"Drama Week" brings you the most important drama news of the week. This time (February 21st-27th), the topics covered included Kentaro Ito's first lead role in a WOWOW drama, and Michitaka Tsutsui's first appearance in an NHK Asadora drama series in 26 years. The two-part series will cover these topics.
On February 22nd, the cast of the Japan-Finland co-production drama series "W BLOOD & SWEAT," in which Anne co-stars with popular Finnish actor Jasper Pääkönen, was announced. It was revealed that Takasugi Mahiro will play Suzumiya Ryuji, the younger brother of Suzumiya Aki, a detective in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division, played by Anne. Additionally, Kunimura Jun will play Aki and Ryuji's father. Takasugi's character, Ryuji, is somewhat envious of Aki, who is determined to uncover the truth at all costs, and also harbors a complex about it. Kunimura's character, Suzumiya Tokuro, is a former head of the Public Security Bureau who still wields great influence over the police upper echelons.
On the 23rd of the same month, it was announced that the TV Asahi drama series "Unsolved Woman: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Document Investigator," which aired in 2018 and 2020, would be broadcast for the first time in approximately six years. In this third season, Haru Haru's hot-blooded detective, Tomo Yashiro, is transferred, and Kyoka Suzuki's Risa Narumi, a brainy detective with a fetish for letters, teams up with elite career detective Hinako Mutsu, played by Yuina Kuroshima. Hinako volunteers to become the section chief of the 6th Division (Document Deciphering Section) of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division's "Special Investigation Unit." Despite being only 29 years old, Hinako is bewildered by her "younger boss," who is almost as old as her daughter. However, her simmering heart begins to flutter once again as she witnesses Hinako's endless purity and clumsy earnestness, a rare trait among career detectives.
On the 24th of the same month, it was announced that Ito Kentaro will be starring in the drama series "The Consultant: The Man Who Writes Death" (WOWOW), scheduled to air and stream this summer. This will be Ito's first lead role in a WOWOW drama, and he will play an aspiring novelist who becomes a consultant specializing in assassinations. The story is based on Lim Sung-soon's "The Consultant" (translated into Japanese as "Assassination Consultant"). Izaki Akira (Ito), a dull man aspiring to be a mystery novelist, is drawn into a mysterious organization called "The Company" and transforms into a consultant specializing in assassinations, writing "perfect assassination scenarios" that no one will notice. However, he gradually becomes embroiled in an overwhelming evil and finds himself with no way to escape.
On the 24th of the same month, it was announced that STARTO ENTERTAINMENT would be streaming a series of short vertical dramas called "Esdra" starting in April. The first installment, "Memory Buyer," starring Koichi Domoto and produced by BABEL LABEL director Michihito Fujii, will be streamed free of charge in its entirety on YouTube in April and May. Domoto plays Chrono, a mysterious man who buys and sells people's memories. As Chrono buys and sells memories from the protagonist of each episode, various events unfold. In Episode 1, Shinozuka Daiki of "timelesz" plays a university student who sells memories he wants to forget. In Episode 2, Junki Tozuka plays an unsuccessful manga artist who buys the special memories of others to use as material for his manga. In Episode 3, Daito Shunsuke plays a chef who tries to sell his memories for his beloved wife.
On the 24th of the same month, Suzuki Sawa updated her account (@bom_schedule) to announce that the drama "AIBOU Season 24" (TV Asahi, Wednesdays at 9 PM) had wrapped up. Suzuki, who is currently a regular cast member playing the role of Kameyama Miwako, posted the hashtags "#AIBOU24 #complete #allup" and wrote, "I went to the wrap party." She also posted a photo of a cake designed with Special Task Force members Sugishita Ukyo (Mizutani Yutaka) and Kameyama Kaoru (Terawaki Yasufumi), which appears to have been prepared at the wrap party venue. She also added an emoji to congratulate Terawaki, saying, "Tomorrow is Terawaki's birthday."
On the 25th of the same month, it was revealed that Kinami Haruka will be starring in the April Fuji TV drama series "Tonight, in the Secret Kitchen" (Thursdays at 10pm). This will be Kinami's first time starring in the same time slot. The story follows the protagonist, Tsubokura Ayumi (Kinami), a full-time housewife whose emotional breakdown is caused by her abusive husband, who happens to meet Italian chef Kei (Takasugi Mahiro) and the two begin to grow closer. Along with the romance between the two, one of the highlights will also be the "Italian Medicinal Cuisine" that appears in the drama, a fusion of Italian cuisine and medicinal cuisine. The series is based on a manga jointly developed by Kyodo Television and Magazine House, and the manga and drama will be developed in parallel. The manga version will begin serialization online in March.
On the 25th of the same month, new cast members were announced for the NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru, " starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , to be aired in the first half of 2026, and it was revealed that Tsutsui Michitaka will be appearing. This will be Asadora 's first morning drama appearance in 26 years, since "Watashi no Aozora," which Asadora in the first half of 2000. Tsutsui will play Tada Jutaro, the director of Teito Medical University Hospital. While he seems to have a certain understanding of "nursing," his true nature is unknown. Also announced to appear in the series is Nakama Yukie. She will play Izumi Chikako, a patient of the Marquise's who Rin (Mikami) will be caring for. Her character is one who has closed her heart due to certain circumstances.
