"Drama Week" brings you the latest drama news from the past week. This week (November 15th-21st) featured news such as the title of the NHK morning drama series for the first half of 2027 being "Mawaru Asadora," starring Misato Morita, and Kenjiro Tsuda starring in his first terrestrial TV drama series. The series will be covered in two parts.
On the 20th, it was announced that Kenjiro Tsuda will be co-starring with Takashi Sorimachi and Nao Omori in the Fuji TV drama series "Ramune Monkey" (Wednesdays at 10 PM), which will begin airing in January 2026. This will be Tsuda's first time starring in a terrestrial TV drama series. The main characters are Yuta Yoshii (played by Sorimachi), Hajime Fujimaki (played by Omori), and Kisuke Kikuhara (played by Tsuda), a trio of very different characters in appearance and personality. In their junior high school days, they were in the film club, passionate about making kung fu films, but now they're 51 years old. Each of them feels stuck in life, saying, "This isn't how it was supposed to be." The script is written by Ryota Furusawa, and the series will air every Wednesday at 10 PM starting January 14, 2026.
On the 20th, it was announced that NHK's night drama "Someday, in Zero Gravity" starring Aso Kiryu won the October Monthly Award in the TV category of the Galaxy Awards (Broadcast Critics Association), which recognizes programs, individuals, and organizations that have contributed to the advancement of broadcasting culture. The Broadcast Critics Association commented, "The story follows four women in their 30s who rekindle their high school dreams by developing a small satellite and carrying out a major project to transmit images and sounds from space to Earth. Based on strong friendship, the story connects the death of a friend due to cancer, each person's circumstances and conflicts, and the power of teamwork and communication through realistic conversations, creating a moving story. The meticulous script and brilliant direction make this a work that can be enjoyed to the fullest."
On the 20th, it was announced that the TV Tokyo drama "Kodoku no Gourmet 2025 New Year's Eve Special (working title)" will air on December 31st from 9:55 PM to 11:30 PM. This will mark the ninth consecutive year that this special, based on the popular TV drama "Kodoku no Gourmet" starring Yutaka Matsushige, will air on New Year's Eve. It will also feature a partial live broadcast for the first time in about five years. Partial live broadcasts have been held three times in the past: at Narita-san Temple in 2017, Katsushika Shibamata in 2018, and fireworks in the night sky of Yokosuka in 2020. "Kodoku no Gourmet" is a popular gourmet documentary drama in which the protagonist, Goro Inogashira, an import goods merchant played by Matsushige, "eats freely" at restaurants he discovers while on a business trip. In January of this year, the feature film " Kodoku no Gourmet," which Matsushige himself directed and wrote, was released and became a hit, grossing over 1 billion yen at the domestic box office.
On the 20th, it was revealed that Kento Nakajima will be starring in the NHK drama series "Convenience Store Brothers: Tenderness Mojiko Koganemura Store," which will begin airing in spring 2026. This will be Nakajima's first time appearing in a drama for the station. The drama is based on the novel of the same name by Machida Sonoko. It is a heartwarming and mysterious human comedy set in a convenience store in Mojiko, Kitakyushu City. Nakajima will play the protagonist, convenience store manager Shiba Mitsuhiko. Not only is he hardworking, he is also a charming "pheromone-filled" store manager who captivates people of all ages and genders. Nakajima reflected, "When I read the original novel, the first thing that attracted me was the phrase 'pheromone manager.' To be honest, at first I thought, 'If I was selling myself as a sexy idol, then finally I've been offered a role in that line' (laughs)."
On the 21st, it was revealed that Kanna Hashimoto will be starring in the Fuji TV Monday Getsuku drama "Yandoku!", which will begin airing on January 12th, 2026. Hashimoto plays a former delinquent girl who dropped out of high school but, after her best friend dies in an accident, studies hard to become a neurosurgeon and reforms the medical field. While the setting may seem fictional, the protagonist is based on a real-life female doctor working in the neurosurgery department of a hospital, and the story is an original one based on her life. This will be Hashimoto's first lead role in a Getsuku drama, as she plays the protagonist, Tagami Kotoha. The script will be written by Nemoto Nonji, who previously worked with Hashimoto on "Omusubi."
On the 21st, it was announced that the drama series "Reunion ~Silent Truth~" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays 9 PM), starring Ryoma Takeuchi, will premiere in January 2026. Takeuchi, who is currently playing the role of Ebiwara Katsuo, a "fossil man" with Showa-era values, in the currently airing "Jaa, Anta ga Tsukutte Miro yo It" (TBS, Tuesdays 10 PM), will star in this drama for two consecutive seasons. A stark departure from romantic comedy, this is a heartbreaking human love mystery in which he plays a detective whose heart wavers when his first love becomes a murder suspect. The story is based on Yokozeki Dai's novel "Reunion" (Kodansha), which won the 56th Edogawa Rampo Prize in 2010. Inoue Mao will play Iwamoto Makiko, the first love of the protagonist, Tobina Junichi, played by Takeuchi.
On the 21st, it was announced that the title of NHK's morning drama series for the first half of fiscal year 2027 will be "Mawaru Asadora," with Misato Morita set to star. The script will be written by comedian Bakarhythm. This will be Morita's third appearance in a Asadora, following "Okaeri Mone" in the first half of fiscal year 2021 and "The Tiger and Her Wings" in the first half of fiscal year 2024. She made waves with her role as Hibino Hikari in the NHK evening drama "Itsuka, Nuegori no Sora de," which aired from September to October this year. "Mawaru Swan" is set in present-day Nagano Prefecture. The protagonist, who aspires to become a detective and becomes a police officer, is assigned to the Community Safety Division and spends his days feeling dissatisfied with his mundane job. The protagonist, who lives an ordinary, everyday life, finds a path to "protecting everyday life without incident" and eventually becomes a trusted presence in the community.
