Reach Beyond the Blue Sky

Eiichi (Masahito Kobayashi), the eldest son of a farming family in the village of Chiaraijima, learns that a criminal has been sent to a nearby encampment and begins plotting with his cousin, Kisaku (Shuto Ishizawa), to sneak inside... Meanwhile, in Edo, preparations are underway to position Shichiromaro (Motoi Kasamatsu), son of Mito ruler Nariaki Tokugawa (Naoto Takenaka), as the next shogun.

Eiichi begins learning about indigo dye trading from his father (Kaoru Kobayashi) and reading from his cousin (Seiichi Tanabe). When the village's upcoming lion dance festival is suddenly canceled, he begins hatching a plan... Meanwhile, Shichiromaro, who is now known as Yoshinobu, is well-liked by the shogun, Ieyoshi (Yoshi Ikuzo). Meanwhile, Commodore Perry (Morley Robertson) approaches Japan...

Eiichi goes to Edo for the first time with his father and learns about the difficulties of his father's business. Eiichi wants to go and buy indigo leaves in large quantities in order to help him... Meanwhile, black ships arrive at Edo, causing a major stir. Yoshinobu (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is named the deceased shogun's successor, but he resists. A certain man is selected to be his new retainer...

Eiichi throws himself into his work and comes up with a clever idea to improve the quality of his indigo dye. Perry's arrival has thrown the shogunate into disarray. Nariaki has assigned the eccentric Enshiro Hiraoka (Shinichi Tsutsumi) to be Yoshinobu's new right-hand man. The Japan-U.S. peace treaty sends shockwaves through Chiaraijima. A massive payment demand changes how Eiichi sees the world.

Eiichi reads about China's defeat in the Opium Wars and begins to worry about Japan's future. His sister Naka (Eri Murakawa) has her marriage blocked due to her uncle's superstitions. As Nariaki rebels against the shogunate's ambitions, elder councilor Masahiro Abe (Ryohei Ohtani) and his close aide Toko Fujita (Ikkei Watanabe) try to keep him in check. A massive earthquake suddenly strikes Edo.