It was revealed on December 5th that actor Toshiaki Karasawa will star in the TV Asahi series "Private Banker" which will air on the "Thursday Drama" slot (Thursdays at 9pm) starting on January 9th, 2025. The drama is an original work that focuses on "private bankers", specialists who advise the wealthy on asset management and asset formation. Karasawa plays the highly skilled private banker Koichi Anno, who brilliantly solves the numerous problems related to money of a wealthy family that is shaken by inheritance disputes, mistress issues, and suspicions of secret funds, in an "exhilarating money suspense" drama.
Anno, played by Karasawa, is a legendary man in the industry, having started his career as a securities man at a major company and moved from one overseas securities company to another with his extraordinary talent. He only deals with super-rich people with assets of over 1 billion yen, and with his overwhelming financial knowledge and wide network of contacts, he protects the assets and interests of the wealthy by any means necessary, together with his trusted assistant Osamu Mikoshiba. He is a mysterious character who is gentlemanly but sometimes shows a ruthless side and never reveals his true feelings.
The story begins with Anno receiving a request from President Tenmuji of the Tenmuji Aina Group, which has assets of 700 billion yen, to help save his beloved dango shop from a difficult situation. The shop's president, Iida Kumiko, is in a dire situation, and with no financial knowledge at all, she falls victim to an investment scam, leaving her heavily in debt, while the survival of her shop is in jeopardy. Starting with this incident, Anno, as President Tenmuji's private banker, faces the various problems swirling around the Tenmuji family.
The series will be directed by Masaki Nishiura, known for the "Code Blue -Doctor Heli Emergency Lifesaving-" series (Fuji TV) and "Black Pean Season 2" (TBS). This will be the third time that Karasawa and Director Nishiura have teamed up, following the "Harassment Game" series (TV Tokyo) and "The Fixer" (WOWOW). The script will be written by Hiroyuki Komine, known for "Doctor White" (Kansai TV/Fuji TV) and "Promise: The Truth of the 16th Year" (Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV).
Karasawa said of the drama, "I thought the story was very interesting, with a new theme of 'private bankers'. The script was also very interesting to read, and it goes beyond the genre of finance, with suspense elements and a sense of entertainment, so I think the viewers will enjoy it." He said that the drama will teach financial knowledge such as investment, tax savings, and inheritance, and said, "I myself would like to learn various knowledge and put it to use." The cast members who will play Anno's assistant Mikoshiba, the president of the dumpling shop Kumiko, and the Tenguuji family will be announced in the future.
