"Drama 1 Week" brings you a roundup of major drama news from the past week. This week (August 23-29) we'll be covering the news that Watanabe Eriko and Kimura Miho of the "Asagaya Sisters" will be playing the roles of a snake and a frog in the NHK morning drama "Bakebake ," which starts on September 29th, and that Nippon Television's Saturday drama for October will be "Good Things and Bad Things," a controversial mystery about the suspicious death of an elementary school classmate. We'll be covering these topics in two parts.
On August 27th, it was revealed that Kazuya Kamenashi will play Lin Chong, a hero of Liangshan Marsh, in the drama series "Kitakata Kenzo Suikoden" (WOWOW, broadcast and streaming in 2026), starring Yuji Oda. This will be Kamenashi's first film since establishing his own agency. Lin Chong, played by Kamenashi, is a "world-renowned spearmaster" also known by the nickname "Leopard Head." His past includes the loss of a loved one due to a state plot, casting a shadow over his life and fighting style. He boasts high popularity, having been ranked number one in Shueisha's "Character Popularity Ranking" to celebrate the series surpassing 10 million copies sold.
On the 27th, it was announced that Watanabe Eriko and Kimura Miho of the "Asagaya Sisters" will appear in the NHK morning drama " Bakebake ," starring Akari Takaishi , which will begin airing on September 29th in the second half of 2025. This will be the first time the Asagaya Sisters will appear in a Asadora. They will play a snake and a frog living in the garden of the home of the heroine Toki Matsuno(Takaishi) and Lefkada Heaven (Tommy Bastow ). Eriko voices the snake, and Miho voices the frog, gently watching over Toki and Heaven's journey. Production supervisor Hashizume Kuniomi said, "The recording is always done with the two of them exchanging banter like they would in a manzai comedy routine, and the set is always filled with laughter."
It has also been announced that Anna Kurasawa will be appearing in the Asadora"Bakebake ." She will play the role of Chiyo, a female factory worker at a textile factory alongside the heroine Toki Matsuno(played by Takaishi). This will be Kurazawa's first appearance in a Asadora. Kurazawa is 20 years old, born on March 18, 2005. She made waves with her excellent performance as Kenko Fujiwara in the 2024 taiga drama "To Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e)." It has also been announced that she will play Asahi, the younger sister of the Toyotomi brothers, played by Taiga Nakano and Sosuke Ikematsu, in the taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" to be broadcast in 2026. Kurazawa's character, Chiyo, is a kind and reliable girl who is good friends with Toki. Other cast members announced for "Bakebake " include Kino Adachi, Kenji Iwatani, and Mizuki Maehara.
On the 28th, it was announced that Nippon Television will be airing a Saturday drama for October titled "Good Things and Bad Things." The mystery revolves around the suspicious death of an elementary school classmate, and photos of the 13 cast members, their faces hidden in "profile books," were released. Each cast member's profile book includes their favorite manga and TV shows from elementary school, as well as photos of them as babies, encouraging viewers to make deductions. The drama is written by Gaku Kawasaki, who has worked on "Betrayal Meals at a Place Like This" (Chukyo TV), and directed by Shunsuke Kariyama, who has worked on "Brush Up Life" (Nippon TV), Kengo Takimoto, and Shinya Nagano, who worked on the film "Kaibutsu of Love."
On the 28th, the 109th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), starring Mio Imada, aired, featuring the return of Yuzuna Nagase, the child actress who played Nobu's childhood character. This time, Miho Nakazono, who wrote the script for the series, played the role of Nakazato Kaho, an elementary school student modeled after Takashi, creating a buzz among viewers. Nakazono revealed that she had corresponded with Takashi Yanase, the manga artist and picture book author who inspired Takashi's Takashi Yanase, and that this connection began when she sent him a fan letter in the fourth grade. In episode 109, Kaho, who had sent a fan letter to Takashi (Takumi Kitamura), arrives at the Yanai household with her grandfather, Sunao (Asano Kazuyuki). Nobu (Imada) and Takashi welcome her with smiles, but the two are taken aback by Kaho's harsh words...
On the 29th, new cast members were announced for the October TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sundays at 9 PM), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, including Ando Masanobu, Takasugi Mahiro, Kenjiro Tsuda, and Yoshizawa Yu. The newly announced cast members will play important characters related to horse owner Sanno Kozo (Sato Koichi), who has a major influence on the life of the main character, tax accountant Kurisu Eiji (Koichi Sato). Ando will play Hironaka Hiroshi, the horse trainer who pours his utmost love into horses; Takasugi will play Saki Ryujiro, the jockey; Tsuda will play Taira Tsuneaki, the ace horse racing reporter for Tohnichi Sports; and Yoshizawa will play Aiso Masaomi, the talented racing manager for Shiina Yoshihiro (Sawamura Kazuki), Kozo's arch rival.
On the 29th, it was revealed that the "complete playback rate" of the TV Asahi drama series starring Saito Takumi, "The Kidnapping Day" (Tuesdays at 9 PM), which was available on catch-up streaming, was the highest among all dramas this season. The "complete playback rate" is a number indicating the percentage of viewers who watched to the end without dropping out. It indicates the viewer's "engagement level," which cannot be measured by the number of views alone. The complete playback rate for this series averaged a high 78.2% for all episodes (calculated by TVer DATAMARKETING, measurement period: July 1st to August 25th). Furthermore, according to TV Asahi, the number of views for catch-up streaming of episodes 2 through 6 made a V-shaped recovery and continued to rise for four consecutive weeks, a rare phenomenon for a drama series.
