"Drama 1 Week" brings together the main drama news of the week. This time (February 8th to 14th), we will be talking about the popular voice actor Kappei Yamaguchi's appearance as a voice actor in the 5th episode of the Fuji TV "Monday 9" drama "119 Emergency Call" (Mondays 9pm) which will be broadcast on the 17th, and the new appearances of Megumi and Shida Mirai in the 6th episode of the drama series "The Hot Spot " (Nippon TV) starring Ichikawa Mikako, which will be broadcast on the 16th. We will cover these topics in two parts.
It was revealed on February 8th that Mukai Koji, from the popular group Snow Man, will be starring in the Thai drama "Dating Game (working title)." The drama is a boys' love (BL) romantic comedy that will be shot entirely in Thailand, and Mukai, who is half Japanese and half Thai, will be the first Japanese actor in the history of Thai dramas to take on the challenge of acting entirely in Thai. He will co-star alongside talented Thai actor March Chuttawut Pattaragampong. The drama will be shot in Thailand this spring, and is scheduled to air in Thailand by the end of the year. There are also plans for a global release, with an eye on expanding into Asia, including Japan.
It was revealed on the 9th that the serial drama "Tokyo Holiday" (TV Tokyo, Thursday midnight) starring Miori Takimoto and popular Thai actor Gulf Kanawut will begin airing on April 3rd. The story is like a modern version of "Roman Holiday," in which a Thai national actor who is busy with work meets a heroine in Japan and falls in love with her. This will be Gulf's first appearance in a Japanese drama and his first leading role. Gulf attracted attention in Japan in 2019 when he appeared in his first leading role in the drama "TharnType." Takimoto plays Sakurako Ishida, the only daughter of the sweet shop "Tokiwa." She meets Atit, played by Gulf, and falls in love with him, briefly but sadly.
It was recently revealed that Erika Ikuta will be starring in NHK's special drama "Going Over Amagi." Taking on the role of Seicho Matsumoto's timeless masterpiece, which has previously been made into a film and a TV drama, Ikuta said, "When I received the offer and watched his previous work, I was a little scared as to whether I could do it." The main character, Otsuka Hana, played by Ikuta, is a prostitute at the Shuzenji brothel in Izu. She has a beautiful and glamorous appearance, but she is very competitive and is constantly getting into trouble with her colleagues and customers. One morning, she sneaks out of the establishment and tries to cross the Amagi Pass. On the way, she has a fateful encounter with a young boy named Jiro Mochizuki, who has run away from home in Shimoda.
The sixth episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8:00 pm and others), starring Ryusei Yokohama , "Scales peeled off 'Setsuyoshu'", was broadcast on the 9th, and Oku Tomoya appeared in the same episode as Tokugawa Iemoto, making his Taiga debut. Oku made his acting debut in 2020 in the Netflix original drama "Followers", and in the special effects drama "Kamen Rider Revise" (TV Asahi) broadcast from 2021 to 2022, he played Ushijima Hikaru, a member of the underground organization "Weekend", and in the 35th episode (broadcast on May 15, 2022), he transformed into "Kamen Rider Over Demons". Tokugawa Iemoto, who he plays in " UNBOUND", is expected to have a bright future as the eleventh shogun, but he complains of feeling unwell while out falconry and dies mysteriously.
It has been revealed that MEGUMI and Shida Mirai will appear in the sixth episode (to be broadcast on February 16th) of the drama series "The Hot Spot " (NTV, Sunday 10:30 pm), starring Ichikawa Mikako. New appearances in the sixth episode are Kiyomi's classmates from her hometown. Nostalgia and new human relationships intertwine, and a surprising incident unfolds. MEGUMI plays Inamoto Noriko, a classmate of Kiyomi and the owner of the snack bar "Non". Shida plays Manabe Mizuki, an employee of the snack bar "Non". This will be MEGUMI's first time participating in a Bakarhythm-scripted work since "Black Ten Women" (2016), and Shida's since "Brush Up Life" (2023).
It was revealed on the 10th that rock band RADWIMPS will be performing the theme song for the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV and others), starring Mio Imada , which will begin on March 31st in the first half of 2025. The title of the theme song is "Tamamono" (Gift), and it is said to be a song that brightens up the world of " Anpan". RADWIMPS' Noda Yojiro commented, "Since receiving the offer last spring, I have been developing the song while reading the script, which has been delivered to me little by little like a letter. I am happy and honored to be able to travel with ' Anpan ' for half a year."
It was revealed on the 10th that Kappei Yamaguchi , a popular voice actor known for his roles as Usopp in the anime "One Piece" and Kudo Shinichi/ Kaito Kid in " Detective Conan ," will be appearing as a voice actor in the fifth episode of Fuji TV's "Monday 9" drama " 119 Emergency Call" (Mondays at 9pm), which will air on the 17th. The drama is set in a fire department's communications command center, and Yamaguchi will be voicing a man who calls the emergency services complaining of pain in his leg. Yamaguchi commented, "Appearing in a drama with just my voice made me more nervous than when I was a voice actor (laughs). It was fun to be able to try out different patterns."
It was revealed on the 11th that Hori Natsuki and Tanabe Momoko of the dance and vocal group "FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE" will be co-starring in the romance drama series "You Are a Troublesome Fiance" produced by TV Asahi and the video distribution service "TELASA." "Diamond Edition" will be available on TELASA from noon on March 3rd, with a total of 6 episodes. "Platinum Edition," a special edited version of "Diamond Edition" that includes behind-the-scenes footage of the drama and comments from the cast, will be broadcast on TV Asahi from 1:30 am on March 28th. The drama is a frustrating and heart-pounding love story depicting an office romance between a high-spec elite employee and the daughter of a company president, where they often miss each other.
