"Drama Week" summarizes the main drama news of the week. This week (June 13-19), the highlights included the announcement of new cast members for the sequel to the TBS Sunday drama "VIVANT" (Asadora at 9pm), which will begin airing on July 26, and the rebroadcast of "Hiyokko," the 2017 NHK morning drama starring Kasumi Arimura. This will be covered in two parts.
On June 14th, Taiga Nakano appeared at a talk event for the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" held in Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture. Asago City is home to the ruins of Takeda Castle, where Nakano's character, Koichiro, took on the challenge of conquering the castle for the first time as commander-in-chief in the 21st episode, "Takeda Castle in Turmoil," which aired on May 31st. Nakano revealed, "Normally, when I go into battle, Hideyoshi, played by Sosuke Ikematsu, is right beside me, and I'm often spurred on by my older brother's energy and enthusiasm, and I'm always figuring out what to do from there. So when I was told that I was in charge of being commander-in-chief, I felt a little uneasy." He also spoke about his father, Hideo Nakano, playing the role of Otagaki Terunobu, the lord of Takeda Castle, saying, "It was my own father who was the commander-in-chief and had to defeat the enemy, so in that sense I didn't feel uneasy at all; rather, I felt reassured."
On the 14th, Juri Kosaka and Erika Ikuta attended a special talk show for the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru" (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8am and other times) held at the Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Campus (Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture). Uesaka appealed to viewers, saying, "As the broadcast progresses, the practical training will be nearing its end, and one of the highlights will be seeing everyone think about 'what they want to do' and 'what kind of life they want to lead' regarding nursing. Naomi will also be thinking more about her mother and family, so I hope you will pay attention to that part as well." Ikuta called on viewers, saying, "I hope you will enjoy seeing how Tae, who once considered giving up nursing, decides to dedicate her life to the path of nursing, how she follows that path, and how she interacts with Rin and Naomi to forge her own path in nursing."
On the 15th, it was revealed that Yuta Yamazaki will appear in the drama series "GTO" (Kansai TV/Fuji TV, Mondays at 10 PM), starring Takashi Sorimachi, which will begin airing on July 20th. He will reprise his role as Masaru Watanabe from the 1998 version of "GTO" starring Sorimachi and the "GTO Revival" airing in April 2024. Masaru appeared from the very beginning of the first episode of the 1998 version. He tries to extort money from Onizuka (Sorimachi) while he is playing at an arcade, but is beaten in return. However, he is one of the students who becomes Onizuka's first "friend." Despite his mischievous nature, he has a caring side and is a character who drives the story forward with his lighthearted banter with Onizuka, and was loved by viewers. In this new series, Onizuka, who coincidentally reunites with Masaru, who is working as a deliveryman, takes the teacher recruitment exam at "Seishin Private Academy" through Masaru's introduction.
On the 16th, new cast members were announced for the sequel to the TBS Sunday drama "VIVANT" (Sundays at 9 PM), starring Masato Sakai, which will begin airing on July 26th. Kyoko Miyashita and Tanapak Jongjaiphar, also known by his nickname OHM, who is active in Thailand, will be joining the cast. Miyashita has appeared in numerous stage productions, utilizing the physicality she cultivated through classical ballet, and is also active in movies, dramas, and modeling. OHM made his acting debut in 2016. In 2022, he comically played the role of the protagonist's best friend in the hit Thai BL drama "I Will Knock You." The roles of the two have not been revealed, but it is said that they will be characters who will have a significant influence on the protagonist, Yusuke Nogi (Masato Sakai).
On the 16th, it was announced that "Hiyokko," the 2017 NHK Asadora drama series starring Kasumi Arimura, will be rebroadcast on NHK General from August 3rd. "Hiyokko" is an original work by screenwriter Yoshikazu Okada, known for works such as "Churasan," and centers on Mineko Yatabe, a laid-back girl born into a farming family in Oku-Ibaraki. When her father, who was working in Tokyo, goes missing, Mineko moves to Tokyo for group employment. Against the backdrop of Japan's period of rapid economic growth, the story depicts her breaking out of her shell and growing as she encounters and interacts with people with various circumstances. The series consists of 156 episodes and airs Monday through Friday at 12:30 PM.
On the 16th, it was revealed that Yuzuha Hongo, a former member of NMB48, is starring in the vertical short drama "Girlfriend." The drama depicts Hana, a 26-year-old woman who is beautiful on the outside but has a weak sense of self, as she falls into love and is tossed about by various men and women, descending into hell. Hongo plays Hana. Kanami Takasaki, also known as the "invincible gravure idol," will appear as Juda, who drives Hana mad. Hongo reflected on the filming, saying, "Hana experiences a series of misfortunes in every episode, and when I was preparing for the role, I remember trying to avoid becoming too close to the people around me and making sure to spend as much time alone as possible." All 30 episodes began streaming exclusively on DMM's video streaming service "DMM TV" on the same day.
