The seventh episode of the TV drama "Secret ~THE TOP SECRET~" (Kantele/Fuji TV, Mondays at 10pm), starring actor Rihito Itagaki and Yuto Nakajima from the popular group Hey! Say! JUMP , will be aired on March 10th.
The drama is based on Shimizu Reiko's "Secret - Top Secret" published in the manga magazine "Melody" (Hakusensha) and its spin-off work "Secret Season 0". The script is written by Sato Tsumako, who has worked on the "Unfair" series (same network) and the movie "Onmyoji 0" (2024). The story is set in the Forensic Science Laboratory No. 9, commonly known as "No. 9". Itagaki plays Maki Tsuyoshi, head of the No. 9 laboratory, while Nakajima plays Suzuki Katsuhiro, a former member of the No. 9 who lost his life in an incident, and Aoki Ikko, a rookie investigator who looks just like Suzuki and is later assigned to the No. 9.
In episode 6, a waxy corpse from 25 years ago is found in the ruins of an apartment complex, and Maki (Itagaki) uncovers the past of Yukiko's (Kadowaki Mugi) best friend, leading to a fierce clash between Maki and Yukiko. Maki is deeply shaken when Yukiko correctly reveals the feelings she secretly had for Aoki (Nakajima, playing a dual role), who looks just like the deceased Suzuki (Nakajima). Aoki's feelings for Yukiko also grow stronger, and at the end he confesses his feelings to Yukiko, further complicating the love triangle.
Episode 7 is the first of a two-part series that continues on to Episode 8. The only daughter of Foreign Minister Sendo (played by Katsuhisa Namase) is kidnapped. The suspect is Awaji Masato (played by Masato Ibu), the father of a woman who was involved in a group kidnapping 20 years ago when Sendo was Director of the Middle East and Africa Bureau and was declared dead without her body ever being found. When Sendo finds out that this is revenge from 20 years ago, he is furious and believes it is a grudge... and so the story unfolds.
Aoki's kindness and straightforwardness in wanting to save the girl, and his boldness without regard for danger, are displayed, and Maki is also motivated by Aoki to set out to rescue the girl, and the two of them develop a sense of buddy who care for each other. Also noteworthy is the tension-filled dialogue exchange between Ibu, who plays Awaji, who has become a demon of revenge, and Namase, who plays Minister Sendo, who is forced to choose between his daughter's life and the national interest.
Regarding his co-starring with Namase, Ibu commented, "It's been a long time since I last co-starred with Namase, since the drama 'Trick.' This time, unlike last time, I felt like we went head-to-head in some serious scenes." He added, "What will become of this revenge that begins with the words 'I'm going to become a demon' at the beginning of episode 7? I think you'll enjoy it all the way to the unexpected final conclusion."
