"Drama Week" summarizes the main drama news of the week. This week (March 21-27), the final episode of "Bakebake" was the talk of the town. We'll cover it in two parts.
On March 24th, it was announced that Kohei Shoji will appear in "The Cheating Husband with 3 Months to Live," which will begin airing on April 24th in TV Asahi's "Friday Night Drama" slot (Fridays at 11:15 PM). He will play Iwasaki Kazuki, a junior colleague who looks up to the protagonist, Kosaka Aoi (played by Shirasu Jin). Shoji's Iwasaki works under Aoi in the urban design department of the major general contractor "Teio Construction." Although he is greatly shocked when Aoi tells him about his illness, he decides to support Aoi as he continues to work while battling the disease. Meanwhile, he also learns about the affair of Aoi's wife, Mizuki. He plays a reliable presence who supports Aoi both professionally and personally when he is feeling down.
On the 24th, the synopsis for the latest installment of NHK's popular drama series "Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe," titled "Kyoka Izumi Won't Be Silent" (to be broadcast on May 4th), was announced, along with the release of an "alternative visual." The visual captures the protagonist, Kyoka Izumi (Marie Iitoyo), with Rohan Kishibe (Issei Takahashi) visible in the background. According to the network, it is "a scene in a cafe that connects to the story." "Kyoka Izumi Won't Be Silent" is the first story in which Kyoka, who is the editor and good partner of the popular manga artist Rohan Kishibe in the "Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe Kishibe" series, takes center stage. It was also announced that Mayu Hotta, Kanichiro, and Jun Hashimoto will be joining the cast. Hotta will play Mika Nishion, a rookie manga artist, Kanichiro will play Mika's twin brother, Soushi, and Hashimoto will play Kyoka's boyfriend, Kansuke.
On the 26th, it was revealed that Ruu Kitazato, who gained attention for her role as a student in the drama series "We Still Don't Know the School Rules of That Planet(Bokuhoshi)" (Kansai TV/Fuji TV), which aired in July last year, will be a regular cast member in the drama series "Error" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sundays at 10:15 PM), which starts on April 12th. "Error" is a human suspense drama starring Mei Hata and Mirai Shida. Kitazato will play Sakura Kondo, the only daughter of a man who was critically injured when he was present at the scene of Mio Osako's (Shida) mother's fall. Carrying her father who is unconscious and her mother in a state of exhaustion, she feels indignant that her own life is also on the brink of collapse, and harbors an unreasonable hatred for Mio's mother, who is the root cause of the problem, and also for Mio herself.
On the 27th, still images were released from the TV Asahi drama "If I Fell in Love with a Terminator" (Saturdays at 11 PM), starring Ryota Miyadate of "Snow Man," which will begin airing on April 4th. The images capture Eita Tokizawa (Miyadate), an android sent from the future to protect the heroine who is being targeted by someone, and others. Because Eita is an android, he doesn't know the feeling of "relaxing," and his default attire is an elegant suit. A photo was also released of Eita sitting cross-legged in front of a hole in the wall, accompanied by the onomatopoeia "Kyoton."
On the 27th, the final episode (episode 125) of the NHK Asadora drama series "Bakebake " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8am, etc.), starring Akari Takaishi , aired, and the last scene became a hot topic. Toki and Heaven sit facing each other in a dark room lit by candles. Toki says, "This is my story, Toki's story," to which Heaven praises her, "Mama, that's wonderful." Toki blows out the candle, and in the dark screen, a casual conversation between the couple plays, bringing the story to a close. The dramatic ending, which connects to the beginning of the first episode (aired September 29, 2025), has led to a flood of praise on social media, with comments such as "It gave me goosebumps," "It was a wonderful, wonderful final episode. Truly a divine script," and "Wow... what a wonderful cyclical structure for a final episode..."
On the 27th, a "viewing party for the final episode" of " Bakebake" was held at NHK Matsue Broadcasting Station (Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture), and Mr. Koizumi Bon, great-grandson of Yakumo Koizumi and director of the Yakumo Koizumi Memorial Museum (Tommy Bastow) dies, the scene in which Toki (Akari Takaishi) begins to talk about her memories of Heaven while struggling with her own feelings made me think that this must have been how Setsu, the model for Toki, truly felt inside." He further explained, "In this drama, the 'walk' mentioned in the theme song lyrics is an important scene, and I've heard that Hearn and Setsu actually often went for walks together, sometimes with their son."
