"Drama 1 Week" brings you the latest drama news from the past week. This time (September 13-19), the topic of discussion was the start of filming for the NHK morning drama "Kaze,Kaoru ), which will air in the first half of 2026, and the fact that Tsurutaro Kataoka will be appearing in the drama as Katsu Kaishu. This will be covered in two parts.
On the 13th, the new cast for the NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru, " starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , which will air in the first half of 2026, was announced on the NHK Drama official website (＠nhk_dramas), revealing that Tsurutaro Kataoka will be playing Katsu Kaishu. Kataoka commented, "I will be playing Katsu Kaishu, who survived the turbulent times from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era and played the historic role of the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle! While many portrayals of Katsu Kaishu's exploits during the Edo period have been seen, this time the focus will be on Katsu Kaishu from the Meiji period. I will be creating a new Katsu Kaishu from the Meiji period, a role never before seen."
Also announced to appear in the series Ae! group's Sano Shoya, Fujiwara Kisetsu, Hayashi Yuta, Bando Yajuro, Uchida Chika, Ogura Fumiya, Matsukane Yoneko, Hirooka Yuriko, and Harumi Shiho. This will be Sano, Fujiwara, and Yajuro's first appearance in a Asadora. Sano will play Shimada Kenjiro, a confidant of Ichinose Rin (played by Mikami). Fujiwara will play Kohinata Eisuke, a naval lieutenant who has returned from the United States and has a "fateful" encounter with Oya Naomi (played by Uesaka), while Yajuro will play Shimizu Usaburo, who runs Mizuhoya, a shop in Nihonbashi that sells a wide range of imported goods. Usaburo is also an old friend of Katsu Kaishu, played by Kataoka Tsurutarou.
On the 14th, a press conference to mark the start of filming for "Kaze,Kaoru" was held at Daioji Temple (Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture), where Ai Mikami appeared. Mikami, who plays one of the main characters, Ichinose Rin, began filming on September 8th. On the day of the start of filming, Juri Kosaka, who plays the other main character, Oya Naomi, also rushed over. She said with a smile, "Even though I didn't have any scenes to film, she made the effort to come and watch the start of filming with me, which made me really happy and encouraged me." On this day, scenes scheduled to air in the first week were filmed. Rin visits the temple grounds with her family, which are bustling with festival music and stalls. Rin's childhood friend, Takeuchi Kotaro (Kobayashi Toranosuke), also joins them, and everyone enjoys the festival...
On the 15th, it was announced that Yokoyama Yu of "SUPER EIGHT" will be appearing in the "Getsuku " drama "Absolute Zero: Information Crime Emergency Investigation" (Fuji TV, Mondays at 9pm), starring Sawaguchi Yasuko. Yokoyama appeared in seasons 2 through 4 of "Absolute Zero" and will reprise his role in this fifth season. Yokoyama plays Yamauchi Toru, a former member of the Mihan (Preventive Crime Investigation Team) who is transferred to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division and becomes a member of the newly established Information Crime Task Force (DICT). Ninomiya (Sawaguchi), a community-based detective who joined DICT from the Public Safety Division, and Yamauchi, who previously handled violent crimes in the First Investigative Division, are completely different in age, background, and personality. Despite their sometimes-confusing moments, they understand each other and eventually build a unique relationship of trust...
On the 15th, it was announced that Koki Mitani Koike will be appearing in the Fuji TV Wednesday 10pm drama "If This World Were a Stage, Where Would the Dressing Room Be?" (Wednesdays at 10pm, with an extended 30-minute premiere), which will premiere on October 1st and is written by Koki Mitani and stars Masaki Suda. A regular in Mitani's works, including the film " I Hit Me Anyone One More Time" (2019) and the NHK Taiga drama "The 13 Lords of the Shogun" (2022), Koike will be playing the role of dancer Izanagi Duncan. She will reportedly be heavily involved in the story of the first episode. The drama is a youth drama set in Shibuya in 1984 and is a completely original story that includes semi-autobiographical elements from Mitani. A huge open set was constructed in Mobara City, Chiba Prefecture, specifically for the series.
On the 15th, it was announced that Kenjiro Tsuda Tsuda will be appearing in the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sundays at 8 PM and other times), starring Ryusei Yokohama . He will play Takizawa Sokichi (later known as Kyokutei Bakin). This will be Tsuda's first time appearing in a Taiga drama. Sokichi was introduced to Tsutaju's Koshodo by Masaaki Kitao/Kyoden Sankyo (Yuda Furukawa), and he was taken care of as a clerk. While working there, he began writing his own kibyoshi (yellow cover novels). Tsuda commented, "I am excited to play the unique character of Sokichi, and to weave a story that involves interacting with great figures of the Edo period." It was also announced that Kukkie! from "Yasei Bakudan" will play Katsukawa Shunro (later known as Katsushika Hokusai), and Yoshio Inoue will play Shigeta Teiichi (later known as Jippensha Ikku).
On the 16th, it was announced that Takumi Kitamura , who is Takashi Yanase playing the role of Takashi Yanai , in the currently airing NHK Asadora drama "Anpan ," will be appearing in the drama series "A Little Bit of Esper" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 9 PM), which starts on October 21st. This will be his first drama appearance since the Asadora. The story follows Bunta (Yo Oizumi), a down-and-out salaryman who was fired from his company and divorced from his wife, who, after passing an interview at a certain company, becomes a "little bit of esper" and saves the world. Kitamura will play Ichimatsu, a mysterious university student who quickly becomes close to the protagonist Bunta and the other "little bit of espers."
On the 16th, Fuku Suzuki members were announced for "Power Pro Drama 2025: The Story of My Success as an Ordinary New Member of the Workforce" (ABC TV), a drama adaptation of the popular baseball game "Power Pro Baseball" (Konami Digital Entertainment) starring Fuku Suzuki. It was revealed that Hiroki Konno will play the popular character Dr. Daijobu. In the game, Dr. Daijobu dramatically improves the protagonist's abilities through questionable surgical procedures, but there is a high chance that the procedure will fail and result in a penalty. In the drama, he suddenly appears before Nishino (played by Suzuki) and performs the operation. The drama will air from 12:24 AM on September 26th. It will be available for catch-up streaming on TVer and ABEMA after the Kansai local broadcast ends.
