Manpuku

Manpuku is a Japanese television drama series produced by NHK. It is the 99th installment in the network's long-running asadora (morning drama) series. The show aired from October 1, 2018, to March 30, 2019, consisting of 151 episodes.

Background and Plot

The series is a fictionalized account based on the lives of Momofuku Ando and his wife, Masako Ando. Momofuku Ando was the founder of Nissin Food Products and is credited with the invention of instant ramen, specifically the development of Chikin Ramen and the later introduction of Cup Noodles. The narrative follows the couple's struggles and triumphs in pre-war and post-war Japan as they navigate business challenges and personal growth.

Actress Sakura Ando — Sakura Ando, who portrays the lead character Fukuko Imai.

Production

Manpuku was directed by Yoshio Watanabe, Mojiri Adachi, and Keita Hosaka, with a screenplay written by Yasushi Fukuda. The series occupied the Monday through Saturday 8:00 AM time slot on NHK, succeeding Half Blue Sky and preceding Natsuzora. The lead roles of Fukuko Imai and Manpei Tachibana were played by Sakura Ando and Hiroki Hasegawa, respectively.

Actress Keiko Matsuzaka — Keiko Matsuzaka as Suzu Imai.

Actress Yuki Uchida — Yuki Uchida as Saki Imai.

Actor Ryohei Otani — Ryohei Otani as Shinichi Onozuka.

Actress Nao Matsushita — Nao Matsushita as Katsuko Koda.

Actor Jun Kaname — Jun Kaname as Tadahiko Koda.

Actress Yukino Kishii — Yukino Kishii as Taka Koda.

Actor Hiroki Hasegawa — Hiroki Hasegawa as Manpei Tachibana.

Actor Kenta Kiritani — Kenta Kiritani as Katsuo Sera.

Actor Koji Seto — Koji Seto as Shigeru Kanbe.

Actor Akiyoshi Nakao — Akiyoshi Nakao as Kosuke Oka.

Actor Ainosuke Kataoka — Ainosuke Kataoka as Keisuke Kajitani.

Actor Isao Hashizume — Isao Hashizume as Ryozo Mitamura.

Actress Manami Hashimoto — Manami Hashimoto as Megumi Hoshina.

Actor Senjiro Fujiyama — Senjiro Fujiyama as Kokichi Noro.

Actress Narumi — Narumi as Utae Kashida.

Actor Kantarou Soganoya — Kantarou Soganoya as Saburo Omaeda.

Actor Kenta Hamano — Kenta Hamano as Zennosuke Maki.

Actress Rena Matsui — Rena Matsui as Toshiko Kano.

Actress Kumi Kureshiro — Kumi Kureshiro as Hana Ikegami.

Actress Mana Ashida — Mana Ashida, the series narrator.