It was revealed on November 21st that actress Kanna Hashimoto will be starring in the Fuji TV Getsuku drama "Yandoku!", which will begin airing on January 12th, 2026. Hashimoto will play a former delinquent girl who dropped out of high school, but after her best friend dies in an accident, she studies hard to become a neurosurgeon and reforms the medical field in this thrilling medical drama. While the setting may seem fictional, the main character is based on a real female doctor who works in the neurosurgery department of a hospital, and the story is an original one based on half of her life. This will be Hashimoto's first lead role in a Getsuku drama, as the protagonist, Tagami Kotoha.
A teaser visual of Hashimoto in a special attack uniform has also been released. It shows Hashimoto's character, Koonami, panicking after a photo of her time as a member of the ladies' club is suddenly projected onto her in public.
◇After the death of his best friend, he decided to study hard and achieve his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon
At the age of 16, when she was leading a rough life as a member of the ladies' club, Ko Onami was involved in an accident while riding a motorcycle with her best friend. Ko Onami survived thanks to emergency surgery at the hospital where she was taken, but her best friend suffered serious brain injuries and passed away. Shaken, Ko Onami was scolded by Nakata Keisuke, the doctor who performed the surgery, who told her, "Stop wasting your life. Think seriously about how you will use this life that has been saved." This gave her resolve to do something. She studied hard, even sacrificing sleep, and achieved her dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Even after starting work, he continues to train tirelessly, becoming one of the few renowned doctors who can perform both surgery and intravascular (catheter) therapy. The story begins when Nakata invites Koonami to the hospital in Tokyo where he works. What awaits Koonami is a ruthless and rational management team that prioritizes the hospital's profits over the circumstances of patients, and a vertically sectarian organization where everything requires approval from superiors and the submission of documents. Witnessing a medical field shackled by strict rules and complex human relationships, he must face various challenges both as a doctor and as a person.
Hashimoto plays Koonami, a neurosurgeon at the Tokyo Metropolitan Odaiba Bayside Medical Center. Though a novice, he is highly skilled, meeting with patients more than three times before surgery to research their personal lives, personalities, and even the kind of life they want to lead after surgery, and providing surgery and treatment methods tailored to each individual. He has a positive and competitive personality. He still has the mindset of a delinquent, and tends to get carried away and shout "Takeka!" (which means "fool" in Gifu dialect), which scares patients and colleagues, but he is a man of great sense of duty and humanity, and he confronts all kinds of injustice head-on, reforming the medical field, which is full of contradictions and problems.
Hashimoto has appeared as a blonde gal in the NHK morning drama "Omusubi" (2024 second half), played the leader of a gang of delinquent girls in the 2018 drama "From Today, It's My Turn!!" (NTV), and showed off her comedic side in the film "Gintama" series. Expectations are high to see how she will play the new heroine, a former delinquent turned skilled neurosurgeon.
The script will be written by Nemoto Nonji, who teamed up with Hashimoto on "Omusubi." The film will be directed by Sato Yuichi, known for "Furuhata Ninzaburo" and "Strawberry Night," and more recently for such popular films as "City Hunter" (2024) and "Six Lying College Students" (2024).
◇Comment from Kanna Hashimoto
--Please tell us how you felt when you received the offer and how excited you are about being the lead in your first Getsuku drama.
I've worked with the producer who contacted me this time before, so I'm approaching filming with a sense of security. As a "drama fanatic," I grew up watching a lot of "Getsuku dramas" from a young age, so when I received the offer, I was both happy and surprised, thinking, "I'm going to be the lead in that Getsuku drama!?" I'm also honored to be able to take on the challenging role of a neurosurgeon. Filming has only just begun, but I'm already filled with excitement and thrills, so I can't wait to see what kind of production it will turn out to be!
-How do you feel about playing the main character, a neurosurgeon?
I was surprised to find out that the role I played was based on a neurosurgeon. He was a delinquent in his school days and dropped out of high school, but after a tragic incident he put in extraordinary effort to become a doctor... It's not an easy profession to get into, and even after becoming a doctor it requires a wide range of knowledge and skills. It must be incredibly difficult for me to imagine, but I thought it was really cool that he lived his life by achieving his dreams with "guts."
I have appeared in live-action works based on manga and novels up until now, but this is the first time I've played a protagonist modeled after a real person. I actually met the teacher and felt her wonderful personality while listening to her various stories, so I would like to play the role of Koonami with care.
--What did you think after reading the script?
From the first episode, Otona Ko's ex-delinquent vibe is on full display, which I think makes it really interesting. On the other hand, as a medical drama, there are also sensitive aspects and issues that modern society faces that need to be conveyed seriously. Otona Ko's past and the themes that the show wants to convey are carefully portrayed, so I think you'll enjoy those aspects as well. Aside from Otona Ko, there are many other interesting characters who will appear (laughs). The well-paced exchanges between the characters are also worth watching!
-Please give a message to our viewers.
We hope you will watch it as a family get-together starting at 9pm on Mondays, the first day of the week. This is a refreshing medical entertainment show, so we think you will be able to see Ko Onami's struggles with patients' illnesses, her ex-delinquent accent, and her cool appearance, bringing laughter and tears. Please look forward to the start of the broadcast!
