Official Website
www.fujitv.co.jp/motokaremania

Broadcast
From 10.00 p.m., Thursdays, 17 October 2019

Network
Fuji TV

Story
27-year-old Nanba Yurika is currently unemployed. She is neither unattractive nor a poor communicator. Nevertheless, her romantic relationships have not gone well. The reason for that is her ex-boyfriend Saito Makoto, who vanished after the two of them broke up five years ago. He was the first guy that she ever had a relationship with. For Yurika, her first love somehow went too smoothly. But at that time, she did not treasure it and dumped Makoto due to trivial differences in their lifestyles after she started working. After a string of failed relationships with men who were scumbags, Yurika begins to reminisce her past romance with Makoto and comes to the realisation that her happiest moments were spending time with him. With her unemployment benefits as well as her apartment lease due to run out, Yurika goes for an interview at Tyrolean Real Estate. Pressured by Yurika’s aggressiveness, Ando Ichiro, the boss of the company, decides to hire her on probation. Yurika is put in charge of her first client Yamashita Akio, a salaryman at a leading food company who has relocated to Tokyo from Hokkaido. Meanwhile, she meets a colleague who had been on a business trip to Osaka, and discovers that it is Makoto. Everything begins to change and he stirs up Yurika with his words and actions without realising.

Characters
Araki Yuko as Nanba Yurika
She cannot forget her ex-boyfriend whom she nicknamed Makochi. She loves him so much that she looks up his name on social media every morning, has imaginary conversations with him and looks ecstatic when she finds faint similarities in the men she meets for the first time through the “ex-boyfriend scouter” that she activated. She cares about her appearance and is in no way inferior to the women around her. But she has not had a smooth romance.

Kora Kengo as Saito Makoto
A handsome single guy who works for a real estate company. He often appears his ex-girlfriend Nanba Yurika’s fantasies and has given her huge emotional support. After they broke up five years ago, he disappeared but they meet again as colleagues at the real estate company where Yurika works. He is too direct and unconsciously sways Yukari’s heart with his behaviour. There is something elusive about him.

Hamano Kenta as Yamashita Akio
A salaryman with a promising career at a large food manufacturer. Because he likes to try the food at restaurants, he enjoys using Tabelog to search for places with good food and posting reviews. Although he is kind and sincere, he is inexperienced in romance. He is afraid of getting hurt and also hurting other people. He becomes Nanba Yurika’s first client and tries to propose that they date but … …

Tanaka Minami as Kurusu Mugi
A community radio personality. She loves her hometown of Hokkaido and takes pride in her job. She is unable to express her feelings and is easily misunderstood by the people around her. However, she wants to push forward and realise her dream even if she gets misunderstood. She does not mind what others think. But for that reason, she wavers between her career goals and love … …

Yoshiko as Suo Hiromi
Nanba Yurika’s good friend from university days. A manicurist. She worries about Yurika and gives her advice. Although she seems meddlesome at times, her actions are only driven by her desire for Yurika to be happy.

Yamaguchi Sayaka as Marunouchi Sakura
The author of the romance novel Ganbaranakutemo, Soba ni Ite that Nanba Yurika enjoys reading. The source of inspiration for her distinctively bittersweet, heartrending and delicate portrayal of romance are her memories with her ex-boyfriend. Like Yurika, she is still really into her ex-boyfriend. Her instinct for self-preservation is too strong, and this makes her very combative towards the people around her. But there are occasional glimpses of her loveliness.

Scriptwriter
Tsubota Fumi (Kounodori Series, Onna Michi, Heat)

Original Work
Motokare Mania by Takinami Yukari

Click here for photos from the press conference.

© jdramas.wordpress.com.

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

Broadcast
From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 17 November 2019

Network
WOWOW

Story
Detective Kisaragi Toko’s most trusted partner Takano Hideaki is due to transfer from the Eleventh Section of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division to the Public Security Bureau in a few days. In the midst of this, a wealthy man called Amano Hideo is brutally murdered in his own home. His dead body is discovered with “blue flowers” arranged in his neck which has been slit open, and his wife Mayumi has been missing since the day of the crime. While the investigation task force search for Mayumi as the key witness, an email claiming responsibility for the murder and hinting at Mayumi’s whereabouts is addressed to a newspaper from the criminal who calls himself Cluster 16. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Murder Analysis Unit are swamped by a wave of bizarre murders. With Takano’s impending transfer, the responsibilities and expectations for Toko grow. However, the investigation of the case runs into difficulty and Toko’s impatience and anxiety mounts at what seems to be a dead end.

Characters
Kimura Fumino as Kisaragi Toko
Rank: Sergeant. A detective of the Eleventh Section of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division. She has a strong sense of justice and works hard. She has grown as a detective and is now the ace of the unit. She feels a touch of anxiety about her partner Takano Hideaki’s departure from the team.

Aoki Munetaka as Takano Hideaki
Rank: Assistant Inspector. A detective of the Eleventh Section of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division. Kisaragi Toko’s partner and a senior that she can rely on. He is due to transfer to the Public Security Bureau and there are just a few days to go before their partnership ends.

Watanabe Ikkei as Hayase Yasuyuki
The head of the Eleventh Section of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division. He leads investigations as the team leader and has the confidence of his subordinates.

Katsumura Masanobu as Teshirogi Yukio
The director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division. He is constantly worried about Kisaragi Toko who was selected for the female investigator development programme.

Nakamura Toru as Kisaragi Isao
Kisaragi Toko’s late father. A former detective of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division. He got sick from some case and died of illness one year after his resignation from the police force.

Danta Yasunori as Kamiya Taichi
The head of the First Investigative Division. He used to be Kisaragi Isao’s partner.

Kikuchi Rinko as
A forensic pathologist who is mainly in charge of autopsies. She and Takano Hideaki have known each other for a long time.

Scriptwriter
Anabuki Ichiro (Dr DMAT, Gunshi Kanbei)

Original Work
Chou no Rikigaku Keishichou Satsujin Bunsekihan by Asami Kazushi

Click here for photos from the press conference.

Related Post:

• Chou no Rikigaku CM
• Suisho no Kodou ~ Satsujin Bunsekihan Season 2

© jdramas.wordpress.com.

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

Broadcast
From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 16 November 2019

Network
WOWOW

Story
“I’ve been fired?” Kanoko Saho, who works in management for Faun, the outdoor gear manufacturer, where her father serves as CEO, is taken aback. She had inherited his conviction in craftsmanship and worked hard, but one day, the appearance of someone her father invited through a headhunter caused her to be dismissed from the company all of a sudden. Watarai Kaori, who introduces herself as a headhunter, shows up in front of Saho. Oddly enough, Saho ends up working at the headhunting firm where she is employed. When Saho is taken to a well-known hotel which is her first assignment by the boss Namiki Tsuyoshi, a rival headhunter Togari Masaki is there … … Saho gets entangled in the bargaining, treachery and cheating between headhunters while facing off against business clients and headhunting candidates that are hard to deal with, and begins to find meaning in a job that takes care of people’s lives. Meanwhile, clouds start to gather over Faun. This is the scheme of someone who was also behind Saho’s dismissal … …

Characters
Matsushita Nao as Kanoko Saho
A rookie headhunter at Forte Flows. The daughter of Kanoko Ryuzo, the CEO of an outdoor gear manufacturer. Although she served as the head of the Product Development Department in her father’s company, she was dismissed all of a sudden and became a headhunter. She is swayed by her clients and candidates because she is very emotional and easily empathises with others. Although she is the daughter of the founder of an outdoor gear manufacturer, she dislikes the outdoors.

Uchida Yuki as Watarai Kaori
A top headhunter at Forte Flows. She is intelligent and beautiful and the biggest moneymaker for Forte Flows. She has an MBA from an American university and used to be a top headhunter even at the largest foreign headhunting firm. She is a divorcee with a daughter. Her ex-husband is … …

Kote Shinya as Namiki Tsuyoshi
The boss of Forte Flows. Before he became a headhunter, he was the editor in chief of a well-known business magazine. Because of that, he is well-connected with senior executives. He is also a cunning man who makes remarks that are spur-of-the-moment but … …

Watabe Atsuro as Togari Masaki
A formidable headhunter with Marunouchi Confidential. He is the nemesis of Kanoko Saho, Namiki Tsuyoshi and the strongest rival who always shows up in front of them. A hard-nosed, calculative person with an MBA. The circumstances leading up to Saho’s dismissal from her father’s company was also his scheme. But … …

Hasegawa Hatsunori as Kanoko Ryuzo
The CEO of outdoor gear manufacturer フォーン社長
He established the company because of his love for the outdoors and built it up into a blue-chip in one generation. He creates high quality products in the “Made in Japan” spirit and has cultivated fans of the brand who call themselves 「フォーニスト」

Sugimoto Tetta as Otsuki Shinichiro
The managing director of フォーン常務
He was the division director of apparel at Rokyo, a major trading company, but was headhunted by Togari Masaki. He draws a sharp line between himself and the old management, and maps out a management strategy. He even gains the trust of Saho’s father with his cunning.

Kaname Jun as Kuroda Tomoyuki
A former consultant with a leading consulting firm. He is now the CEO of a popular waffle chain Myers New York-Japan. Kanoko Saho comes as a customer of the exclusive lounge in order host guests to build her network of contacts.

Scriptwriter
Watanabe Chiho (Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen!, Beppin-san, 5-nin no Junko)

Original Work
Hikinukiya Series by Shizukui Shusuke

Related Post:

• Hikinukiya CM

© jdramas.wordpress.com.

Ochoyan^*NEW*
Date: Fall 2020
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Yatsu Hiroyuki (Miss Jikocho, Kaseifu no Mitazono Series, Rikuou)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Sugisaki Hana
Synopsis: Takei Chiyo (Sugisaki Hana) was born to a poor family in Osaka Prefecture’s Minami Kawachi district at the of the Meiji era. Her mother passed away when she was still a child, and she lived with her father and younger brother. Although Chiyo could not be put through elementary school, she has the gift of the gab and quick wit. At the age of 9, she starts working as a servant in Dotonbori and comes across the theatre world which immediately captivates her. Chiyo’s desire to become an actress grows stronger by the day. She eventually runs away and heads to Kyoto where she throws herself into acting.
Website: –

Eru
Date: Spring 2020
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Hayashi Koji (Headhunter, Sniffer Series, Cold Case Season 1)
Cast: Kubota Masataka, Nikaido Fumi, Karasawa Toshiaki, Kikuchi Momoko, Sakumoto Takara, Kazama Morio, Yamazaki Ikusaburo, Nakamura Aoi, Moriyama Naotaro
Synopsis: In 1909, a long-awaited baby boy was born to a family (Karasawa Toshiaki, Kikuchi Momoko) which has run a dry goods store for generations in Fukushima Prefecture. He would later become the talented composer Koyama Yuichi (Kubota Masataka) who wrote many famous songs. Although Yuichi was brought up as the heir of the business, he was rather dreamy and considered a child with no redeeming traits by the people around him. However, when he encountered music, it sparked joy and unleashed his gift in composing music through self-study. As a youth, Yuichi secretly put his name down for an overseas songwriting competition. This would change his destiny. He won runner-up for the song he entered for the competition. As a result, he got to know Sekiuchi Oto (Nikaido Fumi), a female student who wanted to be a singer. Despite the long distance between them – Fukushima and Toyohashi – they tied the knot. When Yuichi and Oto came to Tokyo, they met all sorts of people and weathered a dark period to produce a number of hit songs. However, war broke out and Yuichi had to compose wartime songs at the army’s request. It pained him that young men died in battle after singing the songs he had written. After the war, the country began to recover amid the chaos. The couple made a new era of music in an attempt to encourage the wounded through the power of music.
Website: –

Tetsu no Hone (WOWOW)^*NEW*
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, April 2020
Network: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Maekawa Yoichi (Akira to Akira, Shizumanu Taiyo, )
Original Work: Tetsu no Hone by Ikeido Jun
Genre: Corporate
Cast: Kamiki Ryunosuke
Synopsis: Tomishima Heita (Kamiki Ryunosuke) is a young employee who has been with a mid-sized construction company for four years, and loves construction site. One day, Heita is ordered to transfer to the General Affairs Department which is a different line of work. It is a unit in charge of winning large public works contracts and mocked as the Bid-Rigging Department. Together with a weary-looking department manager, senior colleagues and a shrewd but inscrutable managing director, Heita aims to secure a public works contract worth 200 million yen. As his interactions with a fixer deepens, he sees desire and obligatory ties with his own eyes. Even though Heita struggles between his ideals and reality, he finds his work rewarding. Meanwhile, their company is in the lead with a bold technical innovation in its bid. However, the management of a rival company stands in their way. To make matters worse, the Special Investigation Department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office starts to look into collusive bidding involving influential politicians and the investigation even extends to Heita. What will happen to him and the company?
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/tetsunohone

Hanzawa Naoki Season 2
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Sundays, April 2020
Network: TBS
Scriptwriter: Ushio Kentaro (Shitamachi Rocket Season 2, Black Pean, Chiisana Kyojin)
Original Works: Lost Generation no Gyakushuu and Ginyoku no Icarus by Ikeido Jun
Cast: Sakai Masato
Synopsis: Hanzawa Naoki (Sakai Masato) is seconded from Tokyo Chuo Banking Corporation to Tokyo Central Securities.
Website: –
Related: Hanzawa Naoki Season 1

© jdramas.wordpress.com.

Scarlet
Date: From 8.00 a.m., Mondays – Saturdays, 30 September 2019
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Mizuhashi Fumie (Haha ni Naru, Hayami-sensei Kekkon Surutte Hontou desu ka?, Sharehouse no Koibito)
Cast: Toda Erika, Kitamura Kazuki, Tomita Yasuko, Sakuraba Nanami, Fukuda Mayuko, Sato Ryuta, Oshima Yuko, Hayashi Kento, Zaizen Naomi, Magy, Mizuno Miki, Mizobata Junpei, Kimoto Takehiro, Hano Aki, Mitsubayashi Kyoko, Nishikawa Takanori, Matsushita Kohei, Issey Ogata, Kuroshima Yuina, Ito Kentaro
Synopsis: Shortly after the end of the war, Kawahara Kimiko (Toda Erika) moves to Shigaraki, a pottery town in Shiga Prefecture, from Osaka. The eldest of three girls, she is a hardworking person who has supported her family (Sakuraba Nanami, Fukuda Mayuko, Kitamura Kazuki, Tomita Yasuko) since she was a child. Having grown up around Shigaraki ware, Kimiko eventually plunges into the male-dominated world of ceramics where she proceeds to blaze a trail as a pioneering female ceramic artist. She falls in love and gets married to her husband who is also a ceramic artist. United by their aspiration to be the ideal creative couple, they strive to create unique Shigaraki ware with their own kiln. She becomes a mother of two children and also cultivates many disciples.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/scarlet
Preview: Scarlet Introduction

Oishii Kyushoku
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Mondays, 14 October 2019
Station: Tokyo MX
Scriptwriters: Nagamori Yuji (Nekonin Series, Nekozamurai Series), Ayabe Shinya, Taguchi Kei
Genre: Food comedy
Cast: Ichihara Hayato, Takeda Rena, Sato Taishi, Tsujimoto Tatsunori, Toyoshima Hana, Ito Maiko, Sako Yoshi
Synopsis: Amarida Yukio (Ichihara Hayato) is a teacher at Tokiwa Junior High School in the summer of 1984. He has a secret. That is, he will not forgive fellows who have no love for school meals because he loves them deep down in his heart. It is not an exaggeration to say that he came to school because of school meals. If it is known that a teacher looks forward to school meals more than his students, he will lose his dignity. However, one student throws down a challenge. The boy’s name is Go (Sato Taishi). This 13-year-old calls for change because he loves school meals. Who will enjoy the meal? A quiet “battle” between a teacher and student who are fanatic about school meals is about to begin.
Website: oishi-kyushoku.com
Preview: Oishii Kyushoku CM

Sherlock
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Mondays, 7 October 2019
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Inoue Yumiko (Kinkyuu Torishirabeshitsu Series, Harassement Game, Pandora Series)
Original Work: Sherlock Holmes Series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Mystery
Cast: Dean Fujioka, Iwata Takanori, Yamada Maho, Matsumoto Marika, Yutaro, Sasaki Kuranosuke, Nakao Akiyoshi (guest star), Matsui Rena (guest star), Fuchikami Yasushi (guest star), Kinoshita Houka (guest star), Hiraizumi Sei (guest star), Kanno Miho (guest star), Kishii Yukino (guest star), Miura Toko (guest star), Ito Ayumi (guest star), Yano Masato (guest star), Kaneko Nobuaki (guest star), Hasegawa Kyoko (guest star)
Synopsis: Freelance crime consultant Sherlock Holmes (Dean Fujioka) has been fascinated with how people become criminals and with original sin since childhood. He is a genius who has cracked all sorts of cases from the time he was a student. However, he is a dangerous man with the impulse to commit crime and could turn into a criminal himself. Sherlock only takes on investigation requests from the police and individual clients that interest him. One day, he meets a psychiatrist Jon Watson (Iwata Takanori), who works at a hospital in Tokyo, through a case. At first, Watson comes away feeling that Sherlock is a haughty and insulting fellow. However, he gets comfortable with Sherlock’s personality as they work together and they team up to solve difficult cases.
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/sherlock
Preview: Sherlock CM

Haru ~ Sougou Shousha no Onna
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Mondays, 21 October 2019
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriters: Tatsui Yukari (Anata ni wa Watasanai, Koshiji Fubuki Monogatari, Mama to Papa ga Ikiru Riyuu), Honda Takaaki (Watashi Danna o Share Shiteta, Silent Voice, Daishou)
Genre: Corporate
Cast: Nakatani Miki, Fujiki Naohito, Shirasu Jin, Oshinari Shugo, Yamanaka Takashi, Kaji Masaki, Watanabe Kunito, Terada Kokoro, Okuda Eiji, Taguchi Hiromasa (guest star), Tanaka Yoji (guest star), Terada Minori (guest star), Kiriyama Ren (guest star), Kobayashi Takashi (guest star), Hasegawa Tomoharu (guest star), Matsuzawa Kazuyuki (guest star)
Synopsis: Single mother Umihara Haru (Nakatani Miki) was active in the American business community until she was directly headhunted by the CEO of Itsuki Trading, a leading Japanese general trading company, and returned to Japan. She takes up the deputy manager position in the elite Corporate Planning Department. But her direct superior turns out to be Wada Hisashi (Fujiki Naohito), the ex-husband whom she divorced 10 years ago. From ramen to rockets, Haru takes on all sorts of problems within Itsuki Trading’s enormous departments and affiliate companies. She proclaims that she wants to enjoy work and does things that defies common wisdom amid an atmosphere of paralysis due to a conservative deputy CEO.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/haru
Preview: Haru ~ Sougou Shousha no Onna CM

Honki no Shirushi
Date: From 12.54 a.m., Tuesdays, 15 October 2019
Station: Nagoya TV
Scriptwriter: Mitani Shintaro
Original Work: Honki no Shirushi by Hoshisato Mochiru
Genre: Love suspense
Cast: Morisaki Win, Tsuchimura Kaho, Uno Shohei, Ishibashi Kei, Fukunaga Akari, Oshinari Shugo, Kitamura Yukiya
Synopsis: Tsuji Kazumichi (Morisaki Win) is an employee of a small trading company who has been drifting through daily life to ward off the sense of emptiness that he feels. He has a good reputation in the company and also seems to have a romantic relationship. However, he is neither good at endearing himself to other people nor developing feelings for others, and has never truly been in love. Then one day, Tsuji encounters a woman (Tsuchimura Kaho) with an aura of mystery at a convenience store and … …
Website: www.nagoyatv.com/honki

Black Kousoku
Date: From 12.59 a.m., Tuesdays, 15 October 2019 (followed by movie)
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Konomoto Kazuya (Setoutsumi)
Genre: School
Cast: Sato Shori, Takahashi Kaito, Motola Serena, Tanaka Juri, Yanai Yumena, Hotta Mayu, Aoi Yo, Mizusawa Rintaro, Tatsuma, Narumi Riko, Katayama Yuki, Yoshida Yasunao, Hoshida Hidetoshi, Tozuka Junki, Sakai Maki, Mitsuishi Ken, Denden
Synopsis: Onoda Sora (Sato Shori) is a second year high school student. All the students at his school have the same hairstyle, uniform, bag and shoes. There is not a hint of individuality. Their school life is governed by unreasonable and excessively strict rules which place emphasis on discipline. Sora who is virtually invisible at school, leads a lousy adolescence at the bottom of the class. His good friend Tsukioka Chuya (Takahashi Kaito) belongs to the same class and is the total opposite of Sora. Chuya does not read situations and his unpredictable behaviour always surprises those around him. There is a female student Machida Mao (Motola Serena) that the two of them are interested in. She cannot fit in at school and refuses to go to school because she is against dyeing the beautiful brown hair that she was born with to black. Sora and Chuya decide to crush their school’s unreasonable rules. Their decision soon develops into a situation that involves the whole school.
Website: https://www.ntv.co.jp/bla-kou/
Preview: Black Kousoku CM

Mada Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 8 October 2019
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Ozaki Masaya (Signal, Chinmoku Houtei, Kekkon Dekinai Otoko)
Genre: Romance
Cast: Abe Hiroshi, Yoshida Yo, Fukagawa Mai, Tsukamoto Takashi, Sakihi Miyu, Taira Yuna, Anami Atsuko, Nao, Arai Atsushi, Onodera Zuru, Mion, Fuwa Mansaku, Miura Rieko, Omi Toshinori, Inamori Izumi, Kusabue Mitsuko
Synopsis: Kuwano Shinsuke (Abe Hiroshi), a successful architect, is well-to-do, knowledgeable and good-looking. He is now 53, still lives alone in the same apartment, which has the latest gadgets, and enjoys single life. Although he fell for Hayasaka Natsumi, the doctor who treated him and changed his perspective toward marriage, and even dated, they later broke up. So Kuwano’s heart is shut firmly to love again. He is even more eccentric now, and feels a little anxious when he thinks about the future. One day, the wheels of fate start to move all of a sudden after a chance encounter with some women – the lawyer Yoshiyama Madoka (Yoshida Yo), new neighbour Tonami Saki (Fukagawa Mai), and cafe manager Okano Yukie (Inamori Izumi).
Website: www.ktv.jp/kekkondekinaiotoko
Preview: Mada Kekkon Dekinai Otoko CM

G Senjou no Anata to Watashi
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 15 October 2019
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Adachi Naoko (Kinou Nani Tabeta?, Toumeina Yurikago, Dainbinbo)
Original Work: G Senjou no Anata to Watashi by Ikuemi Aya
Cast: Haru, Nakagawa Taishi, Sakurai Yuki, Suzuki Nobuyuki, Mao, Takizawa Karen, Morioka Ryu, Nagano Munenori, Konishi Haru, Iketani Nobue, Hino Yojin, Nagano Satomi, Shida Masayuki, Yazaki Yusa, Kizuki, Ogi Hiroaki, Natsuki Yoko, Matsushita Yuki
Synopsis: Kogure Yaeko (Haru) is about to resign from her company to get married when her fiance Murano Satoshi (Morioka Ryu) tells her that there is someone else that he likes and breaks off their engagement. A teary Yaeko staggers to a shopping mall in a daze. At the mall, she happens to hear a live performance of Bach’s Air on G String. Moved by the piece, she begins to take violin lessons for adults in the hopes of being able to play it. A university student Kase Rihito (Nakagawa Taishi) and housewife Kitagawa Yukie (Matsushita Yuki) are in the same class as Yaeko. Both interpersonal relationships and the violin prove difficult for the three of them to deal with.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/gsenjou
Preview: G Senjou no Anata to Watashi CM

Hidarikiki no Eren
Date: From 1.28 a.m., Wednesdays, 23 October 2019
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Nemoto Nonji (Kansatsui Asagao, Fruits Takuhaibin, Izakaya Fuji)
Original Work: Hidarikiki no Eren by Kappi
Cast: Kamio Fuju, Ikeda Eliza, Ishizaki Huwie, Nakamura Yurika, Imaizumi Yui, Yoshimura Kaito, Tanaka Makoto, Kubota Sayu, Yagi Arisa, Itabashi Shunya, Maruyama Tomomi, Murasugi Seminosuke, Sakata Masanobu, Hannya, Horibe Keisuke
Synopsis: Asakura Koichi (Kamio Fuju) is a designer who works for a major advertising agency. But no matter how hard he works, he is buried among the many creators and will not get noticed by anyone. A frustrated Koichi visits a place where he remembers meeting the gifted Yamagishi Eren (Ikeda Eliza) back in high school, and recalls some incident. Meanwhile, Eren works as an artist called Southpaw in New York. Although she has talent that impresses others, she does not feel a compelling desire to draw anything and has been floundering. What lies ahead for Koichi who has ordinary ability but wants to become someone, and Eren who is gifted but is not living well?
Website: www.mbs.jp/eren_drama
Preview: Hidarikiki no Eren Teaser

Aibou Season 18
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 9 October 2019 (for two seasons)
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Koshimizu Yasuhiro (Aibou Series)
Genre: Detective
Cast: Mizutani Yutaka, Sorimachi Takashi, Kawahara Kazuhisa, Yamanaka Takashi, Yamanishi Atsushi, Asari Yosuke, Ashina Sei, Jinbo Satoshi, Sugimoto Tetta, Nakama Yukie, Ishizaka Koji, Funakoshi Eiichiro (guest star), Kimura Yoshino (guest star), Kita Kana (guest star), Dan Jiro (guest star)
Synopsis: Detective Sugishita Ukyo (Mizutani Yutaka) is supposed to have finished his customary trip to London. However, he has been absent from work for one week. His mobile phone is turned off and he also does not return calls despite the voice messages left for him. His partner Kaburagi Wataru (Sorimachi Takashi) and the people around Ukyo are anxious about his safety. Aoki Toshio (Asari Yosuke), an officer with the cyber security task force, investigates. He learns that Ukyo returned to Japan a week ago but is not able to trace him after that. Meanwhile, Wataru is called to the Akita Prefectural Police. For some reason, Ukyo’s mobile phone is in a polystyrene foam container and it washed up on the shores of the prefecture … …
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/aibou

Douki no Sakura
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 9 October 2019
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Yukawa Kazuhiko (Haken Uranaishi Ataru, Kahogo no Kahoko Series, Gisou Fuufu)
Cast: Takahata Mitsuki, Hashimoto Ai, Arata Mackenyu, Ryusei Ryo, Okayama Amane, Tsukayama Masane, Kusakawa Takuya, Ono Ito, Aibu Saki, Shiina Kippei
Synopsis: Kitano Sakura (Takahata Mitsuki) hails from a small, sparsely populated northern island. She is a new employee of Hanamura Construction, the largest construction company, in the spring of 2009. At the welcome ceremony for newcomers, she announces to the CEO, “My dream is to build a bridge that joins my hometown to mainland!” Sakura single-mindedly charges toward her dream. However, her inability to consider the feelings of others causes unexpected situations and throws a wrench into the works. She sticks to her principles despite adversity and gradually inspires her colleagues, who are initially lukewarm, to get involved.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/sakura2019
Preview: Douki no Sakura CM

Shinya Shokudo ~ Tokyo Stories Season 2
Date: From 31 October 2019
Network: Netflix Japan
Scriptwriters: Manabe Katsuhiko (Shinya Shokudo Series), Mukai Kosuke (Shinya Shokudo Seasons 1 – 3), Kojima Kensaku (Shinya Shokudo ~ Tokyo Stories Season 1,) Oshima Mari
Original Work: Shinya Shokudo by Abe Yaro
Genre: Food
Cast: Kobayashi Kaoru, Fuwa Mansaku, Ayata Toshiki, Ando Tamae, Matsushige Yutaka, Yo Kimiko, Odagiri Joe, Nakamura Toru (guest star), Emoto Akira (guest star), Emoto Tasuku (guest star), Katsuji Ryo (guest star), Nagayama Kento (guest star), Joseph Chang (guest star)
Synopsis: There is a small eatery ‘Meshiya’ in a back alley of a busy street which is run just by its owner (Kobayashi Kaoru). Called the “midnight eatery”, its opening hours are from midnight to 7 am in the morning. The only items on the menu of are miso soup with pork and vegetables set, beer, sake and shochu. All sorts of customers visit the eatery which is based on the owner’s policy of “making whatever can be done”. The encounters between the owner, food and customers are humorous and at times heartrending.
Website: www.meshiya.tv
Preview: Shinya Shokudo ~ Tokyo Stories Season 2 CM

Shiyakusho
Date: From 12.12 a.m., Thursdays, 17 October 2019
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriters: Masaike Yosuke (Miki Clinic de Kanpai o, Zettai Seigi, Miss Sherlock), Miura Kisa (Watashi Danna o Share Shiteta), Karasuma Natsume
Original Work: Shiyakusho by Azumi Kishi
Cast: Matsuoka Masahiro, Kuroshima Yuina, Kiyohara Sho, Matsumoto Marika, Denden, Oriyama Nao (guest star), Sakai Wakana (guest star), Nomaguchi Toru (guest star), Miura Takahiro (guest star), Toyoshima Hana (guest star), Yo Kimiko (guest star), Miura Takahiro (guest star)
Synopsis: The first place that departed souls visit is the Death Office. This office determines the destinations of those who have died of various reasons such as suicide, murder, illness and accidents. Shimura (Matsuoka Masahiro) is a staff at the Death Office’s General Information Desk and he treats the endless stream of dead people who show up with feigned politeness. They range from those who accept death to those who do not grasp reality. Their behaviour while they were alive is revealed by their application forms. The innocent go to heaven while the guilty go to hell. In fact, the staff (Kuroshima Yuina, Kiyohara Sho, Matsumoto Marika, Denden) of the Death Office have a secret. Why do they end up working in this place after death? And what is Shimura’s secret past?
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/shiyakusho
Preview: Shiyakusho CM

Million Joe
Date: From 1.35 a.m., Thursdays, 10 October 2019
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriter: Masaike Yosuke (Miki Clinic de Kanpai o, Zettai Seigi, Miss Sherlock)
Original Work: Million Joe by Juguchi Ryoji
Genre: Comedy suspense
Cast: Kitayama Hiromitsu, Hagiwara Masato, Imaizumi Yui, Fukami Motoki, Nagano, Miura Masaki, Takeda Kohei, Tsuda Kanji, Sugawara Daikichi, Okada Koki (guest star), Kinoshita Houka (guest star), Kusakari Mayu (guest star), Watanabe Hiroyuki (guest star)
Synopsis: Kurei Soichi (Kitayama Hiromitsu) gave up on his dream to be a manga artist and is now the editor in charge of the huge hit manga Million Joe at manga magazine Shukan Shonen Glory’s editorial department. However, he is unmotivated and has no love for the manga. One day, Magata Tsuneo (Miura Masaki), the eccentric author who created Million Joe, dies all of a sudden. Believing that the widely popular Million Joe, which has avid fans all over the world, cannot be left uncompleted, Kurei hides Magata’s death. He persuades Magata’s trusted chief assistant Terashi Ryota (Hagiwara Masato) who draws the pictures, and makes a shocking suggestion. They will try to continue the series based on the creative notes that Magata left behind. But will they be able to fool the fans and spin the story with new characters?
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/millionjoe
Preview: Million Joe CM

Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko Season 6
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Thursdays, 17 October 2019
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriters: Nakazono Miho (Sego-don, Doctor X Series, Hatsukoi), Hayashi Makoto (Doctor X Seasons 2 – 5, Isan Sozoku Bengoshi Kakizaki Shinichi, Strawberry Night)
Cast: Yonekura Ryoko, Santamaria Yusuke, Uchida Yuki, Endo Kenichi, Katsumura Masanobu, Suzuki Kosuke, Takeda Shinji, Shimizu Michiko, Fujimori Shingo, Imada Mio, Tozuka Junki, Kawakita Mayuko, Kawase Riko, Kishibe Ittoku, Ichimura Masachika, Nishida Toshiyuki, Matsuzaka Keiko (guest star)
Synopsis: Totei University Hospital faces a huge deficit like never before as the medical community is inundated by a host of challenges such as balancing the next generation with an authoritarian generation, and also coexisting with computers and AI close in. An investor Nicholas Tange, with the nickname Vulture, arrives at this “white tower” which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Tange, who is one of the best professionals in the world for corporate restructuring, puts Totei University Hospital on the path to a turnaround as part of his plan. However, this also forces a rationalisation of medical care, and the hospital is faced with the reality of restructuring and cost-cutting. With business now taking top priority, the hospital transforms into a ground for politics and power struggles. Daimon Michiko (Yonekura Ryoko) is summoned by Tange and comes to Totei University Hospital. She fights a solitary battle once again as a new power game intensifies.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/doctor-x
Related: Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko Season 5

Motokare Mania
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Thursdays, 17 October 2019
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Tsubota Fumi (Kounodori Series, Onna Michi, Heat)
Original Work: Motokare Mania by Takinami Yukari
Genre: Love comedy
Cast: Kora Kengo, Araki Yuko, Hamano Kenta, Tanaka Minami, Yoshiko, Morita Kanro, Sekiguchi Mandy, Kato Toranosuke, Daichi, Inoue Shota, Shuri, Kote Shinya, Yamaguchi Sayaka
Synopsis: Nanba Yukari (Araki Yuko), a 27-year-old office lady, is not unattractive or inferior to the girls around her. Nevertheless, her romantic relationships have not gone well. She cannot forget her ex-boyfriend Saito Makoto (Kora Kengo) whom she nicknamed Makochi. She loves him so much that she looks up his name on social media every morning, has imaginary conversations with him and looks ecstatic when she finds faint similarities in the men she meets for the first time through the “ex-boyfriend scouter” that she activated. Makoto vanished after the two of them broke up five years ago. However, they are reunited as colleagues at the real estate company where Yukari works. He stirs up Yukari with his words and actions without realising. Meanwhile, Yukari’s first client Yamashita Akio (Hamano Kenta), a salaryman with a promising future at a leading food company, proposes that they date … …
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/motokaremania

Cheat ~ Sagishi no Minnasan, Gochuui Kudasai
Date: From 11.59 p.m., Thursdays, 3 October 2019
Station: NTV
Scriptwriters: Matsumoto Miyoko (Seigi no Se, Koi ga Heta de mo Ikitemasu, Higanbana), Yamashita Subaru (1-page no Koi)
Cast: Honda Tsubasa, Kaneko Daichi, Uesugi Shuhei, Fukuhara Haruka, Tomita Miu, Yokota Mayu, Kiyohara Sho, Ikeuchi Mansaku, Kiriyama Ren, Kazama Shunsuke
Synopsis: 25-year-old Hoshino Saki (Honda Tsubasa) is the brains of a mysterious specialist team called CHEAT, which deceives and exposes swindlers in return. Gifted with the ability to read people’s minds, she brilliantly corners them. However, she is actually a struggling third-rate idol with the stage name Kisaragi Momo. As far as Saki is concerned, this is her main profession. She was scouted by detective Anzai Kazuki (Kazama Shunsuke) and joined CHEAT in order to earn a living. Because the talent agency that Saki belongs to does not permit idols to work part-time, she cannot let anyone know about her activities with CHEAT. At the same time, she keeps her idol status a secret from the members of CHEAT. She pursues her dream of becoming a top idol while engaging in mind games with swindlers.
Website: www.ytv.co.jp/cheat
Preview: Cheat Teaser

Ai Naki Mori de Sakebi
Date: From 11 October 2019
Network: Netflix Japan
Scriptwriter: Sono Sion (Tokyo Vampire Hotel, Minna ESPer dayo! Series, Jikou Keisatsu Series)
Genre: Suspense
Cast: Shiina Kippei, Mitsushima Shinnosuke, Denden, Hinami Kyoko, Kamataki Eri, Matobu Sei
Synopsis: Murata Jo (Shiina Kippei) is a ruthless criminal. On the surface, he is cheerful and lively. But he emotionally controls other people, milks them for money and makes them commit brutal crimes.
Website: www.netflix.com/jp/title/81133621
Preview: Ai Naki Mori de Sakebi CM

Jigoku no Girlfriend
Date: From 25 October 2019 (updated every Friday)
Network: Fuji on Demand
Scriptwriter: Kurosawa Hisako (Otto no Chinpo ga Hairanai, Minshuu no Teki, Arechi no Koi)
Original Work: Jigoku no Girlfriend by Torikai Akane
Cast: Kato Rosa, Takeda Rina, Izuka Kenta, Kamimura Kaisei, Ochiai Motoki, Kikawada Masaya, Sakurai Yuki
Synopsis: A divorced single mother Shimada Kana (Kato Rosa) who is a web writer, a single company employee Shudo Yuri (Takeda Rina) and a very popular and beautiful jewellery designer Deguchi Nao (Sakurai Yuki) start sharing an apartment. While the three of them have totally different personalities, jobs and status, they soon get on terms where they can voice the feelings and troubles that they have never been able to tell anyone.
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/jigogaa
Preview: Jigoku no Girlfriend CM

Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou Monogatari
Date: From 12.59 a.m., Fridays, 1 November 2019
Station: TBS
Scriptwriters: Yoshida Erika (Heaven? Gokuraku Restaurant, Hana Nochi Hare, Dansui!), Miyamoto Takeshi (Prison Hotel, Byplayers Season 1)
Original Work: Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou Monogatari by Nikaido Hikaru
Genre: School
Cast: Hongo Kanata, Yuki Kousei, Ozawa Ren, Kozono Ryo, Takasaki Shota, Isaka Tatsuya, Kanou Kento
Synopsis: Kondo Isami (Hongo Kanata), a third-year high school student, has good grades but he is forced to decide which path to take because of his family’s financial situation. One day, he learns about the government-affiliated Defence Academy where students are not only exempt from admission fees and school fees, but are given an allowance every month. He wishes to go to this academy. After graduating from high school, Kondo enters the Defence Academy and meets Matsuhira Yosuke (Kanou Kento), Okita Soji (Ozawa Ren), Harada Tadashi (Yuki Kousei) and Takei Tomoaki (Kozono Ryo) who become friends. He takes the first step to a new life, but when the entrance ceremony ends, the attitudes of the senior students including Sakaki Ryuya (Takasaki Shota) and Nishiwaki Takashi (Isaka Tatsuya) change drastically and strict coaching begins
Website: www.mbs.jp/aozakura
Preview: Aozakura CM

Nee Sensei, Shiranai no?^*NEW*
Date: From 12.59 a.m., Fridays, 6 December 2019
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Shimoda Yuko (Coffee & Vanilla, Bungaku Shojo)
Original Work: Nee Sensei, Shiranai no? by Asano Aya
Genre: Romance
Cast: Baba Fumika, Akaso Eiji, Yahagi Honoka, Wada Masanari, Furukawa Tsuyoshi, Miyase Ryubi, Tanda Hazuki
Synopsis: Aoi Hana (Baba Fumika) is a popular manga artist with practically no experience in romance. One day, she happens to enter a hair salon and falls in love at first sight with a handsome hairstylist Kido Riichi (Akaso Eiji). They end up dating. Hana completely forgets about her new boyfriend when she goes into work mode and this makes her a failure of a girlfriend. However, Riichi loves it that Hana is such a workaholic?!
Website: www.mbs.jp/nee_sensei/

Shinmai Shimai no Futari Gohan
Date: From 1.00 a.m., Fridays, 11 October 2019
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriters: Seki Erika (Strawberry Night Saga, Gosaigyou, Ima kara Anata o Kyohaku Shimasu), Imanishi Yuko (Izakaya Fuji), Soma Hikaru
Original Work: Shinmai Shimai no Futari Gohan by Hiiragi Yutaka
Genre: Food
Cast: Yamada Anna, Otomo Karen, Tanaka Mei, Imo Haruka, Ashina Sei
Synopsis: Sachi (Yamada Anna) and Ayari (Otomo Karen) become sisters all of a sudden when their parents remarry. The two of them have to live together after their newly wed parents set off immediately for an overseas trip. However, Sachi gets scared of Ayari who does not say much and gives her piercing looks. She is feeling very anxious about life under the same roof when they receive ham from their parents. Ayari briefly glances at a bewildered Sachi before she begins prepare the ham. This helps the two of them to start opening up to each other and their bond as sisters deepen through cooking.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/shinmai

Tokumei Keiji Kakuho no Onna Season 2
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Fridays, 18 October 2019
Network: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriter: Hata Takehiko (Soshite Daremo Inakunatta, Danda Rin, Unfair Series)
Genre: Detective
Cast: Natori Yuko, Aso Yumi, Daito Shunsuke, Masana Bokuzo, Onozuka Hayato, Hasegawa Hatsunori, Takahashi Katsunori (guest star), Kato Masaya, Wada Masato (guest star), Miyakawa Ichirota (guest star), Kusumi Koharu (guest star), Matsuo Yuji (guest star)
Synopsis: Miura Aya (Aso Yumi) has been feeling depressed even though she was given a promotion, and assigned from Kanagawa Prefectural Police headquarters to a police precinct as a deputy police chief. However, this is only a job title. In reality, all she has been doing is counter work. Hojo Yuriko (Natori Yuko) retired but has returned as a part-time detective. This odd pair who are like oil and water team up once again. Freed from the constraints of the police organisation in their current positions, they run riot.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/kakuho2

4-punkan no Marigold
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Fridays, 11 October 2019
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Sakurai Tsuyoshi (Room Laundering, Fuwaku no Scrum, Bakumatsu Gurume Bushi Meshi Series)
Original Work: 4-punkan no Marigold by Kirie
Genre: Romance
Cast: Fukushi Sota, Nanao, Yokohama Ryusei, Nishimura Motoki, Ito Asahi, Sekimizu Nagisa, Suzuki Yuka, Aso Yumi, Miura Masaki, Nishio Mari, Hashimoto Jun, Kiritani Kenta
Synopsis: 25-year-old Hanamaki Mikoto (Fukushi Sota) is a paramedic with the special ability to see the final moments of the person whose hand is in his, and there is a sober reality that he cannot tell anyone about. Mikoto’s mother died when he was a child and after that, his father remarried. The three children (Nanao, Kiritani Kenta, Yokohama Ryusei) from his stepmother’s (Aso Yumi) previous marriage became his family. Mikoto has secretly had feelings for his older step sister Sara (Nanao) who lives under the same roof. However, at one time, he ends up seeing that Sara would die on her 28th birthday. Wishing for her happiness, Mikoto desperately considers how to save her life. But the visions he has had so far have all come true despite him trying all he can as a paramedic. Nevertheless, can he change this cruel destiny precisely because he has this special ability? As Mikoto tries to do so, he gets overwhelmed by his feelings for Sara which he has kept to himself.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/4mari
Preview: 4-punkan no Marigold CM

Miss Jikocho ~ Tensai Amano Kyoju no Chousa File
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Fridays, 18 October 2019
Station: NHK
Scriptwriters: Yatsu Hiroyuki (Kaseifu no Mitazono Series, Rikuou, Hanzawa Naoki), Tokuo Koji (Cheerdan, Ossan’
s Love, Konkatsu Deka), Yoshida Mayuko (Shitamachi Rocket Season 2 (TBS), Himo Men, Rikuou)
Genre: Mystery
Cast: Matsuyuki Yasuko, Horii Arata, Sudo Risa, Takahashi Maryjun, Yo Kimiko, Masu Takeshi (guest star), Makita Sports (guest star), Takuma Takayuki (guest star), Shimada Kyusaku (guest star), Tomokawa Kazuki (guest star), Chiba Tetsuya (guest star), Tayama Ryosei (guest star), Nomaguchi Toru (guest star), Yamanaka So (guest star), Nakamura Yasuhi (guest star), Mizuhashi Kenji (guest star), Ichikawa Yui (guest star), Takito Kenichi (guest star), Kinoshita Houka (guest star)
Synopsis: Amano Manako (Matsuyuki Yasuko) is a professor at a top university’s faculty of engineering. She is currently researching the science of failure. Her studies are not to examine the responsibility for failure, but to determine direct, situational and social factors, and turn it into knowledge to help prevent a recurrence. There are always some mistakes in the various types of accidents that occur daily and accident investigation is the best fieldwork for Manako. This activity goes beyond the boundaries of engineering and she follows wherever her curiosity takes her. Her conviction is that “Growth and progress always accompany failure”. Manako loves mistakes and because her eyes sparkle at stories of failure, this irritates other people. However, she is able to arrive at the truth of an accident through the database of failures from all ages and cultures that she has internalised.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/drama/drama10/jikocho
Preview: Miss Jikocho CM

Jikou Keisatsu Hajimemashite
Date: From 11.15 p.m., Fridays, 11 October 2019
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Miki Satoshi (Atami no Sousakan, Jikou Keisatsu Series)
Genre: Comedy mystery
Cast: Odagiri Joe, Aso Kumiko, Yoshioka Riho, Isomura Hayato, Toyohara Kosuke, Fuse Eri, Eguchi Noriko, Hida Yasuhito, Naito Risa, Tanaka Makoto, Mitsuishi Ken, Iwamatsu Ryo, Koyuki (guest star), Shuri (guest star), Sometani Shota (guest star), Dan Rei (guest star), Terajima Shinobu (guest star), Nakashima Mika (guest star), Nakayama Miho (guest star), Nikaido Fumi (guest star), Bessho Tetsuya (guest star), Mukai Osamu (guest star), Yanagiba Toshiro (guest star)
Synopsis: Kiriyama Shuichiro (Odagiri Joe) returns to Japan after a 12-year secondment to the FBI in the US, and rejoins the Statute of Limitation Management Division at Sobu Police Precinct. The primary job of this division is to send documents on cases where the statue of limitations have run out to the prosecution, and to manage these investigation materials. However, ever since the statue of limitation was abolished for serious cases such as murders, the division has become more redundant than ever. Kiriyama returns to his old haunt and gets started on his hobby again with his assistant Mikazuki Shizuka (Aso Kumiko). It is to personally investigate cases where the statute of limitation is expiring. He is not particularly concerned about identifying the criminal or the size of the cases. All he wants to do is to make sure his deductions are correct.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/jikou2019

Ossan’s Love ~ In the Sky
Date: From 11.15 p.m., Fridays, 2 November 2019
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Tokuo Koji (Ossan’s Love, Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita, Aino Kekkon Soudanjo)
Genre: Love comedy
Cast: Tanaka Kei, Yoshida Kotaro, Chiba Yudai, Totsugi Shigeyuki, Satsukawa Aimi, Megumi, Masana Bokuzo, Kizaki Yuria, Kataoka Kyoko, Suzuka Oji
Synopsis: Haruta Soichi (Tanaka Kei) is laid off all of a sudden at the age of 35. He changes occupations and gets a job at an airline as a cabin attendant. Haruta, the unpopular, written-off bachelor who is good-natured, straightforward, kind and a wee bit of a fool, enjoys an unexpected period of popularity. However, they are all male, whether pilot, copilot or mechanic, for some reason! Kurosawa Musashi (Yoshida Kotaro) is a great captain with exceptional expertise and personality. Many people have faith in Kurosawa and even Haruta admires him. Kurosawa is strict about work and keen in mentoring his juniors. In the course of the flights with Haruta, Kurosawa sees his passion and the efforts he makes for passengers, and gradually acknowledges him. At some point, this turns to love.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ossanslove-inthesky
Preview: Ossan’s Love ~ In the Sky CM
Related: Ossan’s Love

Kodoku no Gurume Season 8
Date: From 12.12 a.m., Saturdays, 5 October 2019
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriters: Taguchi Yoshihiro (Nihon Boro Yado Kikou, Kodoku no Gurume Series, Hondana Shokudo), Kodama Yoriko (Kodoku no Gurume Seasons 2 – 3 & 5 – 7, Onna no Naka ni Iru Tanin, Sakura)
Original Work: Kodoku no Gurume by Kusumi Masayuki
Genre: Food
Cast: Matsushige Yutaka
Synopsis: Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) runs an imported general merchandise business. He enjoys eating on his own and would visit dining establishments whenever there are intervals of free time during work.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/kodokunogurume8

Hitori Camp de Kutte Neru
Date: From 12.52 a.m., Saturdays, 19 October 2019
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriters: Tominaga Masanori (Dias Police, Nocon Kid), Hosaka Daisuke, Iizuka Kasho
Genre: Food
Cast: Miura Takahiro, Kaho, Uno Shohei (guest star), Kita Kana (guest star), Kurokawa Mei (guest star), Shibukawa Kiyohiko (guest star), Taguchi Tomorow (guest star), Nakamoto Koji (guest star), Fukushi Seiji (guest star), Asakura Aki (guest star), Kawase Yota (guest star), Nakajima Ayumu (guest star), Bando Ryota (guest star), Yanagi Erisa (guest star), Yamashita Rio (guest star)
Synopsis: Oki Kento (Miura Takahiro) loves cooking meals with canned foods and eating them at a campsite more than anything else. Nanako (Kaho) likes going into the sea, mountains and rivers to get her own natural ingredients and then preparing and eating them at the campsite. If there is one thing in common between Kento and Nanako, it is eating and sleeping on their own at camp. Although the two of them enjoy this, they are further captivated by the world of food through the people they meet wherever they go.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/hitoricamp
Preview: Hitori Camp de Kutte Neru CM

Shonen Torajiro
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 19 October 2019
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Okada Yoshikazu (Semi Otoko, Hiyokko Series, Saigo kara Nibanme no Koi Series)
Original Work: Warugaki Shousetsu Torajiro no Kohaku by Yamada Yoji
Cast: Inoue Mao, Maiguma Katsuya, Izumisawa Yuki, Kishii Yukino, Ishimaru Kanji, Terawaki Yasufumi (guest star), Masu Takeshi (guest star), Makita Sports (guest star), Takuma Shin (guest star), Shimada Kyusaku (guest star), Tomokawa Kazuki (guest star), Chiba Tetsuya (guest star), Tayama Ryosei (guest star), Nomaguchi Toru (guest star), Yamanaka So (guest star), Nakamura Yasuhi (guest star), Mizuhashi Kenji (guest star), Ichikawa Yui (guest star)
Synopsis: On 26 February 1936, an infant was placed under the eaves of a dango shop on the approach to the Taishakuten temple this wintry day. The baby becomes the Kuruma family’s child. Then his younger half-sister Sakura is born. His father Heizo (Maiguma Katsuya) is conscripted when he begins elementary school. And he later runs away from home. His love for his mother Mitsuko (Inoue Mao) and Sakura shaped him as a person. No matter how irresponsible and wild he was, he never had any ill will towards people and was a fair person. This is the story of Torajiro who melts people’s hearts, from the secret of his birth and his bratty days until he was sent off at the station at Katsushika Shibamata by Sakura at the age of 14.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/drama/dodra/torajiro

W no Higeki
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 23 November 2019
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriter: Ikeda Natsuko (Zekkyou, Shinhannin, Miyazawa Kenji no Shokutaku)
Original Work: W no Higeki by Natsuki Shizuko
Genre: Mystery
Cast: Tsuchiya Tao, Nakayama Miho, Mimura Rie, Tsurumi Shingo, Matsumoto Gaku, Watanabe Ikkei, Owada Shinya, Yoshida Eisaku, Natsuki Mari
Synopsis: Watsuji Mako (Tsuchiya Tao) stabs her granduncle Yohei (Owada Shinya) to death at a party at the Watsuji’s family villa. Mako’s mother Yoshie (Nakayama Miho) claims it was legitimate self defence and asks the family gathered there to cover up the case. Yohei’s younger brother Shigeru (Tsurumi Shingo) and Yohei’s physician Masaki Shohei (Yoshida Eisaku) become central to the cover-up operation to make it look like a robbery and murder. Mako’s senior Ichijo Harumi (Mimura Rie), who is an invited guest at the party, also takes part in it.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/drama/dsp/wnohigeki

Top League
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 5 October 2019
Network: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Shinozaki Eriko (Saka no Tochuu no Ie, The Good Wife, Hanzai Shokogun Series)
Original Work: Top League by Aiba Hideo
Genre: Suspense
Cast: Tamayama Tetsuji, Ikeuchi Hiroyuki, Sakuma Yui, Mitsuishi Ken, Hasegawa Tomoharu, Hashimoto Manami, Kuroba Mario, Nakamura Eriko, Nomaguchi Toru, Sano Shiro, Koyuki, Jinnai Takanori, Kobayashi Kaoru
Synopsis: Matsuoka Naoki (Tamayama Tetsuji) is a journalist who has worked for the business desk of Daiwa Shimbun, a major Tokyo-based newspaper publisher, for 15 years. One day, he is told that he is being transferred to the political desk for a year. Matsuoka caught the attention of Chief Cabinet Secretary Kondo (Kobayashi Kaoru) when he disregarded the rules and posed the question, “What do you think about the safe discovered in a landfill in Minato ward?” at the Chief Cabinet Secretary’s first scheduled briefing. He rises to the top of the league in a flash. Meanwhile, Sakai Yuji (Ikeuchi Hiroyuki), a weekly magazine reporter who used to be Matsuoka’s colleague, has been pursuing the truth of the safe found in the landfill. Then a robbery takes place. The victim is someone whom Sakai had just interviewed regarding the safe. Matsuoka and Sakai have gone along different paths as reporters. However, they meet again after 10 years, and the biggest taboo in the official residence which rocks the country’s political centre is gradually exposed.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/topleague
Preview: Top League CM

Ore no Hanashi wa Nagai
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 12 October 2019
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Kaneko Shigeki (Boku Unmei no Hito desu, Momikeshite Fuyu Series, Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Ikuta Toma, Koike Eiko, Yasuda Ken, Kiyohara Kaya, Sugino Yosuke, Harada Mieko, Mizusawa Rintaro, Hamatani Kenji, Honda Chikara, Kinari, Nishimura Masahiko
Synopsis: 31-year-old Kishibe Mitsuru (Ikuta Toma) has been unemployed since seven years ago. After graduating from university, he got hooked on coffee and started a business but it failed. However, no one can beat him in a war of words and he keeps using twisted logic to gloss over his own hopelessness. Mitsuru lives off his mother Fusae (Harada Mieko), who runs the cafe left to her by her late husband. But his life suddenly changes when his older sister Ayako (Koike Eiko) and her family (Yasuda Ken, Kiyohara Kaya) come to live with them while their house is being rebuilt. Ayako concludes that Mitsuru is simply escaping from reality and faults their mother for how he turned out. Will he be able to overcome this misfortune and stand on his own two feet?
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/orebana
Preview: Ore no Hanashi wa Nagai CM

Hikinukiya ~ Headhunter no Ryuugi
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 16 November 2019
Network: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Watanabe Chiho (Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen!, Beppin-san, 5-nin no Junko)
Original Work: Hikinukiya Series by Shizukui Shusuke
Genre: Corporate
Cast: Matsushita Nao, Uchida Yuki, Kote Shinya, Watabe Atsuro, Kaname Jun, Akimoto Manatsu, Nakabayashi Taiki, Takahashi Hitomi, Hasegawa Hatsunori, Sugimoto Tetta, Totsugi Shigeyuki (guest star), Kimura Yuichi (guest star), Kamio Yu (guest star), Harada Taizo (guest star), Sasano Takashi (guest star), Suruga Taro (guest star), Oshinari Shugo (guest star), Ishiguro Ken (guest star)
Synopsis: “I’ve been fired?” Kanoko Saho (Matsushita Nao), who works in management for Faun, the outdoor gear manufacturer, where her father serves as CEO, is taken aback. She had inherited his conviction in craftsmanship and worked hard, but one day, the appearance of someone her father invited through a headhunter caused her to be ousted from the company all of a sudden. Watarai Kaori (Uchida Yuki), who introduces herself as a headhunter, shows up in front of Saho. Oddly enough, Saho ends up working at the headhunting firm where she is employed. When Saho is taken to her first job by the boss Namiki Tsuyoshi (Kote Shinya), a rival headhunter Togari Masaki (Watabe Atsuro) is there … … Saho gets entangled in the bargaining, treachery and cheating between headhunters while facing off against business clients and headhunting candidates that are hard to deal with, and begins to find meaning in a job that takes care of people’s lives. Meanwhile, clouds start to gather over Faun, and behind this is … …
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/hikinukiya
Preview: Hikinukiya CM

Keshite Mane Shinaide Kudasai
Date: From 11.30 p.m., Saturdays, 26 October 2019
Network: NHK
Scriptwriters: Tsuchiya Ryoichi (Sennyuu Sousa Idol Deka Dance), Fukuda Shohei, Kamata Junya
Original Work: Keshite Mane Shinaide Kudasai by Hebizo
Genre: Love comedy
Cast: Kotaki Nozomu, Baba Fumika, Raul, Imai Yuki, Makita Sports, Ishiguro Ken
Synopsis: Kakeda Satoshi (Kotaki Nozomu) is a student of an engineering college’s department of science and engineering. He has been fascinated by since since his childhood and is an oddball who gets engrossed only in what he is interested in. Kakeda has shown no interest in love even after he got into college. Because he seeks a scientific understanding for everything, he is not one for romances which he cannot theorise. Kakeda is in love with Iijima-san (Baba Fumika), an older girl in the school cafeteria. Her bravery in putting out a small fire in the cafeteria with a fire extinguisher stole his heart. Will Kakeda succeed in love?
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/drama/yoru/ketsumane

Rika
Date: From 11.40 p.m., Saturdays, 5 October 2019
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriters: Muta Keiko (Koi ga Heta de mo Ikitemasu, Kazoku Houtei), Shimada Ureha (Babysitter Gin!, Diary, Zenryoku Sousa Series)
Original Work: Rika by Igarashi Takahisa
Genre: Thriller
Cast: Takaoka Saki, Koike Teppei, Otani Ryohei, Natsuna, Tokunaga Eri, Kashiwabara Shuji, Ando Tamae, Masuda Shuichiro, Iketani Nobue, Tachibana Eri, Yamaya Kasumi, Fujimoto Saki, Azama Myu, Asanuma Eri, Nishioka Tokuma
Synopsis: Amemiya Rika (Takaoka Saki) has been starved of family love. She feels empty. Lonely. Her yearning for a family steadily grows. When she meets the man who fits her idea of the perfect husband, marriage and family, her pure love explodes. She is oblivious to anyone other than this person of her destiny. Actually, anyone who blocks her marriage will end up becoming her enemy. She will do everything she can to get the man she loves. Rika’s first target is Oya Masashi (Koike Teppei), a surgeon. He has a fiancee and everything is going well for him until he meets Rika who has been hired as a nurse. This is all part of her plot. Mysterious incidents keep happening at the hospital and patients, nurses as well as doctors vanish. Then Rika also gets her clutches on Oya’s fiancee … … Three years later, Honma Takao (Otani Ryohei) becomes Rika’s second target. Honma is living apart from his wife Yoko (Tokunaga Eri) and their 7-year-old daughter because of Yoko’s infidelity. He makes the acquaintance of a woman who uses the name Rika through a matchmaking app and suggests that they meet. However, she keeps stalking him on his mobile phone with a deluge of messages and phone calls, and even at his office and home. Honma’s colleagues, wife and daughter and even detectives get entangled.
Website: www.tokai-tv.com/rika
Preview: Rika CM

Akuma no Bengonin
Date: From 11.40 p.m., Saturdays, 7 December 2019
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriters: Izumisawa Yoko (W Kenkei no Higeki, Dairenai, Black Scandal), Toda Akihiro
Original Work: Bengoshi Mikoshiba Series by Nakayama Shichiri
Genre: Legal mystery
Cast: Kaname Jun, Becky, Tsuda Kanji, Hyunri, Motomura Kentaro, Okina Megumi, Katsuno Hiroshi
Synopsis: Mikoshiba Reiji (Kaname Jun) is an unscrupulous lawyer who demands a huge fee and will do whatever it takes to win a case no matter who his client is. His past is a complete mystery. In fact, when he was 14 years old, he was Teen A who committed a heinous crime. At that time, his name was Sonobe Shinichiro. However, he changed his name to Mikoshiba Reiji as he entered a juvenile medical reformatory and became a lawyer after he came out.
Website: www.tokai-tv.com/akumanobengonin
Preview: Akuma no Bengonin CM

Dakaretai 12-nin no Onnatachi
Date: From 1.26 a.m., Sundays, 6 October 2019
Station: TV Osaka
Scriptwriter: –
Genre: Romance
Cast: Yamamoto Koji, Takahashi Maryjun (guest star), Wakatsuki Yumi (guest star), Megumi (guest star), Sato Eriko (guest star), Kakei Miwako (guest star), Nakamura Yurika (guest star)
Synopsis: A bartender (Yamamoto Koji) runs Bar Y’zoo, a hidden bar in some part of Tokyo. Women (Takahashi Maryjun, Wakatsuki Yumi, Megumi, Sato Eriko) who are unattached show up at this bar. Each woman starts on her history of love affairs with men and gripes over drinks. The bartender listens to her story as if he is quietly standing by her. As the conversation gets lively in the relaxed atmosphere of the bar with just the two of them, the woman gradually feels drawn to the man in front of her. Wanting to be with this man for the night, she makes a pass at him … …
Website: www.tv-osaka.co.jp/dakaretai12
Preview: Dakaretai 12-nin no Onnatachi CM

Kaidan Botan Doro ~ Beauty & Fear
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 6 October 2019
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriter: Minamoto Takashi (Liquid, Kamisama no Boat, Tsugunai)
Genre: Romance, revenge
Cast: Ono Machiko, Emoto Tasuku, Wakaba Ryuya, Tanihara Shosuke, Toda Naho, Ishibashi Natsumi, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Kamishiraishi Mone, Inuyama Inuko, Nakahara Takeo, Sasano Takashi, Ibu Masato, Danta Yasunori, Takashima Masahiro 　
Synopsis: The ghost of Otsuyu (Kamishiraishi Mone), a beautiful lady who died pining of love, visits her beloved Hagiwara Shinzaburo (Nakamura Shichinosuke) every night. This is a scene from the well-known ghost story Botan Doro. The personalities and desires of Otsuyu’s father Iijima Heizaemon (Takashima Masahiro); the loyal Kurokawa Kosuke (Wakaba Ryuya) who serves the family without knowing that Heizaemon slayed his father in his younger days; Heizaemon’s exceptionally wicked wife Okuni (Ono Machiko) who plots to takeover the home; her secret lover Miyabe Genjiro (Emoto Tasuku); and the avaricious couple Tomozo (Danta Yasunori) and Omine (Inuyama Inuko) intersect in this tale of sordid human relationships, revenge and retribution.
Website: www4.nhk.or.jp/P5858

Grand Maison Tokyo
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 20 October 2019
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Kuroiwa Tsutomu (Maison de Police, Monte Cristo Haku, Kizoku Tantei)
Cast: Kimura Takuya, Suzuki Kyoka, Tamamori Yuta, Kanichiro, Asakura Aki, Yoshitani Ayako, Onoe Kikunosuke, Nakamura Anne, Tezuka Toru, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Sawamura Ikki, Iwashita Hisafumi, Shunputei Shota (guest star), Ishimaru Kanji (guest star)
Synopsis: A talented Japanese chef Obana Natsuki (Kimura Takuya) in French cuisine has devoted his life to food. He opened his own restaurant in Paris and earned two Michelin stars. Hailed as a superstar chef, his confidence has turned into conceit. But no matter how he tries, three Michelin stars are beyond his reach. He feels pressured and up against a wall. At this moment, a serious incident occurs at the restaurant and he ends up losing both the place and his team (Tamamori Yuta, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Sawamura Ikki). While Obana is feeling at his lowest, he happens to meet a female chef Hayami Rinko (Suzuki Kyoka) and makes the decision to start over again as a chef. He makes it his goal to create the world’s greatest three Michelin star restaurant and tries to put together the best staff. However, he is spurned by his former colleagues and has problems even though he has found new talent. But he does not give up. He shove unreasonable demands at other people and aims higher himself. The attitudes of the people around him gradually begin to change as they watch him.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/grandmaisontokyo
Preview: Grand Maison Tokyo CM

Yuganda Hamon
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 3 November 2019
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriter: Mukai Kosuke (Shinya Shokudo Series, Ueno Juri to Itsutsu no Kaban)
Original Work: Yuganda Hamon by Shiota Takeshi
Cast: Matsuda Ryuhei, Matsuyama Kenichi, Koshiba Fuka, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Katsumura Masanobu, Katsuya, Sakai Maki, Kimura Midoriko, Maya Kyoko, Mimura Rie, Tsutsui Michitaka, Kadono Takuzo, Issey Ogata, Nagatsuka Kyozo
Synopsis: Sawamura Masahiko (Matsuda Ryuhei) is a reporter with a local newspaper, Shin Kanagawa Nippo. One day, he gets an scoop on a hit-and-run case. Morimoto Atsuko (Koshiba Fuka), the grieving wife of the man who died, is reportedly the culprit. Masahiko is excited by this scoop which is the first he has had in a long while. However, it is false information planted by his colleague Kirino Hiroshi (Tsutsui Michitaka). Masahiko’s university schoolmate Mitazono (Matsuyama Kenichi), who is now the chief editor of an online news website, points this out. Masahiko pursues Kirino who has disappeared. Meanwhile, Oga Masakazu (Nagatsuka Kyozo), a former journalist of a national newspaper and a old friend of Masahiko’s father Ippei (Kadono Takuzo), visits Masahiko. Oga has started investigating whether the suicide of a former colleague Kakiuchi Tomonari (Issey Ogata) was due to an incorrect story that Kakiuchi published 15 years ago.
Website: www4.nhk.or.jp/P6000

Chou no Rikigaku ~ Satsujin Bunsekihan Season 3
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 17 November 2019
Network: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Anabuki Ichiro (Dr DMAT, Gunshi Kanbei)
Original Work: Chou no Rikigaku Keishichou Satsujin Bunsekihan by Asami Kazushi
Genre: Crime suspense
Cast: Kimura Fumino, Aoki Munetaka, Watanabe Ikkei, Kitami Toshiyuki, Fujimoto Takahiro, Koyanagi Yu, Kanno Misuzu, Katsumura Masanobu, Danta Yasunori, Nakamura Toru, Kikuchi Rinko
Synopsis: A wealthy man is brutally murdered at home and “blue flowers” are arranged in his neck which has been slit open. Detective Kisaragi Toko (Kimura Fumino) from the Eleventh Section of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division has to tackle her most difficult case. The man’s wife Mayumi has disappeared and an email hinting at her whereabouts is addressed to a newspaper from the criminal who calls himself Cluster 16. With Toko’s most trusted partner, Takano Hideaki (Aoki Munetaka), due to transfer to the Public Security Bureau in a few days, the responsibilities and hopes for her grow. Contrary to expectations, the investigation of the case runs into difficulty and Toko’s impatience and anxiety mounts at what seems to be a dead end.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/rikigaku
Preview: Chou no Rikigaku CM
Related: Suisho no Kodou ~ Satsujin Bunsekihan Season 2

Nippon Noir ~ Keiji Y no Hanran
Date: From 10.30 p.m., Sundays, 13 October 2019
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Muto Shogo (3-nen A-kumi, Kaito Yamaneko, Kazoku Game)
Genre: Detective
Cast: Kaku Kento, Hirosue Ryoko, Iura Arata, Kitamura Kazuki, Kaho, Kudo Asuka, Takahashi Hikaru, Tachibana Eri, Sakuma Yui, Tanoi Ken, Hosoda Yoshihiko, Sasai Eisuke, Eishin, Sugimoto Tetta, Sasano Takashi
Synopsis: Yusa Kiyoharu (Kaku Kento) from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is a cool-headed detective who is in charge of investigations on the frontline and will do whatever it takes to achieve his objectives. One day, when he wakes up in a forest, he finds a gun in his right hand, and a dead female detective, Usui Kaoru (Hirosue Ryoko), lying beside him … … This woman was his superior. Did he kill her or was he set up by someone? There is a gap of several months in his memory. Yusa’s buddies turn enemies overnight and he is pursued as a murder suspect. His only partner is a boy who is the female detective’s only son, Katsuki (Tanoi Ken). Eventually, the case gets linked with the truth of the unsolved 1 billion yen heist.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/NNY
Preview: Nippon Noir CM

Aku no Hadou ~ Satsujin Bunseki-han Spin-off
Date: From 10.30 p.m., Sundays, 6 October 2019
Network: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Shimizu Masashi (Mushikago no Jomae, Otoko Meshi)
Original Work: Ishi no Mayu Keishichou Satsujin Bunseki-han by Asami Kazushi
Genre: Crime suspense
Cast: Furukawa Yuki, Sumire, Fukazawa Tatsuya, Hirano Kinari, Chiba Tetsuya, Anan Kenji, Nikaido Satoshi, Tsurumi Shingo, Ikeda Tetsuhiro, Kimura Fumino
Synopsis: In 2014, a series of murders targeting women takes place in Kawasaki City. All the victims have been killed as if they had hanged and these are dubbed the “Hanging Murders” in public. The police investigation runs into difficulties without clues on the murderer. However, Detective Iguchi Tomokazu (Ikeda Tetsuhiro) from the First Investigation Division, has his eye on a man whom he suspects to kill for pleasure. This man is Nogi Naoya (Furukawa Yuki). He lies about his identity, erases his traces in public and lives as if he is holding his breath. Nogi is actually Yaginuma Masato, the victim in the sensational Akishima mother and son kidnapping case. He gets his neighbour Asada Yoshika (Sumire) involved as he tries to escape the police dragnet but comes to realise some facts. What is his true motive?
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/hadou
Preview: Aku no Hadou Teaser
Related: Suisho no Kodou ~ Satsujin Bunsekihan Season 2

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Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 23 November 2019
Scriptwriter: Ikeda Natsuko (Zekkyou, Shinhannin, Miyazawa Kenji no Shokutaku)
Original Work: W no Higeki by Natsuki Shizuko
Cast: Tsuchiya Tao, Nakayama Miho, Mimura Rie, Tsurumi Shingo, Okamoto Kenichi, Matsumoto Gaku, Owada Shinya, Natsuki Mari, Yoshida Eisaku, Watanabe Ikkei
Synopsis: Watsuji Yohei (Owada Shinya), the chairman of Watsuji Pharmaceutical, runs the company single-handedly and is willing to make ruthless decisions for its sake. He is murdered on the night of his birthday party held at the Watsuji’s family villa. The murderer is his grandniece Mako whom everyone in the family loves. She stabbed him dead. A university student immersed in theatre work, Mako was given strict orders from her granduncle to train for homemaking and give up acting when she graduates. Mako’s mother Yoshie (Nakayama Miho) claims her daughter’s actions were legitimate self defence and appeals to the family members gathered there to cover up Yohei’s death. Mako’s stepfather Michihiko (Okamoto Kenichi), Yohei’s physician Masaki Shohei (Yoshida Eisaku) and Yohei’s younger brother Shigeru (Tsurumi Shingo) become central to the cover-up operation to make it look like a robbery and murder. Even Mako’s senior Ichijo Harumi (Mimura Rie), who was an invited guest at the party, becomes an accomplice. However, their attempts to hide the incident from the eyes of the public and disrupt the police investigation in order to protect Mako is hampered by a traitor in their midst. The matter eventually comes a shocking end … …
Official Website: www.nhk.or.jp/drama/dsp/wnohigeki

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Related Post:

• W no Higeki (2012)

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Official Website
www.tokai-tv.com/akumanobengonin

Broadcast
From 11.40 p.m., Saturdays, 7 December 2019

Network
Fuji TV

Story
An unemployed Kusakabe Yoko visits Mikoshiba Law Firm which has a broken signage bearing the company’s name. When she nervously tries to enter the office, there is a man sleeping on the sofa. He is Mikoshiba Reiji, the owner of the law firm. His eyes fly open and to her surprise, he says, “Your timing is precise. I’ll hire you.” A bewildered Yoko accompanies Mikoshiba to the court where she sees him shrug off the curses of “devil” by a victim’s mother. Mikoshiba is a “devil’s advocate” who will do whatever it takes to win a case for his client if he is handsomely rewarded. The cracked office signage is the work of disgruntled parties who lost in court. When Yoko asks if he is open to defending bad people, he declares that his policy is to do anything if he gets what he can get. Meanwhile, Mikoshiba shows an interest in the trial of Tsuda Akiko, a housewife in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward who killed her husband. She was found guilty and handed a 16-year prison sentence at the first hearing. After an affair, Akiko murdered her husband and also tried to abandoned her son. Public opinion is against the accused. However, Mikoshiba pressures Horai Kaneto, the lawyer in charge of Akiko’s trial to let him take over. Horai is baffled why he would defend an ordinary housewife with no assets. Meanwhile, Misaki Kyohei, the deputy chief prosecutor of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, receives word about the change in lawyers. He immediately announces that he will take charge of this case. A case that Misaki was once in charge of was overturned on appeal by Mikoshiba and he vows not to let it happen this time. To a man like Misaki who believes in punishment by law to keep order, a lawyer like Mikoshiba cannot be left unchecked. At the first hearing, Mikoshiba’s words “The defence submits that the accused Tsuda Akiko is innocent on the grounds that she had no intention to kill” causes an uproar in the courtroom. What is Mikoshiba’s motive?

Characters
Kaname Jun as Mikoshiba Reiji
A lawyer called “Devil’s Advocate” because he demands a handsome fee and will do whatever it takes to win the cases that he takes on. In fact, when he was 14 years old, he was Teen A who committed a violent crime. At that time, his name was Sonobe Shinichiro. However, he changed his name to Mikoshiba Reiji when he entered a juvenile medical reformatory and became a lawyer after he came out.

Becky as Kusakabe Yoko
An office staff of Mikoshiba Law Firm. She grew up without her father and won a scholarship to study in university. However, after graduation, she got a job at a company that exploited its employees. Her health suffered and she resigned. Her contract at the company where she was working as a temporary employee was also terminated. While she was unemployed, she was referred to her current role by the job placement office. She ends up learning about Mikoshiba Reiji’s past.

Tsuda Kanji as Misaki Kyohei
The deputy chief prosecutor of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. He is a strait-laced man who believes the law is absolute and that people who have committed crimes should receive appropriate punishment to maintain social order. He feels revulsion for Mikoshiba Reiji’s coercive tactics.

Scriptwriters
Izumisawa Yoko (W Kenkei no Higeki, Dairenai, Black Scandal)
Toda Akihiro

Original Work
Bengoshi Mikoshiba Series by Nakayama Shichiri

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Related Post:

• Akuma no Bengonin CM

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Date: From 12.09 a.m. 13 & 20 December 2019
Scriptwriter: Uda Manabu (Tantei ga Hayasugiru, 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi Series, Lucky Seven)
Original Work: Tantei ga Hayasugiru by Inoue Magi
Cast: Takito Kenichi, Hirose Alice, Yano Masato, Kobayashi Ryoko, Nozawa Shiori, Tanabe Seiichi (guest star), Owada Shinya, Mizuno Miki
Synopsis: Chikumagawa Hikaru (Takito Kenichi) is the fastest investigator in history. He sees right through the tricks pulled by criminals and prevents cases before they happen. In fact, his motto is to subject criminals to the very tricks they set for their targets. Hashida Masako (Mizuno Miki), the housekeeper for university student Sogawa Ichika (Hirose Alice) who inherited 5 trillion yen from her father, recalls Chikumagawa to take on the task of protecting Ichika (Hirose Alice). Someone is after Ichika’s life once again to get hold of the 5 trillion yen. Hashida says she will find out who is trying to kill Ichika and the reason, and wants Chikumagawa to defend Ichika. The person is Agarimaejo Joichiro (Owada Shinya), the head of Agarimaejo Group which has a close relationship with the Daidara Group that previously attempted to murder Ichika. Agarimaejo hires the international magician Masuda Keisuke (Tanabe Seiichi) as an assassin and plots to seize Ichika’s inheritance. Keisuke tries to kill Ichika with all sorts of elaborate magic tricks. Chikumagawa and Keisuke have a spine-tingling and thrilling showdown.
Official Website: www.ytv.co.jp/tantei

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Date: From 9.00 p.m. 14 & 21 December 2019
Scriptwriter: Fujimoto Yuki (Chikaemon, Taira no Kiyomori)
Original Work: Mi o Tsukushi Ryouricho by Takada Kaoru
Cast: Kuroki Haru, Moriyama Mirai, Nagayama Kento, Narumi Riko, Hagiwara Masato, Kimura Yuichi, Murasugi Seminosuke, Yanagishita Tomo, Makita Aju, Namioka Kazuki, Sato Megumi, Nagao Mariya, Nakahara Takeo, Tokui Yu, Matsuo Suzuki, Ibu Masato, Aso Yumi, Fuji Sumiko, Kohinata Fumiyo, Yasuda Narumi
Synopsis: Tsuruya has been bustling daily with regular customers due to the popularity of female chef Mio’s (Kuroki Haru) food. Komatsubara (Moriyama Mirai) and Nagata Gensai (Nagayama Kento) also visit now and then. One day, Saho (Sato Megumi), who is the wife of a samurai, comes with the request for Mio to teach her cooking. According to Saho, she is so dreadfully bad at cooking that even her servants fled. Yoshi (Yasuda Narumi), Taneichi (Kohinata Fumiyo) and everyone else at Tsuruya including Mio immediately feel affection for Saho, and Mio agrees to teach her after Taneichi gives permission. In truth, Saho is Komatsubara’s younger sister. Concerned that her older brother will remain a bachelor, Saho has come to probe his relationship with Mio. Not realising this, Mio completely opens up to Saho as if they are sisters and ends up talking about her feelings for Komatsubara. One day, Mio hears that Saho’s mother is suffering from swelling because of a kidney illness. Once Mio learns from the doctor that the seeds of some medicinal herbs can relieve swelling, she enlists his help to try and cook kochia. Her hands become chapped as she painstakingly prepares the kochia in the cold. When Mio finally delivers it to Saho for her mother, Saho drags her to a samurai residence. Saho tells her to make the meal in the kitchen to let her mother eat. Mio does as she is told and puts her heart into preparing it without knowing that this dish of kochia will affect her life. She brings it to Saho’s mother Ritsu (Fuji Sumiko) and they meet for the first time. Ritsu is surprised and smiles happily as she eats. Both Mio and Saho are relieved. However, after finishing her meal, Ritsu says some words that are quite unexpected to Mio … …
Official Website: www.nhk.or.jp/drama/dodra/miwosp

Related Post:

• Mi o Tsukushi Ryouricho

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Date: From 9.15 p.m., 21 December 2019
Scriptwriter: Nemoto Nonji (Fruits Takuhaibin, Kansatsui Asagao, Gin to Kin)
Original Work: Akuma no Temari Uta by Mokomizo Seishi
Cast: Kato Shigeaki, Namase Katsuhisa, Nakajo Ayami, Kotaki Nozomu, Ono Ito, Otomo Karen, Kanno Rio, Rokkaku Shinji, Mori Ren, Kano Maria, Shibata Takao, Kinami Haruka, Okada Yoshinori, Arimori Narimi, Morishita Yoshiyuki, Ogi Shigemitsu, Kokusho Sayuri, Watanabe Dai, Furuta Arata, Saito Yuki, Izumiya Shigeru, Nakao Mie, Ishibashi Renji, Terajima Shinobu, Furuya Ikkou
Synopsis: Onikobe Village borders Okayama and Hyogo prefectures. Two important families in this village, the Yura and Nire, have been at odds with each other. Kindaichi Kosuke (Kato Shigeaki) visits a hot spring inn called Kame no Yu at the request of Inspector Isokawa Tsunejiro (Furuya Ikkou) from the Okayama Prefectural Police. The female owner of the inn is Aoike Rika (Terajima Shinobu). Her husband Genjiro (Watanabe Dai) passed away due to a tragic incident that happened 20 years ago while she was pregnant with their second child. The criminal Onda Ikuzo is still missing. Rika’s immediate worry is her son Kanao (Kotaki Nozomu). There has been some talk about marriage between Kanao and Nire Fumiko (Otomo Karen), the only daughter of Nire Kahei who is the village’s biggest businessman. However, Kanao and Yura Yasuko (Kanno Rio), the daughter of the Yura family, are in love with each other and Rika has an uneasy feeling that the two of them will elope some day. One day, as the popular singer Ozora Yukari (Nakajo Ayami), who hails from Onikobe Village, comes back to her hometown with her mother Harue (Kokusho Sayuri) and the village springs to life, Kanao’s fiancee Yasuko is found dead in the plunge pool at the base of a waterfall with a funnel shoved into her mouth. Her horrifying death echoes the lyrics of the handball song. Kanao is devastated by this sudden tragedy. However, this is the perfect opportunity for Fumiko, who has feelings for Kanao, to be with him. If Kanao becomes the son-in-law of the Nire family, they can make him their heir and Kame no Yu’s future will also be secured. The conflict between the Yura and Nire families escalate even further with the mixture of motives of various people.
Official Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/kindaichi_returns

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Date: From 12.25 a.m., 27 – 30 December 2019
Scriptwriters: Toyama Erika, Mito Ryo
Cast: Mizuki Arisa, Shishido Miwako, Furuya Keita, Asada Miyoko, Mizuhashi Kenji (guest star), Kato Kenshiro (guest star), Shinkawa Yua (guest star), Fuchikami Yasushi (guest star), Aikawa Yusuke (guest star)
Synopsis: Yoshizawa Kyoko (Mizuki Arisa) is a beer sommelier. A single woman with a job related to the alcohol that she loves, Kyoko leads a happy life. One day, she succumbs to pressure from her mother Kiyomi (Asada Miyoko) to do her duty as a daughter, and go on a trip to Hawaii. Kiyomi is in high spirits when they arrive as this is her first time abroad. She is still excited even after they get to their accommodation. On the other hand, all Kyoko can think of is drinking alcohol. Mother and daughter are polar opposites. If Kiyomi is like a young girl, Kyoko is like an old man. Kyoko wants to have a leisurely time in a place that is closest to heaven while Kiyomi wants to try hula dancing, yoga and even surfing?! Furthermore, Kyoko is fond of alcohol but her mother prefers sweets. Will the two of them who not only have different personalities but also different palates be able to enjoy Hawaii together? That is when Kyoko thinks they can go their separate ways – she can enjoy local Hawaii beer and food when Kiyomi is sightseeing. Although Kyoko tries to have a relaxing time, she encounters people with “circumstances” everywhere she goes … …
Official Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/Alohasommelier

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