Fumiko

Last year Kamakura dono was by the way extremely subpar which is why Dousuru shines more to me in contrast for example regarding costumes (last year there were only recycled ones).

Dousuru at least had battles to speak of. Kamakura dono had a super lackluster Gempei War and the succession crisis after Yoritomo's death was just awfully done (most rebellion and fight scenes were not shown and merely heads were delivered in caskets).

It's a really annoying part in Taiga that the 'first love' character nowadays has to be present for an eternity.

In Kamakura dono last year they virtually fabricated a fictional version of Hojo Yoshitoki's first girlfriend (identity unknown in real life) who was Hojo Yasutoki's mother by oddly combining her with Ito Yae (Minamoto Yoritomo's first wife Ito Yae killed herself when he left her for Hojo Masako after Yoritomo's and Yae's son Sentsurumaru was killed).

In real life Hojo Yoshitoki loved his first legal wife Hime no Mae as well his later much younger second legal wife Iga no Kata (mother of Hojo Masamura).
He ignored his first son and heir Yasutoki and was obsessed with Iga no Kata and 16 year old Masamura who he was close to declaring his heir shortly before he died.

The Taiga acted as if his first son Yasutoki was everything to him.

With Ieyasu it was similar:
Sena, Nobuyasu, Sena, Nobuyasu, Sena, Nobuyasu.

Real Ieyasu certainly preferred Oai, Acha and Lady Okatsu.
Hidetada definitely was liked more than Nobuyasu.

In Sanadamaru it was similar as well:
Real life Sanada Nobushige loved Otani Yoshitsugu's super young daughter Chikurin'in who he married shortly before Sekigahara who gave him 6 children, worked hard and spent much time with him in exile and Osaka.
Sanadamaru's Nobushige spends way too much time with unimportant village women he married age 16 historically and did not care much about.

I think there could definitely be some removed scenes especially regarding Dong Kyu to dramatize stuff. I also think he interacted with Rio way more already than shown, saw her acting experience (many guys were kinda focusing on Rio in the beginning I think since she is the most experienced actress maybe hoping that it would help to win roles) and probably liked her looks and since they drank together quiet often. He at first was likely only nice to Nozomi to have a potential partner in case a plan to get a partner who might land him roles doesn‘t work out.

The couple I buy the most perhaps ending up with each other is definitely Tae-gyun and Ayano

Honoka was really exhausting today it would be more likeable if she would say ‚I messed up it‘s obvious that Won Shik would move on then and search for someone who interests him‘.

To me it rather seems that she doesn’t want to end the show partnerless which is why she tried to get back Won Shik. Like that Won Shik said: ‚Well I am interested in Nozomi now thus I will follow this.‘

Next week the finale:
Wonder if there will be any surprise twists.
I could see Tae-gyun and Ayano ending the show together.
Maybe also Won Shik and Nozomi.
I am not sure whether Rio will stay with Dong Kyu especially since she has the most acting experience of all participants and she could move on.
Honoka and Ji Hyuk will likely leave partnerless.

Completed.

One of the best Taiga in the recent years for sure next to Kirin, Kanbei and Kiyomori.
The second part which kinda rebooted Ieyasu’s character post Tsukiyama incident really rose the stakes and they did a good job with the major battles.

The costumes were great I enjoyed the columns on the official webpage.
Make up was the best since Mori Motonari especially since many characters age and the time frame of the Taiga is large.

Many characters who grew on me from both Ieyasu‘s team as well as from his opponents, there were even some sad episodes.
Most demanding female performance was Kitagawa Keiko in the double role of fleshing out Nobunaga‘s sister Oichi (who is too often reduced to merely being Nobunaga‘s sister in media) as well as Ieyasu‘s ultimate opponent, Oichi‘s oldest daughter Chacha.

January was suggested but I am starting to doubt it since no pictures, trailers, posters have been released yet.

I think that we will see Wonshik more with Nozomi next episode since Honoka even pointed out that Nozomi now seems to have made a cut with Dongkyu and move on to Wonshik. The teaser also makes it seem like Nozomi and Wonshik will get more screentime now.

Matsuoka Mayu
Nikaido Fumi
Mitsushima Hikari
Kuroki Haru
Aoi Yu

All are great and have great acting chops. Also underrated.

I hope that Nozomi will get a role and maybe meet Wonshik more often. Dongkyu switched to Rio very quickly and it‘s a waste crying after him until the end of the show. I hope that Nozomi and Dongkyu is not revisited. Honoka also kinda missed her chance with Wonshik by telling him that she is not interested anymore but it‘s up to Wonshik if he wants to pursue Nozomi now or give Honoka another chance.

Ji Chang Wook‘s Gogukcheon is said to be a nobel character in history and I have read that the Queen cherishes him in synopsis. When the succession crisis starts I think that the Queen will mostly love and focus on the throne then and stop caring about a love match perhaps, since her second husband Yeon Woo/Sansang is not in the main cast but in the support cast.
Balgi played by Lee Soo Hyuk will be her main rival for the throne.

The series also gave Queen Woo a sister who is in the main cast. Said sister dislikes that Woo always gets chances to be the Queen. Maybe the sister will then have a plotline in which she seduces or gets together with Balgi?

As for Nozomi and Dongkyu, I think what started that you think that they are likeable together was that when they first met he had the right line at exactly the right time. However at the moment it seems to lead nowhere likely since like he said he is a rookie actor. When they will be paired with other people will also show whether they do have a solid bond already.

It's also been a long time since they had a female protagonist. The height of the Heian era is also rarely covered (most of the time the focus is rather the end of the Heian era Gempei War and Kamakura Shogunate).

The only other Taiga that is older than Hikaru regarding time frame is the Taira no Masakado Taiga from the 70s (eras pre Heian have never been used so far).

The historical records are so bare bones that they don't even mention how exactly Gogukcheon died. Since the synopsis only mention 'the absence of the King, the King is missing' etc. they could even go for a fake death first and that Gogukcheon makes a surprise return later only to die for real the second time.
Or they could feature him heavily in flashbacks.

The ones covered as female lead already would be:
Hojo Masako (Kusa Moeru and kinda also in Kamakura dono as deuteragonist), Hino Tomiko (Hana no Ran), Atsuhime (Atsuhime), Ii Naotora (Onna Joshu Naotora), Yamamoto Yaeko (Yae no Sakura), Nene (Onna Taikoki), Gou (Gou), Kasuga no Tsubone (Kasuga no Tsubone).

That would leave:
Tachibana Ginchiyo (a Tachibana Taiga has been asked for for years)

Hosokawa Gracia. Kirin ga Kuru about her father Mitsuhide was popular enough and she has been planned for a long while as a theme.

Oichi (would take a long while since she featured a lot in Dousuru and if a Nobunaga Taiga is done she would be there as well)

Chacha (actually should happen at some point in the future in my opinion)

Kyogoku Maria - Azai Nagamasa's older sister. An important Christian leader.

Maybe also a remake Onna Taikoki Taiga about Nene, Hideyoshi's wife

Hino Tomiko I doubt will be chosen as a theme again however Hojo Soun is a possible theme and Hino Tomiko would appear in a Taiga if it's set during the Onin War of course.

They could also go the Toshiie to Matsu (Matsu + Toshiie) and Komyo ga Tsuji (Chiyo + Kazutoyo) route. Hikaru Kimi E kinda does this with the Murasaki and Michinaga cooperation (they were not married but they cooperated at court).

Samurai and his clever wife who has many anecdotes that could still happen:
Tachibana Ginchiyo and Muneshige
Otani Yoshitsugu's daughter Chikurin'in and Sanada Nobushige/Yukimura with Chikurin'in as the MC
An adaption of 夏草の賦 about Chosokabe Motochika and his wife Nana (the Taiga Komyo ga Tsuji about Chiyo and Kazutoyo was also a novel adaption).

If they would dare to depict eras pre Heian like Nara and Asuka they could use characters like Empress Gensho which would be cool, but they don't have money for these sets and costumes.

So far the most interesting new project of his seems to be Queen Woo. He plays a very different character than the one he played in Empress Ki, the era is not covered often and the characters have no media depiction so far, also the cast is great.

My two hopes are that the costumes are accurate for that era (no fantasy costumes) and that the writing is good.

So far it‘s excellent again ❤️.

Regarding the historical background there shouldn't be one however since the historical records are sparse they could flesh out plotlines differently than expected of course.

Sekigahara was decent however nothing will ever beat Aoi Tokugawa Sandai's version since it is just too amazing.

Dousuru's Sekigahara also showed some stuff behind scenes and rather deliberately did not want to copy Aoi too much.

The biggest example I can give is Otani Yoshitsugu's demise. While Dousuru's Otani Yoshitsugu was well portrayed and it showed him fighting bravely against the troup of treacherous Kobayakawa it did not try to compete with the iconic entirely complete death scene of Yoshitsugu in Aoi (Yoshitsugu being shown cursing Kobayakawa which is based on an anecdote of Yoshitsugu whishing Kobayakawa to die in the next three years for his betrayal, then committing suicide and Yoshitsugu's servant saving Yoshitsugu's head from the enemy).

Mitsunari was well portrayed and written as a wellrounded character in my opinion.

Now the very last Dousuru is still left for Ieyasu to solve: the lady

Characters like Hidetada will now become more important and we will now see several new faces in the next episodes. Not many episodes left. Episode 48 is the last one.

The main actress is 29 thus close to 30 and all male actors from first husband to second husband to the main rival for the throne are in their 30s thus all ages are pretty close to each other in my opinion and kinda how I imagine this family to look like historically.

Gogukcheon is the king in the beginning and he is a decent king. His death leaves a power vacuum.

After Gogukcheon's death the main MC is Balgi the next oldest brother who sees himself as the most logical successor. The Queen however disagrees and backs Yeon Woo/Sansang the third brother.

It's a succession crisis and the Queen siding with Yeon Woo/Sansang is what decides the outcome.