The other day I was in a store buying groceries when I decided to pick up some cans of “highball,” pre-mixed whisky and soda in a can which, along with salad in a bag, I consider to be one of the premier achievements of modern society. My eyes were drawn to a can with an old-timey picture of a man and a woman printed on it. It was Taketsuru Masataka, the founder of the Nikka Whisky Distilling Company and the father of proper whiskey in Japan, standing next to his Scottish wife Rita. Masataka traveled to Scotland in 1918 to study chemistry and whiskey making, and while there he fell in love with Rita. They married in a small ceremony (as international marriages were very controversial at the time) and returned to Japan, where she helped him found Nikka in Hokkaido, working alongside him as he grew the company even during the war. The story of Masataka and Rita was the focus of a popular NHK drama last year, with actress Charlotte Kate Fox playing Rita, the first time a non-Japanese had had a major role in a daily Japanese drama.
It’s time for a new anime season, and that means I’m busier than usual, trying to figure out which series to keep up with this time around. There are a lot of shows to catch this season — a new High School DxD, season two of the adorable Kin’iro Mosaic, plus more Fate/stay night
