It was announced on November 12th that a special drama "Medical examiner Asagao 2025 New Year Special" of the Fuji TV drama "Forensic Pathologist Asagao" starring actor Ueno Juri will be broadcast from 9pm on January 3rd, 2025. The series will be broadcast for the first time in about two years and four months since "Forensic Pathologist Asagao 2022 Special" (broadcast in September 2022).
The first series of "Medical examiner Asagao" was broadcast as a Monday 9pm drama in July 2019, and the second series was broadcast in the same time slot for two consecutive seasons from November 2020. In addition, one-night special dramas were broadcast in January 2021 and September 2022.
The original work is a manga of the same name serialized in the manga magazine "Manga Sunday" (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha, currently on hiatus) by Masahito Kagawa, illustrated by Naomi Kimura, and supervised by Yoshinobu Sato. The story is an adaptation of the original premise, depicting Asagao (Ueno), a forensic pathologist whose mother went missing in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and her father, veteran detective Taira (Tokito Saburo), as they solve the mystery of the body through autopsies and investigations.
In the new film, Asagao and Taira, who have gradually overcome their grief with their family members, including her husband, detective Kuwabara Shinya (Kazama), eldest daughter Tsugumi (Nagase Yuzuna), and second daughter Satomi (Nakamura Chitose), while searching for "proof of life" for their mother (Ishida Hikari), who they lost in the disaster, come to say goodbye.
In addition to Ueno, Tokito, and Kazama, familiar actors such as Shida Mirai, Nakao Akiyoshi, Morimoto Shintaro of SixTONES, Saito Yoichiro, Fujiwara Kisetsu, Sakanoue Akane, Totsugi Shigeyuki, Hiraiwa Kami, Tomosaka Rie, Miyake Hiroki, Sugimoto Tetta, Itao Itsuji, and Yamaguchi Tomoko will also be appearing.
The previous film, "Inspector Asagao 2022 Special," depicted Asagao's changes in her heart as she struggles with raising the two children and living with Taira, whose dementia is progressing. As she wished, Taira moved to a nursing home in Sennoura, Iwate Prefecture, and the Asagao family of four began living together: Asagao, Shinya, their eldest daughter Tsugumi, and their second daughter Satomi. As Tsugumi grew up, she sometimes said rebellious things, making Shinya feel a little lonely, but they continued to live happy days filled with love.
Meanwhile, a body is discovered that appears to have been drowned. A suicide note is also found, so it seems to have been a suicide, but an autopsy reveals several suspicious points for a drowning, raising the possibility of murder. A body is also found that appears to have been electrocuted, and the autopsy reveals a connection between the two cases. Shinya works hard to investigate, and together with the members of the violent crimes division, they close in on the big case that lies ahead. At the same time, Tsugumi begins to talk strangely about Taira, who should not be nearby, saying, "I think I saw my grandpa (Taira)."
Comments from Ueno and others are as follows.
◇Comment from Ueno Juri
--How was the atmosphere on set, playing Asagao for the first time in about two years?
It was the first time that all the original members were able to gather together again for the first time in two years, and the overall atmosphere on the Asagao set was in harmony, so I thought it was a good fit after all. We did some funny stuff and the director would comment on it, or we'd relax people who were nervous, so we had to make some small adjustments, but generally the relationships between everyone were very calm and comfortable on set. Since it was a special and we only got to see each other once, everyone was a little sad to say goodbye after filming, but we dispersed again. But I feel like we'll definitely see each other again. I'm glad we were able to film in that kind of space. There was a scene in the Maki family's bedroom where Tsugumi and Satomi were sleeping, and they both gave it their all during filming and really fell asleep, and they continued to sleep in the same position until we finished filming all the scenes (laughs).
--What were your thoughts after reading the script for this film, and what do you think are the highlights?
As for the children's growth, Tsugumi, the eldest daughter, is starting to fall in love, and Satomi, the second daughter, is becoming more talkative, so you can see their real growth, so I hope you'll look forward to it. There are also scenes about his father, who lives far away, and his mother, Satoko, who died in the Great East Japan Earthquake, so I hope you will watch until the end.
--Please give a message to the viewers.
Thank you to all the viewers for your support over the years. After two years, "Inspector Asagao" will return with a New Year's special. Please look forward to it!
◇Comment from Kazama Shunsuke
--How was the atmosphere on set, playing Shinya for the first time in about two years?
It felt like the Maki family and Nogeyama Police Station had always been there. In fact, "Inspector Asagao" is in the hearts of all the cast and staff, and I felt that even the time that is not depicted is a solid history. I am looking forward to seeing the time that the viewers have spent with the time that this story has spent come together.
--What were your thoughts after reading the script for this work, and what are the highlights?
It does not depict any special power-ups or drastic changes. The story quietly depicts the growth and change of two years. However, the growth of Tsugumi and Satomi is surprising. The work carefully depicts both things that change and things that do not change, so the growth of the children is a point that I would like everyone who loves "Inspector Asagao" to watch. I would also like you to watch the warmth of the unchanging story and the way it deals with life.
--Please give a message to the viewers.
"Inspector Asagao" does not only depict everyday happiness and peaceful days, but also things that change in the course of daily life even if you do not want them to change. That is why it is important to cherish the present. I would be happy if you could talk about this story with people you meet for the first time in a long time at the beginning of the year, or with people you haven't seen in a long time but are thinking of contacting.
◇Comment from producer Ayaka Kaneshiro (Fuji TV Drama and Film Production Department)
"Inspector Asagao" is coming back again. I was able to depict the world of the drama again with a wonderful cast including Juri Ueno. This wonderful opportunity is something that has been given to us by all the viewers who have loved this series for so long. We are truly grateful.
The series first aired in July 2019, but we never imagined that five years later we would all come together again to film a special drama.
This story is all connected to "family." Be sure to watch it in real time this New Year! We would like to continue the story for a long time, so we appreciate your support!
