NHK's Saturday Drama "After the Earthquake" (General TV, Saturday 10pm), based on a short story published by Murakami Haruki after the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, will begin airing on April 5th. The series will be a dramatization of four stories from Murakami's collection of short stories, "All God's Children Can Dance" (published in 2000). The setting will not only be changed from 1995 to 2025, depicting the 30 years of "after the earthquake" that continue into the "present".
The drama's script was written by Oe Takayoshi, who also wrote the film "Drive My Car," which was based on another Murakami novel, and the drama was directed by Inoue Go Inoue , who has worked on NHK's Asadora drama series "Amachan" in the first half of 2013.
The lead role will be played by Masaki Okada in "No. 1 'A UFO Lands in Kushiro'", Yui Narumi in "No. 2 'A Scene with an Iron'", Watanabe Daichi in "No. 3 'All God's Children Can Dance'", and Koichi Sato in "No. 4 'The Frog Saves Tokyo, Part 2'". Other cast members include AI Hashimoto, Karata Erika, Kita Mitsuru Fukikoshi Mitsuru, Kodai Kurosaki, Kurosaki Kirayo, Shibukawa Kiyohiko, Kurokawa Soya, Kiryu Aso, Tsuda Kanji, Tsutsumi Shinichi, and Igawa Haruka. The voice of the frog in "No. 4 'The Frog Saves Tokyo, Part 2'" will be provided by Non.
The episode "#1 'UFO Descends in Kushiro'" aired on April 5th, takes place in Tokyo in January 1995. Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Mina (Hashimoto), who had been watching the news at home, leaves a note saying, "I never intend to come back here again," and leaves the house.
Her husband, Komura (Okada), is left behind without knowing why his wife disappeared. He heads to Kushiro to make a delivery request from a junior colleague. The women he meets there lead him on a strange journey.
