Boogie Woogie
Date: From Fall 2023
Station: NHK
Scriptwriter: Adachi Shin (Hirowareta Otoko, Nusumareta Kao, Itsuka de Tiffany de Choshoku o)
Directors: Fukui Mitsuhiro, Futami Daisuke, Izunami Takamasa
Cast: Shuri, Yanagiba Toshiro, Mizukawa Asami, Tsubasa Kazuki, Shimizu Kurumi, Katayama Yuki, Ihara Rikka, Kikuchi Rinko
Synopsis: The poster girl of a small public bath in an Osaka neighbourhood around the end of the Taisho period, Hanada Suzuko (Shuri) loves singing and dancing. Wanting to make everyone smile through song and dance, she decides to join a newly established musical theatre troupe in Dotonbori. Suzuko practices hard and stands out with her outstanding singing talent. In 1938, she moves up to Tokyo where an encounter with a popular songwriter dramatically alters her destiny. Under his guidance, she becomes popular as the Queen of Swing. But when World War II begins, Suzuko’s situation drastically changes. The songs she had sung are considered the enemy’s music and her singing and dancing are severely restricted. Adding to her troubles, her younger brother is sent to the warfront and their mother Tsuya (Mizukawa Asami) dies of illness. Suzuko falls in love with a young man and they make a commitment to get married. But his family is dead set against their union. By the time the war ends after Japan’s surrender, Suzuko is pregnant with his child. However, he falls ill and she cannot see him. In the final month of her pregnancy, she receives word of his passing. Several days later, Suzuko gives birth to a baby girl. She raises their child on her own while singing on stage. Tokyo Boogie Woogie is born at this time. Bright and natural Suzuko shows her charm, singing with all she has got. This singing voice resounds across the country which has been blighted by the war. She becomes known as the Queen of Boogie and rapidly rises to be a huge star.
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Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Ooku Season 2 (2023) ~ Iryou-hen*UPDATED*
Date: From Fall 2023
Station: NHK
Original Work: Ooku by Yoshinaga Fumi
Scriptwriter: Morishita Yoshiko (Ooku Season 1 (2023), Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita, Gibou to Musume no Blues Series)
Directors: Ohara Taku, Suenaga So, Kawano Hideaki, Kimura Takafumi
Cast: Matsushita Yuki, Adachi Yumi, Okamoto Keito
Synopsis: During the reign of the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, a strange disease called “red-faced smallpox” spreads throughout Japan. It is a terrifying illness that only infects young men and leads to death in a few days. Without a method to manage and cure smallpox, the male population drops sharply to a quarter of the female population. As a result, the country’s social structure is dramatically changed. Males are raised as rare stallions while females replace the males as the labour force. Various family businesses are now handed down from female to female. Even at Edo Castle, the role of the shogun is passed on to a female after Tokugawa Iemitsu’s death. As a symbol of the shogun’s power, the inner palace founded by his wet nurse Kasuga no Tsubone keeps these rare males, creating a world with 3,000 handsome men.
Website: –
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Related: Ooku Season 1 (2023)