"Drama 1 Week" brings you a roundup of major drama news from the past week. This time (October 18-24), we're featuring the news that Takao Osawa will be playing Katsu Kaishu in the 2027 NHK Taiga drama "Gyakuzoku no Bakushin ," and that Mikako Tabe and Naoko Ken will be appearing in the NHK morning drama " Kaze,Kaoru " in the first half of 2026. We'll cover these topics in two parts.
On October 22, it was announced that WOWOW's drama series "Kitakata Kenzo: Suikoden," starring Yuji Oda, will premiere on February 15, 2026. Mitsushima Shinnosuke and Haru Ayase also appeared in the series. Mitsushima's character, Yang Zhi, is a descendant of the founding hero Yang Ye, nicknamed the "Blue-Faced Beast" due to the large blue birthmark on his face. He once served the emperor as an officer in the Imperial Guard, but after meeting Song Jiang (Oda), Chao Gai (Takashi Sorimachi), and Lin Chong (Kazuya Kamenashi), he finds himself torn between his own belief in justice and his own conflict with the corrupt system. Haru Ayase plays Ji Renmei, Yang Zhi's wife and mother to the orphaned Yang Ling. She is a woman of both warmth and strength.
On the 22nd, Yuri Nakamura attended the "Tokukoi Fan Meeting Event" for the Netflix series "Anonymous Lovers" held in Tokyo, where she revealed behind-the-scenes stories from filming. The drama follows Hana (Han Hyo-joo), a genius chocolatier with scopophobia, who meets Sosuke ( Shun Oguri Shun), the fastidious heir to a confectionery manufacturer. Nakamura plays Irene, Sosuke and Hana's counselor. A scene was also filmed in which Irene spends the night with Hiroshi (Akanishi Jin), the jazz bar owner Hana has a crush on, but Nakamura revealed, "It was completely cut (from the main story)." Director Sho Tsukikawa reluctantly cut the scene, saying, "It was so sexy that I would have been unable to support Hana's love life..."
On the 22nd, former Kanjani Eight (now SUPER EIGHT) and NEWS member Hiroki Uchi made a surprise appearance in the third episode of the drama series "ESCAPE: It Was Supposed to be Kidnapping" (NTV, Wednesdays at 10 PM), which aired the same day. This was Uchi's first drama appearance in about 12 years, since "Heavenly Love" (Tokai TV/Fuji TV), which aired in 2013. Uchi plays Kazunari Hatanaka, the boyfriend of Riri Kosaka (Yuka Kageyama). Regarding his first drama appearance in a long time, he said, "I felt like the filming time had gotten so much shorter. I remembered that drama shoots used to take much longer, but when I returned to the set after such a long time, it was over in the blink of an eye. I even asked the staff, 'Have times changed? Have things ended faster now?' (laughs)."
On the 23rd, it was announced that Tomoya Nakamura will star in "DREAM STAGE," which will air on TBS's Friday drama slot (Fridays at 10 PM) from January 2026. "DREAM STAGE" is a K-pop sports drama about a troubled producer, Jun Azuma (played by Nakamura), who was expelled from the industry for causing trouble, and seven underachieving trainees from a small Korean talent agency who form the boy band "NAZE" and pursue their dreams together across generations and nationalities. Nakamura commented, "Since the story is set in the K-pop industry, I'll also be trying my hand at Korean. Actually, I listened to a little bit of Korean language classes on the radio when I was in elementary school... Since there will be some filming in Korea, I'm thinking of listening to some Korean at the airport when I arrive (laughs)."
On the 23rd, it was announced that Takao Osawa will play the late Edo period hero Katsu Kaishu in the 2027 NHK Taiga drama " The Gyakuzoku no Bakushin ," starring Tori Matsuzaka . This will be his third taiga appearance, following his roles as Ashikaga Yoshiki in "Flower Rebellion" (1994) and Kajitori Motohiko in "Flower Moyu" (2015). " The Gyakuzoku no Bakushin" centers on the shogunate retainer Oguri Kozukenosuke Tadamasa(Matsuzaka), who was said to be Katsu Kaishu's rival. Osawa commented, "Katsu Kaishu, along with Oguri Tadamasa and others, faced foreign countries and anti-shogunate forces head-on during a period of historical change, and was a man who looked to Japan's future and acted accordingly. In times of turmoil, what do we believe in, and how do we build a bridge of hope to the future? I feel these questions are relevant to us living today. I would like to face the beliefs Kaishu held dear and perform the role with all my heart."
On the 24th, new cast members were announced for the NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru ," starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , to be aired in the first half of 2026. Mikako Tabe and Takashima Masahiro will appear. Tabe will play Oyama Sutematsu, a noblewoman who has a profound influence on the lives of Rin (Mikami) and Naomi (Uesaka), and who was nicknamed the "flower of Rokumeikan." This will be Tabe's first Asadora Asadora in 38 years, since the Asadora "Jun-chan's Cheer Song" in the second half of 1988.
It was also announced that Naoko Ken will be appearing in " Kaze,Kaoru." This will be Ken's first appearance in a Asadora, and she will play the mysterious and elusive fortune teller Maji. Ken commented, "When I first heard about the role, I couldn't believe my ears and thought, 'Me?' I am extremely honored that they chose me for this role. I also felt it was a connection, as it marks the 55th anniversary of my debut in the entertainment industry. I will do my best to utilize my experience and intuition. My role is to watch over the protagonist, who survives the turbulent Meiji era, from a mysterious perspective." It was also revealed that Rei Maruyama will be appearing in the drama. This will also be Maruyama's first appearance in a Asadora, and she will play Matsu Nakayama, a neighbor of Rin Ichinose (played by Mikami).
