Drama Topics from July 26th to August 1st (Part 2)

"Drama Week" brings you the latest drama news from the past week. This time (July 26th - August 1st), we'll be covering the news that Haru and Rina Kawaei will be co-starring in the drama series "Fake Kumamy" (Fridays at 10pm), which will air on TBS in October, and that NHK's "Saturday Drama" (General TV, Saturdays at 10pm) will end in September. We'll be covering these topics in two parts.

On July 30th, it was announced that the newest episode of the BUMP short drama app, "Conditions for a Professional Girlfriend," with episodes lasting three minutes, will be available from 7 PM on August 6th. A complete revamp from Season 2, which featured Hikari Kabashima and Kishi Asuka, the series will feature Shida Kohaku, Sakurai Reika, and Komiya Rio as the main cast, and will depict the "Entertainment World Arc," a popular episode from the original manga. Kishi, Naito Shuichiro, Komatsu Toshimasa, and Hakamada Yoshihiko will also be appearing, continuing from Season 2. Season 3 is set on the set of a drama production, and follows the story of a rookie assistant director who falls in love with a handsome actor. After meeting a professional girlfriend, however, she embarks on the same path. However, an unexpected pitfall awaits...

On the same day, it was announced that NHK's "Saturday Drama" (General TV, Saturdays at 10pm) will end in September. Starting in October, they will broadcast "Unsolved Cases," a popular NHK Special. The Saturday Drama series "I Want to Die Alone," starring Ayase Haruka, aired its final episode on August 2nd. After that, the final series will be "Mother's Waiting Village" (starting August 30th), starring Kiichi Nakai , which was broadcast on BS last year and caused a stir. "Unsolved Cases" is a popular NHK Special series that thoroughly examines unsolved cases that have gone unsolved. Previous series have included the Glico-Morinaga scandal, the Lockheed scandal, and the JFK assassination.

On the 30th, the 88th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada, aired, and former Junretsu member Odai Ryohei appeared as Degawa, the advertising manager at Samsung Department Store, drawing the attention of viewers. This was Odai's first appearance in a Asadora. After the broadcast, he updated his profile and wrote, "Taka-kun's work was excellent." On social media, comments included, "I can't believe Odai played the boss role," "I was surprised to see Odai," "I had no idea Odai was the boss at Samsung Department Store," "Congratulations on your appearance in the Asadora, Odai!" and "Your acting was so natural, as expected!"

On the 31st, it was revealed that Haru and Rina Kawaei will be co-starring in the October TBS Friday drama "Fake Mommy" (Fridays at 10 PM). The "family crime entertainment" follows a former career woman who is job hunting and poses as the mother of a single mother and ex-delinquent company president. Hanamura Kaoru (Haru), who suddenly quit her job and struggled to find a new job, interviews at the venture company "RAINBOWLAB." There, she meets Hidaka Momi (Kawaei), the company president and single mother, who asks her to act as a substitute for her daughter as she takes the interview for a prestigious private elementary school.

On August 1st, it was announced that the TV drama series "Zenketsu," starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, which aired on Fuji TV in October 2024, will be adapted into a film and released in 2026. The mystery is set in the world's oldest investigative agency, "Zenketsu," which solves "inexplicable abnormal cases" that go beyond common sense. In the drama, Fujiwara plays Masa Okitama, a specialist in paranormal phenomena, and heroine Alice Hirose plays police officer Amano Koyume, who investigates a series of "abnormal incidents." The film depicts what happens "after the drama," and approaches the greatest crisis not only for the gods but also for the human world. The cast will feature the same Zenketsu members as Fujiwara, Hirose, and others, with a new character (a god?) also said to appear.