＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
“Hanzawa Naoki,” a hit drama series, is a long-awaited success thanks to catchphrases (famous lines) like “If you hit me, I’ll hit you back twice as hard!!” and “You damn boss, remember that!” So, this time, I’d like to explore the secret behind “Hanzawa Naoki’s” popularity.
1. The Secret to “Hanzawa Naoki’s” Popularity
(1) The Exhilarating Edokko Debate of “Isshin Tasuke”
As mentioned in a previous article, the rakugo story “Tagaya” also features some exhilarating Edokko debates.
The storytelling story “Kyouyu Isshin Tasuke” also features some exhilarating lines.
In the scene where Isshin Tasuke rushes into Okubo Hikozaemon’s mansion in Surugadai, shouldering a shoulder pole and yelling that it’s the biggest crisis in the world, he stands at the entrance and yells at the top of his lungs.
“Hey! Are you there? Are you gone? Is the boss dead? Boss, boss, thunder boss, Gyakubotaru!” (By the way, “Gyakubotaru” means “bald head” or “shining head.”)
(2) Exaggerated Kabuki-like glares and poses
Unlike typical TV dramas, this drama features the exaggerated glares and poses of Kabuki. This may have seemed fresh to modern Japanese people. This is why it’s called “suit kabuki.” Exaggerated facial expressions can be seen throughout.
(3) A story that appeals to Japanese people who favor the judge.
As seen in “Chushingura” and “Minamoto no Yoshitsune,” the Japanese have long had a national trait of favoring the judge. In that sense, this drama’s story appeals to many Japanese people.
(4) It allows people to release their pent-up frustration with the current state of Japan.
There’s a dodoitsu (traditional Japanese folk song) that goes, “More than the cicadas that sing yearning for love, the silent fireflies burn themselves.” Japanese people have a strong sense of self-control and restraint.
This is true not only in love, but also in social life. Unlike Westerners, we are less likely to assert our rights loudly and sharply, and tend to tolerate oppression in a masochistic manner.
However, like the farmers of the Edo period, there is a limit to how much we can endure. I think that in modern Japanese society, dramas like this are welcomed as a way to let off steam in lieu of riots like “ikki” (rebellions) or “uchikowashi” (destruction).
Perhaps it’s helping people release their frustrations from the self-restraint caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, the “double payback without any consideration” theme has become a “cheer for the Lost Generation.”
(5) A Modern Drama Adaptation of the Politics of Good and Evil
The idea of ”rewarding good and punishing evil” may seem old-fashioned, as in Article 6 of Prince Shotoku’s Seventeen-Article Constitution, which states, “Punishing evil and encouraging good is an ancient law,” but it fits the Japanese national character. The way it’s been beautifully adapted into a modern drama is also appealing.
Fuji TV’s “Ittekai TV Sukatto Japan” also uses a similar motif.
(6) Incorporating Current Events and Phenomena
This economic drama dramatically depicts the fundamentals of the bubble and ice age generations, as well as the ills of Japan’s Heisei era, incorporating news incidents that made headlines.
2. What is “Hanzawa Naoki”?
(1) Original Story
The show is based on the “Hanzawa Naoki Series” novels by Jun Ikeido (1963-), a former banker (formerly of Mitsubishi Bank).
(2) TV Drama
Based on the original novels “We Are the Bankers of the Bubble Era” and “We Are the Flower Bubble Era,” the two-part series aired on TBS’s Sunday Theater from July 7 to September 22, 2013, with a total of 10 episodes.
Starting July 19, 2020, a sequel based on “The Lost Generation Strikes Back” and “Silver Wing Icarus” has been airing on the same Sunday Theater.
(3) Top Viewer Ratings
Following the “No. 1 Heisei Commercial TV Drama” (42.2% for the final episode), the fifth episode, which aired on August 16, 2020, achieved a viewership rating of 25.5%, and it is currently on track to become the “No. 1 Reiwa Drama.”