"Drama 1 Week" brings you the latest drama news from the past week. This time (December 20th to 26th), the topics covered include gravure idol, YouTuber, and cosplayer Umi Shinonome Umi's first appearance in a Fuji TV drama series, and author Higashino Keigo's comments on the NHK special drama "Snow Smoke Chase," which is based on his novel. The two parts will cover these topics.
On December 22nd, it was announced that singer MISIA will perform the theme song "Yoru Wataru Tori" (Birds Wandering Through the Night) for the drama series "Kitakata Kenzo Suikoden," starring Yuji Oda. MISIA commented, "At first, I felt it would be extremely difficult to sing about this worldview. However, the time I spent working on this work also gave me a chance to quietly reexamine my inner self—the beliefs, resistance, and survival." The theme song, "Yoru Wataru Tori" (Birds Wandering Through the Night), was composed by singer-songwriter Tokiko Kato, with lyrics by Nemiko Oikawa ("Cruel Angel's Thesis") and arrangement by Shiro Sagisu ("Shin Godzilla "). "Kitakata Kenzo Suikoden" (7 episodes) will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW and WOWOW On Demand every Sunday at 10 PM starting February 15, 2026. It will also be streamed simultaneously on Lemino.
On the 22nd, the 61st episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake " (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and other times), starring Akari Takaishi , aired. The scene featuring Eliza Belsland (Charlotte Kate Fox) near the end of the episode became a hot topic among viewers. Heaven ( Tommy Bastow) receives a letter. Shown to Nishikori (Ryo Yoshizawa) a note from Toki (Takaishi) detailing the sender, Nishikori explains that it's Eliza Belsland (Fox). The Eliza is heading to Matsue... The story unfolds. A rerun of "Massan" (2014 fall season), in which Fox played the wife in the Asadora, began airing on the 22nd (General TV, 12:30 PM). Social media users commented, "It's a Charlotte festival with the Massan rerun and Bakeke," and "Is the Asadora Massan turning into Charlotte time from Bakebake?"
On the 23rd, NAZE, who will be appearing in the drama series "DREAM STAGE" (TBS, Fridays at 10pm) starring Tomoya Nakamura, which will start on January 16th next year, appeared at the illumination event "Ao no Doukutsu SHIBUYA" in Shibuya, Tokyo, and gave a special performance. NAZE is a boy group consisting of seven members: Kaisei, Yoongi, Ato, Taan, Yuya, Kim Gun, and Dohyuk, and it has also been decided that they will be performing the theme song "BABYBOO." At the event, they performed "Wanderlust," a song from the drama, as well as a cover of Hoshino Gen's "Koi," which they also performed at the "Tokyo Girls Collection" in September.
On the 24th, author Keigo Higashino commented on the NHK special drama "Snow Smoke Chase" (NHK General TV/BS Premium 4K), which is based on his novel and will air on January 2nd and 3rd next year at 10 PM. He said, "The story is simple and clear: a chase between a suspect and a detective. Since it's New Year's, don't overthink it; just enjoy the exhilarating chase and the thrilling skiing scenes." The drama stars Kanata Hosoda and Tsuyoshi Muro. Hosoda plays Tatsumi Wakisaka, a fourth-year university student who is a member of a snowboarding club and becomes a murder suspect, while Muro plays Atsuhiko Kosugi, a local police detective investigating the murder. The unpredictable story unfolds between a falsely accused university student, a local police detective, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department headquarters.
On the 25th, it was announced that gravure idol, YouTuber, and cosplayer Umi Shinonome will be appearing in the drama series "Tokyo PD: Metropolitan Police Department Public Relations Division 2" (Fuji TV, Tuesdays at 9 PM), starring Sota Fukushi, which will begin airing on January 13, 2026. This will be Shinonome's first appearance in a Fuji TV drama series. Shinonome will play Tanaka Yuka, a reporter in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Social Affairs Department. She is in charge of the Metropolitan Police Department's Second Investigative Division and sometimes pesters Tokinaga Shuji (Takezai Terunosuke) of the Public Relations Division 2 for information. Shinonome commented, "After reading the script, I was drawn in by the highly social themes and the realism of the relationship between the Metropolitan Police Department's public relations department and reporters." The drama follows the protagonist, who is transferred from detective to public relations, and his colleagues as they work in the Public Relations Division, working behind the scenes of criminal investigations.
