It was revealed on November 26th that actor Araki Sugo, the younger brother of Masaki Suda, will be starring in the TV Tokyo drama series "People aren't judged by their looks" (Thursdays at 12:30am), which will start on January 8th, 2026.
The drama is an original story about the protagonist, Ishiguro Yamato (played by Sugo), who has devoted his life to baseball throughout his elementary, middle, high school, and college years and has no particular interest in appearance. However, after venturing into the world of fashion magazines, he begins to rethink what it means to be human. For whom and why do people care about their appearance? Will this fashion-forward human drama make a statement in today's lookism-driven society?
Sugao is known as a promising young actor, having appeared in the drama "Gekokujou Kyuji" which aired on TBS's Sunday Theatre in 2023, the NHK Asadora drama "Omusubi" in the second half of 2024, and "Missing Persons Search Team" which aired on TV Tokyo in April 2025, and will also star in the omnibus drama "Serial Drama W Ikeido Jun Special 'The Bag Shop'" which is scheduled to air on WOWOW in December.
Ishiguro Yamato, played by Sugo in this film, is neither handsome nor stylish, but has always focused on being the character that others want him to be. He has a kind girlfriend, passed the interview at a publishing company on impulse, and has lived a smooth life, but when he joins the company with the intention of becoming an editor at a sports magazine, the magazine goes out of publication. He is then assigned to a fashion magazine...that's the story.
"I Thought People Were Not Guaranteed by Appearance" will be streamed on U-NEXT and Prime Video after each episode has aired. It will be broadcast on BS TV Tokyo from January 11, 2026, at midnight on Sundays.
Comments from Mr. Sugo and others are as follows:
◇Comment from lead actor Araki Sugo
My name is Sugo Araki, and I will be appearing in the January 2026 Thursday Drama 24 drama "I Thought People Were Not on Their Looks." I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to play the main character, Ishiguro Yamato, but when I heard about the plot, I felt like this was the perfect role for me! I felt like it was fate. Yamato's feelings and struggles are something I can truly relate to, as I have been doing this since my student days, and even now, as an actor and a person, and I am constantly trying to figure out how to move forward, so I was very happy to play this role. This drama is designed to help you love your future self more than your current self. I will give everyone who watches it the courage and strength to take a step forward! That is the thought that I will be working on. I hope to grow along with Yamato through this production. Please look forward to it!
◇ Director/Producer Taku Matsumoto (TV Tokyo)
Why are people so obsessed with appearances? I've had a vague sense of this ever since I was a child, and even now, at over 40, I still don't know the answer. I think I probably won't know it until I die. I've always wanted to make a drama about this theme. However, when I started writing the script, I couldn't immediately think of what kind of protagonist and story I should write. It's very difficult to create a story when there is no right answer, and I struggled, but with the help of many people, I think I've managed to create something very compelling. I've tried to put into this drama everything I've felt throughout my life, so I hope you'll take a look at it with a light heart. I'm sure the drama will have a completely different atmosphere than you might imagine from the title. Please look forward to it.
