Come, Come Everybody
Date: From 8.00 a.m., Mondays – Saturdays, second half 2021
Station: NHK
Genre: Comedy
Scriptwriter: Fujimoto Yuki (Mi o Tsukushi Ryouricho Series, Meoto Zenzai, Taira no Kiyomori)
Directors: Adachi Mojiri, Hashizume Shinichiro, Fukagawa Takashi, Matsuoka Kazushi
Cast: Kamishiraishi Mone, Fukatsu Eri, Kawaei Rina, Matsumura Hokuto, Murakami Nijiro, Komoto Masahiro, Hamada Gaku, Nishida Naomi, Washio Machio, Owada Shinya, Ono Karin, Asagoe Goe, Danta Yasunori, Okada Yui, YOU, Sada Masahi, Murasame Tatsumasa, Sera Masanori, Maeno Tomoya, Konno Mahiru, Horibe Keisuke, Tokui Yu, Iwai Midori, Nishikawa Kanoko, Takei So
Synopsis: The first radio broadcast in Japan started in 1925. On that day, a girl named Yasuko is born to a family (Komoto Masahiro, Nishida Naomi) that owned a Japanese-style confectionary shop at a shopping street in Okayama. She (Kamishiraishi Mone) grows up wishing that the family would continue to be happy forever. But Yasuko loses her husband in the war and has no choice but to leave her daughter Rui and go to America. Rui (Fukatsu Eri) hates her parents and English but is saved by jazz songs and builds a life for herself in Osaka from the 1950s. Rui’s daughter Hinata (Kawaei Rina) in Kyoto from the mid-1960s adores the world of period dramas but finds a place where she can be herself through the English language programme on the radio after going a long way round. As Yasuko, Rui and Hinata listen to English lessons over the radio, it opens the door to their dreams in a story spanning the Showa, Heisei and Reiwa eras.
Website: –
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Kinnikuman ~ The Lost Legend
Date: October 2021
Network: WOWOW
Genre: Documentary drama
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriter: Takemura Takeshi (Sado, Kono Manga ga Sugoi!, Yamada Takayuki no Tokyo-to Kita-ku Akabane)
Director: Matsue Tetsuaki
Cast: Maeda Gordon
Synopsis: It is November 2019 and Muscleman, the live-action movie adaptation and production of the manga series about national hero Kinnikuman, is underway. Before this, it had been said that the manga series was impossible to make into a movie. Furthermore, it becomes an ambitious plan to develop a trilogy consisting of 7-nin Akuma Chojin-hen, Kogane no Mask-hen and Kinniku Oui Soudatsu-hen. However, the day before the long-awaited press conference on the production of the movie, the production team faces sudden problems. At the same time, the actor Maeda Gordon (Maeda Gordon), who is training at the gym, is contacted by the producer of Muscleman who wants him to star in the movie as Warsman. Maeda is genuinely happy to receive this offer but there is a hidden “past” to this movie adaptation. With the help of his splendid co-stars, he begins to investigate the mysterious phenomenon related to the adaptation of Kinnikuman. Will Maeda be able to get to the truth of the hidden “mystery” and will it be possible to adapt the movie that no one has been able to do before?
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/drama/original/kinnikuman
Twitter: twitter.com/drama_wowow
Koi desu! Yankee-kun to Hakujo Garu*NEW*
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Wednesdays, October 2021
Station: NTV
Genre: Love comedy
Original Work: Koi desu! Yankee-kun to Hakujo Garu by Uoyama
Scriptwriter: Matsuda Yuko (Renai Mangaka, Seigi no Se, Tokyo Tarareba Musume Series)
Directors: Uchida Hidemi, Kariyama Shunsuke
Cast: Sugisaki Hana
Synopsis: Akaza Yukiko (Sugisaki Hana), a third-year high school student with amblyopia, can faintly see light and colours and recognise large characters if she uses a magnifying glass. She always has a white cane when she walks outdoors. Although she is strong-minded and has a sharp tongue, she is timid in romance. One day, Yukiko happens to meet a delinquent called Kurokawa Morio who is quick to pick a fight but has a pure heart. At first, Yukiko treats him coldly. However, she is gradually drawn to his straightforward nature.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/yangaru
Twitter: twitter.com/koidesu_ntv
Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko Season 7
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Thursdays, October 2021
Station: TV Asahi
Genre: Medical
Scriptwriter: Nakazono Miho (Haken no Hinkaku Series, Doctor X Series, Dr Rintaro)
Directors: Tamura Naoki, Yamada Hayato
Cast: Yonekura Ryoko, Uchida Yuki, Endo Kenichi, Katsumura Masanobu, Suzuki Kosuke, Kishibe Ittoku, Nishida Toshiyuki
Synopsis: As medical systems across the world collapse due to the pandemic, Japan’s top university hospital, Totei University Hospital, faces a difficult situation. The hospital makes the decision to give highest priority to treating infections and internal medicine, and postponing any non-essential surgeries. The department of surgery which was once the hospital’s star gets shoved to a branch hospital in a separate building. The department of internal medicine is seen gaining prominence. Daimon Michiko (Yonekura Ryoko) comes back to Totei University Hospital into the swirl of the pandemic crisis and a new power struggle. She remains calm even in a workplace that is like a war zone as she strives to save the lives of the people in front of her but … … What did Michiko do and where did she go in the last two years? And who is the new enemy standing in her way this time?
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/doctor-x
Twitter: twitter.com/DoctorX_tvasahi
Related: Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko Season 5
Shinigami-san
Date: From 12.00 a.m., Fridays, 17 September 2021
Network: Hulu
Genre: Investigative
Episodes: 6
Original Work: Shinigami-san by Okura Takahiro
Scriptwriter: Watanabe Yusuke (Talio, dele, Rental Kyuuseishu)
Directors: Tsutsumi Yukihiko, Fujiwara Tomoyuki, Inatome Takeshi
Cast: Tanaka Kei, Maeda Atsuko
Synopsis: Detective Gido Kennin (Tanaka Kei) specialises in reinvestigations, and is the most shunned and loathed person at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He carries around a name card with no department written on it and takes pleasure in uncovering cases where the police created false charges. Gido reveals the negligence of the police such as mistakes in initial investigations and cover ups, reconsidering the testimonies and evidence from these cases to discover the real criminals. He hates it if people escape punishment and in order to prevent this from happening, he makes all other sacrifices. It is said that no one will be happy after Gido’s investigations, and this has earned him the nickname “grim reaper”.
Website: www.hulu.jp/static/shinigamisan
Twitter: twitter.com/shinigami_Hulu
Rasen no Meikyuu ~ DNA Kagaku Sousa
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Fridays, October 2021 (Original date: April 2020)
Station: TV Tokyo
Genre: Mystery
Original Work: Rasen no Meikyuu ~ Idenshi Sousa by Natsu Midori
Scriptwriters: Kuroiwa Tsutomu (Banjo no Himawari, Grand Maison Tokyo, Kizoku Tantei), Sakai Masaaki (Cold Case Season 2, Yakubyougami Series, Aogeba Toutoshi), Fukuda Teppei (In Hand)
Director: Iwamoto Hitoshi
Theme Song: Stay Gold by BTS
Cast: Tanaka Kei, Yasuda Ken, Kurashina Kana, Nakata Keisuke, Watanabe Ikkei, Matsuzaka Keiko
Synopsis: Jinbo Jin (Tanaka Kei) is a DNA expert who is an associate professor of a genome analysis lab at a university’s faculty of medicine. His interest lies in creating a personal DNA database. One day, a murder takes place in Tokyo and an ‘X’ mark is found on the dead body. Detective Ando Genji (Yasuda Ken) who was supposed to be in charge of the case, is dropped due to the high probability that the criminal is the same serial murderer whom his own wife fell victim to. And so Ando secretly asks Jinbo for help. However, Jinbo has completely no interest in solving the case. Ando finds himself confounded by Jinbo’s totally unexpected words and behaviour. But the two of them gradually learn to get along and their DNA investigation discovers a “signature” that was not even picked up by the investigation headquarters. Meanwhile, serial killer X commits yet another murder … …
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/rasen
Twitter: twitter.com/tx_kin8
Nigatsu no Shousha ~ Zettai Goukaku no Kyoushitsu
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, October 2021 (Original date: July 2020)
Station: NTV
Scriptwriter: Naruse Katsuo (Chiisana Kyojin, Kiraware Matsuko no Isshou)
Original Work: Nigatsu no Shousha ~ Zettai Goukaku no Kyoushitsu
Genre: School
Cast: Yagira Yuya, Inoue Mao, Kato Shigeaki
Synopsis: Kuroki Kurodo (Yagira Yuya), an outstanding cram school teacher from the largest cram school for middle school entrance exams in the industry, is welcomed as the headmaster of a mid-size cram school which has been performing poorly. He causes a stir with extreme words and conduct, constantly overwhelming the people around him. “Middle school exams are paid games”, “Parents are the sponsors” “A father’s financial resources and mother’s lunacy are what makes a child pass the exams”. Kuroki is an ultra realist and speaks his mind. However, he quickly declares to all the new sixth grade students that he will make them get into their school of first choice. While Kuroki labels a cram school as a place which sells children’s future, he is able to understand the true nature of each student and also ease parental anxieties. Sakura Mai (Inoue Mao), a newly hired teacher at the cram school, is repulsed by his remarks and instructions. However, she is always no match for him.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/2gatsu
Twitter: twitter.com/2gatsu_ntv
Nihon Chinbotsu ~ Kibou no Hito
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Sundays, October 2021
Station: TBS
Genre: Sci-fi
Original Work: Nihon Chinbotsu by Komatsu Sakyo
Scriptwriter: Hashimoto Hiroshi (Legal V, Shukatsu Kazoku, Risk no Kamisama)
Director: –
Cast: Oguri Shun, Matsuyama Kenichi, Anne, Nakamura Toru, Kagawa Teruyuki
Synopsis: It is the year 2023 in Tokyo. The young prime minister Higashiyama Eiichi (Nakamura Toru) makes a further push for COMS at an international conference on the environment. COMS liquifies pollutants and collects it in the gaps in the layers of the seabed. In addition, he sets up a council for the promotion of Japan’s future which brings together outstanding young bureaucrats from various ministries and agencies to look ahead to the country’s future. Amami Keishi (Oguri Shun) from the Ministry of the Environment and Tokiwa Koichi (Matsuyama Kenichi) from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are selected to be members of this council. Meanwhile, Tadokoro Yusuke (Kagawa Teruyuki), a former Tokyo University professor and maverick in Japan’s geophysics community, publishes an article in a weekly magazine to warn about the possibility that the Kanto region will sink. As a result of this article, several groups carry out demonstrations. Amami meets Tadokoro in a bid to resolve the situation. However, Tadokoro refuses to listen to him. He instead makes an ominous prediction that in the near future, the islands off Izu Peninsula will sink and that will be a precursor to the sinking of the Kanto region. Around the same time, Amami is confronted by Shiina Minori (Anne), a journalist from a weekly magazine called Sunday Maichou, about groundless allegations of collusion between D Plans, a company in the environmental business, and the Ministry of the Environment. Despite the tinge of anxiety that he feels, Amami goes out scuba diving with Tokiwa. However, he encounters a shocking incident … …
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/nihon_chinbotsu_tbs
Twitter: twitter.com/NCkibou_tbs
Solomon no Gishou
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 3 October 2021
Network: WOWOW
Genre: Mystery
Episodes: 8
Original Work: Solomon no Gishou by Miyabe Miyuki
Scriptwriter: Shinozaki Eriko (Influence, Ryu no Michi, Saka no Tochuu no Ie)
Director: Gonno Hajime
Cast: Kamishiraishi Moka, Miyazawa Hio, Yamamoto Maika, Ukisho Hidaka, Nomura Yuki, Bando Ryota, Motola Serena, Tomita Miu, Sakai Maki, Nishida Naomi, Shinohara Yukiko, Hashimoto Jun, Tanaka Tetsushi, Takashima Masahiro, Kobayashi Kaoru
Synopsis: On the morning of Christmas, Fujino Ryoko (Kamishiraishi Moka) finds her classmate Kashiwagi Takuya (Nomura Yuki) dead in the snow-covered grounds of their high school. While the police and the high school conclude that he had committed suicide, Ryoko receives an anonymous letter accusing a classmate Oide Shunji (Bando Ryota) of being the culprit. Was Takuya’s death a suicide or a murder? Speculation regarding his death from a fall mounts in the mass media as well as social media. Even though the school’s principal Tsuzaki Masao (Kobayashi Kaoru) tries to return things to normal, another death happens. They are a series of inexplicable events. Disagreeing with the responses of the adults, Ryoko and Kanbara Kazuhiko (Miyazawa Hio), a mysterious student from another school, rise up and decide that they will have their own trial. This is the beginning of an unprecedented trial in school.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/drama/original/solomon
Twitter: twitter.com/drama_wowow
Ikite, Futatabi Hogoshi Fukaya Zensuke
Date: From Sundays, Fall 2021
Station: NHK BS Premium
Episodes: 8
Scriptwriter: Hisamatsu Shinichi (64, Kinpika, Themis no Kyuukei)
Directors: Fujii Yuya, Hatsuyama Yasuhiro
Cast: Tachi Hiroshi, Renbutsu Misako, Maya Miki, Asaoka Ruriko
Synopsis: Fukaya Zensuke (Tachi Hiroshi) was a teacher for many years and chose to become a probation officer for the second phase of his life. Eight months into this new role, he has been helping people who are about to complete their prison sentence and on parole, to turn over a new leaf and return to society. In fact, Zensuke had been looking for an opportunity to do what he had not finished during his time as a teacher by serving as a probation officer. He gets someone he has never encountered before that does not fit the mold when he is appointed to be the probation officer of Koyama Yuko (Asaoka Ruriko). Yuko was convicted for killing her own child. On the day of her release from prison, Zensuke goes to meet her. However, she does something unexpected that catches him by surprise. What is her true intention and how will Zensuke guide her as a probation officer?
Website: –
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Zenkamono ~ Shinmai Hogoshi Agawa Kayo*UPDATED*
Date: Fall 2021
Network: WOWOW
Genre: Suspense
Original Work: Zenkamono by Kagawa Masahito
Scriptwriter: Kishi Yoshiyuki (Kaitakushatachi)
Director: Kishi Yoshiyuki
Cast: Arimura Kasumi, Ishibashi Shizuka, Daito Shunsuke, Furukawa Kotone
Synopsis: Agawa Kayo (Arimura Kasumi) is an upright young woman who has been part-timing at a convenience store when she gets a job as a volunteer probation officer. A volunteer probation officer is a civil servant who helps rehabilitate juvenile delinquents and criminals but receives no pay. They are simply volunteers with a sense of public spirit. Kayo deals with people such as Saito Midori (Ishibashi Shizuka) who was sentenced to two years for extortion and assault after behaving violently towards an employee; Ishikawa Jiro (Daito Shunsuke) who was given a six-year jail term for killing his older brother but was released on parole after serving six months; and Tamura Tamiko (Furukawa Kotone) who received a suspended sentence for violating the stimulant drugs control act.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/drama/original/zenkamono_drama
Twitter: twitter.com/drama_wowow
Iribito*UPDATED*
Date: November 2021
Network: WOWOW
Genre: Art mystery
Episodes: 5
Original Work: Iribito by Harada Maha
Scriptwriter: Seki Hisayo (30 Kin)
Director: Hagiwara Kentaro
Cast: Takahata Mitsuki, Kazama Shunsuke, Sumire, Moriguchi Yoko, Matsuo Takashi, Makita Sports, So Kazuho, Kiba Katsumi, Sugawara Daikichi, Kaji Meiko, Matsushige Yutaka
Synopsis: Takamura Naho (Takahata Mitsuki) is the deputy curator of the art museum that she took over from her grandfather who was an avid art collector and founded this private museum. She also inherited his eye for beauty. Naho’s husband Kazuki (Kazama Shunsuke) is similarly involved in the world of art as the third-generation owner of an art gallery in Ginza. He loves her and yet he is also jealous of her talent. To get away from the bustle of Tokyo, a pregnant Naho stays in Kyoto for an extended period. While she is there, she comes across a painting by an obscure artist called Shirane Tatsuru (Sumire) who is unable to speak and finds herself strongly attracted to it. Naho learns that Shirane has been deprived of freedom by the artist Shimura Shozan (Matsushige Yutaka) who is influential in the Kyoto art world, and becomes convinced that this is a silent plea. In the course of her pursuit of the painting, Naho gets lured into a world where the desires of its beautiful inhabitants intermingle, and arrives at a certain truth that will change her fate … …
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/drama/original/iribito
Twitter: twitter.com/drama_wowow
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