"AIBO Season 24" will start airing in October

It has been announced that the new season of the popular detective drama "Aibou Season 24" (TV Asahi, Wednesdays at 9pm), starring actors Mizutani Yutaka and Terawaki Yasufumi, will be broadcast over two seasons starting in October. "Aibou," which first aired on Saturday Wide Theater in June 2000, reached its 446th episode in the previous season. This year marks the series' "quarter century" anniversary.

The first special episode of Season 24 depicts a murder case surrounding a Living National Treasure storyteller. This is the first time the series has taken up the world of storytelling as its subject, and it depicts a master who has reached the pinnacle of his art, the complex human relationships surrounding him, and a tragic incident that reflects the times, all interwoven with the entertainment value and social relevance of "Aibō." The story begins with the unexpected development that Sugishita Ukyo (Mizutani) becomes an apprentice to a Living National Treasure. While training as an apprentice performer, Ukyo searches for his master, and Kameyama Kaoru (Terawaki) wonders whether they can uncover the "light and shadow" of the Living National Treasure.

The script for the first special was written by series creator Yasuhiro Koshimizu. Mizutani said, "The story of the first special always takes us by surprise every season, but this time it was the most surprising of all the first specials to date. I was truly amazed." Terawaki also praised it, saying, "I was stunned and thought, 'He's written something amazing again!' The settings, scenes, and dialogue are all interesting, and it's a script that only Koshimizu could write. I feel he's reached an incredible level."

Filming is underway amidst the scorching heat. Terawaki said with a wry smile, "Everyone is filming while getting exhausted. Kaoru in particular is wearing a flight jacket, so by the end of filming every day he's drenched in sweat." Meanwhile, Mizutani said, "Everyone is saying, 'It's so hot, it's so hot,' but I can handle the heat and I'm not too bothered. So it's not that unbearable yet. Everyone is jealous of me, saying, 'You're so cool, aren't you?'"

"Season 24" will also see the return of previous cast members, including Special Missions Unit boss Kai Mineaki (Koji Ishizaka), Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Commissioner Kinugasa Toji (Sugimoto Tetta), who is trying to abolish the Special Missions Unit, Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office head Yashiro Miyako (Nakama Yukie), and the First Investigation Division's Itami Kenichi (Kawahara Kazuhisa), Serizawa Keiji (Yamanaka Takashi), and Izumo Reon (Shinohara Yukiko). However, a "certain change" is coming to the head of the Drug and Firearms Control Division, Tsunoda Rokuro (Yamanishi Jun), who is famous for his line, "Are you bored?"