Details
Title: ゾウのはな子
Title (romaji): Zou no Hanako
Also known as: Those Poor Elephants
Format: Tanpatsu
Genre: Human drama
Viewership ratings: 11.8
Broadcast network: Fuji TV
Broadcast date: 2007-Aug-04
Air time: Saturday 21:00
Theme song: Sen no Kaze ni Natte by Masafumi Akikawa
Synopsis
In the midst of WWII when food was scarce, the zookeepers of Ueno Zoo are given a devastating order to eliminate the wild animals in their care. Unable to find alternate shelters for the animals, they euthanize most animals except for three elephants whose thick skin protects them from the deadly needles. The elephants struggle to survive, and starve to death at the end. After the war ends, the children across the country plead for another elephant, leading Ueno Zoo to adopt Hanako, a young female elephant from Thailand. With proper training and loving care, Hanako quickly becomes the star of Ueno Zoo. Her life appears to be happy and peaceful until one day she is transferred to another zoo in Inogashira where she is kept in solitude. For animals that live in large groups in nature, this takes an emotional toll on Hanako, causing her to grow hostile to humans. A few years later, when Hanako's former caretaker finds Hanako in disarray, he takes it upon himself to help Hanako recover back to her former self. --groink
Cast
Sorimachi Takashi as Yoshioka Ryuhei
Kitamura Kazuki as Takano Keisuke
Komoto Masahiro as Sawaki Yuji
Junna Risa as Takano Sayoko
Musaka Naomasa as Hasegawa Yoshiharu
Shibata Jun (柴田淳) as Matsukawa Yuko
Kubozuka Shunsuke as Takano Yusuke
Sakai Masaaki as Nishimura Seizo
Oshima Kanaru (大嶋捷稔)
Miura Mina (三浦三奈)
Orimoto Junkichi
Otsuka Yoshie
Koichi Mantaro
Hirayama Hiroyuki
Ishii Masanori
Iida Kisuke
Miura Koichi (三浦浩一)
Tamiya Goro (田宮五郎)
Noma Shuhei (野間脩平)
Kosuda Yasuto
Tawaragi Tota
Hirata Misato (平田弥里)
Uemura Kihachiro (植村喜八郎)
Ohori Koichi (大堀こういち)
Production Credits
Original writing: Tsuchiya Yukio (土家由岐雄) Kawaisou na Zou (nonfiction children's book)
Screenwriter: Terada Toshio
Producer: Suzuki Shintarou (鈴木伸太郎), Iga Nobuko (伊賀宣子)
Director: Kono Keita
Music: EDISON
Notes
This drama special is part of Fuji TV's Documentary dramas that were aired in August 2007 every Friday and Saturday. The dramas focused on real-life stories of people who found inspiration and comfort in the song Sen no Kaze ni Natte.
Zou no Hanako
