"Drama 1 Week" introduces the main drama news of the week. This time (February 15th to 21st), we talked about Mikami Hiroshi's full-fledged appearance in the NHK drama series "Tokyo Salad Bowl" and the fact that the NHK drama series "Shijiki Fudosan" starring Yamashita Tomohisa will be made into a movie. We will cover these topics in two parts.
It was revealed on February 15th that the total number of views on TVer from episode 1 (aired on January 18th) to episode 4 (aired on February 8th) of the drama series "Ensemble " (NTV, Saturday 10pm), starring Kawaguchi Haruna and co-starring Matsumura Hokuto of the popular group "SixTONES", exceeded 10 million (according to Video Research). The drama is a legal love story in which a "realistic" female lawyer, Koyama Sena (Kawaguchi), and an "idealistic" rookie lawyer, Madohara Yu (Matsumura), take on various love trouble cases and apply the "lessons of love" they learn there to their own relationships.
GOKKO, the creator group behind Gokko Club, has launched a vertical short drama app called POPCORN, which will stream new original short dramas such as "Iijima-san Wants to Kiss!!" starring the much talked about "new-age short-haired beauty" Misora Kuwashima. POPCORN is based on the concept of "adding emotion to your 'gaps'." It develops entertainment works by up-and-coming creators who will lead the next generation. "Iijima-san Wants to Kiss!!" is a romantic comedy about the protagonist who becomes interested in kissing after witnessing her friend kissing. Kuwashima plays Iijima-san, a headstrong girl with bangs and glasses.
Voice actor Nakai Kazuya appeared as Iwatoya Genpachi, a local book wholesaler, in the seventh episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) no Yumebanashi" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), which aired on the 16th starring Ryusei Yokohama . Prior to the broadcast, Nakai commented with joy, "My first drama appearance is in a taiga drama! You never know what's going to happen in life." In the episode, Matsuda Yoji appeared as Murataya Jirobei, Tomokazu Seki as Okumuraya Genroku, and Wataru Takagi as Matsumuraya Yabei, as local book wholesalers. Higo Katsuhiro played Shigoroku, a tattoo artist who is hired by Tsutaju (Yokohama).
It has been revealed that Riho Sayashi will appear in the NHK drama series "Watashitte Saba Saba Shite Kara 2," starring Rei Maruyama. Following on from the previous series, she will play Kiuchi Shizue, a colleague of the protagonist Nami Amihama, played by Maruyama, from her time at the editorial department. This work is a sequel to "Watashitte Saba Saba Shite Kara," which aired in 2023. This time, the "High School Teacher Edition" will feature Amihama working as a teacher at Hoshikai High School, a prestigious school, and the "Marriage Hunting Edition" will feature her diving into the world of matchmaking. Chiaki Kuriyama will also be reprising her role as Kyoko Saotome, Amihama's rival, and Takashi Sasano will be reprising his role as Mitsuo Sendo, the president of the publishing company. It was also announced that Riki Honda, Yumi Wakatsuki, and Shiho Sasaki will be reprising their roles from the previous series.
On the 17th, it was revealed that the NHK drama series "Shijiki Fudosan" starring Yamashita Tomohisa will be made into a movie. The series was first made into a drama in 2022, followed by a special drama in 2024, and a sequel "Season 2", and a spin-off special drama in February of this year. "Shijiki Fudosan" will finally be made into a movie for the "third time's a charm". It is scheduled to be released in 2026. This will be Yamashita's first appearance in a Japanese movie in eight years since "Code Blue -Doctor Heli Emergency Lifesaving-" (2018). The movie has already started shooting and is scheduled to continue until March. It has been decided that the movie will be released in 2026, which will be the milestone of Yamashita's 30th anniversary in the entertainment industry.
The co-stars of the romance drama series "You're a Troublesome Fiancee," produced by TV Asahi and the video streaming service "TELASA," starring Hori Natsuki and Tanabe Momoko of the dance and vocal group "FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE," were announced on the 17th. Okouchi Hiroshi will play Motoji, the father of Kajiya Shino, played by Tanabe, Hada Michiko will play her mother Sumire, and Yoshitani Ayako will play Ikeno Nozomi, a senior in the PR department where Shino works and a good confidant. Katsumura Masanobu will play Makio, the father of Tachibana Hajime (played by Hori), the ace of the sales department. Oto Abe , Yutty, and Inoue Hajime will also appear.
Hiroshi Mikami made his full appearance in the NHK drama series "Tokyo Salad Bowl" (General TV, Tuesdays at 10pm) from the seventh episode, which aired on the 18th. Mikami plays the role of detective Hiroya Agawa. He is an extremely skilled veteran detective who is fluent in Chinese, but makes a mistake by getting too involved in the foreign community. He was sidelined for a while, but returns as the partner of Mari Koda (Nao). Prior to the broadcast, Mikami commented, "I couldn't do this 10 years ago, and I won't be able to do this 10 years from now. I would be happy if people could meet my current self, and I'm grateful to this show for providing such an opportunity."
It was revealed on the 18th that Yamamoto Mizuki will star in the drama series "Otona ni Nattemo," which will be exclusively distributed on Hulu. This is Yamamoto's first solo drama lead role since giving birth. She plays Okubo Ayano, a married elementary school teacher who is serious but surprisingly bold. The drama is based on the manga of the same name by Shimura Takako, which was serialized in the manga magazine "Kiss" (Kodansha) from 2019 to 2023. The main theme is "love between adult women," and the story depicts the love story between Ayano, a married woman, and Hirayama Akari, who works at Ayano's favorite dining bar. The role of Akari will be played by Kuriyama Chiaki, who will be co-starring with Yamamoto for the first time.
The sixth episode of the drama series " Madoka26sai,Kenshui Yattemasu! " starring Kyoko Yoshine (TBS, Tuesdays at 10pm) aired on the 18th. The scene unfolded in such a way that Madoka (Yoshine) and her friends performed a flash mob at the wedding of second-year gastroenterological surgery resident Toyama Mizuki (Hotta Akane), which became a hot topic on social media. In particular, Igarashi, played by Onishi Ryusei of the popular group " Naniwa Danshi", struck poses with enthusiasm, clapped his hands happily, and performed a sharp dance. On social media, there was a lot of excitement, with comments such as "A flash mob lol Onishi Ryusei is amazing," "Onishi Ryusei can't hide his idol aura," and "He was so idol-like that he shone so brightly."
