"Drama Week" summarizes the main drama news of the week. This week (April 4-10), the title of the NHK Taiga drama to be broadcast in 2028 has been decided as "John Manjiro,"Kento Yamazaki will play the lead role, and Fuku Suzuki appeared in bloomers, among other things that have been making headlines. This will be covered in two parts.
On April 8th, the eighth episode of the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8am, etc.), starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , aired, and viewers reacted to the despicable behavior of Rin's (Mikami) husband, Kamekichi (Takahiro Miura). Her husband, Kamekichi, would drink and make sarcastic remarks to the educated Rin, and their relationship had grown cold. One evening, as Rin was writing a letter to her mother, Mitsu (Miki Mizuno), a drunken Kamekichi came home and hurled insults at her, saying things like, "You were probably just talking bad about me," before going on a rampage and starting a fire. Rin returned to her parents' home with her daughter, Tamaki...and that's how the story unfolded. On social media, comments included, "Kamekichi has set a new record for the worst husband in Asadora history after only two days of appearances," and "Takahiro Miura's portrayal of a 'scumbag' is already masterful."
On the 9th, it was announced that the title of the NHK Taiga drama to be broadcast in 2028 will be "John Man," and that Kento Yamazaki will play the lead role. "John Man" will be the 67th Taiga drama, depicting the life of John Manjiro, who was active from the late Edo period to the Meiji era. Yuki Fujimoto will be in charge of the script. Set in 19th-century Japan, America, and the Pacific Ocean, it will depict a series of life-or-death survival situations and the romance of a long-awaited reunion. Yamazaki will play the protagonist, John Manjiro, also known as Nakahama Manjiro. At the press conference, Yamazaki expressed his joy, saying, "The more I learn about him, the more fascinating he becomes, and I am truly happy to be able to create John Manjiro's life over the next year."
On the 9th, Yuna Kuroshima appeared at a press conference in Tokyo for the TV Asahi Thursday drama "Unsolved Cases: Metropolitan Police Department Document Investigator Season 3" (Thursdays at 9pm, starting April 16th). Co-star Kenichi Endo asked Kuroshima, "You sometimes bring your child to the set, and he's not shy at all; everyone takes to him... I saw you bring your dog once too, how do you manage all of that?" Kuroshima replied, "I rely on the help of many people... I couldn't do it without the help of my family, my manager, and the support of those around me. I'm so grateful." Endo praised her, saying, "That's amazing, thank you for your hard work," to which Kuroshima smiled happily and replied, "I'm exhausted every day."
On the 9th, the first episode of the drama series "Aku no Hana" (TV Tokyo and others, Thursdays at midnight), starring Fuku Suzuki and singer Ano, also known as "Ano-chan," aired late at night. Takao Kasuga, played by Suzuki, steals a female student's gym uniform that he finds lying around the classroom. Sawa Nakamura (Ano), who witnesses this, strips Kasuga of his clothes the next day, leaving him in just his underwear, and then makes him wear the stolen bloomers. On social media, comments included: "Congratulations, Fuku Suzuki is wearing bloomers!", "Why are we being shown Fuku Suzuki in just his briefs and then in bloomers? But I guess it's just like the original!", "Bloomers in a Reiwa era drama!?", and "It's great that they're actually using bloomers. It's true to the time period!"
On the 10th, the 10th episode of "Kaze,Kaoru" aired, featuring the first appearance of Kabuki actor Bandō Yajūrō, who plays Shimizu Usaburo. Viewers were thrilled by Yajūrō's "Asadora debut." Yajūrō plays Usaburo, who runs "Mizuho-ya," a shop in Nihonbashi that deals extensively in imported goods. He is a character who becomes deeply involved with Rin and Naomi. On social media, comments included: "Yajūrō is here!", "I can't wait for Yajūrō to appear!", "He has an overwhelming aura!", "He gives off an incredible sense of security and makes the screen feel more complete!", "He's tall, so Western clothes suit him very well!", "The Japanese Chaplin!", and "Bandō Yajūrō is amazing, he delivers cheesy lines without sounding out of place at all!"
On the 10th, it was revealed that "SHIFT - Those Who Clash and Move Forward -", a side story to the TBS Sunday drama "GIFT" (Sundays at 9pm, starting April 12th) starring Shinichi Tsutsumi, will be streamed on U-NEXT. Kyohei Honda will star as Keijiro Asatani, a young delinquent in a wheelchair, and Kasumi Mori will also appear as a former delinquent childhood friend who does not appear in the main story. The side story is a straightforward coming-of-age story that depicts the friendship between Keijiro and his delinquent friend Hayato Okihira (Kazuto Mokudai), triggered by their reunion with Mio Aoki, played by Mori. Rintaro Hachimura will also appear as Kotaro Nakayama, a player for the "Blaze Bulls".
