"Drama Week" summarizes the main drama news of the week. This week (May 23-29), the highlights included Manami Higa taking on her first leading role in a prime-time drama on Nippon Television, and Eiko Koike and Kana Kita Kita becoming partners in the police human drama "Sayonara Noir," which starts on July 7th. This will be covered in two parts.
On May 26th, it was revealed that Manami Higa will star in the NTV Wednesday drama "First Cry: Mother and Child Emergency Medical Team," which will begin airing in July (Wednesdays at 10 PM). This will be Higa's first leading role in a prime-time drama on the network. The story is set in St. Fiona Hospital, one of Japan's most prestigious hospitals. A secretly formed mother and child emergency medical team struggles to protect pregnant women who have nowhere else to go and "new lives." Higa plays Mitsui Aki, an obstetrician with congenital hearing loss in one ear, a self-made specialist who is obsessed with hearing a baby's first cry more than anyone else. She is a highly skilled doctor, but also has a bright and cheerful personality, and "loves delicious food and alcohol." Behind Mitsui's cheerfulness lies the "emotional pain" related to her own birth...
On the 26th, it was revealed that Eiko Koike will star in the Fuji TV Tuesday drama "Sayonara Noir" (Tuesdays at 9 PM), which will begin airing on July 7th. Kana Kita will also appear in the drama. The police human drama follows a former detective and a psychologist who work in the newly established Crime Victim Support Office at the Nishi-Ikebukuro Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, as they support crime victims and their families. Koike will play a former detective in the Organized Crime Countermeasures Unit (which will be renamed the Organized Crime Countermeasures Unit from October 2025), while Kita will play a psychologist who is highly knowledgeable in psychology but struggles with interpersonal communication. Although Koike and Kita have appeared in the same works before, this will be their first time working together in a major role. They will complement each other's shortcomings and work as partners, supporting crime victims with different approaches.
On the 28th, it was revealed that actress Miori Takimoto will star in the drama series "Twisted Sisters," which will air on NHK BS and BS Premium 4K starting in January 2027. The drama is based on the manga of the same name by Kazumi Yamashita, known for "The Life of Professor Yanagisawa" and "Land." Takimoto will play the main character, Rikako Iozumi, a shojo manga artist. The drama will humorously depict the clashes and struggles between two overly eccentric sisters, their small moments of compromise, and the sometimes annoying yet endearing human relationships.
On the 28th, it was revealed that Shunsaku Aoshima, the protagonist played by Yuji Oda, has been assigned to the First Investigation Division, a position he has long desired, in the upcoming film "Odoru Daisōsasen NEW" (directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro, opening September 18th). Furthermore, the subtitle has been decided as "Run Through Metropolis!". The "Odoru Daisōsasen" series, since its television drama debut in 1997, has set itself apart from previous police dramas by depicting the hierarchical structure, power dynamics, and human relationships within the police force, creating a social phenomenon. When the film "Odoru Daisōsasen THE MOVIE" was released in 1998, it became a massive hit, grossing over 10 billion yen at the box office. The second film in the series, "Bayside Shakedown 2: Blockade the Rainbow Bridge!", released in 2003, grossed 17.35 billion yen and reigned as the top-grossing live-action Japanese film for approximately 22 years until it was surpassed by the film "National Treasure" last November.
On the 29th, it was revealed that Yokoyama Yu of "SUPER EIGHT" will star in "Tonight I'm Meeting a Serial Killer Again," the first drama in the new Kansai TV/Fuji TV drama slot "SuiDora★Eleven" (Wednesdays at 11 PM), which starts on July 1st. This will be Yokoyama's sixth time playing a detective and his first leading role in a Fuji TV drama. Yokoyama will play Sergeant Isogai Shiro, a cool lone wolf who doesn't like to get close to people. He was once the ace of the detective division, but after his fiancée disappeared and he became convinced that she was murdered by a serial killer, he was transferred to the community safety division. His partner, Hinata, will be played by Nagisa Sekimizu. She is a "sixth-sense woman" who can see the number of people that a person has killed so far. The two will confront a serial killer who blends into everyday life.
