Chance

Official Website
www.nhk.or.jp/dodra/chance

Broadcast
Saturdays, 9.00 – 9.55 p.m. from 28 August 2010

Station
NHK

Story
“Go!” Aida Sayako yells. The Arima Kinen at the Nakayama racetrack on New Year’s eve is reaching its climax. Her horse ‘Chance’ unbelievably closes in as it rounds the fourth corner. Next to Sayako are her two friends, who had raised ‘Chance’ together and stood with her through hard times. Sayako, who had been a career woman with Ohtori, a stock brokerage, has come this far from the depths of despair because of her encounter with this thoroughbred, ‘Chance’. Her number one client had been driven to suicide because of her loss in a share transaction. Sayako had wandered about in freezing Hokkaido and narrowly escaped death at the stall of the broodmare, ‘Haruko’. Sayako then bought ‘Haruko’, who had saved her life. It is rumoured that the hotshot financier, Fujimoto Kenji, was involved in that share transaction. At the advice of her friend, Kogure Atsushi, she mates ‘Haruko’. And ‘Haruko’ successfully conceives …

Characters
Fujiwara Norika as Aida Sayako
A career woman who works at Ohtori Securities. She gained the confidence of her clients through honest work, but gets involved in a share price manipulation and ends up in dire straits. She wanders about freezing Hokkaido in despair and loses her way, but her encounter with a horse at a breeding farm for thoroughbreds causes a big change in her life.

Ichikawa Kamejiro as Fujimoto Kenji
The head of an investment fund, Tokyo Fund Consulting. He has become the darling financier of the moment because of his genius and cool head. However, he will stop at nothing to win and there are glimpses of this dirty side of him. He stands in Aida Sayako’s way in a business setting as well as in the world of horse racing.

Horibe Keisuke as Kogure Atsushi
The manager of the bar, Allison, and compassionate gay. A faithful friend with whom Aida Sayako can candidly talk about her worries. Because he is a big horse racing fan, he has his own personal view of the world of horses. He has dreamt of being a horse owner for some time, but becomes a joint horse owner with Sayako and stakes his dream on ‘Chance’.

Daichi Yasuo as Terayama Toshio
The owner of a horse breeding farm in Hidaka, Hokkaido. Because of his deep love for race horses, he continues to run the farm even though it is not easy. He hopes that his farm will produce a GI horse one day, but reality is harsh. He kindly accepts Aida Sayako who is a complete novice to horses.

Segawa Ryo as Sakurada Tokio
A jockey at Hokkaido’s Monbetsu racetrack. He had been described as ‘Monbetsu’s Yutaka’ for a time, but he has performed poorly ever since an accident during a race and is troubled by his slump. He is deeply attached to ‘Chance’.

Asano Kazuyuki as Mitsui Takashi
The Managing Director of Ohtori Securities. He is strict about work but is a genial and reasonable person. He had once been a subordinate when Aida Sayako’s father was a board member. He approves of Sayako’s job performance and backs her up. He takes the lead together with her to launch new businesses.

Utsui Ken as Kigawa Senjiro
A well-know horse trader who is a veteran animal trainer at the Chuo Horse Derby and has reared many famous horses. He had spotted ‘Chance’s’ talent since it was a pony. He will soon reach retirement age and this will be the last of his chances as an animal trainer.

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