The second episode of the TV Asahi drama "Reborn ~The Last Hero~" (Tuesdays at 9 PM), starring actor Issei Takahashi, aired on April 21st. A scene in the episode that referenced the title of a popular drama from another network became a hot topic.
Mitsumasa Neo (played by Takahashi), president of the IT company "NEOXIS," was supposed to have died after being pushed off a cliff... but when he woke up, he was 14 years in the past, in 2012. Moreover, he had been "reincarnated" as Hideto Nomoto, a different person who looked exactly like him. Hideto's family runs a dry cleaning shop in a shuttered shopping district and is burdened with 10 million yen in debt. Realizing that he has no choice but to live as Hideto, Mitsumasa (in Hideto's appearance) takes on the task of reviving the shopping district, both for his own sake and to support himself.
When Kosei learned that a large supermarket was opening in front of the station, he devised a plan to revitalize the town using the shopping street's croquettes and a new "mascot character" as a countermeasure. With the help of the shopping street members, the mascot character "Akariinu" was born, and a figurine of her was also produced.
The finished product was so impressive that it was hard to believe it had been made by members of the shopping district who had been drinking alcohol since midday. Kosei inwardly exclaimed in admiration, "This level of completion in just half a day... Isn't this the kind of craftsmanship you'd see in the hit drama 'Shitamachi Rocket' two years later?"
The unexpected mention of a TBS drama sparked surprise on social media, with comments such as, "It's on the level of Shitamachi Rocket lol," "Oh right, they're from an era before Shitamachi Rocket lol," "Shitamachi Rocket... they've brought up a drama from another network," "Even though it's from another network, Shitamachi Rocket came up (lol)," "Is it okay to say Shitamachi Rocket (lol)," and "Is it really okay to mention the title of a work called Shitamachi Rocket?"
