The Takashimas are one of the most famous show-business families in Japan. Seventy-six year-old Tadao is a veteran film and stage actor; his wife, Hanayo Sumi, was once a star with the Takarazuka musical stage company; and sons Masahiro and Masanobu are fixtures in movies and on TV.
In 1998, Tadao started to realize he couldn't control certain motor functions. He stopped working and was later diagnosed with depression. Given the social stigma of depression in Japan, he tried to keep his condition secret from his sons, and only Sumi, who had to deal with his physical and mental limitations on a daily basis, knew about it.
This week, Nihon TV presents a special two-hour dramatization about the Takashimas' ordeal called "Utsu e no Fukushu (Revenge Against Depression)" (Tuesday, 9 p.m.). The drama is occasionally interrupted by interviews with all four members of the family.