Season 3 • Episode 4
LatestJapanese combined fleet destroyed the Baltic Fleet by a daring Crossing, tactic overwhelmingly defeated the Baltic Fleet. However, Japanese national power reached its limit. Japan concluded the peace treaty with Russia through the intermediation of the U.S. but Japan was not able to get reparations from Russia. Inside the country, newspapers criticized the government, saying “weak-kneed peace” and people who had frustration with it set fires in Hibiya. Saneyuki returned to Japan suffering distress. He told his wife Sueko “I saw too many deaths… I want to leave the Navy.” Meiji Japan, “Land of the children” had been trying to climb the slope as hard as it can, aiming toward the cloud above the slope. However, a bright future was not all that is ahead of them. The story reaches a conclusion while stippling the ways of life of Saneyuki and Yoshifuru.
Saka no Ue no Kumo is an NHK 21st Century special drama which was aired over three years starting from November 29, 2009. The series runs 13 episodes at 90 minutes each. The first series, with 5 episodes, was broadcast in 2009, while series two and three, each with 4 episodes, were broadcast in late 2010 and 2011. While most episodes were shot in Japan, one of the episodes in series two was shot in Latvia. The TV series is based on the novel Saka no ue no kumo by Ryōtarō Shiba and adopted by Hisashi Nozawa. The theme song of the drama series is titled "Stand Alone". It was composed by Joe Hisaishi, written by Kundo Koyama and performed by British soprano singer Sarah Brightman.
Score
Joe Hisaishi + Sarah Brightman = unhinged musical choices that WORK.
Production
They shot in LATVIA for authenticity. NHK budget goes HARD.
Acting
Masahiro Motoki and Hiroshi Abe as rival brothers? Chefs kiss.
Creators
Hisashi Nozawa, Ryōtarō Shiba
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ryōtarō Shiba's original novel spans eight volumes; NHK's adaptation took three years and reportedly cost over 2 billion yen.
The Russo-Japanese War remains Japan's most mythologized modern conflict—this drama both feeds and complicates that nationalism.
JP
