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The story
In a survey by TRILL asking 300 people nationwide, aged in their teens through seventies, about the “most memorable actor to play Oda Nobunaga,” Takashi Sorimachi came in second and Takuya Kimura third. The actor who took first place reportedly drew comments like “it’s as if Nobunaga himself possessed him.” On the 5ch thread reacting to the survey, posters focused more on naming Showa- and Heisei-era Taiga drama actors like Koji Yakusho, Tetsuya Watari, and Hideki Takahashi than on the actual results, highlighting just how differently each generation remembers “the definitive Nobunaga.” Some also praised Shota Someya’s deranged, intense take on the role, and differences in each production’s direction became a talking point too.
TRILL, Oct. 6
Actors who play Oda Nobunaga bring more than just charisma and intensity — they often reveal a surprising human side too. Since every production portrays him differently, many of you probably have a Nobunaga performance you just can’t forget.
This time we surveyed 300 people nationwide, ranging from their teens to their seventies, about “the actor who left the strongest impression playing Oda Nobunaga.” The responses were full of the excitement people felt watching these portrayals and how convincingly each actor fit the role. Be sure to check out the results — you might find yourself nodding along!
Source: trilltrill.jp / Original article here
What people said
In NHK's 1983 Taiga drama 'Tokugawa Ieyasu'
Koji Yakusho's charisma was insane
His eyes were terrifying
Gotta be Hideki Takahashi
If they're doing this for Ieyasu and Nobunaga, they'll probably do one for Hideyoshi too, right?
It'd be weird if Naoto Takenaka didn't take first place for Hideyoshi.
His stiff delivery of 'Is that so' (de, aru ka) killed it for me.
Nobunaga supposedly talked that way on purpose, so people couldn't read his emotions.
That's exactly why.
Asari — you mean the guy who's basically typecast as Kobayakawa?
It was a fresh interpretation, but Someya's character really stood out.
Couldn't agree more.
It really captured Nobunaga's terrifying madness.
A round-faced Nobunaga with a complex about Mitsuhide — that was quite memorable.
For Ieyasu, I prefer either Kohei Matsushita, who's playing him now, or Seiyo Uchino.
Obrigado! (his catchphrase)
That scene where he sprinted over and lopped off the head of a construction worker who was harassing a woman was great.
That sheer presence, man.
I can totally picture him in a topknot, wearing sunglasses and holding a shotgun lol
Even the real Nobunaga was basically 'an amateur trying one verse of the dance,' though.
Have you ever actually seen Nobunaga alive?
His voice is too high-pitched, so tense scenes lack any gravitas.
Apparently the real Nobunaga had a high-pitched voice too.
What 'legend' are they talking about — the reviews were brutal.
Sorimachi doesn't fit the Nobunaga image at all either.
Oguri's Nobunaga, I get it. Kinnosuke Yorozuya, I get it. Hideki Takahashi, I get it. Ken Watanabe, I get it.
But Kimutaku's Nobunaga was just the worst — sure, the script was garbage too —
but it was nowhere close to the soul-deep acting you'd see in something like 'Bushi no Ichibun.'
You're absolutely right.
If a time machine existed and they actually saw the real Nobunaga, they'd probably whine that he doesn't match their image lol
According to Luís Fróis, he was 'slender and tall, with a high-pitched voice, and extremely courteous to us — but when scolding his subordinates he was so dignified and fearsome that everyone prostrated themselves.'
That's it right there — 'Golden Days' (Ōgon no Hibi).
You can feel the darkness in him, right?
Would've loved to see him do it back when he was young, with that slightly menacing vibe of his.
Hmm, Ryo Kase is probably the closest match…
Background and Talking Points
This survey was conducted by TRILL, and the key point is its scale — 300 people — and the broad age range covered, from teens to seventies. Nobunaga has been portrayed in Taiga dramas spanning decades, from ‘Kunitori Monogatari’ and ‘Tokugawa Ieyasu’ to ‘Ōgon no Hibi’ and, more recently, ‘Kirin ga Kuru,’ so it’s only natural that the actors people remember most vary widely by generation. On the thread, harsh assessments like ‘his acting was stiff’ or ‘that was the worst’ appeared alongside praise like ‘the madness really came through’ — aimed at the very same actor — and since there’s no single ‘correct’ Nobunaga, neither reaction is wrong. The thread also cites missionary Luís Fróis’s record that the real Nobunaga’s voice was ‘high-pitched,’ a detail readers may easily overlook, since the common image of Nobunaga having a deep, weighty voice doesn’t necessarily match the historical record. </analysis>
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*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuhou+) thread, ‘[Nobunaga Role] 2nd Place: Takashi Sorimachi, 3rd Place: Takuya Kimura — 300 People’s ‘Most Memorable Oda Nobunaga,’ with 1st Place Described as ‘So Convincing It Felt Like Nobunaga Himself Had Possessed Him.’‘
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