It has been revealed that model and actor Tomoya Nakamura will be appearing in the TBS Friday drama "DOPE" (Fridays at 10pm) which will air from July and will feature the double lead roles of Takahashi Kaito from the popular group "King & Prince" and actor Rinka Kumada. Kumagaya, who will be taking on a full-scale action role for the first time, said, "I'm happy to be able to take part in a production that also features action scenes, which I've always wanted to try. It's often hard to get used to action scenes for the first time, but I'm learning with the help of the many staff members."
The original work is a novel of the same name by Kizaki Chiaki, who made her debut as a novelist after winning the grand prize at the 20th Dengeki Novel Award. Set in a near-future Japan where the mysterious new drug "DOPE" is rampant, the story follows rookie narcotics agent Saiki Yuto, played by Takahashi, who is transferred to the undisclosed Narcotics Control Department's Special Investigation Division, commonly known as the "Special Investigation Division," and Jinnai Teppei, the "Special Investigation Division's" instructor who gives the worst first impression, played by Nakamura, as they team up to solve the mysterious cases caused by DOPE with the unique members of the Special Investigation Division. This is a "narcotics control action entertainment" story.
Kumada plays Izumi Ruka, a former member of the Special Investigation Division and a direct subordinate of Watanuki Mitsuru, the "Strongest Narcotics Officer in the Special Investigation Division" played by Araki Yuko. Her movements after leaving the Special Investigation Division are unknown, but she plays the role of a mysterious woman who appears around the Special Investigation Division members with a certain purpose.
The appearances of Atsushi Ito, Masami Miura, and Yudai Toyoda were also announced. Ito will play Yamaguchi Hajime, the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare and the founder of the Special Investigation Division, Miura will play Katsuragi Kosuke, the chief of the Special Investigation Division who brings together the unique personalities of the division, and Toyoda will play Shibahara Takumi, the mood maker of the division.
