"Drama Week" brings you a roundup of major drama news from the past week. This time (October 11th-17th), the topic of discussion includes the fact that Yasuhiro Koshimizu, the screenwriter behind the popular detective drama series "Aibou," spoke to fans about behind-the-scenes stories from the series, and that JRA (Japan Racing Association) jockey Yutaka Take and others appeared in the first episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family." The two-part series will cover these topics.
On October 11th, Shuto Inomata of the comedy duo "timeless" appeared in the second episode of the drama series "Papa to Chichi no Uchigohan" (TV Asahi, Saturdays at 11 PM), which aired that same day. His blonde hair became a hot topic. Inomata, who plays Akutsu Tatsuya, made his first appearance in the second episode, where he was shown looking at a part-time job application email at a manga cafe. On social media, viewers commented, "Wait, wait, wait, blonde?!", "I almost screamed because I didn't realize he was blonde," "Isn't Shuuto too blonde?! His hair color is completely different from the poster (lol)," "Shudo's surprise blonde hair is amazing," "Shudo-kun, what a huge surprise! Thank you," and "His look is so good I'm crying."
On the 12th, the 39th episode of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8 PM and other times), starring Ryusei Yokohama , aired, with the title "Half of My Life, Unable to Live in the Pure Land of Shirakawa," and fans of the historical drama "Onihei Hankacho" (Drama: Onihei Crime Records) reacted to the exploits of Hasegawa Heizo ( Nakamura Hayato) depicted in the final five minutes of the episode. Heizo told Sadanobu (Yuki Inoue) that "a group of people calling themselves Aoi Kozo have been wreaking havoc in the city lately," and showed a lantern bearing the Aoi crest, a thief's remains. Following Sadanobu's orders, Heizo set out in his familiar costume from "Onihei Crime Records." He introduced himself as "Arson and Theft Investigation Department, Hasegawa Heizo! Be brave and tie me up!" and captured the thief. Social media erupted with excitement, with comments like "A different drama is starting lol" and "Onihei Crime Records!"
On the 12th, a livestreamed fan meeting for the popular detective drama "AIBOU Season 24" (Wednesdays at 9 PM, starting October 15th) was held at TV Asahi's headquarters in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Cast members Yutaka Mizutani and Yasufumi Terawaki, along with screenwriter Yasuhiro Koshimizu, creator of the "AIBOU" series, appeared on stage. Koshimizu revealed, "I've always done comedies, so this was my first detective story (laughs). I was inspired by the Sherlock Holmes and Poirot I read... I also loved Columbo, so the relentlessness with which Ukyo (played by Mizutani) pursues the culprit came from Columbo. I was inspired by classic detective stories." Regarding Kaoru Kameyama, played by Terawaki, he said, "I imagined Kaoru to be in a similar position to Holmes' Watson."
During the live fan meeting for "AIBO Season 24," the "naming rules" of past partners also became a hot topic. Ukyo's past partners, including Kaoru Kameyama, Takeru Kobe (Mitsuhiro Oikawa), Toru Kai (Hiroki Narimiya), and Wataru Kanjo (Takashi Sorimachi), are famous among fans for their names beginning with "ka" and ending with "ru." However, Koshimizu confessed, "I didn't notice this rule until the third partner (Toru Kai)." He revealed that it was screenwriter Masashi Todayama who first discovered the rule, saying, "He's a very stylish guy, and instead of saying it directly to me, he had Section Chief Tsunoda (Atsushi Yamanishi) say it in the drama. When I saw it, I was like, 'Huh?' (laughs). I was conscious of the fact that (the fourth partner) Wataru Kanjo's name should start with "ka" and end with "ru."
On the 12th, the first episode of the TBS Sunday Drama "The Royal Family" (Sunday 9:00 PM), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, aired, featuring JRA (Japan Racing Association) jockey Take Yutaka and others. The episode depicted a race featuring Royal Fight, owned by horse owner Sanno Kozo (Koichi Sato), competing in the race. In addition to Take, jockeys Imamura Seina, Maruta Kyosuke, and Sugawara Ryuichi also appeared in the paddock before the race. Imamura won 51 JRA races in his debut year, 2022, and received the JRA Award for Most Wins as a Rookie Jockey. Currently in his fourth year, this is his first drama appearance. Maruta debuted in 2007 and became a "G1 jockey" in 2022, winning the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen. Sugawara appeared in numerous dramas and films as a child actor. With 16 years of experience as a jockey, he is also known as the first JRA jockey to be a child actor.
Additionally, Snow Man's Ren Meguro, the only cast member whose role hadn't been revealed, made an appearance in the first episode of "The Royal Family." Meguro served as narrator in the first episode, and towards the end of the episode, a photo of the character played by Meguro was shown with Kanako (Wakana Matsumoto), Kurisu (Tsumabuki), and a racehorse. Social media was abuzz with speculation about Meguro's true identity, with various theories including that he is Kanako's son, "Shohei, grown up," the son of Hayashida Junji (Omi Toshinori), who died nine years ago at Hayashida Ranch, or Kurisu's son, or even the "illegitimate child" of Sanno Kozo (Sato).
