"Drama Week" summarizes the main drama news of the week. This week (May Getsuku to May 15th), the hot topics included Riho Yoshioka playing Shigeko, the model for the protagonist of Junichiro Tanizaki's masterpiece "The Makioka Sisters," in "Dangerous," which will air from January 2027, and Yu Aoi starring in "Until My T-Shirt Drys," which will air in July, marking her first leading role in a terrestrial television drama series in 18 years. This will be covered in two parts.
On the 13th, it was announced that Riho Yoshioka will star in the 10-episode NHK drama series "Dangerous," which will air from January 2027 in NHK's "Drama 10" slot (NHK General, Tuesdays at 10 PM). She will play Shigeko, the model for the protagonist of Junichiro Tanizaki's masterpiece "The Makioka Sisters." Yoshioka commented, "I've always wanted to read Junichiro Tanizaki's works, but I never imagined I'd get a role where I'd be confronting Tanizaki himself..." The original work is the novel of the same name by Natsuo Kirino (Chuko Bunko), which depicts the lives of Tanizaki and the women surrounding him. Ikue Nagata, who wrote the NHK morning drama "Ranman" and the NHK Drama 10 "The Swallow Does Not Return," will be in charge of the script. Yuri Nakamura will play Matsuko, Shigeko's older sister and Tanizaki's wife, and Joe Odagiri will play Tanizaki.
On the 14th, it was announced that actor Kentaro Sakaguchi will star in "kiDnap GAME," a drama series airing in October and co-produced by Fuji TV with production companies from Hong Kong and South Korea. He will play a detective whose wife is kidnapped and who is forced to participate in a life-or-death game. "kiDnap GAME" begins with kidnappings occurring simultaneously in seven Asian cities. A single email arrives at the home of the victim's family. Seven people of different nationalities take on a game that unfolds under extreme circumstances. This is a large-scale project co-produced with Makerville from Hong Kong and SimStory from South Korea, and has already secured broadcasting and distribution in 18 countries and regions worldwide. Sakaguchi will play Toshiro Niide, a highly capable detective with a strong sense of justice and a high arrest rate. His character is someone who will not hesitate to take risks to apprehend criminals, and sometimes takes actions that may seem reckless.
On the 15th, it was announced that Yu Aoi will star in the TBS Friday drama "Until My T-Shirt Drys," which will begin airing in July. The original story is written by screenwriter Miku Ubukata, known for hit works such as "silent" (Fuji TV, 2022). This will be Aoi's first leading role in a terrestrial television drama series in 18 years, since "Osen" (Nippon Television). In addition to "silent," Ubukata has worked on Fuji TV dramas such as "My Favorite Flower" (2023) and "The Beginning of the Sea" (2024). This will be her first time writing for TBS, and it will depict the "love and secrets" of two couples involved in an accident. The director will be Hiroyasu Doi, who has worked on numerous hit works such as "Quartet" (2017, TBS) and the films "We Made a Beautiful Bouquet " (2021) and "The Great Sin of Article 9" (2026, Netflix).
On the 15th, the 35th episode of the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8am, etc.), starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , aired, and Yukie Nakama made her full appearance as Chikako Izumi, a patient of the Marchioness, attracting the attention of viewers. Chikako is a patient of the Marchioness that Rin (Mikami) will be taking care of. Due to certain circumstances, she has closed herself off emotionally. On social media, comments about Nakama as Chikako included: "An overwhelming aura," "Her presence is amazing," "Yukie Nakama's acting is amazing...even just her back, the movement of her eyes and gaze, she has presence," "She has the feel of a true lady, a princess!!," "As expected, roles like nobles and ladies suit her...", "She has a final boss vibe," "She reminds me of Ren-sama from 'Hanako to Anne'," and "Her beautiful appearance is reminiscent of 'Hanako to Anne'."
On May 15th, Tomohisa Yamashita appeared at the opening day stage greeting for his starring film "Shijiki Fudosan" (directed by Taisuke Kawamura) held in Tokyo. He hinted at the possibility of a sequel, saying, "Honestly, I want to see everyone again." The film is a movie adaptation of the popular NHK drama that began airing in 2022, starring Yamashita. Yamashita commented with joy, "Including the planning stages, I've been involved in this project for about five years, and when the drama started, I never dreamed that I would be able to meet everyone in a theater like this. I'm just so happy." When asked what he "honestly wants to do" in reference to the title, he said, "Just a moment ago backstage, we were talking about how 'this might be the last time,' but honestly, I want to see everyone again."
