"Drama 1 Week" introduces the main drama news of the week. This time (June 28th to July 4th), the topic of discussion was that WOWOW's drama " Koki Mitani' Oi, Dazai '", which was written and directed by Koki Mitani , will be released in theaters with special footage, and that the first episode of NHK's drama "Hitori de Shinitai" starring Ayase Haruka was the highest-viewed drama of the station's history on NHK Plus, excluding the network's serial dramas and historical dramas. We will cover these topics in two parts.
On June 28th, the new cast of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring Ryusei Yokohama , was announced. It was revealed that Inoue Yuki will play Matsudaira Sadanobu, who carries out the "Kansei Reforms" after Tanuma Okitsugu(Ken Watanabe) falls from grace, and Jo Kairi will play Tokugawa Ienari, who becomes the 11th Shogun at the age of 15. There are 11 new cast members announced, and three will be appearing in a Taiga drama for the first time: Fujima Sawako, Kai Shoma, and Leon Niihama . Fujima will play Kiyo, the wife of future Utamaro (Sometani Shota), Kai will play Choshichi, a carpenter who lives near the tenement house in Fukagawa where Shinnosuke (Inowaki Kai) lives, and Nihama will play Tomimoto Saigūtayu, a talented tayu who is the guardian of Tomimoto Bunzentayu.
It was also revealed that voice actress Sumi Shimamoto , known for her roles as Nausicaa in the animated feature film Nausicaä of the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Clarice in Lupin the Third : The Castle of Cagliostro, will appear in " UNBOUND (Berabou) Banashi". She will play Takao, a maid at Koshodo, which Tsutaju (Yokohama) opened in Nihonbashi. Shimamoto said, "I've also appeared in episodes where I don't have any lines, so please look forward to seeing where I appear." It was also announced that voice actor Hirata Hiroaki, known for his role as Sanji in the popular anime "ONE PIECE", will play Magabuchi Kagesuke, who works hard to ensure public safety in Edo. This will be Hirata's second appearance in a taiga drama in three years, since " The 13 Lords of the Shogun " which aired in 2022.
On the 28th, Goro Inagaki appeared at the Fuji TV Drama Live 2025 Summer, a joint event for Fuji TV series that will be broadcast in July, held in Tokyo. He showed off his hula hoop, which is his "sealed skill." Inagaki plays the role of the chairman of a private high school in the drama series " We Still Don't Know the School Rules of That Planet " (Mondays at 10pm), which will start airing on July 14th and star Hayato Isomura . He spun the hula hoop gracefully while holding the microphone. When asked by the MC, "How do you feel about appearing in a drama series for the first time in nine years?", Inagaki asked the audience, "Did everyone remember me?" while spinning the hula hoop.
On the same day, Kaito Takahashi of "King & Prince" appeared at the press conference for the TBS Friday drama " DOPE " (Fridays at 10pm), which he co-stars with Tomoya Nakamura and will start on July 4th, held in Tokyo. When asked about his favorite food, Takahashi said, "There is a dish called 'Bongoo' that has been passed down in the Takahashi family..." He explained, "It's a dish named by my mother. It's a dish where you stir-fry pork with sliced garlic, dip it in mustard soy sauce once, and eat it on top of rice." He then enthusiastically said, "It's really delicious. What can I say... is it a national dish?"
On the 30th, it was announced that "Drama W Koki Mitani' Oi, Dazai'", which Mitani wrote and directed and was broadcast and streamed on WOWOW, will be released nationwide from July 11th as "Koki Mitani' Oi, Dazai' Theatrical Version". In the drama, Komuro Kensaku (Kei Tanaka), an ordinary office worker who admires Dazai Osamu, gets lost on the beach where Dazai attempted suicide on the way home from a wedding reception he attended with his wife Miyoko (Emma Miyazawa). Excited to be in a place associated with Dazai, Kensaku makes his way through a dark cave... The theatrical version also includes a rare special video, "Another Ending", not seen in the WOWOW broadcast version.
On the 30th, it was revealed that the first episode (broadcast June 21st) of the NHK drama series "Hitori de Shinitai" (General TV, Saturday 10pm), starring Ayase, had the highest viewership (simultaneous or catch-up streaming) on NHK Plus of all time, excluding the station's Asadora and taiga dramas. Asako Takagi, the production manager, commented, "If we've come this far, we should aim to surpass the Asadora and taiga dramas (smirk). The story will continue to gather pace. Please continue to support us!"
On the 30th, the final episode (episode 11) of the drama series " Since I Took You Away " (Kantele/Fuji TV, Mondays at 10pm) starring Keiko Kitagawa was released, along with a photo of Kitagawa and her co-star Nao Omori smiling with bouquets in their hands. Kitagawa commented, "Even before I started this job, I loved watching TV dramas and was a TV addict. Times have changed and there are many forms of entertainment other than TV, but I still believe in the power and influence of TV dramas. I'm sure this one season I spent with everyone will be a memory I'll never forget."
