"Drama Week" summarizes the main drama news of the week. This week (March 7-13), the highlights included the annual "baton-passing" ceremony for NHK's morning drama series, and the start of "Borderless: Wide-Area Mobile Investigation Team," starring Tao Tsuchiya and Shori Sato of "timelesz," on Asadora 8th. This will be covered in two parts.
On March 10th, the 112th episode of the NHK Asadora drama series "Bakebake " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8am, etc.), starring Akari Takaishi , was broadcast. Viewers expressed their sorrow at the transformation of Nishikori ( Ryo Yoshizawa). In the episode, Heaven (Tommy Bastow) visits Nishikori's house and calls out at the gate, "Nishikori-san! Who is it?" Nishikori opens the front door and appears, looking extremely thin, and Heaven cannot hide his shock. Heaven extends his hand and says, "It's been a long time," but Nishikori does not shake his hand and invites him inside. On social media, comments included, "It's painful to see... It's so painful to see Nishikori-san...", "I was surprised that Nishikori-san was thinner than I imagined, and I was like, 'Oh... (Ryo Yoshizawa...)'", and "His voice was so weak and hoarse..."
On the 10th, the final episode (episode 8) of NHK's "Drama 10 'Themis's Uncertain Courtroom'" (NHK General, Tuesdays at 10pm), starring Kenichi Matsuyama, aired, and Matsuyama, who plays the protagonist, Assistant Judge Kiyoharu Ando, captivated viewers with a monologue lasting over six minutes. It was the day of the resolution to request a retrial. After Assistant Judge Ochiai (Yuri Tsunematsu) declared in a resolute tone, "The truth must be revealed," Ando began to speak, saying, "All the words that are in my heart right now..." Comments on social media included, "Every word Ando spoke pierced my heart. Kenichi Matsuyama, it's amazing, even though it's a bit late to say this," and "Ando's six-minute single-take monologue. Kenichi Matsuyama didn't just memorize his lines, he spoke as 'Kiyoharu Ando'."
On the 11th, it was revealed that the drama "Borderless ~Wide Area Mobile Investigation Unit~," starring Tao Tsuchiya and Shori Sato of "timelesz," will begin airing on April 8th in TV Asahi's Wednesday 9pm "Sui9" slot. The drama is a completely original work with a script by Ryoichi Kimizuka, known for the "Odoru Daisōsasen" and "Kyōjō" series (both on Fuji TV), and is said to be an unprecedented police drama set in a "speeding investigation headquarters" in a truck. Kinya Kitaōji and Yoshihiko Inohara, who have been active in the "Sui9" slot, a familiar time slot for police dramas, will also appear. Seven detectives from the mobile investigation unit, which the National Police Agency has begun operating on a trial basis, drive trucks that serve multiple roles such as investigation headquarters, interrogation rooms, detention facilities, and disaster relief supply transport vehicles, speeding to crime scenes.
On the 11th, it was announced that Shiro Ito will appear in the NHK Saturday drama "Owakare Hospital 2". Ito, currently 88 years old, will play Masasuke Anzai, a 100-year-old former prefectural assembly member. He is a character who suffers from drowsiness and partial dementia and has been rapidly deteriorating in the past few weeks. Anzai is always surrounded by his family and former supporters and appears to be a gentle person, but he makes a request to nurse Ayumi Henmi (Yukino Kishii)... Ito commented, "At 88 years old, I was offered the role of a hospitalized patient who loves to give speeches. Of course I accepted it, because it sounds interesting. Interactions with the young doctor, conflicts with the patient in the next bed, etc. Please watch it!"
On the 12th, it was announced that Anne Nakamura will appear as the heroine in the new drama series "Reborn ~The Last Hero~" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 9 PM), starring Issei Takahashi, which will begin airing on April 14th. This will be the first time the two have worked together. Nakamura will play Sarasa Iketani, the only daughter of a printing factory owner in a shopping district and the fiancée of Hideto Nomoto (Takahashi). She was at the height of happiness after Hideto proposed to her, but Hideto goes into cardiac arrest in an unexpected accident. At that moment, Mitsunori Neo (also played by Takahashi), the president of an IT company, is reincarnated and Hideto comes back to life. Sarasa is unaware of the reincarnation and stays by Hideto's side, but in the world before Mitsunori's reincarnation, she lost her father to suicide after he was driven to desperation by Mitsunori.
On the 12th, Hiroki Hasegawa appeared at a preview screening of the special historical drama "Nemuri Kyoshiro" (NHK General, March 24th, 10pm) held at the NHK Broadcasting Center in Shibuya, Tokyo. Hasegawa, who is starring in an NHK drama for the first time since the 2020 Taiga drama "Kirin ga Kuru," said, "I once said to someone at NHK, 'If I do a Asadora and a Taiga drama, I wonder if they'll call me for a while,' and they said, 'That's true' (laughs). I'm so happy to be called back like this." Hasegawa, who has always liked "Nemuri Kyoshiro," said he accepted the offer "without hesitation," but confessed, "I'm 49 years old now. I felt that playing this role at the age of 49 was quite tough (laughs)."
On the 13th, a "baton-passing" ceremony for the NHK Asadora drama series was held at the NHK Broadcasting Center in Shibuya, Tokyo. Ai Mikami Akari Takaishi , the star of the currently airing " Bakebake ," and Mikami Ai and Juri Kosaka , who will co-star in " Kaze,Kaoru, " which starts on March 30th, were in attendance. Tommy Bastow , who played the husband of the protagonist Toki in " Bakebake ," also came to exchange gifts. Takaishi presented Mikami and Uesaka with a scarf dyed with peonies from Matsue City, where " Bakebake" is set, a scarf spun with the weaving that supported Toki's life, and fans made of Izumo folk craft paper with their names written in their respective image colors. In return, Mikami and Uesaka presented Takaishi with a drawstring bag made of Kurobane indigo dye and Ozeki kumihimo, traditional crafts from Tochigi Prefecture, the hometown of Ozeki Kazu, the inspiration for Mikami's character Rin, and a Yokohama scarf, referencing the fact that Uesaka's character Naomi grew up in a church in Yokohama.
