"Drama 1 Week" brings you a roundup of major drama news from the past week. This time (November 8-14), the news focused on Moka Kamishiraishi's first lead role in a terrestrial TV drama series, "We're Better at Love than Pandas," which will air in January 2026, and Meisa Kuroki's first appearance in the TBS Sunday Theatre in about 16 years. The two-part series will cover these topics.
On November 12th, it was announced that Moka Kamishiraishi will be co-starring alongside Toma Ikuta in the NTV drama series "We're Worse at Love Than Pandas" (Saturdays at 9 PM), which will begin airing in January 2026. This will be Kamishiraishi's first lead role in a terrestrial TV drama series. The protagonist, Kazuha Shibata (Kamishiraishi), an editor, loses motivation after learning on her first day of employment that her favorite fashion magazine will be discontinued. Through a series of unexpected events, she ends up ghostwriting a love advice column for her idol, model Aria Haizawa. Having little dating experience, Kazuha visits Tsukasa Shido (Ikuta), an associate professor who studies romance, but his specialty is not "human romance" but "animal courtship behavior." Despite being incredibly cool and handsome, he's an oddball who has absolutely no interest in humans...
On the 13th, it was revealed that Meisa Kuroki will play the wife of the protagonist, "corrupt detective" Gido, played by Ryohei Suzuki, in the January 2026 TBS Sunday Theatre drama "Reboot" (Sundays at 9 PM). This will be Kuroki's first appearance on Sunday Theatre in approximately 16 years, since the April 2010 drama "Shinzanmono." Kuroki's character, Mayu Gido, has been separated from Suzuki for several years and currently works as a nutritionist. Her character, Mayu, comes into contact with Hayase Riku's rebooted Gido, harboring complicated feelings about the time they once spent together. The story is an extreme family suspense drama in which Hayase Riku, an ordinary pastry chef framed for the murder of his wife, abandons his beloved family and past to prove his innocence and find the real culprit, and becomes (reboots) the face of the corrupt Metropolitan Police Department detective Gido.
On the 13th, it was announced that Mizukawa Asami and Masataka Kubota will be appearing together as a married couple in season 2 of the drama "Shogun," produced and starring Sanada Hiroyuki. New cast members Kaneda Noboru, Enoki Takaaki, and Kunimura Jun were also announced. Mizukawa will play Aya, Kubota will play Hinata, Kaneda will play Hidenobu, Enoki will play Ito, and Kunimura will play Goda, although the exact roles have not been revealed. This will be Mizukawa and Kubota's first time appearing as a married couple since their marriage. In addition to Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Nikaido Fumi, and Abe Shinnosuke will also be reprising their roles from season 1. "Shogun" is available on Disney+ in Japan, and in addition to season 2, a third season has also been confirmed.
On the 13th, it was announced that Nakamura Toru will appear in the drama "Back Alley Hotel," starring 11 third-generation members of Sakurazaka46, which will be released on the streaming service Lemino from noon on December 5th. The drama is a coming-of-age fantasy set in a mysterious "back alley hotel" far from the hustle and bustle of the city, depicting the female guests who are given a key by the hotel manager and grow through a mysterious "otherworldly experience" that takes place over one night. Nakamura will play the humorous hotel manager who holds the key to the story. The second key visual, featuring Nakamura and the third-generation members, has also been released. The drama will consist of 10 episodes and will be released every Friday from December 5th at noon.
On the 13th, it was announced that the Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV drama series "Ransom is Kidnapping" (Thursdays, 11:59 PM) will begin airing on January 8, 2026. A video titled "Kidnapper's Confession" was released on TVer. A couple whose child has been abducted receives a phone call from the kidnapper, who demands the kidnapping of another child in exchange for the ransom. This speculative drama explores who the real culprit is. The video shows the kidnapper's confiscation of the crime broadcast on the news, along with photos of the two children. A project is running until November 24th in which viewers can speculate on the two main actors playing the married couple, based on childhood photos of the couple, created using generative AI.
On the 14th, it was announced that husband-and-wife duo Humbert Humbert will be appearing on the 76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, which will be broadcast on New Year's Eve. This will be their first appearance on the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. The announcement was made at a press conference held at NHK (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo) on the same day. They will be singing "Waratta Korondari," the theme song for the currently airing NHK morning drama "Bakebake." His wife, Yuho Sano, expressed surprise at the news of their first appearance on Kouhaku, saying, "It still feels a bit unbelievable." Her husband, Akari Takaishi , also sent a love call to the two Asadora , "Toki ( Tommy Bastow ) to come too."
