Fuji TV's Wednesday 10pm drama "If This World Were a Stage, Where Would the Dressing Room Be?" (Wednesdays at 10pm, with the first episode extended by 30 minutes), written by Koki Mitani and starring Masaki Suda, will begin airing on October 1st. The youth ensemble drama is set in Shibuya in 1984, and Suda plays the protagonist, Hisabe Mitsunari, a theater company director who dreams of success.
The drama is a completely original story that includes semi-autobiographical elements from Mitani. It depicts the struggles, setbacks, and sometimes romances of young people who are still new to the world of Mitani in a corner of Shibuya, a bustling center of youth culture. This is Mitani's first prime-time drama series in 25 years, and it will be directed by Nishiura Masaki, known for "Code Blue."
Nikaido Fumi will play the mysterious dancer Koda Rika, Kamiki Ryunosuke will play Ryunosuke Kamiki, a new TV writer based on the motif of "Young Mitani," and Hamabe Minami will play Egashira Juri, a shrine maiden at Happun Shrine, which sits quietly in Shibuya.
Also appearing in the cast are Koike Eiko as Izanagi Duncan, the WS Theatre's leading dancer, Anmika as WS Theatre dancer Patra Suzuki, Akimoto Sayaka as WS Theatre dancer Kehagi Mone, Nomaguchi Toru as WS Theatre's stage director Ban Sakusa, and Hayato Ichihara as WS Theatre's bodyguard Tony Ando.
Also appearing in the film are Junki Tozuka, an innocent police officer working at the police box, Rinko Kikuchi as the old lady at the information center, Kobayashi Kaoru as Furosu Taro, the owner of the jazz cafe "Tempest," and Bando Yajuro as Egashira Ronpei, the chief priest of Hachibun Shrine and Juri's father.
In the first episode, in the fall of 1984, Kubo (played by Suda), an aspiring director who admires Yukio Ninagawa, finds himself at a loss. He has been expelled from his theater company for being too tyrannical.
Wandering aimlessly, Kube stumbles into a suspicious shopping arcade. The shopping street, lit by the neon lights of strip clubs, is called "Hachibunzaka." It's called Hachibunzaka because it's eight minutes from Shibuya Station, and there's a sign inscribed on the arcade that reads, "Pray speak what has happened."
Then, Kube is invited by the old lady (Kikuchi) at the free information center to open the door to the WS Theater...
