When the announcement came through that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics would have to be postponed due to a global coronavirus pandemic, broadcasters had to scrap or delay a lot of their content. NHK, however, has decided to go ahead with one idea that will hopefully remind viewers that tough times go hand-in-hand with athletic greatness.
During this year's Golden Week holiday period, the national broadcaster will, for the first time ever, broadcast an English version of its trademark taiga drama. "Idaten" looks at the history of Japanese sport from the 1912 Stockholm Olympics up to Tokyo's landmark Olympics in 1964, over six episodes that will feature English subtitles and narration by American-born Japanese entertainer Patrick Harlan.
The taiga drama itself is an institution, having come into existence a year before the original Tokyo Olympics. Typical taiga dramas play out over the course of a year, with one episode airing every Sunday evening on NHK. Tsuyoshi Inoue, the director of this international version of "Idaten," says that condensing it provides a tighter focus on the main characters. The original, which ran over the course of last year, consisted of 47 episodes.