: Specifically episodes 41 to 47, which depict interactions with the US military and countries rarely featured in Japanese media, such as Indonesia and the Republic of the Congo .
: This paper by Bokyoung Kim discusses how Idaten was unprecedented in its genre for thematizing the "darker aspects" of modern Japanese history, including colonial aggression and wartime defeat . It explores how the show subverted traditional narrative norms, which contributed to its "problematic reception" and lower-than-average viewership. Idaten: Tokyo Olympics Story
: Authors Seaton and Himawan analyze how the drama uses the 1964 Olympics to construct a modern sense of Japanese identity. The paper highlights: : Specifically episodes 41 to 47, which depict
: The series covers a broad historical span from the 1912 Stockholm Games to the 1964 Tokyo Games , using the stories of marathon runner Shiso Kanakuri and swimming coach Masaji Tabata. : Authors Seaton and Himawan analyze how the
: Unlike previous taiga dramas that often avoided conflict, Idaten inserted uncomfortable themes from Japan's imperial era into the celebratory narrative of the Olympics.
: Research notes that Idaten served as a cultural lead-up to the 2020 Games, attempting to use nostalgia for 1964 to foster unity in a contemporary, mature economy. The Potentiality of Idaten within the Genre of Taiga Drama