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The story
On a radio broadcast on the 4th, singer Matsuyama Chiharu revealed that screenwriter Kuramoto Sou (who died on September 18 at age 91) had personally offered him the chance to sing the theme song for “Kita no Kuni Kara” (From the Northern Country). Chiharu said he turned it down, telling Kuramoto “I can’t do it,” and recommended Sada Masashi in his place. He also confessed that he and Kuramoto were close enough to have had two major blowout fights. The thread was split: some argued that because Kuramoto — who wasn’t actually from Hokkaido — was picturing an imagined, idealized Hokkaido, Sada’s music was actually the better fit, while others brought up locals’ complicated feelings about “Kita no Kuni Kara” itself.
10/4 (Sun) 21:55
On the 4th, singer Matsuyama Chiharu appeared live on FM NACK5’s “Matsuyama Chiharu ON THE RADIO” (Sundays, 9:00 PM), the show he hosts, and revealed a behind-the-scenes story about screenwriter Kuramoto Sou, who died on September 18 of multiple organ failure at age 91.
At the top of that day’s show, Matsuyama said, “Last week, Kuramoto passed away. He died on September 18 — he was a playwright, a screenwriter, a writer, you know. I’ve mentioned this on the radio before, but Kuramoto and I were really close.” He then revealed that after spitting out “You idiot! Get out!” at Kuramoto during two major fights, the two had drifted apart in recent years.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
I don't think that's it?
Because Sada sang it, the Hokkaido he imagined in his own head ended up turning into pretty good music, no?
Kita no Kuni Kara
The drama Hokkaido locals hate
I wonder if Churasan and Chimudondon were big topics of conversation in Okinawa, though.
Churasan was a huge deal locally too —
the lead and even the theme song were all Okinawan,
and the dialect didn't feel off except for Sakai Masaaki.
The Goya-man dolls sold like crazy too.
Chimudondon, on the other hand, tried to copy Churasan's formula and it felt like it flopped —
the good-for-nothing older brother and the mother who kept spoiling him just highlighted the less flattering side of Okinawa, so locals couldn't really root for it either.
This might've actually been the theme song
Well, not that it was exactly a substitute or anything, but
I introduced BEGIN to Kuramoto-san,
and that's how "Shimanchu nu Takara" (Treasure of the Islanders, BEGIN's famous Okinawan hit) came about!
but I guess that razor's-edge quality is exactly what makes him who he is
There's no hair splitting hairs over it though (a pun on "paper-thin"/"hair's-breadth" sounding alike in Japanese)
Something like "Snow speaks not a word," or along those lines?
Might just be one of Chiharu's tall tales, but Kuramoto was into Nagabuchi and Ozaki and liked that old-school sentimental style, so it's believable lol
so that wasn't even Kuramoto's idea
it's common knowledge in the industry
Tashiro?
Ueda Masashi too (the Kobo-chan manga artist)
For me it was Kumada Masashi right off the bat (the comedian)
was he drunk when he said it?
Isn't Sada actually his senior in the industry?
Matsuyama Chiharu has always called his seniors by their bare first names, ever since he was young.
He probably thinks that's what's cool.
And it's not just Sada — he does it to "Tanimura," "Kousetsu," "Miyuki" and others too, it's pretty bad
Since it's the fantasy Hokkaido that Kuramoto Sou — who wasn't even a Hokkaido local — pictured in his head, Sada really was the right call over Matsuyama Chiharu
Maybe it's Ohira Masayoshi!? (the former PM famous for his mumbly "ah… u…" speaking style)
Why do Hokkaido locals hate it?
Pretty much every character in it is a scumbag, and people don't want others thinking that's what Hokkaido locals are like or something… though I don't really know
Background and Key Points of This Topic
The theme song for “Kita no Kuni Kara” (1981–2002, Fuji TV), titled “Kita no Kuni Kara (Aki Fureta),” was sung by Sada Masashi. Screenwriter Kuramoto Sou was born in Tokyo and only became known for his Hokkaido-set work after moving to Furano in 1977 — he was never a Hokkaido native himself. Matsuyama Chiharu, by contrast, is an actual Hokkaido local, born in Ashoro Town, and the twist at the heart of this story is that it was Chiharu who turned the theme song down. The thread split between two takes: one held that Sada’s lyrics suited Kuramoto’s abstract, imagined vision of Hokkaido better than a hometown perspective like Chiharu’s would have; the other lamented that it was a shame a genuine Hokkaido local like Chiharu never ended up singing it. Several commenters also noted that “Kita no Kuni Kara” itself wasn’t always received favorably within Hokkaido, revealing a gap between the show’s image as a nationwide hit and how locals actually felt about it.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuhou+) thread “Matsuyama Chiharu turned down Kuramoto Sou’s personal request to sing the ‘Kita no Kuni Kara’ theme song — “I can’t do it, so I recommended Masashi” — also reveals why he declined.”
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