"Drama 1 Week" introduces the main drama news of the week in one place. This time (April 12th to 18th), topics that were talked about included the appearance of a Kamen Rider actor every day in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8am and others), starring Mio Imada , and the appearance of kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro and the eldest daughter of the late Kobayashi Mao, Horikoshi Reika (Ichikawa Botan), in the first episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre "Caster" (Sunday 9pm), starring Abe Hiroshi. We will cover these topics in two parts.
On April 13th, the first episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "Caster" starring Abe was broadcast, and the scene featuring the daughter of Abe's unconventional Caster Shindo Soichi became a hot topic on social media. The daughter, Yokoo Sumire, is a first year junior high school student. The character, played by Horikoshi, has a feud with Shindo due to a past incident. On social media, comments included, "Is Horikoshi Reika playing Abe's daughter? She's grown up so much," and "Even though it was only for a moment, Reika's presence was amazing. She's got the bloodline to match."
On the 14th, it was revealed that Osamu Mukai Ishihara, vocalist of the popular band "Saucy Dog," will make a cameo appearance in the movie "Ya Boy Kongming! THE MOVIE" (directed by Shuhei Shibue, scheduled for release on April 25th), starring actor Osamu Mukai. Ishihara wrote the lyrics and composed the music for "Count on me," one of the important songs performed by the heroine EIKO, played by Moka Kamishiraishi, at the music battle festival in the movie. Ishihara himself will also make a cameo appearance, appearing in a scene where Zhuge Kongming (Mukai) challenges something. The movie is the theatrical version of the TV drama "Ya Boy Kongming! " (Fuji TV, 2023), which is based on a popular manga currently being serialized in "Young Magazine" (Kodansha).
On the 15th, Yoshinori Masakado of the popular group " Ae! group " attended an interview held at the location of the drama " Musashino Rondo" (TV Asahi, Saturday 11pm), in which he stars. The family home of the main character played by Masakado, Agawa Ryuhei, is a soba restaurant, so the interview was held at a soba restaurant in Kanagawa Prefecture that was used for the location. Masakado demonstrated how to make soba noodles while being watched by his co-stars Rin Takanashi Rin, and Yugo Kochi and Ichikawa Yui of "SixTONES". After the three people tasted the soba and said "It's delicious!" Masakado grinned with satisfaction and said "I think it's a good job!"
On the 15th, it was revealed that James Onoda of the popular band Kome Kome Club will play the role of kyoka Ryusei Yokohama Motomono Mokuami in the NHK Taiga drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring Yokohama Motono Mokuami. Onoda, who played the role of a bathhouse owner in the third episode, will be reprising the role under a different name. Motono Mokuami, played by Onoda, is a kyoka poet who was active alongside Ota Nanpo(Kenta Kiritani ) and others. Onoda said, "About 40 years ago, when I made my debut as a singer with eccentric makeup and costumes as Kome Kome Club, I never would have imagined that I would be offered a role in a taiga drama!"
It was also announced that Nana Mizuki will appear in " UNBOUND ." This will be Mizuki's first time appearing in a taiga drama, and she will play Chienonaishi, a female kyoka poet from the Tenmei period. Chienonaishi is Sume, the wife of the bathhouse owner Motono Mokuami (James Onoda). Sume leads the Tenmei kyoka movement together with her husband. Mizuki commented, "Communicating words, connecting with people through song, and bringing smiles to people's faces are all very connected to my work as a voice actor and singer, so I am honored to have been given this role, which is a very special connection to me. It's my first time doing everything, so I'm very nervous, but I'll do my best to perform!"
On the 15th, the 12th episode of the Asadora"Anpan " starring Mio Imada was broadcast, and Hamao Noritaka appeared. Hamao is known for his role as George Karisaki in the Kamen Rider series "Kamen Rider Revise" (2021-22). He also appears in NHK's "Drama 10 'Ooku'" (2023) and the currently airing Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou)". In "Anpan", he played the grown-up version of Tagawa Iwao, Nobu's former classmate who had his eye on and bullied the new transfer student Taka. From the 11th episode broadcast the day before, Ichikawa Tomohiro, known for his role as Kamen Rider Saikou/Yuri in "Kamen Rider Saber" (2020-2021), appeared as Lieutenant Takashima, making it the second consecutive day that a Kamen Rider actor appeared.
On the 15th, Issei Takahashi and his wife Iitoyo Marie appeared at a press conference to announce the completion of the film "Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe "(directed by Watanabe Kazutaka, released on May 23rd) held in Tokyo. This was the first time the couple had appeared in public together since announcing their marriage in May last year. Takahashi and Iitoyo co-starred in the TV version of the film, which started in December 2020, and are also co-starring in this film. In this film, when Rohan visits a "At a Confessional" in a church in Venice on a reporting trip, a man appears to "confess." Driven by curiosity, Rohan disguises himself as a priest and listens to the man's "confession," and the man begins to talk about a terrifying incident that happened 25 years ago... and so on. This is the first Japanese film to be shot entirely on location in Venice, Italy.
