It was announced on August 5th that actor Sarutoki Minagawa will star in "Loneliness♪Loneliness," which will air on NHK's "Night Drama" slot (NHK General, Monday-Thursday 10:45 PM) starting January 4th, 2027. This will be Minagawa's first leading role in a television drama series. It was also announced that Haruka Kinami, Airu Kubozuka, and Kayoko Kishimoto will be appearing in the series.
The drama is a "heartfelt human comedy" about a middle-aged man who confronts "loneliness," the biggest pathology plaguing society in the Reiwa era, in a fight for survival. The original script is by Shin Adachi, who also worked on the 2023 second-half NHK Asadora drama "Boogie Woogie."
Minagawa plays the protagonist, Osamu Noma, a 60-year-old single former salaryman who worked for a major record company for over 30 years. In his younger days, he ran around studios as a J-POP producer, but at some point he moved to the management department and remained there until his retirement. After retirement, he pursued his dreams by aiming to become a scriptwriter and working part-time jobs, but nothing went well, and he fell into despair and loneliness. It was at this time that he encountered a song by an idol singer he had failed to promote in the past, and he decided to confront the unfinished business of his life...
Kinami plays Risa Hasegawa, a famous screenwriter and instructor at the scriptwriting school that Osamu attends; Kubozuka plays Kaname Usami, Osamu's former subordinate; and Kishimoto plays Ran Hasegawa, Risa's mother.
◇Comment from Sarutoki Minagawa
I'm Minagawa Sarutoki, 55 years old, 105 kg, and I was once called "Sarukawa-san!" by an assistant director on a film set. And now, Sarukawa—or rather, Minagawa—is starring in an NHK night drama. You can't take life for granted, can you? I honestly thought, "Am I really the right person for this?" Well, let's see if it turns out well or badly. Of course, I'm excited. As always, I'll do my best with a loud voice and lots of energy. Thank you for your support.
◇ "Loneliness♪Loneliness" Synopsis
Osamu Noma retired from the record company where he had worked for over 30 years, and before he knew it, he was single for life. He had no friends, and although he enrolled in a screenwriting school to pursue his long-held dream of becoming a screenwriter after retirement, he was deeply hurt when his instructor, Risa Hasegawa, gave him a harsh critique, and was also easily rejected by a young woman he had fallen for.
Shu feels his life is so unfulfilled that he begins searching for Narumi Ai, a former idol singer he helped debut but whose career never took off. Meanwhile, Risa, a teacher, hasn't had another hit since the drama she wrote the script for five years ago, and is feeling frustrated as she receives requests for late-night dramas. Determined to escape this situation, Risa decides to start looking for a husband...
Eventually, Osamu and Risa reunite in an unexpected place, and, involving Osamu's former subordinate Usami Kaname and Risa's mother Ran, they track down former singer Narumi Ai...
