Drama Topics from September 6th to 12th (Part 2)

"Drama 1 Week" brings you the latest drama news from the past week. This week (September 6-12) featured freelance announcer Misato Ugaki taking on her first solo lead role in a drama series, and gravure idol and YouTuber Umi Shinonome appearing in the drama series "My Favorite Idol Has Become My Boss: Full Throttle" (TV Tokyo), starring Airi Suzuki. The two topics are covered in two parts.

On September 10th, it was announced that Shuto Inomata of "timeless" will be appearing in the new drama "Papa to Chichi no Uchigohan" (starting October 4th) on TV Asahi's Oshidora Saturday time slot (Saturdays at 11pm). This will be Inomata's first drama appearance, as he is currently active in variety shows. The drama stars timeless' So Matsushima So and Shirasu Jin as the co-stars, and follows single fathers Sengoku Satoshi (Matsushima) and Harumi Masahiro (Shirasu), as they struggle to raise their children while living together. Inomata will play Akutsu Tatsuya, a part-timer at the bone-setting clinic run by Sengoku.

On the 10th, it was announced that Umi Shinonome , who is active as a gravure idol and YouTuber, will be appearing in the drama series "My Favorite Idol Became My Boss, Full Throttle" (TV Tokyo, Wednesday midnight, 12:30 AM), starring Suzuki Airi. Suzuki will play the main character, Minami Ai, who works as the president's secretary at an apparel trading company, while Shinonome will play Yoshida Hikaru, a friend of the main character, Minami Ai (Suzuki), who is also a favorite idol and a popular idol. Shinonome commented, "It really is like a dream come true to be able to appear in a drama starring my favorite, Suzuki Airi! I gave it my all to deliver a realistic otaku feel!" Yagi Yusei will play Himuro/Takashiro Shun, a handsome younger man who is Ai's favorite and her boss.

On the 10th, TV Asahi announced its October programming, revealing that a new show, "Dora Dora Daisakusen," will start on Saturdays from 12:30am to 1am. This will be an experimental drama slot staffed by young employees. At a briefing held at their headquarters (Minato Ward, Tokyo), they explained, "We're asking our young creators to propose ideas that don't adhere to the traditional drama production style... such as vertical dramas, and we'd like to actively use this slot to broadcast them and explore new ways of presenting dramas." Regarding the broadcast format, they stated, "We would like to decide on a work-by-work basis."

On the 11th, it was announced that Iwasaki Udai of "Kamometaru" will be appearing 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 Iwasaki's first appearance in a Asadora. He will play Kajitani Goro, a self-proclaimed, highly skilled reporter for the Matsue Shimpo newspaper. Kajitani follows Heaven (played by Tommy Bastow) as she visits Japan. He is in high spirits and is able to turn even small stories into big news. Iwasaki commented, "Apparently, newspaper reporters back then were much rougher than they are now, so I'm having fun acting while imagining the energy of that time."

Also announced for "Bakebake" are Namase Katsuhisa, Iketani Nobue, Nouchi Maru, and Asaka Mayumi, who will play the characters living in Matsue with the heroine Toki Matsuno(Takaishi). This will be Nouchi's first appearance in a Asadora. Namase plays Hanada Heita, the owner of the Hanada Inn where Heaven will be staying in Matsue. He is also friendly with Toki, who comes to sell clams, and watches over her warmly. Iketani plays Hanada Tsuru, the proprietress who runs the Hanada Inn together with Heita, and is very fond of Toki, becoming Toki's emotional support. Nouchi plays Ume, a maid who will take care of Heaven at the Hanada Inn. She is not intimidated by her first encounter with a foreigner.

On the 11th, Keiko Kitagawa updated her account (@KKeiko_official) and wrote about the "loss" she was feeling from a drama she had enjoyed as a viewer. She was referring to " Shiawase na Kekkon " (TV Asahi), starring Sadao Abe , which aired its final episode on the same day, and wrote, "Sigh. It's over... I won't give away any spoilers, but I'm extremely sad." She will be co-starring with Takashi Okabe , who starred in " Shiawase na Kekkon, " in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake" (starting September 29th). She commented, "Today (almost yesterday) we were filming an important scene on the set of ' Bakebake,' but all we talked about was the final episode with Takashi Okabe."

On the 12th, it was announced that Misato Ugaki will star in "Dekidemo, Dekinetemo," which will begin airing on TV Tokyo's "Kidora 24" slot (Thursdays at 12:30 AM) from Getsuku. Ugaki, who is active in a wide range of fields including radio personality, writing, and acting, will be starring in her first lead role in a TV drama series. The story is a love story about a protagonist who is infertile, with her co-star being played by M!LK member Jyutaro Yamanaka . The protagonist, 32-year-old construction company employee Momono Midori (Ugaki), is dumped by her boyfriend of seven years after discovering she is infertile. Furthermore, rumors about her infertility spread within the company, leading to her resignation. While physically and mentally exhausted, she meets a handsome younger man, Tsukidome Mao (Yamanaka), and makes a "certain proposal" to him... and so the story unfolds.

On the 12th, the 120th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and other times), starring Mio Imada , aired, finally introducing the birth of "Anpanman." On the night that he received a letter informing him of Tokairin's ( Kenjiro Tsuda) death, Taka was driven to draw something. As Taka continued to draw in the morning, Nobu greeted him, saying, "Good morning, Taka. It's morning." This scene was a continuation of the opening of the first episode (broadcast on March 31), and Nobu's lines were the same as in the first episode. Gazing at Taka's completed illustration of Anpanman, Nobu smiled and commented, "His face is Anpan," and "I've never seen a hero like this before." Viewers responded on social media with comments such as, "This is from episode 1!!" and "It connects to the first episode. And so Anpanman was born."