TV Asahi Drama Premium "The Prison Guard's Way," starring actor Ryoma Takeuchi, will be broadcast from 9:00 pm on June 21st. The drama is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name (Takarajimasha, 2019) by Shinichi Shiroyama, winner of the "This Mystery is Amazing!" Grand Prize, set in Kaga Prison in Ishikawa Prefecture. It is a human mystery that depicts prisoners with complicated circumstances and the prison guards who do their best to rehabilitate them.
The protagonist, Akihiro Munekata (played by Takeuchi), is a passionate prison officer who adheres to the principle that "the prison guard's mission is to believe in the inmates and give them hope for life." However, one night, Munekata's "small kindness" towards one inmate causes a major incident that could shake the prison system.
While Munekata is opposed to the senior prison officer, Hiishi Tsukasa (Fumino Kimura), who has been assigned to Kaga Prison with a special mission, he cooperates with her to uncover the truth behind the incident. However, standing in their way is the ruthless head of the prison treatment department, Kamata Junichi (Kazuki Kitamura), who, in stark contrast to Munekata, does not trust inmates.
The cast includes Takeuchi, Kimura, Kitamura, Hoshino Mari, Ozawa Masaru, Watanabe Dai, Terajima Susumu, Takashi Naito, and Emoto Akira. The script was written by Hashimoto Yuji, who has worked on "Hanareinaru Ichizoku" (TBS) and "Sky Castle" (TV Asahi). The director is Hiroshi Hashimoto, who has worked on the movie "Kamisama no Karute" and the drama "Hoshifuru Yoru ni" (TV Asahi).
TV Asahi has described the film as a "story of hope and rebirth" that combines an intricate and clever mystery with a rich human drama, making it a sort of Reiwa version of "The Shawshank Redemption."
