"Drama 1 Week" brings you a roundup of major drama news from the past week. This week (August 2-8) featured Suzuki Airi starring in "My Favorite Idol Has Become My Boss, Full Throttle," which will air on TV Tokyo's late-night drama slot "Drama NEXT" from October 8th, and the announcement of 14 new cast members for the NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru, " which will be co-starred by Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka and will air in the first half of 2026. We'll cover these topics in two parts.
On August 6th, it was revealed that Suzuki Airi, a former member of ℃-ute who is active as a singer, model, and talent, will star in "My Favorite Idol Has Become My Boss, Full Throttle" (Wednesdays at 12:30 AM), which will begin airing on TV Tokyo's late-night drama slot "Drama NEXT" from October 8th. Based on the manga of the same name (DPN Books) by Ito Morinaga and Yuki Azuma, this is the second series of "My Favorite Idol Has Become My Boss," which aired in the same slot in October 2023. The drama will be set in a different world from the previous series, with different settings, character names, occupations, and ages. Suzuki will be continuing her starring role from the previous series, and in the new series she will play the main character, Minami Ai, who works as a secretary to the president of an apparel trading company.
On the 7th, it was announced that TBS will be broadcasting a drama series set in the world of K-POP in the Friday 10pm slot in January 2026. The drama, titled "DREAM STAGE," stars the seven-member boy band "NAZE," who have yet to make their debut as artists. They will launch a large-scale project that transcends the boundaries of drama, including music releases, live performances, and events as pre-activities aimed at expanding Japanese live-action content overseas. The story follows a Japanese male producer who was expelled from the industry for causing trouble in the past, and seven dropout trainees from a small Korean talent agency, who work together to pursue their dreams, transcending generations and nationalities.
On the 8th, the 95th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and other times), starring Mio Imada , aired, featuring Gordon Maeda's debut appearance as the genius manga artist Tejima Osamu. While dining with Kentaro (Fumiya Takahashi) at a cafe, Taka (Takumi Kitamura) is drawn to a young man wearing a beret and black-rimmed glasses sitting nearby. A latecomer calls the young man "Sensei" (teacher). Overhearing their conversation, Taka, with a surprised expression, tweets, "It's Tejima Osamu." Viewers reacted on social media with comments like, "The handsome Osamu Tezuka has arrived! His voice is so handsome!" Regarding the pronunciation of the name, some commented, "I thought Osamu was for the Asadora , but it must have been a mispronunciation!"
On the 8th, Sosuke Ikematsu and Taiga Nakano attended a press conference for the NHK drama "NHK Special 'Simulation: Defeat in the Summer of 1941'" at the NHK Broadcasting Center in Shibuya, Tokyo. They will also star in next year's taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!", with Nakano playing the protagonist Toyotomi Hidenaga and Ikematsu playing his older brother Hideyoshi. Ikematsu commented, "'Simulation' was filmed in February and March of this year, and then 'Toyotomi Brothers!' started in June, so the filming was close together." He continued, "Since the theme this time is war, I think the experience of working together on a project with great passion and determination before playing brothers in the taiga drama was a great experience for me," to which Nakano nodded, "I completely agree."
On the 8th, the new cast for the NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru ," starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , was announced on the official NHK Drama website (@nhk_dramas). It was revealed that Kazuki Kitamura will play Ichinose Shin'emon, the father of one of the main characters, Ichinose Rin (played by Mikami). This marks his second time playing the father of a main character in a Asadora, following "Scarlet" (2018). Ichinose Shin'emon was a former chief retainer of a small feudal domain in the Nasu region. Before the Meiji Restoration, he resigned from his position as chief retainer to become a farmer, and continued to decline offers to become a government official. Kitamura commented, "In Scarlet, I played a rather unconventional father, but this time I would like to take on the opposite role, a strong-willed father with a strong core."
In addition to Kitamura, 13 other cast members have also been announced for "Kaze,Kaoru," including Mizuno Miki, Hayasaka Miu, Takashi Kobayashi, Kobayashi Toranosuke, Tsubuyaki Shiro, Iwase Akiko, Miura Takahiro, Negishi Tokie, Oshima Miyuki and Yoshitatsu Yumi from "Morning Musume," Takuya and Kazuya from "The Touch," and Harada Taizo. This will be Hayasaka, Kobayashi Toranosuke, Oshima, Takuya, and Kazuya's first appearance in an Asadora. "Kaze,Kaoru" is the 114th morning drama. Set in the Meiji era, it is a buddy drama featuring two main characters, Ozeki Chika and Suzuki Masa, who are trained nurses (formally trained nurses).
