It has been announced that Arno Nakanishi of the idol group Nogizaka46 will be appearing in "Aku no Hana" (Thursdays at midnight), which will begin airing on TV Tokyo's new drama slot on April 9th. She will play the key character Tokiwa Aya, who appears in the high school arc. Nakanishi, who debuted as a 5th generation member of Nogizaka46 in 2022, will be appearing in her first terrestrial drama.
The drama is based on the popular manga by Oshimi Shuzo, which was serialized in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine (Kodansha) from 2009 to 2014. It has been adapted into a TV anime, a film, and a stage play, and the total number of copies of the comics, including the digital version, has exceeded 3.25 million. It is a dramatic coming-of-age story depicting the "out-of-control" behavior of adolescent boys and girls, and will be made into a live-action film starring Suzuki Fuku and Ano-san, also known as "Ano-chan."
One day, Takao Kasuga (Suzuki), a second-year junior high school student who feels trapped every day, impulsively steals the gym clothes of his crush, Nanako Saeki, a classmate he admires. This is seen by the class's troublemaker, Sawa Nakamura (Ano), who offers him a "contract" in exchange for keeping it a secret. Kasuga, who is now under Nakamura's control, finds himself at the mercy of her perverse demands, and as he experiences despair, his own identity begins to crumble.
Nakanishi plays Fumi, a girl Kasuga meets in high school. She has a bright personality, many friends, and is the center of attention for the boys, but she also reminds us of Nakamura in some ways. Time has stopped during the days she spent with Nakamura, and she is an important presence who helps Kasuga come to terms with the darkness in his heart and gradually helps him regain his color.
Nakanishi commented, "The painful and depressing yet exhilarating adolescence depicted in this work is embarrassing, but it reminds me of something I can relate to myself. I believe the characters in this work live on in everyone's hearts," and added, "I am very happy to have been able to play Tokiwa Aya this time. This is a work that conveys the passion of everyone involved. Please be sure to watch it."
To commemorate the drama adaptation, author Oshimi has also released an illustration of Nakanishi's character Fumi, who he drew for the series. Nakanishi expressed his joy, saying, "I am so happy that Oshimi-sensei was able to draw it for me! Tokiwa Fumi's brightness and shadows look so three-dimensional, and the days I lived in the story come back to me as if they were yesterday. Thank you for the wonderful illustration!"
It was also announced that Nanako Saeki, Kasuga's classmate whom he admired in junior high school, will be played by Manami Igashira, and Ai Kinoshita, Saeki's best friend, will be played by Chihiro Sudo. It was also revealed that Tomoharu Hasegawa will play Kasuga's father, Tetsuo, Noriko Nakagoshi will play his mother, Shizue, Mahiru Konno will play Nanako's mother, Mayumi, Keisuke Horibe will play Sawa's father, Kazuyuki, and Akiko Hinagata will play Sawa's mother, Shino.
The drama will consist of 12 episodes. It will be broadcast on BS TV Tokyo every Wednesday at midnight from April 15th, and will also be available exclusively in Asia on Disney's official video streaming service, Disney+, after each episode has aired.
