Karei-naru Ichizoku

Plot

Set in the post-World War II climate of the 1960s in Kobe, the show explores the struggle for power within the powerful Manpyo family. The cornerstone of their empire is the Hanshin Bank (阪神銀行; a fictional version of the former Kobe Bank (now Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation)), controlled by the father of the clan, Daisuke Manpyo (万俵 大介). Eldest son Teppei (万俵 鉄平) is the managing director of Hanshin Steelworks (阪神特殊製鋼; fictional version of Sanyo Special Steel Co., Ltd.). The ambitious Teppei seeks to expand operations of his company, and goes to his father to see if he can secure a loan. But the Minister of Finance seeks the merger of smaller Japanese banks to fend off foreign competition. Daisuke must decide whether to protect his son's interest in manufacturing or to ensure the survival of the bank that he controls.

The series mostly revolves on the hidden secrets within the Manpyo family. A running theme throughout the show is Teppei's constant hunger for his father's approval. However, instead of being seen as a son, he is often seen as a threat by his own father. Throughout most of the series, they are competing as Daisuke refuses to help in Teppei's struggles.

At the end, we are shown why the characters act as they did. Teppei's mother was supposedly raped by his grandfather, therefore, making Daisuke unsure if Teppei was actually his, or Keisuke's (his father). Teppei's uncanny resemblance to Keisuke, and his blood type proves to Daisuke that he was, indeed, his half-brother. This causes the heartache that surrounds the Manpyo family.

Teppei's company is not saved. As he finds out that he was not actually who he thought he was, he goes to the mountains where his family hunts. He makes a final call to his wife. The next morning, Teppei leaves a suicide note and shoots himself.

When the Manpyo family learns about Teppei's death, his mother is distraught. His father however, seems placid and cold. A man then comes in and asks the parents to sign Teppei's death certificate. Daisuke notices that they had made a mistake in the certificate, he states that they had Teppei's blood type wrong. The man informs them that the blood test was wrong. This revelation drives Teppei's mother into a fit. Daisuke is weakened. The man he thought to be a product of his father's horrible actions, was in fact, his own son. He is even more remorseful when he reads Teppei's suicide letter. Finally, Teppei is given the acceptance that he so long craved for.

Television production 1974

Cast

So Yamamura – Daisuke Manpyo

Mayumi Ogawa – Aiko Takasu / Narrator

Yoko Shimada – Tsugiko Manpyo

Yūzō Kayama – Teppei Manpyo

Yoshiko Kuga – Yasuko Manpyo

Ryūzō Hayashi – Ginpei Manpyo

Masako Izumi – Fusako

Yukiko Kashiwagi – Sanae Manpyo

Izumi Yamaguchi – Makiko Yasuda

Kei Satō – Ataru Mima

Utako Mitsuya – Ichiko Mima

Shinya Owada – Yoshihiko Ichinose

Ryō Ikebe – Shoichi Mikumo

Shiho Fujimura – Shiho Mikumo

Meichō Soganoya – Sentaro Watanuki

Ken Nishida – Kazuya Hosokawa

Kōji Kawamura – Ichiro Okawa

Masao Shimizu as Miyamoto

Kazuya Oguri – the factory head Ichinose

Kenji Sugawara – Hideyuki Akutagawa

Kyōsuke Maki – Zenitaka

Hideaki Nagai – Ōkame

Akihiko Hirata – Haruta

Kōichi Itō – the prime minister Sahashi

Film

Karei-naru Ichizoku was released theatrically in Japan on 26 January 1974, where it was distributed by Toho. The film was a commercial success.

Cast

Shin Saburi as Daisuke Manpyō

Tatsuya Nakadai as Teppei Manpyō / Keisuke Manpyō

Yumeji Tsukioka as Yasuko Manpyō

Yūki Meguro as Ginpei Manpyō

Kyōko Kagawa as Ichiko Mima

Yoko Yamamoto as Sanae Manpyō

Wakako Sakai as Tsugiko Manpyō

Kin'ya Kitaōji as Yoshihiko Ichinose

Hideaki Nitani as Shōichi Mikumo

Eitaro Ozawa as the finance minister Nagata

Akiji Kobayashi as Kojima

Mizuho Suzuki as Kuraishi

Akihiko Hirata as Haruta

Shigeru Kōyama as Wajima

Tappei Shimokawa as Head of the Teikoku Seitetsu

Yoshio Inaba as the factory head Ichinose

Toshio Takahara as Tsunoda

Hideji Ōtaki as Arao

Nobuo Nakamura as Matsudaira

Osamu Takizawa as Miyamoto

Kō Nishimura as Watanuki

Takashi Shimura as Tahei Yasuda

Jirō Tamiya as Ataru Mima

Honors

Mainichi Film Award for Best Art Direction award

Mainichi Film Award for Best Cinematography award

In Kinema Junpo magazine's list of the 10 best Japanese films of the year, Karei-naru Ichizoku reached #3 in 1974.

Television production 2007

Cast

Takuya Kimura – Teppei Manpyo

Kin'ya Kitaōji – Daisuke Manpyo

Kyōka Suzuki – Aiko Takasu

Kazue Fukiishi – Ichiko Mima

Kyōko Hasegawa – Sanae Manpyo

Toru Nakamura – Ataru Mima

Hiroki Narimiya – Yoshihiko Ichinose

Toshiyuki Nishida – Ichiro Okawa

Masahiko Nishimura – Zenitaka

Tetsuya Takeda – Ōkame

Yu Yamada – Makiko Yasuda

Koji Yamamoto – Ginpei Manpyo

Toshirō Yanagiba – Shoichi Mikumo

Saki Aibu – Tsugiko Manpyo

Izumi Inamori – Fusako Tsuruta

Yumi Takigawa – Shino Tsuruta

Sei Hiraizumi – the factory head Ichinose

Masayuki Ito – Matsuo Tanaka

Shōfukutei Tsurube II – Sentaro Watanuki

Masahiko Tsugawa – the finance minister Nagata

Mieko Harada – Yasuko Manpyo

Ratings

The series attracted high ratings. Over the course of its run, the series averaged 23.9% in the Kanto region (TBS) and 30.4% in the Kansai region (MBS). The second half of the series' two-part "Finale" attained a rating of 30.4%, the highest rating achieved by a Japanese drama episode in 2007.

Hawaii broadcast

Karei-naru Ichizoku aired on KIKU-TV in Hawaii on September 23, 2007 to November 25, 2007 under the name The Grand Family. The broadcast included complete English subtitles.

Television production 2021

Cast

Kiichi Nakai – Daisuke Manpyo

Osamu Mukai – Teppei Manpyo

Yuki Uchida – Aiko Takasu

Yumi Asō – Yasuko Manpyo

Taisuke Fujigaya – Ginpei Manpyo

Riho Yoshioka – Makiko Yasuda

Jun Kaname – Ataru Mima

Rie Mimura – Ichiko Mima

Honoka Matsumoto – Tsugiko Manpyo

Asuka Kudoh – Yoshihiko Ichinose

Rena Sasamoto – Sanae Manpyō

Riko Fukumoto – Mitsuko Manpyo

Toshiya Miyata – Kazuya Hosokawa

Ken Ishiguro – Shoichi Mikumo

Seiji Rokkaku – Sentaro Watanuki

Toshiyuki Nagashima – Ichiro Okawa

Masaya Kato – the factory head Ichinose

Masanobu Takashima – Hideyuki Akutagawa

Masahiro Kōmoto – Zenitaka

Hajime Inoue – Ōkame

Yoichi Nukumizu – Matsuo Tanaka

Hisako Manda – Tsuruko

Rena Tanaka – Fusako