The drama series "DREAM STAGE" (TBS, Fridays at 10pm) starring actor Tomoya Nakamura will begin airing on January 16th. The story is a "K-pop version of a sports drama" about a genius music producer, Azuma Jun (played by Nakamura), who was expelled from the industry due to an incident, and a boy band called "NAZE," made up of seven dropout trainees from a small Korean talent agency, who work together to pursue their dreams, transcending generations and nationalities.
The project was planned and produced by Takahashi Masahisa, who has worked on "TOKYO MER: The Running Emergency Room," and Yagi Ami of Daiei TV.
NAZE was formed by CJ ENM Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of CJ ENM, Korea's largest comprehensive entertainment company that has produced numerous K-pop groups, and C9 Entertainment, a Korean entertainment agency, after three years of selecting members from various Asian countries. The group consists of seven members: Yoongi, Ato, Kim Gun, and Dohyuk, all from Korea; Tarn from Thailand; and Kaisei and Yuya, all from Japan.
Elaiza Ikeda will play NAZE's manager, Endo Suisei, Ha Yeon-soo Soo will play Nam Ha Yoon, the president of NAZE's agency Nam Entertainment, and Yoji Iwase will play Ryo, the absolute center of NAZE's rival group TORINNER.
In the first episode... In the crowded and competitive world of K-pop, one group that stands out is the new boy band TORINNER. After a stunning debut in Korea, they have already completed a successful overseas tour. A large number of fans await the group at Incheon Airport in South Korea upon their return. The next person to arrive after Ryo (Iwase) is Choi Ki-young (Lee Yi-kyung), the CEO of Bouquet Music, the agency that reigns supreme in the K-pop world with numerous stars under its wing.
Azuma Jun (Nakamura), a music producer who was expelled from the K-pop industry after causing trouble in the past, also arrives in Korea and reunites with his ex-girlfriend Nam Ha-yoon (Yong-soo), who runs a small talent agency.
Nam is taking the gamble of a lifetime to get out of the dire financial situation of his business. He borrows 5 billion won (approximately 500 million yen) and plans to form a new boy band. However, his partner, producer Park Ji-soo (Kim Jae-kyung), runs off with all the members he selected through auditions in various Asian countries. This group turns out to be the supernova "TORINNER," who has just transferred to Choi Ki-young's agency.
Burdened with debt, Nam tries to revive his fortunes by debuting the "remaining members" who weren't selected. He called Azuma to produce them. However, upon seeing their dance lesson, Azuma bluntly declares, "This level is too low." The other members strongly rebel against Azuma, who dismisses him, saying, "Only one in 100,000 can survive in K-pop. Chasing dreams that will never come true is a waste of life."
