It has been revealed that actors Jiro Sato and Ai Hashimoto will be starring together in the Fuji TV drama series "Married Couple with Different Surnames Detective" (Tuesdays at 9pm) which will begin airing in April. This will be Sato's first lead role in a primetime drama on a commercial TV station, and he will play a detective who teams up with Hashimoto while keeping their different surnames and hiding the fact that they are married.
The story is set at Numabukuro Police Station in Nakano Ward, Tokyo. Makoto Shimoda (played by Sato) and Asuka Suzuki (played by Hashimoto), who belong to the Criminal Investigation Division, solve cases with their perfect teamwork, but they are secretly married. There is an unspoken rule in the police force that married couples cannot be assigned to the same department, so they are a buddy team with different surnames. At work, the two behave as "simple fellow detectives," but... this is the story.
The original work was planned and conceived by Yasushi Akimoto, scripted by Koichi Yajima (who also worked on the film "Six Lying College Students"), and directed by Ryo Tanaka (who also worked on "The Confidence Man JP"). The first half of the story follows the daily lives of protagonist Makoto Shimoda (played by Sato) and Asuka Suzuki (played by Hashimoto), who work as a buddy team to solve cases while desperately hiding the fact that they are married, as well as the Numabukuro Police Station officers, through comical dialogue, while also depicting their growth as a "family" with their daughter. However, behind the scenes, a series of murders is unfolding. As the story progresses, the incident gradually leads to unpredictable developments that involve the couple's pasts and families, making it a thought-provoking mystery that leads to a shocking conclusion.
Regarding the title of the series, "Detectives with Separate Surnames for Married Couples," producer Ohara Kazutaka explains, "This series is not linked to the so-called selective separate surnames system itself. Nor does it take a stance for or against the system itself. It is simply an abbreviation for 'detectives who are married but continue to work with different surnames, as before.' However, I think it will be meaningful for this drama to raise awareness of the system and the various opinions surrounding it."
The drama "Married Couple with Different Surnames Detective" will start on April 14th and will be broadcast on Fuji TV every Tuesday from 9pm.
◇Comment from Jiro Sato
I appeared in a lot of TV dramas in my 30s and 40s. When I started, the "trendy drama boom" had already passed, and the era of "making a drama would get high ratings" was also over. But even so, the staff and cast worked hard to make the best possible productions within the limited constraints they had. Facing the fate of producing one show after another and then consuming them, TV people have struggled, suffered, and gone through trial and error, both in the past and now. I am proud to have worked with so many TV people and appeared in so many TV dramas.
Although I'm in the lead role this time, I'm not particularly nervous. Lie. I am a little. But I've supported many leading actors up until now. I want to act as well as I can and deliver a good work to everyone. That's my way of repaying the debt I owe to the TV people back then, and it's the only thing I can do together with them, who are probably still struggling, suffering, and repeating trial and error.
◇Comment from Ai Hashimoto
This time, I will be taking part in a mystery disguised as a comedy, a project that I have never tackled head-on before.
Can I create a light, yet comfortable atmosphere for the story? Can I deliver a highly accurate mystery that will allow readers to enjoy thinking about it? How can I make readers grow fond of my relationship with Sato Jiro, whom I've just met, while also being intrigued by it? Whatever difficulties or complex issues arise, I will face them honestly and sincerely.
I truly look forward to each new challenge and to working together with all of you wonderful people in the future.
◇Comment from Yasushi Akimoto, the planner and creator
When the news of "separate surnames for married couples" became a hot topic, I imagined that if two people with different surnames were to work in the same workplace while hiding the fact that they were married, there would be a lot of inconveniences. What if that workplace was the Criminal Investigation Division of a police station? Would they talk about murder cases over a meal at home? I expanded on this fantasy and planned this drama. Starring Sato Jiro and Hashimoto Ai, with a script by Yajima Koichi and directed by Tanaka Ryo, it's bound to be entertaining. Please be sure to watch it in real time."
Comment from producer Kazutaka Ohara (Fuji Television Studio 1)
When I first heard the outline of this project from Akimoto-san, I remember being excited and saying, "This sounds so interesting!" And then, when I found out that two talented actors, Sato Jiro and Hashimoto Ai, would be performing it, I was sure it would be a great project. And, although I can't say anything yet, when the cast that would surround Jiro and Hashimoto came into view, I thought, "I've won!", though I don't know why (laughs).
It's been a lot of fun working with Yajima, who has taken Akimoto's ideas and expanded on both the comedy and suspense/thought-provoking parts to create an original script. I can't imagine anything but interesting conversations with Director Tanaka, with whom I've always wanted to work on a project, about directing plans and so on. We haven't even had a rehearsal yet, but I'm already looking forward to seeing the finished product.
