"Drama 1 Week" is a series that introduces major drama news from the past week. This time (April 5-11), the topic was the fact that Akari Takaishi , who will be starring in the NHK morning drama " Asadora," which is scheduled to start this Bakebake and will air in the second half of fiscal 2025, has started filming. This will be covered in two parts.
On April Getsuku, Kanna Hashimoto made a surprise appearance at the entrance ceremony for Showa Medical University (which changed its name on April 1st) held at Meiji Jingu Kaikan in Tokyo. Hashimoto, who stars in the drama "Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective " (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 9pm) which starts on the 22nd, said, "Medical terminology is very difficult, so I am studying every day while filming," and gave her encouragement, saying, "Once again, I have a lot of respect for medical workers. I'm sure the new students will have a lot of hardships starting tomorrow, such as studying and training, but I hope you will support each other with the wonderful friends you have around you today and work hard to pursue your dreams."
On the 9th, the 8th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00am and others), starring Mio Imada , was broadcast, with a surprise appearance by the voice actor of the anime "Soreike! Anpanman" (NTV). In the 8th episode, "Yam-onchan" Kusakichi ( Sadao Abe) decides to make Anpan at the Asada household with the promise that he will do it "just once". When it is done baking, Oide Kako, who lives nearby, comes over and says "Wow, what a nice smell". Kako is played by Shimamoto Sumi, who is from Kochi Prefecture. She is known for her role as Nausicaä in the animated film "Nausicaa of the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind ", and is the voice of Shokupanman in the "Soreike! Anpanman" series.
Also, at the end of the 10th episode of " Anpan" (broadcast on April 11th), Imada, who plays the main character Nobu, made a full appearance, attracting the attention of viewers. Nobu (Imada), who is now a fourth-year high school student, approaches Takashi (Takumi Kitamura) and his younger brother Chihiro (Motoki Nakazawa) on their way to school, and as she passes them, she says, "If you walk slowly while reading manga, you'll be late! Idiot!". As Takashi, who doesn't realize it's Nobu, is confused, Nobu turns around and shows off a "funny face." She shows a big smile and says, "Takashi! Chihiro! Go ahead! See you!" and runs off happily. "Mio Imada chan" became a trending topic on X. On SNS, comments such as "She made an unexpected funny face" and "The moment she appeared, I said, 'She's so cute!'" were posted.
On the 9th, Yoshihiko Inohara attended a roundtable discussion for the drama "Tokuso9 Final Season" (TV Asahi, Wednesdays at 9pm), which started on the same day, with his co-star Michiko Hada and others, held at the TV Asahi headquarters (Minato Ward, Tokyo). The drama is the successor to "Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Investigation Division 9th Section" (2006-2017), in which the late Tsunehiko Watase starred, and started in April 2018. This season will be the 20th drama since "9th Section" and will conclude the series. During the roundtable discussion, Yoshihiko Inohara mentioned that "V6" and "20th Century", the groups he belongs to, have been in charge of the theme songs for the drama since the "9th Section" era, and expressed his gratitude, saying, "It's really helped me since my V6 days that I was allowed to do the theme songs (for a long time). Every time the show aired in the spring, I released a new song and appeared on "Music Station". I'm really grateful."
On the 10th, it was announced that Ogawa Aya, a member of the idol group "Nogizaka46," will appear in the TV drama series "Nami uraraka ni, Meoto biyori" (Fuji TV, Thursdays at 10pm). This will be her first time appearing in a terrestrial TV drama, and she will play Sekiya Fuyuko, the younger sister of the protagonist played by lead actress Kyoko Yoshine. The protagonist Natsumi (Yoshine) is the third of four sisters, and Ogawa's Fuyuko is the youngest. Fuyuko attends an all-girls school and is carefree. Although she sometimes blurts out what she thinks, she has many friends due to her cheerful personality. While she is relied on by her friends, she also has a spoiled side in front of her family. She always relies on Natsumi's childhood friend Seta Juntaro (Komiya Rio). The drama starts on the 24th.
On the 10th, it was announced that Takaishi, who will be starring in the Asadora"Bakebake" in the second half of 2025, has started filming. Takaishi, who plays the heroine Matsuno Toki, the daughter of a fallen samurai from Matsue and modeled after Yakumo Koizumi(Lafcadio Hearn) wife Setsu, reported, "I've never seen a Asadora like this before, and there are many scenes that make me laugh, and we are filming in a peaceful atmosphere." Filming for the drama began at the NHK Osaka Broadcasting Station studio on March 25th, and Takaishi started filming on location in Kyoto City on April 2nd. Filming is progressing smoothly, and in addition to filming in the studio, there are plans to film on location in Matsue, the setting of the drama, and other locations in the future.
It was also revealed that Miharu Fukuchi will play Toki's childhood in "Bakebake". This is Fukuchi's first appearance in a Asadora. She was born on March 31, 2015, and is 10 years old from Osaka Prefecture. She played one of the roles of Anya in the 2023 musical "SPY×FAMILY". This time, she was selected from 674 applicants to play the role of Toki in her childhood through an audition. Fukuchi commented, "The Toki I play spends her days receiving lots of love from her father, mother, and grandfather. I'm excited to think that I can act with everyone! I look forward to "Bakebake " every morning, and I hope it will be a drama that makes me get out of bed. I'll do my best!"
On the 10th, it was revealed that the first episode (broadcast on the 1st) of the new NHK "Drama 10" series " Shiawase wa tabete nete mate " (General TV, Tuesday 10pm), starring Yuki Sakurai , had the highest viewership (simultaneous or catch-up streaming) on NHK Plus of any drama in the station's history, excluding Asadora and historical dramas. Komatsu Masayo, the drama's production manager, commented, "The cast and staff are grateful that so many people have watched the series. Yuki Sakurai, who plays the main character Mugimaki Satoko, has also said that she would like us to convey her sincere gratitude. We will continue to do our best to make everyone happy. Thank you very much."
