"Drama Week" brings you the week's major drama news. This week (November 22-28) featured topics such as Shuzo Oshimi's popular manga "Aku no Hana" being adapted into a TV drama starring Fuku Suzuki and Ano, and Araki Sugo taking on the lead role in the TV Tokyo drama series "Hito wa Mitame ja Nai Oto Ojitta" (I Thought People Were Not on Their Looks) (Thursdays at 12:30 AM), which will begin airing on January 8, 2026. This article covers these topics in two parts.
On November 25th, it was announced that Shuzo Oshimi's popular manga "The Flowers of Evil" will be adapted into a TV drama starring Fuku Suzuki and Ano-san. The series will be broadcast and streamed on TV Tokyo and Disney+ from April 2026. Takao Kasuga (played by Suzuki), an avid reader of Baudelaire's poetry collection "The Flowers of Evil," believes himself to be different from his classmates. One day, by chance, he steals the gym clothes of his idolized classmate Nanako Saeki. However, when classmate Sawa Nakamura (played by Ano-san) sees him doing so, the two enter into a master-servant relationship... This is the story.
On the 26th, it was revealed that Masaki Suda's younger brother, Araki Sugo, will star in the TV Tokyo drama series "People Are Not Determined by Appearance" (Thursdays at 12:30 AM), which will begin airing late on January 8th, 2026. The drama is an original story about the protagonist, Yamato Ishiguro (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. He reconsiders what "people look like" when he enters the world of fashion magazines. Ishiguro Yamato, played by Sugo, is neither handsome nor stylish, but rather strives to be the persona that others want him to be. He is blessed with a kind girlfriend and passes the job at a publishing company on impulse. He joins the company with the intention of becoming an editor at a sports magazine, only to find out that the magazine is discontinued. He ends up being assigned to a fashion magazine...
On the 26th, So Kaku and his twin brother, former amateur baseball player Yoshihisa Akira, appeared together in the 9th episode (extended by 30 minutes) of the drama "If This World Were a Stage, Where Would the Dressing Room Be?" (Fuji TV, Wednesdays at 10 PM), which also aired that day, wearing matching "twin outfits." This was the first time the two had appeared together in a drama. The scene featured a familiar scene in the drama, featuring a visit from Jessie (Sylvia Grab), the owner of WS Theater, and her secretary, Ranshiro (So Kaku). In episode 9, it was revealed that Ranshiro has a twin brother, Rantaro (Yoshihisa Akira), who looks just like him, and he is brought to the theater by Jessie. The unusual visit was a sign that something sinister was about to happen... The drama stars Masaki Suda and is written by Koki Mitani. It is an entirely original story based on Mitani's memories of his youth.
Additionally, in the drama's ninth episode, Shun Oguri made a surprise appearance, playing the role of the late playwright Yukio Ninagawa. Looking back on the filming, Oguri said, "I imagined Ninagawa Yukio as a younger version of himself, rather than the Ninagawa I met, and tried to portray him as if I was chasing the image of Ninagawa within myself." While starring in the NHK taiga drama "The 13 Lords of the Shogun" (NHK, 2022), written by Mitani, Oguri has been an indispensable presence in Ninagawa's works since being cast in "Hamlet" (2003), directed by Ninagawa, at the age of 20. Ninagawa's name frequently appears in the drama as a legendary director whom Hisabe (Suda) deeply respects.
On the 27th, it was announced that the drama "All for You," starring WEST.'s Ryusei Fujii, will air on TV Asahi's "Oshidora Saturday" slot (Saturdays at 11 PM) in January 2026. The story is based on the novel of the same name by Eiji Natsuhara (published by Kodansha). Travis Japan's Ryuya Shimekake co-stars. The story revolves around the bride Sayaka, who is poisoned by an unknown assailant during her happy wedding reception. The groom, Kazuomi Hayashida (played by Fujii), teams up with photographer Sakuraba (played by Shimekake) to search for the culprit, but the hypocrisy of Sayaka's best friend and mother, as well as her own dark past, are revealed one after another. It's said to be the most explosive love suspense drama in Oshidora history.
On the 27th, it was revealed that Anna Ishii and former KAT-TUN member Tatsuya Ueda will play a married couple in the drama series "Saint Love Survivors" (TV Tokyo, Wednesdays at 12:30 AM), which begins airing on January 7, 2026. Haru Aizawa (Ishii), who became a freelance writer out of a desire to meet popular band member Kazuhiro Oji (Ueda), ends up becoming his personal caretaker through an unexpected turn of events. He then proposes to her and they get married, but on their wedding day, he tells her, "Even after we get married, we don't have to do anything physical, right?" Haru, troubled by her "sexless" newlywed life, tries to confide in her friends, but they too are harboring their own deep worries... This is the story.
On the 27th, the video streaming service "TELASA" began streaming the TELASA original drama "Emergency Emergency Interrogation Room Emergency Interrogation Room " (TV Asahi, Thursdays 9pm), starring Yuki Amami . The drama will feature all of the regular cast members, including Amami, and will be released one episode at a time for three consecutive weeks after the main series ends. The drama revolves around an original setting known as "reverse investigation." This is a system in which individuals hired by police inspectors pose as criminals to conduct surprise investigations to check for any irregularities in police work and whether suspects are being treated appropriately. The drama depicts two days in the life of the "Emergency Case Response Investigation Team (commonly known as Kintori)," which incorporates a reverse investigation. Additionally, "important characters" from the theatrical version of " Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL," which will be released on December 26th, will also appear.
