asadora series, following Natsuzora. It premiered on September 30, 2019, and concluded on March 28, 2020.

Scarlet
Original titleスカーレット
GenreDrama
Written byFumie Mizuhashi
Directed by
  • Yuki Nakajima
  • Yuzuru Satō
  • Kō Suzuki
  • Takayoshi Ōtani
  • Takamasa Izunami
  • Yūsuke Noda
Starring
Narrated bySeiko Nakajō
Opening theme"Flare" by Superfly
ComposerYumi Tōno
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of episodes156
Production
Executive producerYuki Uchida
ProducersTomoki Hase
Yuya Kasai
Running time15 minutes
Production companyNHK Osaka
Original release
NetworkNHK
ReleaseSeptember 30, 2019 (2019-09-30) –
March 28, 2020 (2020-03-28)

Plot

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This asadora follows the life and career of Kimiko Kawahara (played as an adult by Erika Toda) pioneering the way for women in the male-dominated field of ceramics in Japan after World War II. The story centres around Shiga Prefecture and the pottery town of Shigaraki.

In 1947, 9-year-old Kimiko (played as a child by Yukawa Kawashima) came to Shigaraki from Osaka with her father Joji (played by Kazuki Kitamura), mother Matsu (played by Yasuko Tomita), and two sisters. Joji was fleeing from debt collectors due to a business failure as a result of the war. As they settle into life in rural Shiga, Kimiko, who is very curious, is inspired by the pottery work in Shigaraki. However, initially Kimiko goes to school, takes care of her sisters and helps her mother with the housework. Joji found work in the transport industry, but the Kawahara family was still poor. Because of this, Joji brings a young man named Soichiro Kusama (played by Ryuta Sato) to board in the household. Kimiko finds inspiration from Kusama, who in turn praises her drawing work.[1]

Eventually, the debt collectors trace Joji to Shigaraki...

As an adult, Kimiko marries another ceramicist and has one son (that later died of leukemia) but continues to pursue her dreams of working in ceramics and seeks to create her own unique style.

Cast

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Kawahara's family

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Shigaraki people

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  • Yūko Oshima as Teruko Kumagai, Kimiko's childhood friend
    • Naho Yokomizo as young Teruko
  • Kento Hayashi as Shinsaku Ōno, Kimiko's childhood friend
    • Kenshin Nakamura, as young Shinsaku
  • Naomi Zaizen as Yōko Ōno, Shinsaku's mother
  • Magy as Takenobu Ōno, Shinsaku's father and store owner

Osaka people

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  • Miki Mizuno as Chiyaki Andō, a journalist
  • Junpei Mizobata as Keisuke Sakata
  • Takehiro Kimoto as Yutarō Tanaka
  • Aki Hano as Sada Araki, a mistress and designer
  • Kyōko Mitsubayashi as Nobuko Ōkubo, a former maid of Araki's mansion
  • Takanori Nishikawa as George Fujikawa, a world-renowned artist

Others

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References

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  1. ^ "物語 (Story)" (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
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Preceded by Asadora
September 30, 2019 – March 28, 2020
Succeeded by