"Drama 1 Week" introduces the main drama news of the week. This time (April 5-11), the topic of discussion is the appearance of Nogizaka46 member Nagi Inoue and former Sakurazaka46 member Yuka Sugai Sugai in the NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" starring Taiga Nakano, which will be broadcast in 2026. The topic will be covered in two parts.
On April 7th, the main visual for the drama series "Mamono" (TV Asahi, Friday 11:15pm *excluding some regions), starring Aso Kumiko, which will start on the 18th, was released. Two different versions, the "front" and the "back", have been released, and the "back" shows a sensual scene in which the main character, lawyer Kajin Ayame (Aso), and murder suspect Minamoto Toya (Akihisa Shiono) passionately desire each other.
On the 7th, stills from the drama series "Ignite - Law's Outlaw" (TBS, Friday 10pm), starring Mamiya Shotaro and set to start on the 18th, were released for the first time. In the drama, Uzaki Ryo (Mamiya), a reckless and righteous rookie lawyer, works at "Peace Law Firm", known in the industry as "lawless". This law firm ignites the hearts of potential plaintiffs, gets them to sue, and uses all means to lead them to victory. The released photos include a shot of Uzaki, a cut of "Peace Law Firm" representative Todoroki Kenjiro (Nakamura Toru) and the firm's only female lawyer Inoo Mari (Kamishiraishi Moka), and a photo of Takaido Toma (Ryoki Miyama) and Uzaki standing side by side.
On the 7th, it was announced that Natsuki Harada will appear in the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "Caster" (Sundays at 9pm) starring Hiroshi Abe, which will start on the 13th. Harada revealed that "Personally, this is my first drama appearance in about 8 years." She will play the mother of Takumi Aihara, who is waiting for surgery for a brain tumor. Other cast members include Makiya Yamaguchi as Soichi Shindo's (Abe) father, Satoshi Matsubara, dancer TAKAHIRO as heart surgeon Masateru Tanabe, Asuka Kurosawa as Yumi Sakikubo, the mother of Hana Sakikubo (Mei Nagano), and Yasuto Hida as Tadakuni Nezu, the director of the hospital where Shindo and his friends go to investigate a certain suspicion. Takayuki Suzuki will play Wataru Nawa, the captain of the Japanese men's volleyball team who Shindo and Yusuke Motohashi (Shunsuke Michieda) interview in episodes 1 and 2, and Tatsuya Ueda, former head coach of the Japanese men's volleyball team, will play the coach.
On the 8th, it was announced that Issei Takahashi will be starring in WOWOW's serial drama "Drama W 1972: Fireflies at the Beach." Takahashi will play a detective chasing a stolen $1 million, set in Okinawa in 1972, when Okinawa's return to the mainland is fast approaching. This will be his first lead role in a W serial drama. The story is based on Izumi Sakagami's crime suspense novel "Fire at the Beach" (Futaba Bunko). In 1972, before Okinawa's return to the mainland, the yen-dollar exchange rate was increasing in Okinawa, and a cash transport vehicle collecting dollar bills was attacked and $1 million was stolen. The Ryukyu Police, concerned that if the Japanese or US government finds out about this incident, it could develop into a serious diplomatic issue, form a special investigation team with Maeda Taichi (played by Takahashi) as the team leader... and so on. The story is scheduled to air this fall with a total of five episodes.
On the 8th, the new cast of the NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" starring Nakano Taiga to be broadcast in 2026 was announced, revealing that Nagi Inoue from the idol group " Nogizaka46 " will play Chacha, and Yuka Sugai, formerly of "Sakurazaka46", will play Matsu, making her first appearance in a Taiga drama. In addition, Matsumoto Reo, who appeared in the NHK Asadora"Omusubi", will play Ishida Mitsunari, making his first appearance in a Taiga drama. It was also announced that Hamada Tatsuomi will play Saito Tatsuoki, making his first appearance in a Taiga drama in 16 years since "Ryomaden" (2010), in which he played the childhood of Sakamoto Ryoma. The five new cast members, including Yoshihisa Hajime who will play Todo Takatora, were selected through auditions for young actors.
On the 8th, it was announced that the theme song for the drama series "PJ ~Air Rescue Team~" (TV Asahi, Thursdays 9pm), starring Seiyo Uchino and starting on the 24th, will be a new song by singer-songwriter Vaundy called "Boku ni wa dou wakaru darou". The song was written by Vaundy specifically for the series and will be released digitally on the 25th, the day after the first broadcast.
