Koinaka
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Mondays, 20 July 2015
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Kuwamura Sayaka (Keibuho Sugiyama Kentaro, Shark Series, Mirai Nikki)
Genre: Romance
Cast: Fukushi Sota, Honda Tsubasa, Nomura Shuhei, Shinkawa Yua, Taiga, Ohara Sakurako, Otomo Karen, Ichikawa Yui, Yamamoto Mizuki, Babazono Azusa, Maeno Tomoya, Nagai Masaru, Yoshida Yo, Kobayashi Kaoru
Synopsis: Toyama native, Miura Aoi (Fukushi Sota), is a timid, indecisive man who dislikes summer. During high school days, he was the top swimmer of the swim team. But after that, he just became an adult and found employment. Ambivalent about his previous goal of becoming an architect, he passes his days without hope of getting ahead as an assistant for a small Tokyo architecture firm. One day in summer, Aoi is reunited with his first love, his childhood friend Serizawa Akari (Honda Tsubasa). When they were students, the two of them would spend every day together like it was the most natural thing to do. Akari would always support him when he was really hopeless. But one night during the fireworks display in their third year of high school, Akari suddenly disappeared … … Aoi is encouraged by their sudden reunion after seven years. However, there is another guy called Aoi (Nomura Shuhei) next to her.
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/koinaka
Preview: Koinaka CM
Bijo to Danshi
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 14 April 2015 (continues from last season)
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Tabuchi Kumiko (Dousousei, Go, Atsuhime)
Genre: Love comedy
Cast: Nakama Yukie, Machida Keita, Segawa Ryo, Nakahara Takeo, Tajima Reiko, Tokunaga Eri, Maekawa Yasuyuki, Azuma Mikihisa, Takahashi George, Nakayama Masei, Asano Kazuyuki, Morimoto Leo, Maya Kyoko, Kusakari Masao, Koma Chiyo, Kurashita Honami, IKKO, Nadaka Tatsuo, Ikeuchi Mansaku, Tsunemura Noriyoshi
Synopsis: A capable but unpopular showbiz manager, Sawatari Ichiko (Nakama Yukie), struggles to groom a younger, new male actor, Sakisaka Ryo (Machida Keita), whom she had scouted, into a star. An unmotivated Ryo slowly becomes conscious of the pleasures of acting. Bonds of camaraderie grow, and before long, love gradually blossoms between them.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/drama10/bijo
Preview: Bijo to Danshi Introduction
Heat
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 7 July 2015
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriters: Ushio Kentaro (Shomuni 2013, Take Five), Oura Kota (Shomuni 2013, Switch Girl 2), Tsubota Fumi
Cast: AKIRA, Kuriyama Chiaki, Sato Ryuta, Tanaka Kei, Nanao, Kudo Asuka, Suzuki Nobuyuki, Yoshizawa Ryo, Ide Takuya, Koshiba Fuka, Horiuchi Keiko, Masana Bokuzo, Sugawara Daikichi, Inagaki Goro
Synopsis: Ikegami Tatsuya (AKIRA), a businessman of a real estate company, has set his sights on Sachio City in southwest Tokyo as a candidate site for a multibillion-dollar urban development project. Concealing his identity, he joins the city’s fire brigade to obtain information on the landowners and acquire the site. As Ikegami comes in contact with the fire brigade which works hard for the local residents and faces disasters with rival firefighter Goda Atsushi (Sato Ryuta), his “my own interests first” conviction starts to waver little by little. On the other hand, the contest with staff pushing other candidate sites for the urban development project begins to intensify.
Website: www.ktv.jp/heat
Preview: Heat Introduction
Hotel Concierge
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 7 July 2015
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Matsuda Yuko (Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai, Ghost Mama Sousasen, Misaki Number One)
Genre: Occupational
Cast: Nishiuchi Mariya, Miura Shohei, Omi Toshinori, Natsuna, Koseki Yuta, Yamada Yuki, Atsushi, Ikezu Shoko, Takeda Kohei, Asari Yosuke, Wakamura Mayumi, Ibu Masato, Takahashi Katsunori, Suzuki Honami (guest star), Asami Reina (guest star)
Synopsis: The foreign-owned Vollmond Hotel is a top hotel which gives the sense of the extraordinary. It has a distinctive atmosphere that makes a person feel special. The men and women of the hotel are friendly but restrained with guests. Amano Toko (Nishiuchi Mariya) is a young rookie concierge whose motto is to never say no to guests, but panics on the inside. She is the type who hates to lose and rushes headlong into things before reading the situation. She runs around within the hotel and gets the help of various departments in order to solve problems and put smiles on guests’ faces.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/hotel_2015
Preview: Hotel Concierge CM
Hondana Shokudo Season 2
Date: From 11.15 p.m., Tuesdays, 7 July 2015 (for two seasons)
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriters: Taguchi Yoshihiro (Shoku no Gunshi, Kodoku no Gurume Series), Kaneko Yosuke, Honda Takaaki
Genre: Food
Cast: Nakamura Aoi, Emoto Tokio, Yamashita Rio, Yui Ryoko, Makita Sports
Synopsis: The male duo Sanada Nishiki (Nakamura Aoi) and Yamada Jiro (Emoto Tokio) are behind Himekawa Rosanna, the popular girls manga writer. The two of them were cultivated by an editor (Yui Ryoko) nicknamed the “Monster” and debuted as a girls manga writer. Despite their popularity, they really want to draw gourmet manga. The bookshelves of the secret library in their home office are lined with novels, essays and manga full of delicious food. When they are under the pressure of manga series deadlines, they would routinely escape from reality and into the “2D gourmet” in the books, forget about their deadlines and end up cooking.
Website: www4.nhk.or.jp/honshoku
Preview: Hondana Shokudo Season 2 CM
Related: Hondana Shokudo Season 1
Onna Michi
Date: From 11.15 p.m., Tuesdays, 4 August 2015
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriters: Tanaka Hiromi, Tsubota Fumi (Kuro no Onna Kyoushi)
Original Work: Onna Michi by Kitazawa Bambi
Cast: Katase Nana, Watanabe Eri, Tokushige Satoshi, Ichikawa Yui, Ono Yuriko, Watabe Gota, Megumi, Asami Reina, Goda Masashi, Moto Fuyuki, Tateishi Ryoko, Haba Yuichi, Kaneda Akio
Synopsis: Yamaguchi Rika (Katase Nana) works for a record company. She has the worst birthday of her life when she is cheated of her money by a former boyfriend. An older woman (Watanabe Eri) dressed in a leopard print dress suddenly appears in front of her with white smoke. This older woman identifies herself as Rika from 20 years into the future. She laments her untimely death, which was caused by losing her footing on a beer bottle at a pub. She has come from the future in order to make a fresh start in life. Together with her future self with a despairingly different style and appearance, Rika begins a big battle to start over again.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/pyd/onnamichi
Preview: Onna Michi CM
Shimeshi
Date: From 1.11 a.m., Wednesdays, 24 June 2015
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Kanazawa Tomoki
Genre: Food
Cast: Murakami Jun, Hayashi Kento, Manaka Ayu, Mitsuishi Ken (guest star), Fukami Motoki (guest star), Tabata Tomoko (guest star), Mickey Curtis (guest star), Namioka Kazuki (guest star), Koyanagi Yu (guest star)
Synopsis: Le Bon Vivre is an intriguing restaurant that can reproduce cooking which no longer exists. People who visit the restaurant are those that feel conflicted, have worries or stand at the crossroads in life. Terayashiki Renichi (Murakami Jun), the taciturn chef with pride in his cooking, and his excellent assistant chef Oze Kiyoi (Hayashi Kento) present solutions to these worries with their new food.
Website: www.mbs.jp/shimeshi
Tonari no Seki-kun to Rumi-chan no Jishou
Date: From 1.11 a.m., Wednesdays, 29 July 2015
Station: TBS
Genre: School comedy
Tonari no Seki-kun
Scriptwriter: Hosokawa Toru
Original Work: Tonari no Seki-kun by Morishige Takuma
Cast: Watanabe Yutaro, Shimizu Fumika, Mayama Rika, Yamachi Mari, Shinohara Risa
Synopsis: Domino, shogi, golf, radio-controlled model cars and planes … … The games of the enigmatic student Seki-kun (Watanabe Yutaro) changes his ordinary desk into a playground and captivates the serious Yokoi-san (Shimizu Fumika) in the seat next to him although they are in the middle of a lesson. Psychological warfare unfurls between the two of them in the narrow space of the classroom. Seki-kun would play and Yokoi-san would end up distracted by him despite being on the edge of the seat.
Rumi-chan no Jishou
Scriptwriter: Tsukikawa Sho
Original Work: Rumi-chan no Jishou by Hara Katsunori
Cast: Tomita Shiroi, Mano Erina, Kishii Yukino, Ito Shuko, Yamazaki Ginnojo, Usui Masahiro, Yamoto Yuma, Ito Sairi, Maeno Tomoya
Synopsis:Her hobby and special ability is dislocation (not table tennis!). Her favourite type of guy is Yosuke in general. “My name is Nancy,” translates to “My name is Akemi”. She appears to sing Chiba Shinichi and Chiba Tetsuya at the karaoke. There are endless examples of her strange way of life. That is to say, Rumi-chan (Tomita Shiroi) is a little … no, she is rather quirky, but there is a part of her that is impossible to hate too. Friendship, love, studies, part-time work … Rumi-chan tries to lead the adolescence of a regular high school girl. But she will always be a lot different from regular and stray in an improbable direction.
Website: www.drama-sekirumi.com
Keiji 7-nin
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 15 July 2015
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Oishi Tetsuya (Scapegoat, Team ~ Keishichou Tokubetsu Hanzai Sousa Honbu, Keiji no Manazashi)
Genre: Detective
Cast: Higashiyama Noriyuki, Takashima Masahiro, Kataoka Ainosuke, Suzuki Kosuke, Kurashina Kana, Yoshida Kotaro, Kitaoji Kinya
Synopsis: Amagi Yu (Higashiyama Noriyuki) is a slightly eccentric detective who has been assigned to the Twelfth Section of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division from the Lost and Found Centre. The Twelfth Section is called the “graveyard of detectives” and ridiculed as the “banishment room where hardened detectives who cannot be fired are sent”. Its assembled detectives Samura Kosuke (Takashima Masahiro), Yamashita Takumi (Kataoka Ainosuke), Nagasawa Keita (Suzuki Kosuke), Mizutani Tamaki (Kurashina Kana) and Katagiri Masatoshi (Yoshida Kotaro) are elite and yet oddballs. Amagi appears fixated with time which seems to have no relation with a case. Raising questions about the timelines of the perpetrator and victim derived from the estimated time of death, time of crime, time of alibi and time limit, he searches for the meaning of “blank time” which arises from this. He obsesses over the weight of every minute and second of time because of some incident.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/keiji7
Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai Season 2
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 8 July 2015
Station: NTV
Scriptwriters: Matsuda Yuko (Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai Season 1, Piece, Misaki Number One), Umeda Mika (Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai Season 1, Ghost Mama Sousasen, Misaki Number One), Yokota Rie (Soko o Nantoka Series, Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai Season 1, Machi Isha Jumbo)
Original Work: Fushouji by Ikeido Jun
Genre: Corporate
Cast: Anne, Kamikawa Takaya, Narimiya Hiroki, Enoki Takaaki, Komoto Masahiro, Osugi Ren, Namase Katsuhisa, Tsukaji Muga, Terawaki Yasufumi (guest star), Katase Nana (guest star), Sato Bsaku (guest star), Watanabe Ikkei (guest star), Azuma Mikihisa (guest star), Kaneda Akio (guest star), Uchiyama Rina (guest star), Nakagoshi Noriko (guest star), Masana Bokuzo (guest star), Yamada Jundai (guest star), Miyaji Masako (guest star), Ishiguro Ken (guest star), Hakamada Yoshihiko (guest star), Totsugi Shigeyuki (guest star), Zaizen Naomi (guest star)
Synopsis: Hanasaki Mai (Anne) and Soma Ken (Kamikawa Takaya) of Tokyo Daiichi Bank continue to pursue numerous incidents and scandals which occur at the bank branches nationwide. This includes missing money, misappropriation, information leaks, fraudulent accounting, planned bankruptcies and the presidential fight of their longstanding foe, managing director Shindo Takeshi (Namase Katsuhisa).
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/hanasakimai
Preview: Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai Season 2 CM
Related: Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai Season 1
Risk no Kamisama
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 8 July 2015
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Hashimoto Hiroshi (Leaders, Sennyu Tantei Tokage, Unmei no Hito)
Genre: Corporate
Cast: Tsutsumi Shinichi, Toda Erika, Morita Go, Furuta Arata, Shiga Kotaro, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Mitsushima Shinnosuke, Yoshida Kotaro, Kohinata Fumiyo, Tanaka Min, Kazama Toru (guest star), Iida Kisuke (guest star), Shinkawa Yua (guest star), Tanaka Misato (guest star)
Synopsis: Saigyoji Satoshi (Tsutsumi Shinichi), a legendary risk management specialist who used to be engaged in American corporate and government-linked risk management, and has solved numerous problems such as information leaks and recalls, is called the “god of risk” within the industry. He is hired to head the Crisis Management Office of Japan’s largest trading company, Sunrise Corporation, in order to handle potential problems and scandals. Kagari Kaori (Toda Erika), a Tokyo University graduate who has been with Sunrise Corporation for 10 years, is in charge of its Electronics Department and the most successful of her peers. However, she is always in trouble with her superior and colleagues because of her strong personality. She jointly develops the next generation battery “Life” with a global electronics manufacturer and is dispatched to the new company which has been launched. Her days get off to a smooth start as the young leader who epitomises “Life”. However, she ends up embroiled in recall problems due to a series of incidents in which home electrical appliances equipped with “Life” catch fire. After that, she has to work with Saigyoji at the Crisis Management Office.
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/risk_no_kamisama
Preview: Risk no Kamisama Teaser
Manmakoto ~ Asanosuke Saiteichou
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Thursdays, 16 July 2015
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Yoshida Noriko (Henshin, Asunaro Sansan Nana Byoushi, Gekiryuu)
Original Work: Manmakoto, Koishiri and Koiwasure by Hatakenaka Megumi
Genre: Period
Cast: Fukushi Seiji, Minamisawa Nao, Kiriyama Ren, Cho Tamiyasu, Ichikawa Yui, Enari Kazuki, Hiyama Umekichi, Ishibashi Renji, Ibuki Goro, Ichikawa Sandanji, Takeshita Keiko, Takahashi Hideki
Synopsis: Takahashi Asanosuke (Fukushi Seiji) is the son and heir of the headman of a town. His father arbitrates civil cases which the town’s magistrate cannot try. Asanosuke and Yagi Seijuro (Kiriyama Ren), the resourceful son of the neighbouring town’s headman, are skilled because they apprenticed as constables. Soma Kichigoro (Cho Tamiyasu) is their close childhood friend. Asaknosuke had been a serious and outstanding youth until the age of 16. However, he became a carefree pleasure seeker at some point. Asaknosuke is usually completely unreliable, but actually possesses exceptional deductive skills. The trivial matters of Edo’s people would be brought to him each time. However, he would skillfully solve even the most chaotic and disentangled matters with unexpected methods.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/jidaigeki/manmakoto
Saikyou no Futari ~ Kyotofukei Tokubetsu Sousahan
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Thursdays, 16 July 2015
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriters: Morishita Tadashi (Kaze no Toge, Taburakashi, Kakushou), Manabe Chiaki (Keishichou Sousa Ikka 9-gakkari Series, Deiri Kinshi no Onna, Sousa Chizu no Onna)
Genre: Detective
Cast: Hashizume Isao, Natori Yuko, Wada Masato, Sakai Miki, Tanaka Yoji, Harada Natsuki, Yoshimi Kazutoyo, Yanagi Yurina, Haba Yuichi
Synopsis: Shinonome Jinpachi (Hashizume Isao) has returned to the Kyoto Prefectural Police’s First Investigative Division as a specially commissioned detective. Meanwhile, Natsuki Asako (Natori Yuko), a team leader, has just been assigned to the division. Shinonome and Asako solve the same cases with completely different investigation methods. Shinonome has many information sources that he cultivated through his years of investigation. He would hit the streets and gather information that is not considered to have a direct relationship with a case. Asako has many fans within the police because she has moved from post to post. She is adapt at mobilising these allies and makes use of her inexperience in investigations to carry out daring ones. When these two investigation methods overlap, there will never be a typical investigation and unknown facts a step ahead of the solution will emerge.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/futari
37.5°C no Namida
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Thursdays, 9 July 2015
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Umeda Mika (Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai Season 1, Ghost Mama Sousasen, Misaki Number One)
Original Work: 37.5 deg no Namida by Shiina Chika
Genre: Medical
Cast: Renbutsu Misako, Narimiya Hiroki, Hayami Mokomichi, Triendl Reina, Suzuki Rio, Mikami Kensei, Takizawa Saori, Nishimura Kazuhiko, Matsushima Hana, Shuri, Nagaike Natsuko, Kido Yuya, Tanigawa Risako, Ishida Tosei, Tanoue Yui, Yokoyama Ayumi, Fujiki Naohito (guest star), Miho Jun, Mizuno Miki, Asano Atsuko, Nakagoshi Noriko (guest star), Adachi Yumi (guest star), Yada Akiko (guest star)
Synopsis: Sugisaki Momoko (Renbutsu Misako) used to be a nursery school teacher. Her difficulty smiling leads to communication problems with parents and her contract is terminated in one year. Momoko is picked up by ‘Little Snow’, a home care service for sick children, and makes a fresh start as a caregiver for sick children. When a child has a fever, the caregiver would visit the home and care for the child in place of the parents who simply cannot take time off from work. Momoko encounters all sorts of families at the places she is sent to. With the support of her colleagues and the occasional help of her best friend, Yumika (Triendl Reina), she starts to face work, romance, family and friendship.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/375namida
Preview: 37.5°C no Namida CM
Age Harassment
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Thursdays, 9 July 2015
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Uchidate Makiko (Byakkotai, Toshishita no Otoko)
Original Work: Age Harassment by Uchidate Makiko
Genre: Office
Cast: Takei Emi, Inamori Izumi, Seto Koji, Kaname Jun, Okura Koji, Naito Risa, Hara Mikie, Sugimoto Tetta, Fukikoshi Mitsuru, Asano Kazuyuki, Aso Yumi, Takenaka Naoto, Kazama Morio, Koizumi Kotaro
Synopsis: Yoshii Emiri (Takei Emi) is a new employee of a top trading company. In addition to her motivation, skills and ambition, she possesses both youth and beauty. This would appear to be her passport to happiness. But because she is assigned to the General Affairs Department, the old guard which only pays lip service to “female employment”, everything she possesses becomes a target of harassment. The company only requires Emiri’s youth and beauty. Her dream of doing a good job and eventually becoming an executive officer is quickly crushed. On the other hand, Emiri just has to flash a smile and the male staff would fuss over her even though she did not ask for anything. She becomes the target of jealousy of the older female staff. Emiri is given a hard time simply because of her youth and beauty. Although she endures this every day, she soon reaches the limit of her patience. When Emiri rebels against the old-fashioned company, what awaits her is … …
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/age
Preview: Age Harassment CM
Tantei no Tantei
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Thursdays, 9 July 2015
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriter: Tokunaga Yuichi (Suikyuu Yankees, Umi no Ue no Shinryoujo, Keiji 110 kg Series)
Original Work: Tantei no Tantei by Matsuoka Keisuke
Genre: Detective
Cast: Kitagawa Keiko, Kawaguchi Haruna, Miura Takahiro, Dean Fujioka, Ito Masayuki, Rokkaku Shinji, Takayama Yuko, Shibuya Kento, Sakata Masanobu, Yoshine Kyoko, Aijima Kazuyuki, Nakamura Yuri, Satoi Kenta, Santamaria Yusuke, Takaoka Saki, Iura Arata
Synopsis: The cool, beautiful Sasaki Rena (Kitagawa Keiko) is the lone investigator who works for a mid-sized investigation firm’s newly established department in charge of examining and questioning unscrupulous investigators. She wants to learn everything about an investigator, but she does not want to become one. Her beloved younger sister, Sakura (Yoshine Kyoko), was murdered by a stalker and she has been searching for the investigator who caused her sister’s death in order to take revenge.
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/tantei
Preview: Tantei no Tantei CM
Konkatsu Deka
Date: From 11.59 p.m., Thursdays, 2 July 2015
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Masumoto Takuya (Panic In, Kodomo Keishi, Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo)
Original Work: Konkatsu Deka Series by Ando Yasumichi
Genre: Mystery
Cast: Ito Ayumi, Koike Teppei, Masu Takeshi, Mori Kanna, Kuriyama Wataru, Kawamura Emiko, Kataoka Asuka, Akaboshi Shoichiro, Yoshimitsu Hiroto, Kato Ryo, Suzuki Sawa, Osugi Ren, Wada Masato (guest star), Nakamura Shunsuke (guest star), Tokuyama Hidenori (guest star), Abe Tsuyoshi (guest star), Suzuki Fuku (guest star)
Synopsis: 35-year-old Hanada Yoneko (Ito Ayumi) is a detective of Ryogoku Police Precinct who is looking for a marriage partner. She swings between love and justice as she pursues cases with her partner, Fujioka Tsutsuji (Koike Teppei). Yoneko will not turn a blind eye to crime. In addition, she wants to be happy. But for some reason, all the handsome men she likes turn out to be criminals.
Website: www.ytv.co.jp/konkatsu
The Last Cop
Date: From 19 June 2015, Fridays
Station: NTV & Hulu
Scriptwriter: Sato Tomoharu (Jikoku Sensei Nube)
Original Work: Der letzte Bulle
Genre: Detective
Cast: Karasawa Toshiaki, Kubota Masataka, Sasaki Nozomi, Matsuo Satoru, Kurokawa Tomoka, Kuji Akiko, Tayama Ryosei, Suzunosuke, Miyakawa Ichirota, Saito Yuki, Sano Shiro, Wakui Emi, Emoto Tokio (guest star), Takimoto Miori (guest star), Malia (guest star), Ryusei Ryo (guest star)
Synopsis: In 1985, Kyogoku (Karasawa Toshiaki) is an unconventional but passionate to the point of overeagerness detective who has solved many cases. He corners a violent criminal called Kagura, but at that moment, a bomb planted by Kagura explodes and Kyogoku slips into a coma for 30 years. One day in 2015, Kyogoku suddenly wakes up and visits his wife, Kanako (Wakui Emi). However, she has remarried and rebuffs him. Just at the moment he is behaving violently, he ends up getting arrested by a young detective, Mochizuki Ryota (Kubota Masataka) and brought to Yokohama Chuo Police Precinct where he is reunited with his former junior Suzuki (Miyakawa Ichirota), and boss Kujira (Tayama Ryosei). Kyogoku quickly returns to his position as a detective. However, he cannot comprehend the latest gadgets and the “new wisdom”. He keeps ignoring modern rules without a care and getting Ryota, who has been made his buddy, into trouble.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/lastcop
Preview: The Last Cop CM
Bokura Playboys Jukunen Tanteisha
Date: From 7.58 p.m., Fridays, 17 July 2015
Station: TV Tokyo
Scriptwriter: Yoshimoto Masahiro (Kageri Yuku Natsu, Kabuka Bouraku, Koukousei Restaurant)
Original Work: Kanreki Tantei by Fujita Yoshinaga
Genre: Investigative
Cast: Takahashi Katsumi, Ishida Junichi, Sakai Maki, Fuji Manami, Nakamura Shizuka, Sasano Takashi, Kadono Takuzo, Ito Shiro
Synopsis: The average age of the five members of Playboys Investigation Agency is about 65. Furthermore, the four investigators (Takahashi Katsumi, Ishida Junichi, Sasano Takashi, Kadono Takuzo) gathered by the boss Tsuchiya Genroku (Ito Shiro), who used to be a First Investigative Division detective, have possessed careers far removed from detective work. The clients of the agency are also middle aged and older with all sorts of problems such as middle-aged divorce, employment, nursing care and pet loss. Playboys Investigation Agency solve these problems, and at times, achieve results beyond what they have been requested to do.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/playboys
Ichiro
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Fridays, 31 July 2015
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriter: Watanabe Mutsuki (Challenged Series, Genya, Reset)
Original Work: Ichiro by Asada Jiro
Genre: Period
Cast: Nagayama Kento, Watanabe Dai, Mimura, Fujimoto Takahiro, Kajihara Zen, Matsuura Miyabi, Oshinari Shugo, Yajima Kenichi, Kamijo Tsunehiko, Ishiguro Ken, Sano Shiro
Synopsis: 19-year-old Onodera Ichiro (Nagayama Kento), who was born and raised in an Edo residence, is hastily summoned to return to his hometown after his father, the chief attendant of feudal lord processions, is killed in an accidental fire at home. Ichiro’s family is the Makisakas of West Mino. Although the Makisakas are vassals of the shogun with 7,500 koku, they are a distinguished family that has the status of a feudal lord. The role of the chief attendant is to manage the entire journey from the preparation of the procession of the feudal lord to his alternate residence. Fire caused by negligence is actually a grave offense that would result in confiscation of their stipend, but Ichiro is ordered to be the chief attendant because of the impending departure of the procession. However, he has never taken over the role from his father. If he should fail, there is a possibility that this could be the end of the family line. Assailed from all sides and with no one he can turn to, Ichiro decides to rely on the ancestral records of the processions, which his father had risked his life to protect, and heads for Edo. This is a battle to him. But in fact, the procession this time has been set up to bring down the feudal lord in an attempt to usurp the family.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/jidaigeki/ichiro
Akagi
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Fridays, 17 July 2015
Station: BS Sky Perfect
Scriptwriter: Tanabe Mitsuru (Henshin, Jui-san Jiken desuyo, dinner)
Original Work: Akagi ~ Yami ni Oritatta Tensai by Fukumoto Nobuyuki
Cast: Hongo Kanata, Tsugawa Masahiko, Tanaka Yoji, Jinbo Satoshi, Kaku Tomohiro, Kasahara Hideyuki
Synopsis: Akagi Shigeru (Hongo Kanata) is a young, white-haired mahjong genius. One summer in 1965, he ends up facing off against Washizu Iwao (Tsugawa Masahiko), Japan’s King of Darkness who has amassed enormous fortune and power, at the request of his acquaintance, the rogue detective Yasuoka (Jinbo Satoshi). As the observer, Ogi Takeshi (Tanaka Yoji), a leader of the henchmen of Inada-gumi watches over them, mahjong with special rules called Washizu Mahjong begins. It is a life or death struggle with Akagi’s fresh blood and Washizu’s entire fortune at stake.
Website: www.bs-sptv.com/zawazawa
Preview: Akagi Teaser
Omotesando Koukou Gasshoubu!
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Fridays, 17 July 2015
Station: TBS
Scriptwriter: Sakurai Tsuyoshi (Genkai Shuraku Kabushiki Gaisha, Miss Pilot, Priceless)
Genre: Youth, music
Cast: Yoshine Kyoko, Shison Jun, Yoshimoto Miyu, Morikawa Aoi, Horii Arata, Takasugi Mahiro, Hagiwara Minori, Izumisawa Yuki, Aoi Wakana, Shibata Kyoka, Kojima Riria, Hasegawa Nina, Matsumoto Ramu, Kabira Jay, Horiuchi Keiko, Kanda Sayaka, David Ito, Tateishi Ryoko, Hiraizumi Sei, Takahata Atsuko, Shirota Yu
Synopsis: Kagawa Makoto (Yoshine Kyoko) has transferred to Tokyo’s Omotesando High School from Kagawa Prefecture. Devoted to the choir when she was in Kagawa, Makoto is active in Omotesando High School’s choir too. The school choir’s prestige and the fact that Suzuki Ariake (Shirota Yu), the teacher who had once taught her the joy of singing in a choir is its adviser, fills her with anticipation. However, the choir’s glory is a thing of the past. Now it is on the verge of being disbanded. Makoto remembers Ariake as someone full of motivation with a love of the choir and a princely appearance. But the person she meets again is dissipated and only has interest in hostess bars. Despite her shock to see the change in Ariake, Makoto makes up her mind to make over the choir.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/omosan-gassyobu
Preview: Omotesando Koukou Gasshoubu! CM
Tamiou
Date: From 11.15 p.m., Fridays, 24 July 2015
Station: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Nishiogi Yumie (SPEC Series, Ando Lloyd, Honjitsu wa Taian Nari)
Original Work: Tamiou by Ikeido Jun
Genre: Fantasy comedy
Cast: Endo Kenichi, Suda Masaki, Motokariya Yuika, Jiyoung, Takahashi Issei, Kaneda Akio, Minemura Rie, Yamauchi Takaya, Hara Kintaro, Iketani Nobue, Rokkaku Seiji, Kusakari Masao
Synopsis: One day, the current prime minister of Japan, Muto Taizan (Endo Kenichi), and his useless son, Sho (Suda Masaki), suddenly discover that they have switched bodies. With no known cause or solution at hand, Sho reluctantly ends up appearing in the Diet on his father’s behalf. But he completely cannot follow the deliberations as well as the questions and answers because it has been his routine to skip his studies. He is also repeatedly caught making childish responses or misreading kanji in documents. However, untainted by the adult world, Sho’s straightforward opinions and genuine feelings start to mobilise the Diet and the public. On the other hand, Taizan has to lead the life of a university student and search for a job on behalf of his son, but with the brains of a prime minister. He refutes arrogant interviewers with his overwhelming knowledge and debating skills. Although Taizan wins the war of words, he is an absolute failure in the interviews itself. Furthermore, several peculiar girls whom Sho has had relationships with appear and makes Taizan more bewildered.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/tamiou
Preview: Tamiou CM
Dokonjo Gaeru
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 11 July 2015
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Okada Yoshikazu (Kokoro ga Pokitto ne, Sayonara Watashi, Nakuna, Hara-chan)
Original Work: Dokonjo Gaeru by Yoshizawa Yasumi
Cast: Matsuyama Kenichi, Mitsushima Hikari, Maeda Atsuko, Katsuji Ryo, Arai Hirofumi, Yakushimaru Hiroko, Shiraishi Kayoko, Shirahane Yuri, Mitsuishi Ken, Shirahane Yuri, Denden
Synopsis: One day, junior high school student Hiroshi tumbled in a park and crushed a frog. However, that frog attached itself to Hiroshi’s t-shirt and became a flat-faced frog. Furthermore, it could talk and possessed more human-like feelings than a human being. This was the birth of Pyonkichi (voiced by Mitsushima Hikari), the flat-faced frog. Hiroshi and Pyonkichi would go on to live, helping each other and quarreling at times. 16 years later, Hiroshi (Matsuyama Kenichi) is a useless guy. But a sudden change in Pyonkichi leads to his decision to start life afresh. Meeting Kyoko-chan (Maeda Atsuko) again for the first time in a long while, Hiroshi learns that she is no longer the Kyoko-chan of the past and summons the courage to save her.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/dokonjyo
Preview: Dokonjo Gaeru Introduction
Shingeki no Kyojin Attack on Titan Hangeki no Noroshi*NEW*
Date: From 15 August 2015, Saturdays
Station: dTV
Scriptwriter: Watanabe Yusuke (ST ~ Aka to Shiro Sousa File, Toshi Densetsu no Onna Season 2, Teen Court)
Original Work: Shingeki no Kyojin by Isayama Hajime
Genre: Fantasy
Cast: Ishihara Satomi, Sakuraba Nanami, Watanabe Shu, Takeda Rina, Kamio Yu, Misaki Ayame, Hiraoka Yuta
Synopsis: The last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that roamed the land outside their fortress. But one day, the walls were breached. 10 months after the attack of the Titans, troops assembled to fight the Titans have been training daily. The people earnestly wish for the walls which were destroyed by the Titans to be repaired. In order to do this, the government has been covering the research expenses for the development of weapons against the Titans with precious tax money. Hange (Ishihara Satomi), the weapons leader, spends her time on independent Titan research for the purpose of finding the vulnerabilities of the Titans, which are many times bigger than humans. Many of the troops have lost their homes and families because of the emergence of the Titans. They vow to have a heroic counterattack on the Titans … …
Website: video.dmkt-sp.jp/ft/s0000778
Preview: Shingeki no Kyojin Attack on Titan ~ Hangeki no Noroshi CM
Enka ~ Gold Rush
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 18 July 2015
Station: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Egashira Michiru (Otto no Kanojo, Naniwa Shonen Tanteidan, Gokusen Series)
Original Work: Enka by Kurokawa Hiroyuki
Genre: Action suspense
Cast: Moriyama Mirai, Takahata Mitsuki, Nakamura Yuri, Kinoshita Houka, Kimura Yuichi, Onoue Hiroyuki, Tokui Yu, Sato Sakichi, Sagawa Mitsuo, Tanaka Ryuzo, Imade Mai, Yoshioka Riho, Katsura Bunchin
Synopsis: Art instructor Kumagai (Moriyama Mirai) works for a private Osaka high school for girls, but his salary is at a discount to certified teachers. Sakai (Katsura Bunchin), the school’s chairman, runs the school like his own. One day, Kumagai is approached by music teacher, Nahoko (Takahata Mitsuki) and physical education teacher Oyamada (Onoue Hiroyuki) who seek to confront Sakai with proof of his wrongdoings and secure their own positions. Things are still going well up to the point they boldly venture into the apartment of Sakai’s mistress, Akemi (Nakamura Yuri). But after that, Sakai and Akemi disappear. The couple seem to have been kidnapped by the “education consultants” Minowa (Kinoshita Houka) and Nakao (Kimura Yuichi) for some reason. Kumagai and Nahoko unwittingly get involved in a scheme to steal the vast amount of gold bars which are Sakai’s hidden assets. Who are the real criminals? They deceive and get deceived as a struggle for the gold bars begins around Osaka and Kobe.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/enka
Preview: Enka ~ Gold Rush CM
Keiseisaimin no Otoko
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 22 August 2015
Station: NHK
Genre: Period
Takahashi Korekiyo
Scriptwriter: James Miki (Hakuouki, Kamisama no Nyoubou)
Cast: Odagiri Joe, Tanihara Shosuke, Mimura, Kazama Shunsuke, Hayashi Kento, Dan Mitsu, Fujimoto Takahiro, Okamoto Rei, Matsuura Miyabi, Yanagi Yurina, Kariya Shunsuke, Honda Hirotaro, Duncan, Takeda Tetsuya, Kusabue Mitsuko, Matsumoto Toshio, Matsuoka Mayu, Kazama Toru, Otomo Kohei, Sasano Takashi, Tachi Hiroshi
Synopsis: Takahashi Korekiyo (Odagiri Joe) demonstrated his economic policy skills while he was the Minister of Finance and was called the Keynes of Japan. He was born in the tumultuous period when the Shogunate ended, and went to America to study at 13. After he returned to Japan, he built his career in occupations such as an English teacher and government bureaucrat. But he got involved in a failed Peruvian silver mine venture and became penniless. After that, he was approached by the governor of the Bank of Japan, Kawada Koichiro, and joined the Bank of Japan. He battled all sorts of difficulties with original ideas and optimism. During the Russo-Japanese War, he succeeded in raising foreign debt which should be called “divine grace”. He became the governor of the Bank of Japan, Prime Minister and seven-time finance minister.
Kobayashi Ichizo ~ Yume to Saroban
Scriptwriter: Morishita Yoshiko (Tenno no Ryoriban, Tonbi, Jin Series)
Cast: Abe Sadao, Takimoto Miori, Inoue Yoshio, Okuda Eiji
Synopsis: Kobayashi Ichizo (Abe Sadao) established Hankyu Electric Railway, Hanshin Department Store and the Takarazuka Revue with innovative methods and created business models that are still applicable today. A school dropout who aspired to be a novelist, he had been a bank employee. Then he met a teacher in business and in life. This made him aware of the appeal of business, and he grew a lesser electric railway into a big corporation through through creative ways. He was a man who cherished dreams to the end.
Oni to Yobareta Otoko ~ Matsunaga Yasuzaemon
Scriptwriter: Ikehata Shunsaku (Saka no Ue no Kumo Series, Boku no Imouto)
Cast: Yoshida Kotaro, Ito Ran, Hagiwara Masato, Kunimura Jun, Ujiki Tsuyoshi, Kunihiro Tomiyuki, Iwamatsu Ryo, Tsukuda Norihiko, Ito Shiro, Takashima Masanobu, Takagawa Yuya, Riju Go, Otake Makoto, Fujiki Takashi, Takarada Akira, Yamada Jundai, Ando Tamae, Patrick Harlan, Yoshimi Kazutoyo, Kushida Kazuyoshi
Synopsis: Matsunaga Yasuzaemon (Yoshida Kotaro) was a man called “Electricity Monster”. The post-war recovery and high economic growth serve as the basis for him to achieve the breakup and privatisation of the electricity business. As a follower of Fukuzawa Yukichi, he inherited the spirit of independence, self-respect and the people. He rose up alone from the ruins of the war. It was the fight of an unconventional, stubborn old man over 70 with an indomitable will. Minister of Trade and Industry Ikeda Hayato (Takashima Masanobu) admired Matsunaga like a father while Prime Ministers Yoshida Shigeru (Ito Shiro) and Konoe Fumimaro (Riju Go), Shirasu Jiro (Takagawa Yuya) and others were in awe of his unfathomable passion.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/dsp/keisei
Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san
Date: From 11.40 p.m., Saturdays, 27 June 2015
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriters: Kyuma Ayumu, Aso Kumiko (Yami no Bansosha, Zannenna Otto, Kazoko no Urajijou)
Original Work: Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san by Narumi Naru
Genre: Food
Cast: Hayami Akari, Miyama Karen, Furuhata Seika, Ono Yutaka, Tanaka Hideki, Muramatsu Toshifumi
Synopsis: Koizumi-san (Hayami Akari), a cool, beautiful high school student of few words, is in fact a ramen expert who seeks and tries out delicious ramen with gusto every day.
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/ramen_koizumi
Preview: Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san CM
Busu to Yaju
Date: From 11.40 p.m., Saturdays, 1 August 2015
Station: Fuji TV
Scriptwriters: Sakamoto Emi, Murai Masaya
Genre: Love comedy
Cast: Yamoto Yuma, Yui P, Aizawa Rina, Narita Ryo, Morishita Daichi, Okarina
Synopsis: Nakata Kenta (Yamoto Yuma) and Shinohara Sachie (Yui P) are ugly second-year university students who have never had a significant other before. They have lamentable looks which make a strong impact. What they have in common is that they both go for attractive people while being blind to their own looks. This ugly pair ends up falling in love with each other’s good friends. The ugly Kenta and beastly Sachie work together to develop strategies from the encounter to becoming the significant other of the handsome guy (Narita Ryo) and beautiful girl (Aizawa Rina), and put these into practice … … It is a hard fight for them.
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/busutoyaju
Napoleon no Mura
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Sundays, 19 July 2015
Station: TBS
Original Work: Roma Houou ni Kome o Tabesaseta Otoko Kaso no Mura o Sukutta Super Koumuin wa Nani o Shita ka by Takano Josen
Cast: Karasawa Toshiaki, Aso Kumiko, Yamamoto Koji, Muro Tsuyoshi, Iwamatsu Ryo, Hoshida Hidetoshi, Nagase Tasuku, Yamashita Kenjiro, Hamano Kenta, Hashimoto Manami, Mizutani Kaho, Senga Yukiko, Yoshida Yuki, Kajiwara Takuto, Urashima Koji, Issey Ogata, Sawamura Ikki
Synopsis: Asai Eiji (Karasawa Toshiaki) is an employee of the Tokyo metropolitan government and rather well-known within the government office. As a government official with the role of shaping Japan’s future, he focuses attention on underpopulated areas called marginal villages and decides to revitalise Kagura Village in Hoshikawa City, Tokyo which is on the verge of ceasing to exist. Kagura Village is one of more than 10,000 marginal villages in Japan. Half of the villagers are over 65 and their average annual income is 870,000 yen. Asai speaks of successive villages seeking revival by creating value that only the locality would have. He is certain that Kagura Village has something great too and declares that they will definitely figure it out. His childhood friend and management consultant, Togawa Makoto (Yamamoto Koji), gives a strained laugh in response. Asai goes alone to Kagura Village at the western end of the Tokyo metropolis and attempts to mobilise municipal personnel who fear rocking the boat and villagers who have given up on a revival because of the ageing population.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/Napoleon_no_mura
Preview: Napoleon no Mura CM
Aru Hi, Ahiru Bus
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 5 July 2015
Station: NHK BS Premium
Scriptwriters: Yamamuro Yukiko, Yokota Rie (Soko o Nantoka Series, Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai, Otto no Kanojo), Kanome Keiko
Original Work: Aru Hi, Ahiru Bus by Yamamoto Yukihisa
Genre: Occupational
Cast: Fujiwara Norika, Triendl Reina, Yamashita Kenjiro, Aoyama Noriko, Kataoka Ainosuke, Hakamada Yoshihiko, Nakamura Tomoya, Nomura Masumi, Akizuki Narumi, Kido Airi, Komatsu Mizuki, Yanagi Yurina, Hashimoto Tenka, Kimura Midoriko
Synopsis: 40-year-old Asakura Hazuki (Fujiwara Norika) works for a big publishing company and is the editor of the female magazine ‘Us’. However, the magazine is discontinued. Hazuki’s contract with the publishing company is not renewed and she ends up losing her job. To make matters worse, she breaks up with Kosuke (Yamashita Kenjiro), her boyfriend of seven years, and is pressed for the loan on designer goods which she bought on a spree. At 40, Hazuki is on the verge of losing everything. At that moment, she happens to get scouted to be a bus guide on Ahiru Bus, a city sightseeing tour which she has boarded. She is plunged into the completely foreign world of female bus guides. Hazuki aims to turn her life around as she as she journeys around a rapidly changing Tokyo.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/pd/ahirubus
Preview: Aru Hi, Ahiru Bus CM
Shi no Zouki
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 12 July 2015
Station: WOWOW
Scriptwriters: Takayama Naoya (Tokumei Tantei Series, Again!!, Seinaru Kaibutsutachi), Suzuki Satoshi (Tokusou, Doku Poison)
Original Work: Shi no Zouki by Asano Ryo
Genre: Medical suspense
Cast: Koizumi Kotaro, Toyohara Kosuke, Konishi Manami, Ogi Shigemitsu, Kawano Naoki, Niizuma Seiko, Shiba Toshio, Takeda Tetsuya
Synopsis: Numazaki Kyota (Koizumi Kotaro), a director of a company which produces TV programmes, discovers a dead female body. A forensic autopsy determines that she froze to death. However, it also turns out that one of her kidneys has been removed. On the other hand, a patient at Hino Hospital has been receiving dialysis. Her body is approaching its limits and her daughter beseeches the attending physician, Hino Seiichiro (Takeda Tetsuya), to transplant her own kidney to her mother. But Hino adamantly refuses. Meanwhile, an injured man and woman are taken to a hospital. The hospital director, Ota Isamu, (Ogi Shigemitsu) notices that a kidney transplant had been done between them from their respective surgery scars. Then he learns that the kidney was purchased with money and notifies the police. Hino, who was the surgeon, is asked by the police to come voluntarily for questioning. This news spurs Numazaki to make the decision to go on gathering materials on the connection between the dead body that he found and the organ trade. He soon starts to get close to the darkness in medical treatment.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/zouki
Preview: Shi no Zouki CM
Ishi no Mayu
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 16 August 2015
Station: WOWOW
Scriptwriter: Watanabe Kensaku
Original Work: Ishi no Mayu Keishichou Satsujin Bunsekihan by Asami Kazushi
Genre: Investigative
Cast: Kimura Fumino, Aoki Munetaka, Watanabe Ikkei, Hira Takehiro, Kitami Toshiyuki, Koyanagi Yu, Furukawa Yuki, Kanno Misuzu, Danta Yasunori, Nakamura Toru
Synopsis: The body of a person who died an unnatural death is discovered encased in mortar like concrete in the basement of an abandoned building. Why was the person murdered this way? The next day, the investigation task force receives a phone call from the criminal, who calls himself Tremi, during a meeting to discuss the investigation of the case. Then, in a short time after her transfer to the First Investigative Division, Kisaragi Toko (Kimura Fumino) becomes the negotiator. Tremi mocks and provokes the police while offering hints regarding the murder. A second murder soon occurs just as Tremi had warned. The victim’s head is covered with concrete as they had expected. What is the criminal’s motive and why is the criminal fixated with concrete? The criminal’s surprising actual target soon emerges … …
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/dramaw/mayu
Preview: Ishi no Mayu Teaser
Death Note
Date: From 10.30 p.m., Sundays, 5 July 2015
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Izumi Yoshihiro (Gokuaku Ganbo, Kurokouchi, Tokkan)
Original Work: Death Note by Obata Takeshi
Genre: Detective, sci-fi thriller
Cast: Kubota Masataka, Yamazaki Kento, Yuki Mio, Sano Hinako, Fujiwara Reiko, Seki Megumi, Maeda Goki, Yuge Tomohisa, Hankai Kazuaki, Sato Jiro, Matsushige Yutaka
Synopsis: One day, the god of death drops a notebook in the human world where it is picked up by Yagami Light (Kubota Masataka). It is the notebook of death that will determine people’s deaths. Once a name is written in the notebook, that person will die instantly.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/drama-deathnote
Preview: Death Note CM
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