Official Website
drama-gakkoujyanee.abema.tv

Broadcast
From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 21 April 2018

Network
Abema TV

Story
Fujimura Teppei, who was one of the “Shibuya Gyaruo”, had started a business since he was a student. He is impressed by the book of a venture company CEO Sawabe Susumu which he happened to pick up and decides to join the venture company. Although he enters the company with great ambitions, what is waiting for him are PR activities and tedious routine tasks. One day, Teppei enters an internal contest for a new business venture together with his peer Hidaka Takumi and the intern Sasakawa Shota in an attempt to change his present situation. Their proposal for an influencer business catches Sawabe’s attention. However, he has to put the project together with his senior colleague Yamano Taiichiro who coincidentally submitted a similar proposal. Yamano is the son of an advertising agency’s CEO who has been good to Sawabe and he joined the company through this connection. Teppei cannot tolerate Yamano’s unreasonable demands and goes straight to Sawabe. But he is even betrayed by the CEO whom he admired so much. After that, Teppei prepares to start a business with Hidaka who had quit the company with him. Shota joins them too. They blow the 5 million yen they have in hand on office space in Shibuya. 30 million yen in funds is required to make their influencer business a success. The trio participate in venture capital networking events to raise funds but do poorly. Then they go to meet Mobara Boutique’s CEO Kaneki who makes big investments, with their elevator pitch. Their 25-second presentation is a success and he promises to investment. But they later receive a phone call from Kaneki to forget about the investment. They hurriedly go to his office and see someone unexpected. In a last ditch bid, they head to a champagne bar where famous investors get together. Teppei is faced with one obstacle after another, looked down upon by others, betrayed by the people he trusts … Despite these setbacks, he keeps on moving forward while saying, “A company isn’t a school” … …

Cast
* Miura Shohei as Fujimura Teppei
* Saotome Taiichi as Hidaka Takumi
* Uno Misako as Mizukawa Hanako
* Matsuoka Kodai as Morinaga Taizo
* Matsuoka Mitsuru as Sasakawa Shota
* Emoto Tokio as Hotta Takayuki
* Shimazaki Haruka as Miki
* Asaka Kodai as Tanizawa Tatsuhiko
* Toyohara Kosuke as Sawabe Susumu
* Ikeda Tetsuhiro as Kurosawa Takeo
* Moriya Kanna as Reiko
* Shinohara Atsushi as Yamano Taiichiro
* Itohara Minami as Ami
* Higa Rino as Saya

Scriptwriter
Suzuki Osamu (Meishi Game, Nou ni Sumaho ga Umerareta!, Ubai Ai Fuyu)

Original Work
Shibuya de wa Hataraku Shachou no Kokuhaku by Fujita Susumu

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All text copyright © jdramas.wordpress.com.

Date: From 8.00 p.m., 21 May 2018
Scriptwriter: Ishihara Buryu (Keishichou Sousa Ichi Kachou, Keiji 110 kg Series, Hanchou Seasons 1 – 3)
Original Work: Heike Densetsu Satsujin Jiken by Uchida Yasuo
Cast: Hiraoka Yuta, Takeshita Keiko, Ishimaru Kanji, Yada Akiko, Yoshikawa Ai, Shinoda Saburo, Duncan, Maruyama Tomomi, Kubozuka Shunsuke, Kaneda Akio
Synopsis: Reporter Asami Mitsuhiko (Hiraoka Yuta) sets off for Kochi, which is legendary as the place of refuge for the defeated Heike warriors, to collect material for an article. On board the ferry bound for Shikoku, he meets an ex-detective Hashimoto Katsuya (Kaneda Akio) travelling by himself and a couple Inada Noriyoshi (Kubozuka Shunsuke) and Moeko (Yada Akiko) who are heading to Noriyoshi’s family home for their honeymoon. Little does Mitsuhiko know that he is about to get entangled in a tragic case stemming from love and rules. While on his way to Fujinokawa, the Heike’s isolated village nestled in the mountains over the Shimanto River, Mitsuhiko meets Inada Sawa (Yoshikawa Ai), a descendant of the Heike. At Fujinokawa, he is treated with suspicion by Sawa’s grandfather Hironobu (Shinoda Saburo) but this is cleared up with the help of Sawa’s quick wittedness. Hironobu is the father of Noriyoshi whom Mitsuhiko met on the ferry. He is eagerly awaiting his son’s homecoming. However, he receives news that Noriyoshi fell to his death from the ferry. Time passes. There is a big development in the case when insurance money is addressed to Hironobu from Moeko who is now a widow. Sawa comes to Tokyo alone to return the insurance money and visits Moeko in the company of Mitsuhiko. Meanwhile, Hashimoto has started investigating Noriyoshi’s fall on his own and visits Mitsuhiko. As they pursue the mystery of Noriyoshi’s missing body and the substantial insurance money, Mitsuhiko and Hashimoto meet Toyama Rintaro (Maruyama Tomomi) who had been close to Noriyoshi. However, a murder occurs. Mitsuhiko, Sawa, Moeko, Hashimoto get led around by the tangled feelings of the Heike descendants who have been shouldering history and living in obscurity all this time.
Official Website: www.tbs.co.jp/getsuyou-meisaku/20180226

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Idaten ~ Tokyo Olympic-banashi^*UPDATED*
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Sundays, January 2019
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Kudo Kankuro (Yutori desu ga Nani ka, Gomenne Seishun! Gokuaku Ganbo)
Genre: Sports
Cast: Nakamura Kankuro, Abe Sadao, Ayase Haruka, Ikuta Toma, Sugisaki Hana, Nagayama Kento, Katsuji Ryo, Takenouchi Yutaka, Nakamura Shido, Charlotte Kate Fox, Furutachi Kanji, Pierre Taki, Sugimoto Tetta, Otake Shinobu, Yakusho Koji, Beat Takeshi, Moriyama Mirai, Kamiki Ryunosuke, Hashimoto Ai, Mineta Kazunobu, Kawaei Rina, Matsuo Suzuki, Taguchi Tomorow, Miyazaki Yoshiko, Satoi Kenta, Takahashi Yo, Ozawa Yukiyoshi, Shiraishi Kayoko, Ikenami Shino, Arakawa Yoshiyoshi, Mitsushima Shinnosuke, Kondo Koen, Takei So, Yamamoto Mizuki, Hiraizumi Sei, Inoue Hajime
Synopsis: Traces Japan’s history with the Olympic games and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics for viewers before Tokyo hosts the event again in 2020. The first half tells the story of marathon runner Kanakuri Shiso (Nakamura Kankuro), who became one of the first Japanese nationals to participate in the Olympics in Stockholm in 1912. The second half features Tabata Masaji (Abe Sadao), the coach who laid the foundations of Japanese swimming and helped bring the games to Tokyo for the first time in 1964.
Website: –

Kirin ga Kuru^*NEW*
Date: January 2020
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Ikehata Shunsaku (Soroban Samurai Kaze no Ichibei, Natsume Soseki no Tsuma, Kamogawa Shokudo)
Genre: Period
Cast: Hasegawa Hiroki
Synopsis: After the Onin War, the world is plunged into chaos. Amid this situation, heroes of the warring states begin to emerge in an attempt to unify the country and rule in these turbulent times. In the mid-1540s, there is a young wandering samurai in Mino which is strategically located between the East and West. His name is Akechi Mitsuhide (Hasegawa Hiroki). At this time, there is plenty of internal strife within the Toki clan which rules Mino. Surrounded by the Oda of Owari, the Imagawa of Suruga and the Asakura of Echizen, Mino has constantly faced the risk of invasion. Mitsuhide is pulled into battle and destroys the enemy. His bravery as well as stratagem catches the attention of Saito Toshimasa, the chief retainer of the Toki clan, and he is singled out. This man is none other than Saito Dosan who will go on to takeover the Toki and make Mino his own
Website: –

Date: From 9.00 p.m., 27 May 2018
Scriptwriter: Fukasawa Masaki (Tokusou 9, Keishichou Sousa Ikka Series, Onnatachi no Tokusou Saizensen)
Cast: Terajima Susumu, Hara Sachie, Kaneko Takatoshi, Ameku Michiko, Arimori Narimi, Takeda Rina, Arai Moe, Suzuki Michiko, Fuwa Mansaku, Yoshida Yo, Yoshiyuki Kazuko
Synopsis: The uncouth detective Kataoka Yusuke (Terajima Susumu) is divorced and lives with his nagging mother (Yoshiyuki Kazuko). He has been relegated to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Re-investigation Unit headed by Anekawa Etsuko (Ameku Michiko).
She avoids rocking the boat and her motto is to leave work on time. Kataoka has the help of fellow detectives Okumura Rei (Hara Sachie) and Asano Naoki (Kaneko Takatoshi) and crime lab researcher Hifumi Yuki (Yoshida Yo) as he unlocks cold case mysteries that elite detective have not been able to solve. One day, he hears about a beautiful instructor Sawaki Asuka (Takeda Rina) from Asano who started going for dance classes recently, and cheerfully joins a trial lesson. However, when Asuka learns that the two of them are detectives, she confides all of a sudden that she may have seen a murderer from 12 years ago. 12 years earlier, Asuka had been immersed in ballet in a bid to live up to the expectations of her mother Yoshino (Arimori Narimi) who was a ballerina. However, right after it was announced that she had secured the role of prima ballerina, she fell down a flight of stone steps. Asuka hid her sprained foot and attended the event. In the end, this led her to talk about giving up ballet. But three days later, Sadako (Suzuki Michiko), the mother of Asuka’s good friend Konno Kazumi (Arai Moe) who had fought for the role of prima ballerina, died from a fall down the same stone steps. Asuka vaguely recalls that she was pushed off the stone steps by a man in sunglasses and a hat when she fell down. However, she could not tell anyone partly because of Sadako’s death and bottled it up in her heart for 12 years. However, one week ago, Asuka meet an old friend again who showed her a video of the ballet class 12 years ago. She discovered that the man in the sunglasses and hat was arguing with Sadako in a corner of the screen. This triggered unpleasant memories and she seems to have made up her mind to consult Kataoka and the rest of the team. Who pushed Asuka and Sadako down the steps 12 years ago? Kataoka begins to investigate the case and asks Yuki to analyse the footage. She indicates that there is a possibility that this mystery man is a ballet dancer after examining his physique. A further inspection also determines that Sadako’s death which was treated as an accident at that time, was actually murder. Meanwhile, Kataoka learns that Asuka’s mother never scolded her for failing 12 years ago. He is not convinced that Yoshino who was passionate about ballet education, did not get angry. As a new murder occurs, the Re-investigation Unit exposes the truth of the sad, heartrending case stemming from the love of mother and child … …
Official Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/prime-sun/program/0007

All text copyright © jdramas.wordpress.com.

Official Website
www.nhk.or.jp/hanbunaoi

Broadcast
From 8.00 a.m., Monday – Fridays, 2 April 2018

Station
NHK

Story
In 1971, the year after the Osaka Exposition, a girl called Nireno Suzume was born to Nireno Haru and Utaro, the owners of a small eatery in a rural town in Gifu Prefecture, after a difficult labour. Her grandparents were overjoyed by the birth of their first grandchild. On that same day, a boy called Hagio Ritsu was born to Hagio Wako and Yaichi at the same hospital. Suzume was a healthy child who ran around the hills and fields every day. But when Suzume was in her third grade in elementary school, she ended up losing her hearing in her left ear because of an illness. Her loving parents and childhood friend Ritsu who has been by her side since they were born and grown to be a special person, were the ones who give her encouragement. After graduating from high school, Suzume sets her sights on writing manga for girls with her unique creative powers and leaves for Tokyo which is in the middle of the bubble economy. Put through training by her teacher Akikaze Haori, she tries hard to improve herself by learning from fellow assistants and devoting herself to studying but soon faces setbacks. Suzume gets married and has a daughter but the family finances are dire. She ends up divorcing her husband who is a dreamer. The bubble economy bursts before she realises it and enters a period of low growth. After repeated failure, Suzume returns to her hometown as a single mother. What awaits her will become an unexpected turning point in her life … …

Characters
Nagano Mei as Nireno Suzume
The eldest daughter of the Nireno family who live in a small town in eastern Gifu Prefecture. She grew up quickly surrounded by warm people and has bold flashes of inspiration that she must act on as soon as she thinks of it. Even if she does not succeed, she cheerfully lets it pass because she has done it. However, there are also times when she ends up causing an uproar that involves the people around her. When she was in her third year in elementary school, she lost her hearing in her left ear. She was amused that she could only hear the sound of rain with one ear and overcomes it with unique sensibility and positivity, seeing the blue sky after the rain as “half blue”. She is poor in her studies but good at drawing.

Sato Takeru as Hagio Ritsu
Nireno Suzume’s childhood friend who was born on the same day in the same hospital. They understand each other more than anyone else but they have been complete opposites since they were born – in looks and studies. Unlike Suzume who follows her heart, he is cool and theoretical but also has a gentler and more sensitive side. He has cared about Suzume for as long as he can remember and she came to depend on him. But he is energised by her big heart and also feels envious of her. A part of him thinks that only he can protect Suzume.

Matsuyuki Yasuko as Nireno Haru
Nireno Suzume’s mother. She runs an eatery and is one of the most beautiful proprietresses of the local shopping street. Because she is scary when she is angry, she tends to be seen as a gutsy mom but she is actually easily moved to tears and good-natured. She deeply loves her husband Utaro who is always positive. She is concerned about Suzume’s hearing and feels guilty that she caused her to lose her hearing in one ear. She worries about her daughter and even ends up getting into fights at times. However, she wishes for Suzume’s happiness more than anyone else. She understands her and gives her a push when it counts.

Takito Kenichi as Nireno Utaro
Nireno Suzume’s father. The second son of Senkichi and Renko. He is in charge of the kitchen in the eatery. Because he grew up with the free spirit of a youth, he does not have authority at home. He is indecisive, carefree and in addition, easily flustered, so he constantly gets yelled at by Haru. However, he soothes the people around him with his positive thinking and is a dependable man who displays unexpected tolerance when someone in the family is in trouble. He loves manga and this has a significant influence later on in Suzume’s life.

Tanihara Shosuke as Hagio Yaichi
Hagio Ritsu’s father. The owner of a photography studio with a long history. He was born in to a wealthy family and is refined and gentlemanly. He has a mild personality and leaves even his son’s education to his wife Wako. He would like Ritsu do decide his own future and support him. Because he only has a son, he treats Nireno Suzume, whom he has known since birth, like a daughter. He handles the school graduation album at the photography studio so Suzume and Ritsu’s classmates often frequent the place.

Harada Tomoyo as Hagio Wako
Hagio Ritsu’s mother. She shares the position of the shopping street’s most beautiful proprietress with Nireno Haru, but her character is the complete opposite. She bakes cakes for her son, plays the piano and reads foreign mystery novels by the front of the photography studio. She looks calm and gentle. But she is actually very candid and scary when provoked. On the other hand, she is unexpectedly compassionate. She has believed in Ritsu’s talent since he was a child and has high expectations of him. Her only flaw is her inability to let go of him.

Toyokawa Etsushi as Akikaze Haori
A popular manga writer who has produced a series of popular manga for teenage girls. Although his style conjures up beautiful girls or boys, he is actually a bigot who makes editors cry and an unsociable middle-aged man. He makes no compromise when it comes to manga. As a high school student, Nireno Suzume gets drawn into Akikaze’s manga world … …

Igawa Haruka as Hishimoto Wakana
She manages the wilful, hard to please Akikaze Haori at his manga office “Office Tinkerbell”. She is beautiful and quick witted. When she gets angry, she talks on and on rapidly and logically. But she is always dressed in frilly, girlish clothing. Her relationship with Akikaze is a mystery.

Nakamura Tomoya as Asai Masato
Hagio Ritsu’s university classmate. He became Nireno Suzume’s first friend after she came to Tokyo. It is difficult to know what he is thinking because he has a flighty air, and is kind to everyone. Strangely enough, he is constantly popular with a number of females and makes many of them cry. Even this mood gives Suzume peace of mind before she knows it and soon …?

Furuhata Seika as Ito Saya
A beautiful girl who visited the high school which Nireno Suzume attends for a friendly match between archery clubs during her school days, and had an electrifying encounter with Hagio Ritsu. The two of them felt that it was destiny but did not expect to meet again. They are reunited at the university campus after he comes to Tokyo. Her presence begins to have a big impact on the bond between Suzume and Ritsu.

Scriptwriter
Kitagawa Eriko (Unmei ni Nita Koi, Sunao ni Narenakute)

Click here for photos from the press conference.

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Manpuku
Date: From 8.00 a.m., Mondays – Saturdays, 1 October 2018
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Fukuda Yasushi (Doctors Series, Good Partner, Galileo Series)
Cast: Ando Sakura, Hasegawa Hiroki, Matsushita Nao, Kaname Jun, Uchida Yuki, Otani Ryohei, Matsuzaka Keiko
Synopsis: The youngest of three sisters (Uchida Yuki, Matsushita Nao), Imai Fukuko (Ando Sakura) grew up in a poor family but received a lot of love. She is a born optimist and loves eating. Because her father died early, she starts to work as a hotel’s telephone switchboard operator to support the family after graduating from a school for girls. Some incident leads to her encounter with her future husband Tachibana Manpei (Hasegawa Hiroki). The two of the eventually get married but Fukuko keeps getting pushed around by Manpei who develops businesses with unconventional ideas. At first, she only tolerates this, but she soon supports him and begins to grow into a strong woman. And then, the couple produce a great invention of the century which changes global food culture.
Website: –

Kyou kara Ore wa!!
Date: From 10.30 p.m., Sundays, October 2018
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Fukuda Yuichi (Super Salaryman Saenai-shi, Yuusha Yoshihiko Series )
Original Work: Kyou kara Ore wa!! by Nishimori Hiroyuki
Genre: School comedy
Cast: Kaku Kento, Kentaro, Taiga, Yamoto Yuma, Suzuki Nobuyuki, Isomura Hayato, Seino Nana, Hashimoto Kanna
Synopsis: Free-spirited, self-indulgent Mitsuhashi Takashi’s (Kaku Kento) creed is “Whatever I do, I’ll win!”. He decides to become a blonde-haired delinquent after his transfer to Nanpa High School. Together with the righteous, spikey-haired Ito Shinji (Kentaro), he forms the greatest delinquent duo.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/kyoukaraoreha

Saint Onii-san
Date: Fall 2018
Network: Pikkoma TV
Scriptwriter: Fukuda Yuichi (Super Salaryman Saenai-shi, Yuusha Yoshihiko Series, Uchuu no Shigoto)
Original Work: Saint Onii-san by Nakamura Hikaru
Cast: Matsuyama Kenichi, Sometani Shota
Synopsis: Jesus (Matsuyama Kenichi) and Buddha (Sometani Shota), who have safely crossed over to a new century, are sharing an apartment in Tachikawa, Tokyo while they spend a vacation on earth taking in its four seasons. Jesus loves feeble jokes and comedy greatly and is a spendthrift who loves new things. Buddha, on the other hand, is thrifty like a housewife and his hobby is making original T-shirts using silkscreen printing. They are enjoying everyday life at their own pace, but unintentionally demonstrate their godly powers everywhere.
Website: –

Shinhannin^*UPDATED*
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 23 September 2018
Station: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Ikeda Natshko (Miyazawa Kenji no Shokutaku, Suna no Tou, Algernon ni Hanabata o (2014))
Original Work: Shinhannin by Shouda Kan
Genre: Mystery
Cast: Kamikawa Takaya, Koizumi Kotaro, Uchida Yuki, Komoto Masahiro, Tanaka Yoji, Hamada Manabu, Morioka Ryu, Shimizu Shin, Nagano Satomi, Moro Morooka, Kondo Yoshimasa, Omi Toshinori, Kitami Toshiyuki, Denden, Takashima Masanobu
Synopsis: The murder of Sudo Isao (Omi Toshinori), a used car dealer, occurs in Shizuoka Prefecture in 2008. Detective Kusaka Satoru (Koizumi Kotaro) of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police’s Susuno Precinct, checks his background. He learns that Sudo’s young son Obata Mamoru from a previous marriage, died in a kidnapping incident in Shizuoka in 1974. In 1988, with just one year before the statute of limitation on the kidnapping case ran out, a special investigation unit was formed under the instructions of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police’s police chief Hashibami Yasuhide (Takashima Masanobu). Shigeto Seiichiro (Kamikawa Takaya), who rose to the rank of superintendent despite being a non-career officer, became the director and led a group of six capable detectives in the re-investigation. Kusaka cannot comprehend why Sudo, who lived in Tokyo more than 20 years after the death of his son, was murdered in Shizuoka Prefecture. He instinctively knows that delving into the kidnap and murder of the child will shed light on the case. Kusaka visits Shigeto who has left the police for a long time and searches for clues. He makes contact with Mamoru’s mother Saeko (Nagano Satomi) and her older sister Rie (Uchida Yuki), and gradually draws near the real culprit.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/shinhannin

Cold Case Season 2 ~ Shinjitsu no Tobira
Date: Fall 2018
Station: WOWOW
Scriptwriters: Yoshida Yasuhiro (Konoudori Season 2, Plage, Cold Case Season 1), Sakai Masaaki (Aogeba Toutoshi, Hamon (Yakubyougami Series), Smoking Gun), Nogi Moegi, Takimoto Tomoyuki (Hokuto, Tenshi to Akuma, Watashi to iu Unmei ni Tsuite), Hourai Ryuta (Heisei Sasameyuki, Cold Case Season 1), Zeze Takahisa (Cold Case Season 1, Zainin no Uso, Kanata no Ko)
Genre: Investigative
Original Work: Cold Case by Warner Bros
Cast: Yoshida Yo, Nagayama Kento, Takito Kenichi, Mitsuishi Ken, Miura Tomokazu
Synopsis: Inspector Ishikawa Yuri (Yoshida Yo) leads the team (Nagayama Kento, Takito Kenichi, Mitsuishi Ken) from the Kanagawa Prefectural Police’s First Investigative Division to crack unsolved cases.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/coldcase2
Related: Cold Case Season 1 ~ Shinjitsu no Tobira

All text copyright © jdramas.wordpress.com.

Official Website
tokai-tv.com/genkaidanchi

Broadcast
From 11.40 p.m., Saturdays, 2 June 2018

Station
Fuji TV

Story
Ayamecho Complex is a public housing complex that was built in the suburbs of Tokyo in the 1970s. Back then, it was a lively place and a desirable address for people. But now the number of residents have declined and both the building and people have steadily aged. One day, 62-year-old Terauchi Seiji and his 6-year-old granddaughter Honoka move to Ayamecho Complex. Terauchi tells residents curious to know why he has relocated here now, that he adopted Honoka after his son and daughter-in-law died in a fire a year ago. He believes it will be good for her to live in the place where he spent a happy childhood. Terauchi’s elderly father Hitoshi also lives with him. The arrival of the family of three stirs the stagnant air of the complex. Terauchi immediately visits housewife Sakurai Eriko and her husband Takashi who live next to him, to give his greetings and enthusiastically declares, “We’re starting a new chapter of our lives in this “dream new town” from today”. He politely goes around to every unit in the complex and even proactively shows up at a gathering of the residents association where he seeks interactions within the place. However, it does not work out as intended with an unmotivated chairman, Kaneda Teppei, and residents who show no regard for rules and greetings. Terauchi gets into action in an attempt to steer Ayamecho Complex back to the good old times for the sake of his granddaughter. However, is he a saviour who will save the public housing complex? Or is he a devil?

Characters
Sano Shiro as Terauchi Seiji
An old man who has moved to Ayamecho Complex. He does perfect housework and takes proper care of his granddaughter Honoka and elderly father Hitoshi. He is comfortably off because of an inheritance from his wife and insurance money paid out upon the deaths of his son and daughter-in-law in a fire. He is pure like a child and a tendency to overreact. He devotes himself to other people because feeling needed gives him something to live for. He is willing to sacrifice anything for Honoka’s sake.

Adachi Rika as Sakurai Eriko
The Terauchis’ neighbour. A housewife with a 6-year-old son. Because she is not good at asserting herself, she is almost bullied by the other housewives living in Ayamecho Complex. While she has a vague sense that her husband Takashi is cheating on her, she cannot say anything. She is initially confused by Terauchi Seiji’s attitude but is impressed by his devotion and becomes a family friend.

Sakoda Takaya as Sakurai Takashi
Sakurai Eriko’s husband who is a busy salaryman. He and Eriko, who is 12 years younger, are weary of married life but love their son. He wishes to move out of Ayamecho Complex quickly. However, he learns about rumours of redevelopment and postpones moving because he wants the subsidy.

Yamazaki Shigenori as Kaneda Teppei
A resident of Ayamecho Complex. He is a part-time worker. An apathetic man who walks within the compound in a sweatsuit and smokes in the daytime. He was forced to be the chairman of the residents’ association which is a role that no one wants to do. He is a rogue who will do anything for his own benefit.

Asaka Mayumi as Kikuchi Fumiyo
Terauchi Seiji’s in-law. The mother of his son’s wife. After her daughter got married, particularly after Honoka’s birth, she felt Terauchi’s behaviour was abnormal. She suspects his involvement in the deaths of her daughter and son-in-law in a fire. She does not have long to live because of her illness and only her desire to take revenge against Terauchi keeps her alive.

Enami Kyoko as Azuma Kayoko
An elderly lady who is a resident of Ayamecho Complex. She lives in a unit overflowing with garbage which she has hoarded. She roams about the complex rarely uttering a word. The residents find her behaviour creepy but she opens up to Terauchi Seiji for some reason

Scriptwriter
Kosaka Takafumi (Mahiru no Akuma, Hi no Ko, Doctor X Seasons 4 – 5)

Click here for photos from the press conference.

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All text copyright © jdramas.wordpress.com.

Official Website
www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/fuhatsudan

Broadcast
From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 10 June 2018

Network
WOWOW

Story
Mita Denki Sangyo, a large electronic appliance manufacturer discloses improper accounting of 150 billion yen at a press conference. A financial consultant Koga Ryo manipulates its flustered CEO behind the scenes. Kobori Yumiko, the director of the Second Investigative Division, suspects window dressing and feels something is wrong that the company avoided delisting on the stock exchange. So she launches an investigation. Meanwhile, the head of Mita Denki Sangyo’s Management Audit Department, who is considered a key person, commits suicide. Koga secretly meets with the company’s advisor Higashida Shozo right after that. Yumiko begins to suspect that the suicide was murder. The man in question is smiling warmly at his common-law wife Murata Sachiko. Who exactly is he? Koga grew up in a poor coal-mining town with a mother who was loose with money and men. In his desire to take his younger sister Mutsumi to Tokyo, knowledge is ingrained in him by his former superior Nakano Tetsuomi and he succeeded in national securities. However, several years later, an incident triggers the start of his revenge and he lays an unexploded bomb deep in the layers of Japan’s economy.

Characters
Shiina Kippei/Miura Takahiro as Koga Ryo
A financial consultant whose real name is Koga Yoshiki. He grew up in a poor coal-mining town and his father passed away when he was a child. Although he is just a high school graduate, he succeeded in a securities firm and became a financial consultant during a turbulent period. He does not talk much about his own past and true feelings. He has the cunning to gain the trust of the people around him and also influential people. While he does his work dispassionately, he seethes with vengeance.

Kuroki Meisa as Kobori Yumiko
The director of Third White Collar Crime Investigation Section under the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Second Investigative Division. Rank: Superintendent. A young career officer who is impatient to accomplish something because of the achievements presented by other sections. There is a reason for her eagerness to get to the truth of Mita Denki Sangyo’s improper accounting other than her sense of justice and ambition … …

Takuma Shin as Higashida Shozo
Mita Denki Sangyo’s advisor and former CEO. He is also the CEO of Nippon Teishin, a massive quasi-government corporation. He has been acquainted with Koga Ryo since his lowly secretary days and has favoured him from way back. He is well-connected with the financial industry.

Iriyama Anna as Koga Mutsumi
Koga Ryo’s younger sister who has a gentle personality. Their mother Yoshimi is addicted to drinking and because she could not leave her alone, she began to work at Yoshimi’s bar after graduating from high school … …

Yoshizawa Hisashi as Sugimoto Takumi
He works for the foreign-owned Herman Securities. An academic elite who is a contrast to high school graduate Koga Ryo. He offered advice to Koga which transformed his life, and even became his business partner.

Harada Tomoyo as Murata Sachiko
Koga Ryo’s common-law wife. She runs a small kimono accessories shop in Tokyo. She is the only person whom Koga has relaxed his guard around and they have been a common-law couple for more than 20 years. She also runs a non-profit organisation which supports traditional craftsmen with the assistance of Koga. She grew up in a poor coal-mining town similar to Koga.

Okuda Eiji as Nakano Tetsuomi
Koga Ryo’s ex-boss during his securities firm days who trained him to be a full-fledged finance guy. The owner of Takaido Healthy Food. He is caring, self-assured and has the qualities of a leader. He is proud of his outstanding business results and had been a person Koga admired since the time he joined the company. But he gradually lives flamboyantly … …

Watanabe Tetsu as Arai Katsutoshi
The chairman of the board of Omuta Goudou Shinkin Bank, a cooperative financial institution, and a prominent figure in the local community. Koga Yoshimi’s lover. He is greedy and even tried to lay his hands on Koga Ryo’s younger sister Mutsumi. Koga loathes him.

Scriptwriter
Tanaka Shinichi (Keishichou Ikimono-gakari, Shachoushitsu no Fuyu)

Original Work
Fuhatsudan by Aiba Hideo

Click here for photos from the press conference.

All text copyright © jdramas.wordpress.com.

Koshiji Fubuki Monogatari
Date: From 12.30 p.m., Mondays – Fridays, 8 January 2018
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Tatsui Yukari (Mama to Papa ga Ikiru Riyuu, Strawberry Night Series, Konkatsu!)
Genre: Biographical
Cast: Takimoto Miori, Kinami Haruka, Daichi Mao, Ichige Yoshie, Hamada Mari, Omi Toshinori, Watanabe Konomi, Hara Hideko, Miyazaki Yoshiko, Ichikawa Yui, Nakamura Shunsuke, Sasai Eisuke, Ukaji Takashi, Suruga Taro, Otozuki Kei, Sakihi Miyu, Saori
Synopsis: Koshiji Fubuki (Takimoto Miori/Daichi Mao), whose real name was Kono Mihiko, loved singing since she was a child. When she was a teenager, she hated studying and was a tomboy and yet a very pure girl. With the encouragement of her father (Omi Toshinori), she took the Takarazuka Revue’s exam. Although she passed with flying colours, she could not dance and was on the verge of dropping out. However, she was gifted in singing. With her lively nature and the support of senior stars and school mates from the same batch, Fubuki went on to become a top star in male roles. After she left the troupe, she was active as a singer and actress. She worked together with lyricist Iwatani Tokiko (Kinami Haruka/Ichige Yoshie) and from the many chansons she covered such as Edith Piaf’s Hymne à l’amour, she was called the queen of chansons in Japan. She became an extraordinary singer who changed the history of the country’s music scene.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/koshiji

Shiro to Kiiro ~ Hawaii to Watashi no Pancake Monogatari
Date: From 28 February 2018 (updated on Mondays – Fridays)
Network: Amazon Prime
Scriptwriters: Okada Yoshikazu (Hiyokko, Kiseki no Hito, Saigo kara Nibanme no Koi Series), Taniguchi Junichiro (Final Life, Hanzai Shokogun Series, Honjitsu was Ohigara mo Yoku)
Cast: Kawaguchi Haruna, Yokohama Ryusei, Yoshikawa Ai, Oda Risa, Nakamura Anne, Yoshizawa Hisashi, Maiko, Koichi Mantaro, Tomita Yasuko, Fuse Eri, Godai Takayuki, Yanagisawa Shingo (guest star), Tokito Saburo, Zaizen Naomi
Synopsis: University student Sawano Nami (Kawaguchi Haruna) lives in Shonan, Kanagawa Prefecture. An encounter in Hawaii makes her decide to bring the popular pancake restaurant Eggs n’ Things to Japan, which sparks a pancake boom in the country. Despite suffering difficulties and setbacks, Nami fulfils her dream, motivated by thoughts of her father as well as the support of family (Tokito Saburo, Zaizen Naomi, Nakamura Anne, Koichi Mantaro) and friends (Yoshikawa Ai, Oda Risa).
Website: shirotokiiro.jp
Preview: Shiro to Kiiro CM

Kuragehime
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Mondays, 15 January 2018
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Tokunaga Yuichi (Bokutachi ga Yarimashita, Kirawareru Yuuki, Tantei no Tantei)
Original Work: Kuragehime by Higashimura Akiko
Genre: Love comedy
Cast: Yoshine Kyoko, Seto Koji, Kudo Asuka, Kinami Haruka, Matsui Rena, Uchida Rio, Toyama Eriko, Kaname Jun, Yasui Junpei, Kitaoji Kinya, Koyuki (guest star), Wakamura Mayumi, Eguchi Noriko, Kaku Kento (guest star)
Synopsis: 20-year-old Kurashita Tsukimi (Yoshine Kyoko) became entranced by jellyfishes at an aquarium that her late mother (Koyuki) brought her to during her childhood. She comes to Tokyo from Kagoshima with dreams of becoming an illustrator. However, she avoids contact with the outside world together with a group of female geeks (Kinami Haruka, Matsui Rena, Uchida Rio, Toyama Eriko) who call themselves the Ama-zu. The Ama-zu only immerse in their own world. They regard fashionable people as natural enemies and say they do not need men in their lives. Tsukimi is enjoying life when a pair of siblings show up in front of her. Koibuchi Kuranosuke (Seto Koji), the older brother, is a cross-dressing male who appears to be a very beautiful woman but actually is a handsome playboy. Shu (Kudo Asuka), the younger brother, is the secretary to their father Keiichiro (Kitaoji Kinya) who is an influential Diet lawmaker, and has not had any experience with females. Tsukimi becomes aware of romance with the two of them and a love triangle develops.
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/kuragehime
Preview: Kuragehime CM

Konda Teru no Gouhou Recipe
Date: From 6 March 2018
Network: Amazon Prime
Scriptwriters: Inoue Kiyoshi (Seisei Suru Hodo Ai Shiteru), Kanda Yu (Inochi Urimasu, Sauce-san no Koi, Loveho no Ueno-san Series)
Original Work: Konda Teru no Gouhou Recipe by Umada Isuke
Genre: Food comedy
Cast: Ryusei Ryo, Yamamoto Maika, Aoyagi Sho, Kato Shinsuke, Uchiyama Shinji, Kimura Ryo, Honkon, Tsubokura Yoshiyuki, Inaba Yu, Musaka Naomasa, YOUNG DAIS, Komiya Arisa, Shinoda Mariko, Ogi Shigemitsu, Nakano Hideo, Ozawa Hitoshi
Synopsis: Konda Teru (Ryusei Ryo) is a third-year high school student and gang member of the Shimofuriniku-gumi. He lives with death in a world of guns, torture and fighting, but gunpowder smoke can make him think of mackerel grilled with salt. Konda attends school with classmate Haru Maki (Yamamoto Maika). Despite being faced with the dangers to his life and swamped by schoolwork, he takes inspiration from his day and creates exquisite food daily with wild imagination. This food gets him through difficult gang situations, at times sparks love and even saves people’s lives.
Website: kondateru.com
Preview: Konda Teru no Gouhou Recipe CM

Sotsugyou Baka-mentary
Date: From 12.59 a.m., Tuesdays, 22 January 2018
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Jiro
Genre: School
Cast: Fujii Ryusei, Hamada Takahiro, Maeda Koki, Yoshida Yasunao, Arai Hirofumi
Synopsis: Gaku (Fujii Ryusei), Mao (Hamada Takahiro), Koki (Maeda Koki) and Jun (Yoshida Yasunao) are a group of fourth-year students who attend Japan’s most elite university. They have 90 days to graduation after days of constant studying. Greatly inspired to become men by the time they graduate, they meet girls who are ideal in their own opinion. At times they collide, at others, they fail or forget their objective? They keep having hard struggles along with warm friendships.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/bakamen

Final Cut
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 9 January 2018
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Kaneko Arisa (Watashi Kekkon Dekinai Janakute Shinain desu, Boku no Tsuma o Kekkon Shite Kudasai, Hanamoyu)
Genre: Revenge
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Hashimoto Kanna, Kuriyama Chiaki, Hayashi Kento, Takaki Yuya, Fujiki Naohito, Yatsui Ichiro, Sugimoto Tetta, Yuki Nae, Tsurumi Shingo, Masu Takeshi, Mizuno Miki, Sasaki Kuranosuke
Synopsis: The mother (Yuki Nae) of Nakamura Keisuke (Kamenashi Kazuya) was treated like a criminal in a baby girl’s murder case and this drove her to commit suicide when he was a high school student. 12 years later, Keisuke searches for the real criminal and begins his revenge against the people who pushed his mother into a corner at that time. The staff and presenters involved in gathering information about the case and broadcasting it as well as the two beautiful sisters Ogawara Yukiko (Kuriyama Chiaki) and Wakaba (Hashimoto Kanna) who hold the key to the truth of the case. However, he ends up falling in love with one of them.
Website: www.ktv.jp/finalcut
Preview: Final Cut Introduction

Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 16 January 2018
Station: TBS
Scriptwriters: Yoshizawa Tomoko (Anata no Koto was Sorehodo, Damena Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai, Dr DMAT), Tokuo Koji (Aino Kekkon Soudanjo, Thrill Series, Konkatsu Deka)
Original Work: Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita by Tendo Kirin
Genre: Romance
Cast: Yoshioka Riho, Kiritani Kenta, Ishibashi Anna, Muro Tsuyoshi, Suzuki Sarina, Seto Asaka, Mukai Osamu
Synopsis: Ogawa Kyoko (Yoshioka Riho) works for the materials division of a lingerie maker. She is nicknamed Kyodoko because of her timidly suspicious behaviour in front of other people due to her extremely low self-esteem. Kyoko wavers between two charming men who have contrasting personalities. One of them is her handsome senior Hoshina Ren (Mukai Osamu) from university. She relied solely on him and clung to him because he was the first to accept her even though he went too far and gave her cruel commands. Kyoko kept her distance for a while. However, he continued contacting her. Her strong dependence on him is resurrected when they meet again at her company. The other man is Yoshizaki Kojiro (Kiritani Kenta), a manga editor. He does not hesitate to aim harsh words at everyone. But beneath this is a kind, sincere man. He is unable to thrust aside Kyoko who comes at him with outrageous speech and behaviour, and unintentionally ends up helping her. Kyoko wonders whether he will be able to change her and is strongly drawn to him. And yet she cannot resist Hoshina’s “clutches”.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/kimisumi
Preview: Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita CM

Kakegurui
Date: From 1.28 a.m., Wednesdays, 17 January 2018
Station: TBS
Scriptwriters: Takano Minato, Hanabusa Tsutomu
Original Work: Kakegurui by Kawamoto Homura
Genre: School
Cast: Hamabe Minami, Takasugi Mahiro, Morikawa Aoi, Nakagawa Taishi, Nakamura Yurika, Mito Natsume, Matsuda Ruka, Okamoto Natsumi, Yamoto Yuma, Matsumoto Kiyo, Yanagi Miki
Synopsis: Many sons and daughters of influential figures in the political and business circles attend Hyakkaou Private Academy. The hierarchy of the students are determined by their strength in gambling. The winners call the shots while the losers become slaves. One day, a mysterious, beautiful girl Jabami Yumeko (Hamabe Minami) transfers to the academy. She appears to be graceful and ladylike but is actually a gambling addict who gets a thrill out of taking risks. Once Yumeko starts gambling, she destroys her opponents with extraordinary perceptiveness and memory.
Website: kakegurui.jp
Preview: Kakegurui CM

Furin Shokudo
Date: From 6.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 7 March 2018
Station: Fuji On Demand
Scriptwriter: Kanazawa Tatsuya (Lucky Seven, Hammer Session)
Original Work: Furin Shokudo by Yamaguchi Masakazu
Genre: Food comedy
Cast: Tanaka Kei, Adachi Yumi, Konno Anna, Hakase Mai, Iwasa Mayuko
Synopsis: 35-year-old Yamadera Ryuichi (Tanaka Kei) is a married man with a child and works for a company in Tokyo. He thrives on exploring the local cuisine at the places he goes for business trips. He meets beautiful married women wherever he goes and even though he is only supposed to have a delicious meal, he finds himself sleeping together with them … …
Website: fod.fujitv.co.jp/s/genre/drama/ser4f00

Byplayers Season 2 ~ Moshimo Meiwakiyaku ga TV Tokyo Dora de Mujinto Seikatsu Shitara
Date: From 9.54 p.m., Wednesdays, 7 February 2018
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriters: Fujiki Mitsuhiko (Byplayers Season 1, Asunaro San San Nana Byoushi), Miyamoto Takeshi (Prison Hotel, Byplayers Season 1)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Endo Kenichi, Osugi Ren, Taguchi Tomorow, Matsushige Yutaka, Mitsuishi Ken, Kita Kana, Honda Miu, Yoshida Yo, Okada Masaki, Komoto Masahiro, Nomaguchi Toru, Morishita Yoshiyuki, Yakusho Koji, Kohinata Fumiyo, Terajima Shinobu (guest star), Denden (guest star), Itaya Yuka (guest star), Toda Naho (guest star), Minemura Rie (guest star), Fuse Eri (guest star), Mabuchi Erika (guest star), Oshima Yoko (guest star)
Synopsis: Five supporting actors (Endo Kenichi, Osugi Ren, Taguchi Tomorow, Matsushige Yutaka, Mitsuishi Ken) who end up co-starring in TV Tokyo’s morning drama Shimakko-san, get the location for the filming wrong and drift to an uninhabited island where they are forced into a life of survival.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/byplayers
Preview: Byplayers Season 2 Teaser
Related: Byplayers Season 1

Anone
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 10 January 2018
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Sakamoto Yuji (Quartet, Mondai no Aru Restaurant, Saikou no Rikon Series)
Genre: Family
Cast: Hirose Suzu, Kobayashi Satomi, Abe Sadao, Eita, Hino Shohei, Tanaka Yuko
Synopsis: 19-year-old Tsujisawa Harika (Hirose Suzu) who has lost her family, strayed from society and even lost sight of how to live, meets an elderly woman Hayashida Anone (Tanaka Yuko). The two of them have been deceived and betrayed such that they no longer trust people. However, they soon feel something mutual and the woman shelters the girl. A fake family, fake life and fake memories … … Then an incident occurs.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/anone
Preview: Anone CM

Bakumatsu Gurume Bushimeshi Season 2
Date: From 11.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 10 January 2018
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriter: Sakurai Tsuyoshi (Omotesando Koukou Gasshobu, Genkai Shuraku Kabushikigaisha, Marumo no Okite Series)
Original Work: Kinban Gurume Bushimeshi by Tsuchiyama Shigeru
Genre: Period
Cast: Seto Koji, Sakai Wakana, Kiriyama Ren, Miyoshi Ayaka, Kasahara Hideyuki, Hagiwara Minori, Wakayama Kirato, Toda Keiko, Tokui Yu, Kunihiro Tomiyuki, Hirata Mitsuru, Kusakari Masao
Synopsis: Sakata Banshiro (Seto Koji), a cowardly samurai, is visiting Edo in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate as he takes turns on duty because of his feudal lord’s (Kusakari Masao) processions to and from his alternate residence. He continues to live apart from his family. But unlike his previous naivete, he has a bad feeling for some reason. But of course, Banshiro cannot enjoy. He is stuck with Seinosuke-sama, the damned heir of his lord, and in dire distress. To make things worse, he is sold to a rival domain which is seen as an enemy, for 5 ryo and forced to become a labourer. Furthermore, his lord has given him a secret order to spy on the rival domain and even his wife Suzu (Miyoshi Ayaka) has become entangled in this fight. Banshiro reluctantly has to be a spy. But without martial arts or classical scholarship, his weapon of choice is of course cooking. Will he be able to save the Takano domain with his beloved wife’s cooking which brings her pride?
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/jidaigeki/bushimeshi2
Related: Bakumatsu Gurume Bushimeshi Season 1

BG ~ Shinpen Keigonin
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Thursdays, 18 January 2018
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Inoue Yumiko (Kinkyuu Torishirabeshitsu Series, Hirugao, Pandora Series)
Genre: Action
Cast: Kimura Takuya, Saito Takumi, Nanao, Mamiya Shotaro, Mitsushima Shinnosuke, Tanaka Kanau, Kamikawa Takaya, Ishida Yuriko, Eguchi Yosuke, Nagashima Toshiyuki, Ukaji Takashi, Abe Shinnosuke, Katsuji Ryo (guest star), Ibu Masato (guest star), Denden (guest star), Otsuka Nene (guest star), Tanaka Tetsushi (guest star), Nishimura Masahiko (guest star), Miyoshi Ayaka (guest star), Nakao Akira (guest star), Hashizume Isao (guest star), Nakamura Yuri (guest star), Toyoshima Hana (guest star), Yamaguchi Tomoko (guest star)
Synopsis: Shimazaki Akira (Kimura Takuya) is a former bodyguard who became the security officer of a construction site as a result of some incident. Even when he makes the decision to return to being a bodyguard in a private security firm’s newly established Personal Protection Division headed by Murata Goro (Kamikawa Takaya), he hides his past and arrives as a new bodyguard just like the other members (Saito Takumi, Nanao, Mamiya Shotaro).
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/bg
Preview: BG Teaser

Tonari no Kazoku wa Aoku Mieru
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Thursdays, 18 January 2018
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Nakatani Mayumi (Jimi ni Sugoi Series, Dear Sister, Last Cinderella)
Genre: Family
Cast: Fukada Kyoko, Matsuyama Kenichi, Hirayama Hiroyuki, Takahashi Maryjun, Kitamura Takumi, Mashima Hidekazu, Matobu Sei, Nomaguchi Toru, Suga Kenta, Ito Sairi, Maehara Ko, Harumi Shiho, Ito Kazue, Hashimoto Manami, Takahata Atsuko
Synopsis: Scuba diving instructor Igarashi Nana (Fukada Kyoko) is married to Daiki (Matsuyama Kenichi) who works for a mid-sized toy manufacturer. Daiki is a kind but rather undependable husband. The two of them had enjoyed their life together in a small apartment to save funds to buy a home. With their purchase of a “cooperative house”, they start trying to have the baby which Daiki’s mother (Takahata Atsuko) longs for. But it is not easy to conceive a child. Despite becoming acutely aware of how difficult this can be, husband and wife try various means … …
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/tonari_no_kazoku

Repeat ~ Unmei o Kaeru Juukagetsu
Date: From 11.59 p.m., Thursdays, 11 January 2018
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Izumisawa Yoko (IQ246, Omukae desu, Lunch no Akko-chan)
Original Work: Repeat by Inui Kurumi
Genre: Mystery, time travel
Cast: Kanjiya Shihori, Hongo Kanata, Gori, Shimazaki Haruka, Shimizu Kei, Fukuda Tenkyu, Ino Hiroki, Matsuda Satoshi, Tezuka Satomi, Adachi Yumi (guest star), Rokkaku Seiji
Synopsis: Shinozaki Ayumi (Kanjiya Shihori) receives a strange call telling her that an earthquake will occur one hour from now. She hangs up the phone thinking it was just a prank call. But one hour later, she feels herself sway a little. When she turns on the television, she realises that what the caller said about the time and the epicentre was on the mark. After that, she receives another phone call from the same caller who identifies himself as Kazama (Rokkaku Seiji). He says that he knows what will happen in the future because he went back to a certain spot from the future and made a fresh start in life. Calling this time travel “Repeat”, he invites Ayumi to be his guest. Besides Ayumi, Mori Keisuke (Hongo Kanata) and Tendo Taro (Gori) are among the eight people who have been invited by Kazama to participate in “Repeat”. These eight people who are making a repeat as a result of past regrets, are hit with a series of unanticipated events.
Website: www.ytv.co.jp/repeat

Boku dake ga Inai Machi
Date: From 15 December 2017
Network: Netflix
Scriptwriter: Okubo Tomomi (Mutsuu, Kagi no Nai Yume o Miru, Good Life)
Original Work: Boku dake ga Inai Machi by Sanbe Kei
Genre: Mystery suspense
Cast: Furukawa Yuki, Yuki Mio, Shirasu Jin, Uchikawa Reo, Kakihara Rinka, Eguchi Noriko, Mashima Hidekazu, Totsugi Shigeyuki, Kurotani Tomoka
Synopsis: 29-year-old Fujinuma Satoru (Furukawa Yuki) is a struggling manga artist who has to work part-time to make a living. He possesses a special ability called “revival” which rewinds a scene so that he can prevent “bad things” from happening, but is troubled that it is beyond his control. One day, Fujinuma ends up being pursued as the murderer of his mother Sachiko (Kurotani Tomoka) and is sent back 18 years into the past. He is convinced that the serial killings of children which occurred when he was a fifth-grade elementary school student (Uchikawa Reo) is the cause of her death and chases after the truth.
Website: www.netflix.com/jp/title/80173711
Preview: Boku dake ga Inai Machi CM

Funouhan
Date: From 22 December 2017 (updated on Fridays) (followed by movie)
Network: dTV
Scriptwriter: Yamaoka Junpei (Shinjuku Seven, Zenigata Keibu Series, Gin to Kin)
Original Work: Funouhan by Miyatsuki Arata
Genre: Suspense
Cast: Matsuzaka Tori, Sawajiri Erika, Mikami Kensei, Nagao Mariya, Suzunosuke, Morioka Yutaka, Nagai Masaru, Megumi, Izawa Yuki, Hiraoka Yuta, Hagiwara Minori, Ito Yumi, Sato Hitomi
Synopsis: Hatred, jealousy, fear – desires which lurk deep within. Usobuki Tadashi (Matsuzaka Tori) is a black-suited killer with red eyes who shows up out of nowhere if someone with strong murderous intent sticks a paper beneath a particular telephone booth. He manipulates people through suggestion and mind control and very easily takes lives without getting his own hands dirty. Those who become his targets will have tragic fates such as the office lady who hides her past while wishing for happiness, the salaryman who can no longer see other people’s hearts because of gambling or the teacher who picks out teenage girls who have runaway from home on online dating sites … …
Website: pc.video.dmkt-sp.jp/ft/s0005109
Preview: Funouhan Introduction

Chase Chapter 1
Date: From 22 December 2017 (updated on Fridays)
Network: Amazon Prime
Scriptwriter: Fukuda Yasushi (Saki ni Umareta dake no Boku, Doctors Series, Hero Series)
Genre: Suspense
Cast: Otani Ryohei, Honda Tsubasa, Kishitani Goro, Hada Michiko, Kobayashi Katsuya, Hashimoto Jun, Nakamura Kumi, Furuhata Seika, Maeda Otone, Tayama Ryosei, Kato Kazuko, Denden, Shimada Kyusaku, Hirata Mitsuru
Synopsis: Mikami (Otani Ryohei), a journalist, and Mai (Honda Tsubasa), a rookie assistant director of a satellite broadcasting station, close in on the truth of the unsolved serial murders of five little girls which took place 27 years ago. At the time of the murders, DNA analysis dealt a decisive blow and a man was apprehended as the murderer. But there were several contradictory points surrounding this arrest. Mikami and Mai begin re-investigating the cases with doubts about his culpability. They are eventually faced with the chilling truth of false charges and enormous state power. However, they begin to expose the truth which was shrouded in darkness through true journalism.
Website: amazon-chase.jp
Preview: Chase Chapter 1 CM

Kareshi o Loan de Kaimashita
Date: From 9 March 2018 (updated on Mondays and Fridays)
Station: dTV & Fuji On Demand
Scriptwriter: Nojima Shinji (Papakatsu, Ame ga Furu to Kimi wa Yasashii, Platonic)
Genre: Romance
Cast: Mano Erina, Yokohama Ryusei, Hisamatsu Ikumi, Ono Yuriko, Fuchikami Yasushi, Hasegawa Kyoko
Synopsis: Ukishima Tae (Mano Erina) works as a receptionist at a company. Her dream is to get married to her elite boyfriend Shiraishi Shunpei (Fuchikami Yasushi) and become a housewife. To fulfil this dream, she pretends to be a quiet, naive girl and hides her real personality. Tae has men charmed and wrapped around her finger. But she is actually outspoken and does not shy away from making cutting remarks. Feeling concerned about the daily stress, she decides to “buy” a boyfriend Setsuna Jun (Yokohama Ryusei) for a monthly fee of 39,800 yen as a stress reliever. In exchange for her taking over his loan, Jun plays the boyfriend who obeys all her commands.
Website: pc.video.dmkt-sp.jp/ft/s0007006
Preview: Kareshi o Loan de Kaimashita CM

Mob Psycho 100
Date: From 1.00 a.m., Fridays, 18 January 2018
Station: TV Tokyo & Netflix
Scriptwriters: Yoshida Reiko, Kunii Kei (Kakuregiku, Kogure Shashinkan, Orthros no Inu)
Original Work: Mob Psycho 100 by ONE
Cast: Hamada Tatsuomi, Namioka Kazuki, Yoda Yuki, Mochizuki Ayumu, Arai Atsushi, Yamaya Kasumi, Moro Morooka, Kubota Yuki, Shiono Akihisa, Fukuyama Kohei, Sakanoue Akane, Nagahama Shin, Kuroishi Takahiro, Suzuki Takayuki, Shirato Tatsuya, Kunishima Naoki, Negishi Takuya, Deai Masayuki, Iwanaga Hiroaki, Mamiya Yuki, Suzunosuke
Synopsis: Kageyama Shigeo (Hamada Tatsuomi) is a reserved, ordinary second-year junior high school student. Nicknamed Mob, he is not good at studying and sports. But he was born with a tremendous supernatural power. Mob wants to lead a normal life without relying on his supernatural power and joins a physical improvement club to change himself. However, strange people with supernatural powers appear and cause all sorts of incidents which even Mob gets mixed up in. Although Mob does not want to use his supernatural ability as much as possible, it climbs to 100% in his state of heightened emotions, and breaks loose.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/mobpsycho100
Preview: Mob Psycho CM

Ooka Echizen Season 4
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Fridays, 12 January 2018
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriters: Onishi Kenichi (Bokura Series, Tenshi no Knife, Rinjo Series), Izumi Rei (Kozure Shinbei Series), Ikeda Masayuki, Onishi Nobuyuki (Ooka Echizen Series)
Genre: Period
Cast: Higashiyama Noriyuki, Terawaki Yasufumi, Mimura, Kondo Yoshimasa, Ishii Masanori, Kanayama Kazuhiko, Yamazaki Yuta, Kato Rai, Katsumura Masanobu, Takahashi Choei, Terada Minori, Matsubara Chieko, Hira Takehiro, Tsugawa Masahiko
Synopsis: Ooka Echizen (Higashiyama Noriyuki) was an Edo magistrate who supported the Kyoho Reforms advanced by the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune (Hira Takehiro). Other than administrating the the town of Edo, Ooka also had a seat on the judicial council, managed local government affairs as well as temples and shrines. He punished evil that brought suffering to the common people, making judicial decisions with humanity and fairness that came to be known as “Ooka Sabaki”.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/jidaigeki/oooka4
Related: Ooka Echizen Season 2

Kakuho no Onna ~ Kanagawa Kenkei Tokumei Sousa
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Fridays, 19 January 2018
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriter: Hata Takehiko (Soshite Daremo Inakunate, Dandarin, Unfair Series)
Genre: Detective
Cast: Natori Yuko, Aso Yumi, Takahashi Katsunori, Yoshizawa Hisashi, Koseki Yuta, Konno Hiroki, Shikanuma Yuki, Suga Yusuke, Watanabe Ikkei, Ito Shiro, Sato Atsuhiro, Ikeuchi Mansaku, Suga Yusuke
Synopsis: Miura Aya (Aso Yumi) is a detective who has always fought cases on the front line and worked her way up. Hojo Yuriko (Natori Yuko) is an elite police officer in HR who has always done office work in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. They are complete opposites in their values and fields of expertise. Then Yuriko gets an unusual transfer from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to the Kanagawa Prefectural Police. What special mission has she been charged with?
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/kakuho

Joshiteki Seikatsu
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Fridays, 5 January 2018
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Sakaguchi Riko (Watashi o Mitsukete, Ishitachi no Renai Jijou, Kekkon Shinai)
Original Work: Joshiteki Seikatsu by Sakaki Tsukasa
Cast: Shison Jun, Machida Keita, Tamai Shiori, Hyonri, Koshiba Fuka, Haba Yuichi, Shukugawa Atom, Suzuki Keiichi, Kusumi Kaoru, Komatsu Takeyoshi, Maeda Aki (guest star), Nakajima Hiroki (guest star), Nishihara Satsuki (guest star), Yamamura Momiji (guest star), Suzuki Hiroki (guest star), Honda Hirotaro (guest star), Tsuchimura Kaho (guest star), Yamaguchi Shogo (guest star)
Synopsis: Ogawa Miki (Shison Jun) is an office lady who came to Kobe from the countryside and works for an online fashion company. But she has a big secret. Miki is transgender. Her gender is male but she looks like a slender, beautiful female. However, it is females and not males that she likes. One day, a former classmate Goto Tadaomi (Machida Keita) comes to live with Miki. Goto is bewildered by Miki’s appearance but they end up living together through a strange turn of events. All sorts of potential daily uncertainties which happen to Miki fluster Goto, but Miki just knocks them out with great self-confidence.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/drama10/joshiteki

Unnatural
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Fridays, 12 January 2018
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Nogi Akiko (Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, Juhan Shuttai!, Soratobu Kouhoushitsu)
Genre: Medical mystery
Cast: Ishihara Satomi, Iura Arata, Kubota Masataka, Ichikawa Mikako, Ryusei Ryo, Kitamura Yukiya, Fukushi Seiji, Okura Koji, Ikeda Tetsuhiro, Ogasawara Kai, Iio Kazuki, Matsushige Yutaka, Yakushimaru Hiroko, Fukikoshi Mitsuru (guest star), Nukumizu Yoichi (guest star), Toda Naho (guest star), Ibu Masato (guest star)
Synopsis: Misumi Mikoto (Ishihara Satomi) is only one out of approximately 170 registered forensic pathologists in Japan. She has 1,500 autopsies under her belt and trained as an associate professor at medical school. Mikoto arrived at the newly established Unnatural Death Investigation (UDI) Lab four months ago. People who died of unnatural causes are constantly brought to the UDI which has assembled specialists in determining such causes of death. The team members are fellow forensic pathologist Nakado Kei (Iura Arata), records officer Kube Rokuro (Kubota Matsutaka), lab technician Shoji Yuko (Ichikawa Mikako) and director Kamikura Yasuo (Matsushige Yutaka).
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/unnatural2018
Teaser: Unnatural CM

Holiday Love
Date: From 11.15 p.m., Fridays, 26 January 2018
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Watanabe Chiho (Uchi no Otto wa Shigoto ga Dekinai, Beppin-san, Kohiya no Hitobito)
Original Work: Holiday Love by Koyama Yukari
Genre: Love suspense
Cast: Naka Riisa, Tsukamoto Takashi, Nakamura Tomoya, Matsumoto Marika, Yamada Yuki, Iijima Hiroki, Okada Ryutaro, Mitsuya Yoko, Dan Mitsu, Hiraoka Yuta
Synopsis: Takamori Azu (Naka Riisa) discovers that her husband Junpei (Tsukamoto Takashi) whom she trusts more than anyone else, is having an affair. Her peaceful everyday life suddenly transforms into days of endless worry. After an internal struggle, she decides to trust in him again. Junpei also rediscovers his love for her and the two of them are about to get back together again. However, each time they try to do that, they would be faced with all sorts of difficulties caused by her husband’s mistress Izutsu Rina (Matsumoto Marika).
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/holidaylove

Saigo no Bangohan
Date: From 11.30 p.m., Fridays, 12 January 2018
Station: BS Japan
Scriptwriters: Matsui Kana (Ito-kun A to E, Sachi no Otera Gohan, Princess Maison), Meriyama Momoka (Wakakozake Seasons 2 & 3)
Original Work: Saigo no Bangohan by Fushino Michiru
Genre: Food
Cast: Nakamura Yuichi, Sugiura Taiyo, Shinoda Saburo, Matsuda Satoshi (guest star), Yonehara Kosuke (guest star), Hasegawa Naomi (guest star), Okada Yoshinori (guest star), Ishii Masanori (guest star)
Synopsis: A young actor Igarashi Kairi (Nakamura Yuichi) is forced to take a break from entertainment activities following a fabricated scandal. He goes back to his hometown of Ashiya in Hyogo Prefecture where he is saved by Natsugami Ryuji (Sugiura Taiyo), the owner of Banmeshiya, a set meal restaurant. Leaving the acting profession behind, he begins to work at Banmeshiya but the customers who come to the restaurant are ghosts?! As Igarashi helps out at the shop, he ends up searching for the last dinner which will make the ghosts which visit every night rest in peace.
Website: www.bs-j.co.jp/saigonobangohan
Preview: Saigo no Bangohan CM

Oh My Jump! ~ Shonen Jump ga Chikyuu o Tsukuu
Date: From 12.12 a.m., Saturdays, 13 January 2018
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriters: Nemoto Nonji (Otoko no Misao, Izakaya Fuji, Gin to Kin), Saijo Mitsutoshi, Yokomaku Tomohiro (Otoko no Misao, Smoking Gun), Awashima Zuimaro (Izakaya Fuji), Moriguchi Yusuke (Daisho, Keishichou Sousa Ichi Kachou)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Ito Atsushi, Baba Toru, Yanagi Shuntaro, Saiki Shigeru, Yamazaki Moka, Ikoma Rina, Sato Hitomi, Terawaki Yasufumi
Synopsis: 34-year-old salary man Tsukiyama Hiroshi (Ito Atsushi) comes across a secret club where people who love Shukan Shonen Jump gather and chat about Jump’s famous manga, popular episodes and favourite characters. As Tsukiyama comes in contact with these people, he is slowly influenced by them and begins to change. Tsukiyama who is drawn to heroes, and the other members soon come out to discover that they are involved in a global calamity?!
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/oh_my_jump
Preview: Oh My Jump! CM

Inochi Urimasu
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 13 January 2018
Station: BS Japan
Scriptwriters: Koyama Shota (3-nin no Papa, Fukigenna Kajitsu, Ishitachi no Renai Jijou), Obayashi Rieko (Good Morning Call Series, Koekoi, Kari Kare)
Original Work: Inochi Urimasu by Mishima Yukio
Cast: Nakamura Aoi, Maeda Oushiro, Taguchi Hiromasa, YOU, Tanaka Min, Hashimoto Manami (guest star), Osugi Ren (guest star), Sakai Wakana (guest star), Tanimura Mitsuki (guest star), Morimoto Reo (guest star), Dan Mitsu (guest star), Matsushita Yuki (guest star)
Synopsis: From a life insurance salesman, Yamada Hanio (Nakamura Aoi) changed occupations to work at an advertising agency as a copywriter. He had a good background, salary which others probably envied. But one day while walking on his regular route to work, he tries to take his own life all of a sudden. However, he does not succeed. This makes him start a business selling lives. He begins to face up to life as he responds to the series of very bizarre requests which he unexpectedly gets.
Website: www.bs-j.co.jp/inochiurimasu
Preview: Inochi Urimasu CM

Momikeshite Fuyu ~ Wagaya no Mondai Nakatta Koto ni
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 13 January 2018
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Kaneko Shigeki (Boku Unmei no Hito desu, Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi, Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Yamada Ryosuke, Haru, Ozawa Yukiyoshi, Kotaki Nozomu, Chiba Yudai, Tsunematsu Yuri, Kojima Kazuya, Asano Kazuyuki, Nakamura Baijaku
Synopsis: The Kitazawa siblings are elites. Shusaku (Yamada Ryosuke), the youngest, became a police officer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department after graduating from Tokyo University. His older sister Chiaki (Haru) is a lawyer and his older brother Hirofumi (Ozawa Yukiyoshi) is a heart surgeon. Together, they solve problems, holding strategy meetings at secret family meetings. But it is only cases which threaten family peace that they do all they can to solve.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/momifuyu
Preview: Momikeshite Fuyu CM

Haru ga Kita
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 13 January 2018
Station: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Yoshida Yayoi
Original Work: Haru ga Kita by Mukoda Kuniko
Genre: Family
Cast: Kai (EXO), Kurashina Kana, Furuhata Seika, Kentaro, Takada Shoko, Takahata Atsuko, Sano Shiro
Synopsis: Kishigawa Naoko (Kurashina Kana), a sales staff who works in a department store’s lingerie department, is a plain, dull 31-year-old. One day, she meets a Korean photographer Lee Ji Won (Kai) through an unexpected turn of events. The secrets in her ordinary family (Takahata Atsuko, Sano Shiro, Furuhata Seika) slowly come out into the open as a result of his presence.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/harugakita
Preview: Haru ga Kita CM

Bye Bye, Blackbird
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 17 February 2018
Station: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Suzuki Kenichi (Akuryo Byoto, Irodori Himura)
Original Work: Bye Bye, Blackbird by Isaka Kotaro
Cast: Kora Kengo, Shirota Yu, Ishibashi Anna, Itaya Yuka, Maeda Atsuko, Usuda Asami, Seki Megumi, Matsumura Yuki, Maruyama Tomomi, Okamura Izumi, Saito Yosuke, Agata Morio
Synopsis: Hoshino Kazuhiko (Kora Kengo) falls in love with the women he meets and dates them. Before he realises it, he is seeing five women (Ishibashi Anna, Itaya Yuka, Maeda Atsuko, Usuda Asami, Seki Megumi) all at once. His fate is to be whisked by “that bus” to a place where human life is quite impossible as settlement of a large debt to “some organisation”. Hoshino’s wish is to bid farewell to his five girlfriends before he is taken away by “that bus”. The person overseeing him is the strange-looking and caustic Mayumi (Shirota Yu). And so, in the company of Mayumi, Hoshino begins telling the women he loved good bye.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/bbbb

Asu no Kimi ga Motto Suki
Date: From 11.05 p.m., Saturdays, 20 January 2018
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Izawa Man (Dousoukai, Hyouten)
Genre: Romance
Cast: Ichihara Hayato, Ito Ayumi, Shirasu Jin, Morikawa Aoi, Shida Mirai, Mita Yoshiko, Yanagiba Toshiro, Watanabe Dai, Osawa Ken, Ayata Toshiki, Shinagawa Toru, Komatsu Kazushige, Shaku Yumiko
Synopsis: Matsuo Ryo (Ichihara Hayato) is a landscape garden designer who quite openly says that females are trouble and is cool to romance. Satokawa Akane (Ito Ayumi) is a secretary who keeps having relationships with useless men and is at the point of giving up on love. Shirosaki Haruhi (Shirasu Jin) is a new employee at Akane’s company who has another side in complete contrast to his friendly character. Tanno Kaoru (Morikawa Aoi) works at a factory in the day and a girls bar at night while troubled by her sexual identity. These four do not have it easy in love. Furthermore, Akane’s younger sister Kuroda Azusa (Shida Mirai) who stole her boyfriend Kuroda Tomohiro (Watanabe Dai) and went on to marry him, gets involved in their romances.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/asukimi
Preview: Asu no Kimi ga Motto Suki Teaser

Kazoku no Tabiji ~ Kazoku o Korosareta Otoko to Koroshita Otoko
Date: From 11.40 p.m., Saturdays, 3 February 2018
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Izumi Rei (Kozure Shinbei Series, Shiawase no Jikan)
Original Work: Chichi to Ko no Tabiji by Kosugi Kenji
Genre: Suspense
Cast: Takizawa Hideaki, Tanimura Mitsuki, Yokoyama Megumi, Masuoka Toru, Ishino Yoko, Hasegawa Jun, Meguro Yuki, Kobayashi Takashika, Ishimaru Kenjiro, Asaka Mayumi, Kataoka Tsurutaro (guest star), Endo Kenichi
Synopsis: Asari Yusuke (Takizawa Hideaki) is a young lawyer whose parents and grandfather were brutally murdered 30 years ago when he was an infant and he was left at the gruesome murder scene. This case spurred him to become a lawyer. However, one day, Yusuke is asked by a woman (Tanimura Mitsuki) to exonerate the criminal (Endo Kenichi) who had been wrongfully sentenced to death. He approaches the retrial with a sense of mission as a lawyer. Shocking facts are revealed one after another but it all concerns Yusuke himself. It makes him question who exactly he is and shakes his sense of mission and his feelings.
Website: tokai-tv.com/kazokunotabiji
Preview: Kazoku no Tabiji CM

Denei Shoujo ~ Video Girl AI 2018
Date: From 12.20 a.m., Sundays, 13 January 2018
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriter: Kiyasu Kohei (Ito-kun A to E, Sayonara Enari-kun, Tokuyama Daigoro o Dare ga Koroshita ka?)
Original Work: Denei Shoujo by Katsuragi Masakazu
Genre: Sci-fi romance
Cast: Nomura Shuhei, Nishino Nanase, Iitoyo Marie, Shimizu Hiroya, Otomo Karen, Totsugi Shigeyuki, Murakami Jun
Synopsis: Moteuchi Sho (Nomura Shuhei) is an ordinary high school student who secretly likes his beautiful classmate Shibahara Nanami (Iitoyo Marie). However, she fancies his good friend Furuya Tomoaki (Shimizu Hiroya). Things do not go well both at home and at school. Sho’s parents divorce and he has to stay at the house of his father’s young brother Moteuchi Yota (Totsugi Shigeyuki). One day, Sho discovers an old, damaged videocassette recorder in his uncle’s storeroom. He seems drawn to the recorder and struggles to repair it. Then a video suddenly starts to play and a mysterious girl called Video Girl Ai (Nishino Nanase) appears. She jumps out from the screen and Sho finds himself living together with her … …
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/videogirl2018
Preview: Denei Shoujo CM

Sego-don^*UPDATED*
Date: From 7.58 p.m., Sundays, 7 January 2018
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Nakazono Miho (Totto Terebi, Doctor X Series, Dr Rintaro)
Original Work: Sego-don by Hayashi Mariko
Genre: Period
Cast: Suzuki Ryohei, Eita, Kuroki Haru, Sakuraba Nanami, Watabe Gota, Tsukaji Muga, Kazama Morio, Hirata Mitsuru, Matsuzaka Keiko, Kitagawa Keiko, Takanashi Rin, Kitamura Yukiya, Takahashi Mitsuomi, Horii Arata, Sawamura Ikki, Koyanagi Rumiko, Kaga Takeshi, Aoki Munetaka, Toda Naho, Tokui Yu, Watanabe Ken, Nikaido Fumi, Nishikido Ryo, Mimura, Itoda Jun, Tanaka Michiko, Fujiki Naohito, Onoe Kikunosuke, Matayoshi Naoki, Minamino Yoko, Ryu Raita, Sano Shiro, Ibu Masato, Matsuda Shota, Kazama Shunsuke, Izumi Pinko, Tsuda Kanji, Emoto Akira, Akiyama Natsuko, Takahashi Tsutomu, Tanida Ayumi, Kondo Yoshimasa, Kiuchi Midori, Sato Anna, Saito Yoshiki, Oshima Yoko, Ishibashi Renji, Uchida Yuki, Kondo Haruna, Machida Keita, Kunihiro Tomiyuki, Endo Kenichi, Tamayama Tetsuji, Shofukutei Tsurube, Oguri Shun, Mizukawa Asami, Yamaguchi Shogo, Hamano Kenta, Hayashiya Shozo, Fujimoto Takahiro, Sakoda Takaya, Kashiwabara Shuji, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kamikawa Shusaku, Izumisawa Yuki, Tanoue Kokichi
Synopsis: Saigo Takamori (Suzuki Ryohei), the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family (Kazama Morio, Matsuzaka Keiko, Sakuraba Nanami, Watabe Gota) in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture). His simple honesty caught the attention of its charismatic feudal lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira (Watanabe Ken). Nariakira’s assertion that the love of people is what will enrich and strengthen the nation captivated Saigo who took on Nariakira’s secret mission and eventually became a key person for Satsuma. Not a portrait of him survives today and much of his life is a mystery. He is a man who was twice exiled and thrice married. He overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate with exceptional bravery and action. Although he accomplished the restoration, he lost his life in a fight with the new Meiji government.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/segodon
Preview: Sego-don CM

99.9 ~ Keiji Senmon Bengoshi Season 2
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Sundays, 14 January 2018
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Uda Manabu (Borderline, Tokyo Airport, Lucky Seven)
Genre: Legal
Cast: Matsumoto Jun, Kagawa Teruyuki, Kimura Fumino, Aoki Munetaka, Katagiri Jin, Magy, Babazono Azusa, Baba Toru, Emi Kurara, Ikeda Takafumi, Kishii Yukino, Watanabe Makiko, Fujimoto Takahiro, Shuto Yasuyuki, Okuda Eiji, Shofukutei Tsurube, Kishibe Ittoku, Kondo Yoshimasa (guest star), Fujimoto Takahiro (guest star), Watanabe Makiko (guest star), Kiyohara Kaya (guest star), Enoki Takaaki (guest star), Ryu Raita (guest star), Yashiba Toshihiro (guest star), Higa Manami (guest star)
Synopsis: The conviction rate for criminal cases in Japan is 99.9%. Miyama Hiroto (Matsumoto Jun) is a young, unconventional lawyer at Madarame Law Firm. He fixates on the remaining 0.1% and pursues the truth until he is satisfied. His buddy is Sada Atsuhiro (Kagawa Teruyuki), an ace in civil cases. The two of them clash with each other as they expose the hidden truth in the cases which they undertake. Ozaki Maiko (Kimura Fumino) stepped down as a judge as a result of some incident and has distanced herself from the legal field. One day, she accompanies a good friend to the law firm and has a differing opinion to Miyama. Sada who knows about Maiko’s outstanding background, recruits her. Despite Maiko’s initial reluctance and clashes with Miyama, she eventually decides to come back to the legal circle as a lawyer and joins the firm.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/999tbs
Preview: 99.9 ~ Keiji Senmon Bengoshi Season 2 CM
Related: 99.9 ~ Keiji Senmon Bengoshi Season 1

Heisei Sasameyuki
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 7 January 2018
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriter: Horai Ryuta (Cold Case, The Quiz Show)
Original Work: Sasameyuki by Tanizaki Junichiro
Cast: Nakayama Miho, Takaoka Saki, Ito Ayumi, Nakamura Yuri, Fukushi Seiji, Emoto Tasuku, Komoto Masahiro, Kamio Yu, Hamada Mari, Mizuhashi Kenji (guest star), Matsuo Suzuki (guest star), Ishiguro Ken (guest star), Kumagai Mami, Muro Tsuyoshi (guest star), Nagatsuka Kyozo (guest star)
Synopsis: In the spring of 1992, the Makioka family, an important family representative of Osaka Senba, passes on its company, ending a history that dates back to the Genroku period almost 300 years ago. And so, four sisters who had lived in the lap of luxury, begin new lives. The eldest sister Tsuruko (Nakayama Miho) tries to live proudly with memories of the family’s past glory in her heart. But reality will not let her have her way. Second sister Sachiko (Takaoka Saki) is contented with her kindhearted husband but at the mercy of the baffling behaviours of her two younger sisters. Third sister Yukiko (Ito Ayumi) is expected to marry. However, she has already had over 20 unsuccessful matchmaking sessions because of her propensity to first notice people’s flaws. Fourth sister Taeko (Nakamura Yuri) hates the family’s restrictions. She is a free spirit and has had many romances. One night, Taeko gets caught in a typhoon which hit the Kansai region. This dramatically sets the destinies of the four sisters in motion.
Website: www4.nhk.or.jp/P4696

Kansayaku Nozaki Shuhei
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 14 January 2018
Station: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Maekawa Yoichi (Akira to Akira, Shizumanu Taiyo, Lady Joker)
Original Work: Kansayaku Nozaki Shuhei by Shu Ryoka
Genre: Corporate
Cast: Oda Yuji, Matsushina Nanako, Kishitani Goro, Furuya Ikkou, Santamaria Yusuke, Takimoto Miori, Suruga Taro, Kobayashi Katsuya, Miura Masaki, Riju Go, Matsuo Toru, Koichi Mantaro, Honda Hirotaro, Katsube Nobuyuki, Tajima Reiko, Yamamoto Kei, Komoto Masahiro, Nishida Naomi, Ukaji Takashi, Mitsuishi Ken
Synopsis: It is the late 1990s where the banking industry faces the collapse of the bubble economy and a “financial big bang” which would make the financial regulator dramatically shift its existing policies. Nozaki Shuhei (Oda Yuji) is the general manager of Ozora Bank’s Jizodori branch and has endeared himself to employees and the townspeople due to his righteousness and empathy. But he is a long way from an employee leading life in the fast track. One day, Nozaki is informed that he has been promoted to an auditor along with the closure of the bank’s branch. He witnesses wrongdoings in Ozora Bank firsthand and makes up his mind to change it. Nozaki soon comes up against the “ultimate darkness” faced by the bank. And the shadow of current bank president Kyogoku Masahiko (Furuya Ikko). The people against Nozaki are hotshot banker Takeda Shingo (Kishitani Goro) whom Kyogoku recalled from secondment, and the ambitious Tachikawa Shoko (Matsushima Nanako) who aims to be Ozora Bank’s first female board director. A fiery battle is waged within the bank.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/nozaki
Preview: Kansayaku Nozaki Shuhei CM

Wagaya no Mondai
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 4 February 2018
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriters: Iino Yoko (Kyuumei Byoto 24-hr Seasons 1, 2 & 5, Ima Ai ni Yukimasu, Tobousha), Yazawa Haruki
Original Work: Wagaya no Mondai by Okuda Hideo
Genre:
Cast: Mizukawa Asami, Koizumi Kotaro, Otani Ryohei, Katsuji Ryo, Koike Teppei
Synopsis: An omnibus story about four young wives (Mizukawa Asami) who worry about the surprising changes in their husbands (Koizumi Kotaro, Otani Ryohei, Katsuji Ryo, Koike Teppei ) and newly-married life.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/pd/wagaya

Otouto no Otto
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 4 March 2018
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriter: Toda Yukihiro
Original Work: Otouto no Otto by Tagame Gengoro
Genre: Family
Cast: Sato Ryuta, Baruto Kaito, Nakamura Yuri, Nemoto Maharu, Okura Koji, Nomaguchi Toru
Synopsis: A bearded foreigner (Baruto Kaito) suddenly visits Origuchi Yaichi (Sato Ryuta) who is single-handedly raising his daughter of elementary school age (Nemoto Maharu). Yaichi’s younger twin brother Ryoji (Sato Ryuta) moved to Canada long ago and they virtually broke off ties. Ryoji has passed away and this man in front of Yaichi is his “husband” Mike. Mike ends up staying at Yaichi’s house for a while. But Yaichi cannot get rid of his prejudice against gays. He is not sure how to treat him and ends up getting irritated. However, his daughter Natsuna quickly warms up to Mike’s personality and as Yaichi gets to know Mike, he slowly begins to accept him. A new “wind” begins to blow in the Origuchi family which also spreads to Yaichi’s ex-wife Natsuki (Nakamura Yuri). But at the same time, this causes ripples among the people around them too. And Mike has a “promise” with Ryoji that he must tell Yaichi … …
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/pd/otto
Preview: Otouto no Otto CM

Todome no Kisu
Date: From 10.30 p.m., Sundays, 7 January 2018
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Izumi Yoshihiro (Aogeba Toutoshi, Death Note, Gokuaku Ganbo)
Cast: Yamazaki Kento, Kadowaki Mugi, Suda Masaki, Arata Mackenyu, Araki Yuko, Sano Hayato, Miyazawa Hio, Hotta Akane, Karata Erika, Yamamoto Ai, Shison Jun, Mitsuishi Ken, Okunuki Kaoru, Okada Yoshinori, Yuge Tomohisa, Yamada Meikyo, Takahashi Hitomi, Koichi Mantaro, Yamada Meikyo
Synopsis: Handsome Dojima Outaro (Yamazaki Kento) is the no. 1 host of the host club Narcissus and a scum with a distorted perspective on love although he looks like a kind gentleman. He does not love anyone as a result of an incident 12 years ago, and is an aloof person who only cares about social climbing. He targets Namiki Mikoto (Araki Yuko), the daughter of a hotelier (Yamada Meikyo) whose assets are said to be worth 10 billion yen. But one day, he meets a “mysterious lady” (Kadowaki Mugi) and dies from her kiss. However, the next moment, he regains consciousness only to discover that he has been sent back seven days in time. This death and time travel repeats itself several times because of her and he gets stuck in a “death loop” … …
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/todomenokiss
Preview: Todome no Kisu Teaser

The Black Company
Date: From 11.30 p.m., Sundays, 4 February 2018
Station: Fuji 2
Scriptwriters: Akutsu Tomoko (Kanjou 8-go Sen, Daddy Go!), Masumoto Takuya (Love or Not, Omotesando Koukou Gasshoubu!, Konkatsu Deka)
Original Work: The Black Company by Egami Go
Genre: Corporate
Cast: Kudo Asuka, Okayama Amane, Megumi, Onoue Hiroyuki, Fukami Motoki, Hoshi Moeka, Murakami Nijiro, Takahashi Hitomi, Hayami Mokomichi, Otsuka Yoshie
Synopsis: Mizuno Gota (Kudo Asuka), an aspiring musician, is in a quandary when the convenience store where he works part-time suddenly closes down. One day, he happens to enter a newly-opened hamburger shop called Yankee Burger and is asked by the owner Ozeki Katsuya (Hayami Mokomichi) for feedback on the taste. Mizuno condescendingly tells Ozeki that the burger lacks punch, and the next thing he knows, he is offered a full-time job at the shop. He heads to the venue for the entrance exam. There is only one other person, Kisaragi Masaya (Okayama Amane) who dropped out of a well-known university and shut himself at home. The two of them qualify without having to take the exam and sign the employment contract without reading it properly … …
Website: otn.fujitv.co.jp/black-company
Preview: The Black Company CM

All text copyright © jdramas.wordpress.com.

Official Website
www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/wf

Broadcast
From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 16 June 2018

Network
WOWOW

Story
Popular scriptwriter Takato Natsu lives in a house in the suburbs of Saitama City with her husband Shogo. A former TV station director, Shogo has settled down as a househusband. He takes care of the housework, cultivates a home garden and supports her work. Natsu should not be dissatisfied with her current life, but somehow feels a desire that she is unable to suppress. She is also exasperated by her mother Kiyoko who has pushed her into the role of the virtuous wife and frequently complains to her close friend Okajima Kyoko about her family. In an exchange of emails with her mentor, the charismatic theatre director Shizawa Ichirota, Natsu lays bare her true feelings and he invites her to a clandestine meeting. Despite her hesitation, she soon has trysts with him. Natsu later feels offended when Shogo gets a word in about a script as a matter of fact and a quarrel ensues over something. She realises that Shogo has been trying to keep her under control. Driven by instinct, she leaves home and starts living alone in Tokyo. After that, Shizawa begins to avoid her. Just when Natsu is feeling lonely, she meets Iwai Ryosuke, her ex-boyfriend during university days who is now married, again at the venue of a talk show that she is on. Despite their good time together, she continues to have desires which have not been satisfied. Then, she gets wooed by an up-and-coming actor Obayashi Kazuya whom she meets in an unexpected way. Will Natsu be happy or lonely?

Characters
Mizukasa Asami as Takato Natsu
A popular drama scriptwriter. She and her husband Shogo have been married for over six years but they constantly have conflicts.

Tanaka Kei as Iwai Ryosuke
Takato Natsu’s senior in university. They dated for a short while. He is now a newspaper journalist.

Mashima Hidekazu as Takato Shogo
Takato Natsu’s husband. A former director at a TV station, he quit his job and is now a house husband.

Murakami Hiroaki as Shizawa Ichirota
A theatre director whom Takato Natsu respects. He was a member of the selection committee for a competition where Takato Natsu’s talent was revealed to the world.

Yanagi Shuntaro as Obayashi Kazuya
Shizawa Ichirota’s disciple and an ambitious up-and-coming actor. He knowingly approaches Takato Natsu even after learning about her relationship with Shizawa.

Shinohara Yukiko as Okajima Kyoko
The deputy editor of a female magazine who is in charge of Takato Natsu’s essays. She is her confidant for romance and work.

Takigawa Yumi as Moriyama Kiyoko
Takato Natsu’s mother. She pushes her own ideals as a mother on Natsu and tries to control her.

Scriptwriters
Aso Kumiko (Tokyo Alice, Hito wa Mitame ga 100%)
Minorikawa Osamu

Original Work
Double Fantasy by Murayama Yuka

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Date: From 9.00 p.m., 18 June 2018
Scriptwriter: Okada Yoshikazu (Shiro to Kiiro, Universal Koukokusha, Kibougaoka no Hitobito)
Cast: Takahata Mitsuki, Kusakari Masao, Kotaki Nozomu, Maruyama Tomomi, Miyakawa Ichirota, Sasano Takashi, Harada Mieko
Synopsis: Hitsujido Honpo, an established Japanese-style sweets company known for its traditional flavours and reliability, has maintained a modest popularity. To win a new segment of customers, it has embarked on new business development. The leader of this team of five young employees is 28-year old Kudo Mayuko (Takahata Mitsuki). Mayuko was headhunted by the current CEO Okazaki Kengo (Maruyama Tomomi), for her achievements in her previous job. However, she struggles with the difficulty of new business development and pressures within the company. One day, a “new” 68-year-old employee Niimoto Kazuo (Kusakari Masao) is assigned to be Mayuko’s subordinate all of a sudden. She is dumbfounded to learn that he is 40 years her senior and even feels anger. Mayuko is confronted with the question of whether he should do the old job he was proud of? Or a new job as a brand new employee, and assumes the role of mentor. However, she is at her wits end with Niimoto who has no smartphone and does not even know about tablets. Niimoto is bored with retired life after working for Hitsujido Honpo for a long time. His passion for the work of a corporate warrior is reignited and he rejoins the company. He smiles wryly at the fact that his boss in the new department is 40 years his junior. Because it has been a long while since he worked, he is extremely positive. Nonetheless, working for a much younger boss in a new environment is never easy. His wife Fumiko (Harada Mieko) worries about him and supports him. Having started off with a surprising first meeting, Mayuko and Niimoto’s relationship gradually begins to change. Mayuko is troubled by the pressures of the job which demands results, and feels driven into a corner. Furthermore, she causes such a great deal of trouble that she braces herself for the end of corporate life. Meanwhile, her relationship with her boyfriend Ono Ryo (Kotaki Nozomu) whom she lives with, grows strained and this depresses her. Will Mayuko and Niimoto who have different values besides their age gap, be able to overcome a series of hurdles and accept each other?
Official Website: www.ktv.jp/68

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