"Drama 1 Week" introduces the main drama news of the week. This time (April 12-18), topics included Ami Touma's starring role in the drama series "Chihayafuru -Meguri-" to be broadcast on Nippon Television in July, and Runa Toyoda's attendance at the awards ceremony of the short drama competition "Mynavi Showdra Awards 2025". We will cover this in two parts.
On April 16th, Kanna Hashimoto appeared at a press conference in Tokyo announcing the production of the drama "Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays 9pm), in which she plays the lead role. Hashimoto, who plays the protagonist Ameku Takao as a doctor for the first time, commented, "Dr. Takao's character is strong and has many elements." She then revealed her feelings about creating the role, saying, "I have to make him a real person, so it's a challenge I've never tried before. I have a very strong impression that I'm trying something new." The drama starts on the 22nd.
On the 16th, Toyoda attended the awards ceremony for the short drama competition "Mynavi Showdra Awards 2025" held in Tokyo. Toyoda, who is currently appearing as a main cast member in the short drama account "Everyday Shy We Are" produced by Nippon Television, which won the Mynavi Award, appeared on stage in a mini-length dress that accentuated her slender, beautiful legs. When she was presented with the trophy, she said with a smile, "I won the 'Buzz Award' at the Showdra Awards last year as well, so I'm happy to receive this wonderful award two years in a row."
On the 17th, Keiko Kitagawa appeared at the production announcement of the drama "Anata wo Ubatta Sonohikara" (Kantele/Fuji TV, Monday 10pm) in Tokyo. This is her first drama series since giving birth to her second son in January last year, and Kitagawa plays the role of a housewife who loses her young daughter in a food accident and decides to take revenge. She revealed that she "tried not to think about the role after I got home" and "put herself into it with all my heart and soul" as she played the role. She also said about Nao Omori, who plays the president of the delicatessen store who is the target of her revenge, "There is a scene where I glare at him with hatred welling up inside me, but Yuki (played by Omori) is a father who cares for his daughter, so it's hard to hate him." The drama starts on the 21st.
On the 17th, it was revealed that Kato Chihiro will star in the vertical short drama "Workplace Gambler," which will be distributed on the short drama app "UniReel" from April 30th. Kato, who was active as "Saint Chihiro Chichi" in "BiSH," which disbanded in 2023, has been active as an actor under the name "Kato Chihiro" since the disbandment, and this will be her first lead role in a serial drama. Kato plays Asanuma Kanako, a quiet and serious General Affairs Department employee who engages in a psychological battle in a "survival gambling battle" that suddenly begins between employees, with bonuses at stake. There are 50 episodes in total, with each episode lasting from one to several minutes.
On the 17th, it was revealed that Yoshioka Hidetaka will be starring in "W Serial Drama: Night Signpost - A Record of a Certain Suspect" (WOWOW). This will be Yoshioka's first lead role in a WOWOW drama in 11 years since "W Serial Drama: Tokusou." Yoshioka will play Taira Shotaro, a detective in charge of a murder case that took place in 1996. Taira will investigate the footsteps of the fugitive suspect Akutsu and the motive for the murder while getting closer to the "truth" of the case. The series will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand in September. There will be a total of five episodes, with the first episode being free.
On the 18th, it was announced that Touma will star in the serial drama "Chihayafuru -Meguri-" to be broadcast on Nippon Television in July. This will be Touma's first time starring in a serial drama. It was also revealed that Mone Kamishiraishi, who appeared in the film series "-Kami no Ku-" and "-Shimo no Ku-" released in 2016 and "-Musubi-" released in 2018, will reprise her role as Oe Mone Kamishiraishi. This drama is an original story that depicts a world 10 years after the movie trilogy. The setting is Umezono High School's competitive karuta club, which has few members and is on the verge of being disbanded. The protagonist, second-year high school student and ghost member Aizawa Meguru (Touma), meets Oe Kanade, a part-time classical Japanese teacher and the new advisor for the competitive karuta club, and her fate begins to change dramatically.
On the 18th, Aso Kumiko appeared at the preview screening and press conference for the first episode of the drama "Mamono" (TV Asahi, Friday 11:15pm *excluding some areas) in Tokyo with her co-star Akihisa Shiono. The two of them had body make-up done to show off their bodies in the love scenes in this work, and Shiono emphasized, "I also played the role of a fencing coach, so I worked out. I gained 5-6kg and my body fat percentage is about 5-6%." Meanwhile, Aso revealed, "I played the role of a mother in the Asadora(Omusubi), and I ate a lot of delicious food, so I ended up with a fairly healthy body (laughs). I thought I had to slim down, so I went to the gym and lost 4-5kg."
