Haruka no Hikari
Date: From 7.25 p.m., Mondays, 8 February – 8 March 2021
Station: ETV
Episodes: 5
Scriptwriter: Yajima Koichi (Kenkou de Bunkatekina Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu, Aino Kekkon Soudanjo, Busujima Yuriko no Sekirara Nikki)
Directors: Matsubara Hiroshi, Nagasawa Yoshiya
Cast: Kuroshima Yuina, Furutachi Kanji, Issey Ogata (guest star), Shiomi Sansei (guest star), Watanabe Daichi (guest star), Suruga Taro (guest star), Uchida Chika (guest star), Ogawa Tamaki (guest star), Tamaki Sora (guest star), Yamashita Yorie (guest star), Komoto Masahiro (guest star)
Synopsis: Haruka (Kuroshima Yuina) only thinks about lights the whole day. Lighting is more important to her than romance. She works as a salesperson at a shop in Tokyo managed by Nishitani (Furutachi Kanji) that brings in iconic lights. One day, the chef (Issey Ogata) of an established sushi restaurant visits the shop and repeatedly asks them to sell him a light bulb. However, Haruka flatly refuses and tells him, “Coming here demanding only a light bulb is like asking for tapioca at a sushi shop.” The chef leaves in anger but visits the shop again for some reason several days later. In fact, he confesses that his wife recently died all of a sudden and even the light bulb in the restaurant blew. What caught his attention was a pendant light made of brass. It is a piece that the Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto created together with his wife. But the chef’s wife Aino died at 55. All sorts of people visit the shop every day and Haruka feels a sense of mission to wholeheartedly serve those who seek light, dispel their anguish and enrich their lives by illuminating their lives.
Website: www.nhk.jp/p/ts/Q3GYZ34PQZ
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Preview: Haruka no Hikari CM
Kamisama no Karute
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Mondays, 15 February – 8 March 2021
Genre: Medical
Episodes: 4
Original Work: Kamisama no Karute Series by Natsukawa Sosuke
Scriptwriter: Morishita Tadashi (Iryu Sousa Seasons 4 – 5, Kakushou, Taburakashi)
Directors: Murakami Shosuke, Taniguchi Masaaki, Hashimoto Hajime
Cast: Fukushi Sota, Seino Nana, Uesugi Shuhei, Niiyama Chiharu, Ihara Rikka, Uehara Miku, Murasugi Seminosuke, Okura Koji, Watanabe Ikkei, Oshima Yuko, Issey Ogata, Kitaoji Kinya, Fubuki Jun (guest star), Okayama Amane (guest star), Miyazawa Ema (guest star), Hirayama Yusuke (guest star), Ogura Ichiro (guest star), Nakamura Aoi (guest star), Takahashi Hitomi (guest star), Fujii Mina (guest star), Ohashi Akira (guest star), Shinagawa Toru (guest star), Tsubokura Yoshiyuki (guest star), Yamazaki Ginnojo (guest star), Kuroda Daisuke (guest star), Misaki Rion (guest star), Mizuno Miki (guest star), Ito Shiro (guest star), Takezai Terunosuke (guest star), Matsukura Kaito (guest star)
Synopsis: Kurihara Ichito (Fukushi Sota) is a physician at a 24-hour hospital in Nagano Prefecture that is open all year round. There is a constant shortage of doctors at this hospital. As it is commonplace for Kurihara to provide consultation in areas that are not his specialty, there are times when he goes without sleep for three days. However, he has somehow managed to get through each day with the support of his wife Haru (Seino Nana). Then Kurihara gets an invitation from his alma mater’s medical department. If he goes back to the university, he will be able to get more rest and also spend more time with Haru. In addition, he can learn about the most advanced medical treatment. However, is it right to be a doctor at a university hospital trying his best for patients that the hospital has given up on for being beyond help? The answer that Kurihara finds as he struggles on the frontline is … …
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/kamisama_karte
Twitter: twitter.com/kamisama_karte
Preview: Kamisama no Karute CM
Anonymous ~ Keishichou “Yubisatsujin” Taisaku Shitsu
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Mondays, 25 January – 15 March 2021
Station: TV Tokyo
Genre: Suspense
Episodes: 8
Scriptwriters: Komine Hiroyuki (Suits Series, Kaseifu no Mitazono Series, Himo Men), Tamada Shinya (Densetsu no Okaasan, 40-man km Kanata no Koi, Joker x Face)
Director: Oikawa Takuro
Theme Song: Anonymous by Katori Shingo
Cast: Katori Shingo, Sekimizu Nagisa, Megumi, Shimizu Hiroya, Yamamoto Koji, Shim Eun-kyung (guest star), Katsumura Masanobu, Matsudaira Ken (guest star), Tokoshima Yoshiko (guest star), Yamanaka Takashi (guest star), Yagi Rikako (guest star), Nakata Seina (guest star), Fukagawa Mai (guest star), Tanaka Shunsuke (guest star), Konno Mahiru (guest star), Aoki Yuzu (guest star), Takahashi Katsumi (guest star), Tanaka Misato (guest star), Maekawa Yasuyuki (guest star), Hagiwara Riku (guest star), Sayashi Riho (guest star), Kawashima Ririka (guest star), Raiku (guest star)
Synopsis: Social media problems are rife in society. In response to pressure from the public, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department creates a special unit commonly called Yubitai on a trial basis. Led by Koshigaya Shinjiro (Katsumura Masanobu), Yubitai analyses social media information that will aid investigations and gives a helping hand to the public with the aim of rooting out defamation and abuse. Despite this lofty ideal, the creation of this unit is actually mere posturing. The members that have been assembled for the team including detective Banjo Wataru (Katori Shingo) and his partner Usui Sakura (Sekimizu Nagisa) are all idiosyncratic officers who have been sidelined. They figure out who the anonymous criminals are which guides them in solving cases of cyber bullying.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anonymous
Twitter: twitter.com/txdrm_anonymous
Preview: Anonymous CM
Aoki Vampire no Nayami
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Mondays, 8 February – 29 March 2021
Station: Tokyo MX
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 8
Scriptwriter: Asada Atsushi (Kafka no Tokyo Zetsubou Nikki, Maji de Koukaishitemasu Series)
Directors: Iguchi Noboru, Ishii Jun
Cast: Kiriyama Ren, Yutaro, Taniguchi Megu, Serizawa Tateto, Ijima Kuu, Mamoru Asana, Yoshida Oolongta
Synopsis: Two inexperienced vampires Kurosawa Aoi (Kiriyama Ren) and Shido Aoi (Yutaro) run a cafe that only operates at night. The ongoing pandemic has disrupted monthly supplies of blood that would be distributed from the vampire society’s headquarters in Romania. As a result, they have to try to become full-fledged vampires who attack people and suck blood. But it is no easy task as both of them have never sucked blood on their own before. Even when they attempt to do so in order to survive, their memories of their time living as humans and innate goodness end up getting in the way.
Website: s.mxtv.jp/drama/mx9_vampire
Twitter: twitter.com/mx9_vampire
Preview: Aoki Vampire no Nayami CM
Ao no SP (School Police) ~ Gakkounai Keisatsu Shimada Ryuhei
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 12 January – 16 March 2021
Station: Fuji TV
Genre: School
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriters: Oishi Tetsuya (Yoru ga Dorehodo Kurakutemo, Shitsuji Saionji no Meisuiri Series, Kirawareru Yuuki), Yamaoka Junpei (Perfect Crime, Daisy Luck, Seigi no Se), Ojima Soichiro (Ore no Sensei)
Directors: Kunimoto Masahiro, Shirakawa Takeshi, Takahashi Takashi
Theme Song: Oikaze by SHE’S
Cast: Fujiwara Tatsuya, Maki Yoko, Yamada Yuki, Izumisawa Yuki, Takuma Seiko, Shibuya Kento, Chisun, Kodama Norikatsu, Kanazawa Masami, Otoo Takuma, Ishii Masanori, Suga Kenta, Endo Yuya, Asumi Rio, Minemura Rie, Masu Takeshi, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Takahashi Katsumi
Synopsis: Tokyo has decided to introduce the first school police in junior high schools in Japan as a trial. Detective Shimada Ryuhei (Fujiwara Tatsuya) from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigation Division volunteers for this role. He is assigned to Akamine Junior High, a public junior high school. From the outside, it seems like any junior high school but all sorts of incidents are uncovered after the school police is deployed such as social media issues, suspected drug use among students, hidden cameras, sexual harassment. Shimada shows no mercy in arresting both teachers and students if they go against the law. This results in frequent clashes with Asamura Ryoko (Maki Yoko), a Japanese language teacher who is also the form teacher of Class 3/1. Although Shimada’s methods are considered drastic, this gradually leads to various changes in the school and the hearts of students.
Website: www.ktv.jp/schoolpolice
Twitter: twitter.com/bluesp_tue21
Oh! My Boss! Koi wa Bessatsu de
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Tuesdays, 12 January – 16 March 2021
Station: TBS
Genre: Love comedy
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriter: Tanabe Shigenori (Meitantei Akechi Goro, Tokusatsu Gagaga, In Hand)
Director: Matsumoto Akiko
Theme Song: Luv Bias by Kis-My-Ft2
Cast: Kamishiraishi Mone, Nanao, Tamamori Yuta, Mamiya Shotaro, Kubota Sayu, Miki, Akiyama Yuzuki, Ota Yuri, Takahashi Maryjun, Nadagi Takashi, Inukai Atsuhiro, Hashizume Jun, Yamanouchi Suzu, Miyazaki Yoshiko, Takahashi Hitomi, Kurashina Kana, Santamaria Yusuke, Tominaga Ai (guest star), Hanae Natsuki (guest star), Ukaji Takashi (guest star), Katase Nana (guest star), Takaoka Saki (guest star), Hosoa Yoshihiko (guest star), Kondo Yoshimasa (guest star)
Synopsis: Like her name Nami suggests, Suzuki Nami (Kamishiraishi Mone) wants ordinary happiness – work and romance in moderation. She was born and grew up in a town in the countryside and has no particular dreams or things that she wants to do. Following after a childhood friend Hioki Kenya (Inukai Atsuhiro) who is her crush and lives in Tokyo, Nami ends up getting a job in a big publishing company. However, she is assigned not to the equipment management department but to a fashion magazine’s editorial department instead. She finds herself caught in a hellish life under the very capable, caustic and cold Horai Reiko (Nanao) who is the youngest chief editor to date. However, as Nami observes the way Reiko works, her own attitude towards doing her job begins to change. In addition, she unexpectedly makes the acquaintance of the handsome photographer Junnosuke (Tamamori Yuta), who is the son of a wealthy family, and gets an outrageous suggestion from him. Nami would have been fine with a decent job and romance but she discovers what is truly important to her and starts to have dreams and live positively.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/BOSSKOI_tbs
Twitter: twitter.com/bosskoi_tbs
Preview: Oh! My Boss! Koi wa Bessatsu de CM
Toshi no Sakon
Date: From 1.28 a.m., Wednesdays, 16 December 2020 – 10 February 2021
Station: TBS
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 8
Original Work: Toshi no Sakon by Nakama Atsuki
Scriptwriters: Nejime Saeki (Jigoku no Girlfriend, Minshuu no Teki, Shinya Shokudo ~ Tokyo Stories Season 1), Matsui Kana(Biblia Koshodo no Jiken Techou, Saigo no Bangohan, Ito-kun A to E)
Directors: Hiroki Ryuichi, Inaba Hirofumi
Ending Theme: To-Ke-Te by Han-Kun
Cast: Aoi Wakana, Takezai Terunosuke, Matsumoto Wakana, Onodera Akira, Yoshino Hokuto, Kawai Aoba, Kohinata Seiichi, Fukikoshi Mitsuru, Tokui Yu
Synopsis: 24-year-old Murakami Maiko (Aoi Wakana) is a very sheltered girl who has never had a relationship with a guy. She goes to a matchmaking session with a 44-year-old divorced man Hanasato Harumi (Takezai Terunosuke) who is recommended by her father Genichiro (Fukikoshi Mitsuru). Although Maiko is less than thrilled, she discovers that he is a charming man with an air of maturity. On the other hand, Harumi had intended to meet Maiko once before he turned her down since she is the daughter of the CEO of an important client, but she turns out to be more than he had imagined. Maiko confounds him the whole time but he is attracted to her straightforward, pure and dignified nature. He accepts the completed marriage registration form from her on their third date. They get married despite their 20-year age gap, and their life as newly weds begins.
Website: www.mbs.jp/toshinosakon
Twitter: twitter.com/toshinosakon
Preview: Toshi no Sakon CM
Uchi no Musume wa, Kareshi ga Dekinai!!
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Wednesdays, 13 January – 17 March 2021
Station: NTV
Genre: Love comedy
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriter: Kitagawa Eriko (Hanbun Aoi, Orange Days, Sora kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi)
Directors: Nagumo Seiichi, Uchida Hidemi
Theme Song: Sora to Ao by Irie Reo
Cast: Kanno Miho, Hamabe Minami, Okada Kenshi, Kawakami Yohei, Arita Teppei, Sawamura Ikki, Fukuhara Haruka, Nakagawa Daisuke, Higashi Keisuke, Daichi Nobunaga, Nagami Rea, Nakamura Masatoshi, Toyokawa Etsushi, Akaso Eiji (guest star)
Synopsis: Minase Aoi (Kanno Miho) is a single mother in her 40s who is called the queen of romance novels. She recently bought an apartment and now lives with her daughter. Her 20-year-old daughter Sora (Hamabe Minami) cannot get a boyfriend and in Aoi’s opinion, the reason is obviously because she is hardcore manga fan. Aoi frets that her daughter is too immersed in the world of manga and will never leave the house. Sora wants to be in love but with the constant stream of new mangas being published, she has to prepare to cosplay at comic conventions. Life as a fan is rather busy. She is more worried about her mother who is girlish and reckless despite her age. Since her mother does not know much about the ways of the world, she feels that she cannot leave her like this. Then something prompts both Aoi and her daughter to have their romances.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/uchikare
Twitter: twitter.com/uchikare_ntv
Preview: Uchi no Musume wa, Kareshi ga Dekinai!! CM
Imawa no Kuni no Alice Season 1
Date: From 10 December 2020
Network: Netflix Japan
Genre: Suspense
Episodes: 8
Original Work: Imawa no Kuni no Alice by Aso Haro
Scriptwriters: Watabe Yoshiki, Kuramitsu Yasuko (Scandal Senmon Bengoshi Queen, Tourist, Keiji Yugami), Sato Shinsuke
Cast: Yamazaki Kento, Tsuchiya Tao, Murakami Nijiro, Morinaga Yuki, Machida Keita, Miyoshi Ayaka, Sakurada Dori, Asahina Aya, Yanagi Shuntaro, Watanabe Yutaro, Misaki Ayame, Yoshida Mizuki, Abe Tsuyoshi, Kaneko Nobuaki, Aoyagi Sho, Naka Riisa
Synopsis: Arisu Ryohei (Yamazaki Kento) is unemployed and frustrated with daily life which he finds unbearable. One day, while he is hanging around Tokyo with his two friends Chota (Morinaga Yuki) and Karube (Machida Keita), a mysterious light radiates. When they realise it, all signs of life around them have vanished. However, a game begins one after another in an empty Tokyo where one wrong move will cause them their lives. Arisu and his friends have to fight tooth and nail in the face of challenges that defy logic. They encounter Usagi Yuzuha (Tsuchiya Tao) in the game … …
Website: www.netflix.com/jp/title/80200575
Preview: Imawa no Kuni no Alice CM
Gekikarado
Date: From 12.12 a.m., Thursdays, 7 January – 24 March 2021
Station: TV Tokyo
Genre: Food
Episodes: 12
Scriptwriters: Yoshimoto Masahiro (Keiji 7-nin Seasons 3 – 6, Onna no Naka ni Iru Tanin, Kageri Yuku Natsu), Kanda Yu (Alive, Inochi Urimasu, Black Pean), Masaike Yosuke (Rental-san Nanmo Shinai Hito, Miki Clinic de Kanpai o, Shiyakusho), Honda Takaaki (Rental-san Nanmo Shinai Hito, Watashi Danna o Share Shiteta, Haru)
Directors: Shibata Keisuke, Paul Young, Nishikawa Tatsuro
Theme Song: Shuukan Umaku Iku Youbi by Johnny’s WEST
Cast: Kiriyama Akito, Izumi Rika, Nakamura Reia, Maekawa Yasuyuki, Morita Kanro, Hirata Mitsuru, Aijima Kazuyuki (guest star), Hasegawa Tomoharu (guest star), Maro Akaji (guest star), Maruyama Tomomi (guest star), Satsukawa Aimi (guest star), Itao Itsuji (guest star), Misaki Ayame (guest star), Asaka Mayumi (guest star), Takeda Rena (guest star), Yamada Jundai (guest star), Matsushita Yuki (guest star)
Synopsis: Sarukawa Kenta (Kiriyama Akito), an employee at a mid-sized beverage manufacturer based in Osaka, is in charge of a large number of big clients due to his work behind the scenes as sales support. In recognition of his efforts, he is transferred to the Tokyo branch office’s sales promotion unit. However, there are many tough and outspoken clients and in addition, his colleagues in the unit are very close and secretive. Under the influence of his boss Tanioka Kazuhiko (Hirata Mitsuru) who loves extremely spicy food, Sarukawa starts to become aware of the fiery hot cuisine that he extols.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/gekikaradou
Twitter: twitter.com/tx_gekikaradou
Preview: Gekikarado CM
Ojisama to Neko
Date: From 12.58 a.m., Thursdays, 7 January – 24 March 2021
Station: TV Tokyo & Paravi
Episodes: 12
Original Work: Ojisama to Neko by Sakurai Umi
Scriptwriters: Fujiki Mitsuhiko (Arimura Kasumi no Satsukyu, Byplayers Series), Date-san (40-man km Kanata no Koi, Love Distance, Peanut Butter Sandwich)
Directors: Tsubakimoto Keijiro, Soejima Masahiro
Ending Theme: Futari de Ireba by Abe Mao
Cast: Kusakari Masao, Kamiki Ryunosuke, Koseki Yuta, Takeda Rena, Hirayama Hiroyuki, Takahashi Hitomi, Masu Takeshi
Synopsis: Kanda Fuyuki (Kusakari Masao) is a world-renowned pianist who has been in low spirits ever since his wife passed away. One day, he meets an ugly unwanted cat called Fukumaru (voiced by Kamiki Ryunosuke) in a pet shop. Although Kanda is not good with animals, he is immediately drawn to Fukumaru and tells the shop staff that he would like to have this cat. Life with Fukumaru is full of surprises but Kanda gradually begins to regain his smile. This is a heartwarming tale of a cat that was resigned to not being loved and the lonely old man who adopted him.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/ozineko
Twitter: twitter.com/tx_ozineko
Iryu Sousa Season 6
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Thursdays, 14 January – 18 March 2021
Station: TV Asahi
Genre: Investigative
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriter: Oishi Tetsuya (Ao no SP, Yoru ga Dorehodo Kurakutemo, Iryu Sousa Seasons 2 – 5)
Directors: Hasegawa Yasushi, Hama Tatsuya, Kanesaki Ryosuke
Theme Song: Kaze o Matte by Oda Kazumasa
Cast: Kamikawa Takaya, Kuriyama Chiaki, Nagai Masaru, Miyazaki Karen, Kajihara Zen, Komoto Masahiro, Toda Keiko, Nakayama Shinobu (guest star), Yamaya Kasumi (guest star), Emoto Akira (guest star), Abe Junko (guest star), Kurokawa Tomoka (guest star), Tonesaku Toshihide (guest star), Kirishima Reika (guest star), Hasegawa Tomoharu (guest star), Hamada Tatsuomi (guest star), Negishi Toshie (guest star)
Synopsis: Itomura Satoshi (Kamikawa Takaya) is a detective with the Special Investigations Office at the Kyoto Prefectural Police’s First Investigation Division. He pieces together the meaning of the personal effects and things left behind at crime scenes, giving voice to the silent dead bodies. Itomura not only solves cases but also helps give the bereaved families closure. Considered an eccentric by the people around him, he does things his own way and fails to read situations, much to the frustration of his partner Kanzaki Rio (Kuriyama Chiaki).
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/iryu_2021
Twitter: twitter.com/iryusousa_tva
Related: Iryu Sousa Special 2020
Nijiiro Karute
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Thursdays, 21 January – 18 March 2021
Station: TV Asahi
Genre: Medical
Episodes: 9
Scriptwriter: Okada Yoshikazu (Ane-chan no Koibito, Monroe ga Shinda Hi, Soshite Ikiru)
Director: Fukagawa Yoshihiro
Theme Song: Tabiji by Fujii Kaze
Cast: Takahata Mitsuki, Kitamura Takumi, Iura Arata, Adachi Yumi, Mashima Hidekazu, Mitsuishi Ken, Nishida Naomi, Izumiya Shigeru, Mizuno Miki, Moto Fuyuki, Hankai Kazuaki, Ikeda Ryo, Mizuno Kumi, Sasaki Nozomi (guest star)
Synopsis: Kureno Masora (Takahata Mitsuki) works at a Tokyo university hospital’s emergency centre. One day, she discovers that she has an illness. However, she does not earn much money as a doctor and wants to continue with her job. Masora happens to learn about a clinic in a small village deep in the mountains. Hiding her illness, she decides to work there and ends up living under the same roof as two guys – a surgeon Asagi Saku (Iura Arata) and a nurse Aoyama Taiyo (Kitamura Takumi) who have also arrived from Tokyo. She is a doctor yet she has to come to terms with her new life as a patient. But she gradually endears herself to the villagers and becomes an integral part of the village.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/nijiiro
Twitter: twitter.com/nijiirokarte
Preview: Nijiiro Karute Teaser
Shitteru Wife
Date: From 10.00 pm., Thursdays, 7 January – 18 March 2021
Station: Fuji TV
Genre: Fantasy romance
Episodes: 11
Original Work: Familiar Wife by Yang Hee-Seung
Scriptwriter: Hashibe Atsuko (Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekiteiru, Freeter Ie o Kau, Boku no Ikiru Michi Series)
Director: Hijikata Masato
Theme Song: Kimi to Mitai Sekai by Kanjani8
Cast: Okura Tadayoshi, Hirose Alice, Matsushita Kohei, Kawaei Rina, Morita Kanro, Suezawa Seiya, Sano Hinako, Ando Nico, Koseki Yuta, Magy, Nekoze Tsubaki, Okayama Hajime, Takimoto Miori, Katahira Nagisa, Namase Katsuhisa
Synopsis: Kenzaki Motoharu (Okura Tadayoshi) works at a bank. He has been married to Mio (Hirose Alice) for five years and they have two children. At work, he is taken to task about improving his performance by his boss and when he comes back home exhausted, he gets yelled at by Mio. He feels small every day. Back in university, Motoharu was Mio’s home tutor. He found her cheerful, cute and feisty and was drawn to her. They got married and at first, they were head over heels in love. But now he is scared of her outbursts. Motoharu wonders why his colleagues seem happily married but he is the only unlucky one. That is when he happens to meet Egawa Sayaka (Takimoto Miori), a junior in university who was every male student’s dream girl. He regrets his choice. Then one day, a 500 yen coin that Motoharu received from a man who spoke to him on the street causes him to suddenly travel back in time to his university days. If he goes back to the past and changes his choice, will changing his wife also transform his life?
Website: www.fujitv.co.jp/shitteruwife
Twitter: twitter.com/WifeShitteru
Preview: Shitteru Wife CM
Edo Moiselle ~ Reiwa de Koi, Itashinsu
Date: From 11.59 p.m., Thursdays, 7 January – 11 March 2021
Station: NTV
Genre: Love comedy
Episodes: 10
Original Work: Edo Moiselle by Edo Kirie
Scriptwriters: Masaike Yosuke (Rental Nanmo Shinai Hito, Shiyakusho, Miss Sherlock), Obayashi Rieko (Nodoka no Niwa, Inochi Urimasu, Karikare)
Directors: Shioguchi Takeshi, Kikiukawa Makoto, Asahina Yoko
Theme Song: Say Your Name by Enjin
Cast: Okada Miyu, Hayama Shono, Yoshitani Ayako, Yamaguchi Mayu, Fujie Moe, Nakamoto Taiga, Morita Kanro, Maeda Goki, Tanaka Naoki
Synopsis: Senka (Okada Miyu) is a high-ranking courtesan who lives in Yoshiwara during the Edo period. She hates unsophisticated and illogical things and talks down to both customers and wealthy people. Senka travels in time from 1860 to present day Tokyo where she meets Kuraji Shunsuke (Hayama Shono). Shunsuke was born to a family with a high social standing, but he immediately quits the company that he joined. He is argumentative, bad at communicating with other people and also bad at love. Although Senka knows that she will have to return to Edo some day, she becomes attached to the people of Tokyo.
Website: www.ytv.co.jp/edomoiselle
Twitter: twitter.com/edomoiselle_ytv
Preview: Edo Moiselle CM
Nishi Ogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudo
Date: From 12.59 a.m., Fridays, 12 February – 18 March 2021
Station: TBS
Episodes: 6
Original Work: Nishi Ogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudo by Asai Sai
Scriptwriters: Moral (Goku Shufudo, Manatsu no Shonen, LINE no Kotaeawase), Tani Kenichi, Murano Reiko, Toda Akihiro (Akuma no Bengonin)
Directors: Murao Yoshiaki, Kobayashi Juntaro
Ending Theme: Tooi Hoshi o Kazoete by SARD UNDERGROUND
Cast: Machida Keita, Fujiwara Kisetsu, Morisaki Win, Otomo Karen (guest star), Matsuoka Kodai (guest star), Murakawa Eri (guest star), Kondo Yoshimasa (guest star), Kokubo Toshihito (guest star), Kaji Yuki (guest star), Maehara Ko (guest star), Hotta Akane (guest star), Nakayama Miho (guest star)
Synopsis: Ranked the most desirable place to live in Tokyo, Nishi Ogikubo is a small town sandwiched in between the well-known Kichijoji and the large and commercial Ogikubo. There is a small bar called Mitsuboshi Youshudo that stands in a corner of Nishi Ogikubo. It is run by three men who seem to have something in their pasts and have very different characters – the handsome bartender Amamiya Ryoichiro (Machida Keita), silent chef Nakauchi Satoru (Fujiwara Kisetsu) and the owner Kobayashi Naoki (Morisaki Win). This bar has a strange ability to draw people inside. Customers are cloaked in the atmosphere created by Kobayashi as they enjoy Amamiya’s cocktails and Nakauchi’s dishes made from canned food. They let out their worries and problems and by the time they realise it, they feel a little more positive about life.
Website: www.mbs.jp/3boshi_youshudo
Twitter: twitter.com/3boshi_youshudo
Preview: Nishi Ogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudo Teaser
Anata Hannin Ja Arimasen
Date: From 1.00 a.m., Fridays, 8 January – 4 March 2021 (Original date: April 2020)
Station: TV Tokyo
Genre: Mystery
Episodes: 8
Scriptwriters: Tsuchiya Ryoichi (Keshite Mane Shinaide Kudasai, Sennyuu Sousa Idol), Saijo Mitsutoshi (Omoshiro Nankyoku Ryorinin, Oh My Jump!), Nemoto Shuko, Tomisaka Yu, Fukuda Takuya
Directors: Kitabata Ryuichi, Monma Naoto
Theme Song: Jibun no Koto ga Wakaranai by Seishun Koukou 3-nen C-kumi Idol-bu
Cast: Hibino Meina, Yamazaki Shigenori, Kitano Kii
Synopsis: One day, a teacher by the name of Izumi (Kitano Kii) is found stabbed to death in her wedding dress in the pool on the rooftop of Seishun High School. A classmate confesses to being her killer to Class 3C’s president Hibino Meina (Hibino Meina) and Goshima (Yamazaki Shigenori), the detective in charge of the case. However, Meina detects inconsistencies in the incomprehensible method and motive for murder and has to refute the person, only for another classmate to step forward to confess. Why would her classmates claim to be the criminal?
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/hanninjya_arimasen
Twitter: twitter.com/3c_tx
Meiji Kaika: Shinjuro Tanteichou
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Fridays, 11 December 2020 – 5 February 2021 (Original date: April 2020)
Station: NHK BS Premium
Genre: Period suspense
Episodes: 8
Original Work: Meiji Kaika Ango Torimonochou by Sakaguchi Ango
Scriptwriters: Komatsu Eriko (Daifugou Doushin, Itsumade mo Shiroi Hane, Hanamoyu), Ito Yasuro (Daifugou Doushin)
Directors: Kasaura Tomochika, Motoki Kazuhiro, Okano Hironobu
Theme Song: Omowaku-doori by Naoto Inti Raymi
Cast: Fukushi Sota, Uchida Rio, Yamoto Yuma, Nakamura Yasuhi, Katsumura Masanobu, Sasai Eisuke, Tsurumi Shingo, Inamori Izumi, Takahashi Katsunori
Synopsis: The early days of the Meiji era was a period of massive change, and there were a high incidence of bizarre cases. The special investigator Yuki Shinjuro (Fukushi Sota), who has a good standing with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, returns to Japan after his travels abroad and is outspoken about the truth of these cases. Izumiyama Toranosuke (Yamoto Yuma), a former student who learned swordsmanship from Katsu Kaishu (Takahashi Katsunori), loves making deductions about difficult cases. He is always treated disparagingly and cries to have the brains and eyes of Kaishu whom he admires. Shinjuro, Toranosuke and Kaishu draw all sorts of people to them including Kaishu’s gutsy wife Tami (Inamori Izumi) who was formerly a geisha; Kano Rie (Uchida Rio), an influential merchant’s daughter who is in love with Shinjuro; Hananoya Inga (Nakamura Yasuhi), a writer of fiction of a style combining a facetious tone with elaborate structure; and the great police superintendent Hayami Seigen (Katsumura Masanobu) who considers Shinjuro a nuisance. As their case-solving progresses, the anxiety as well as love and hate that people have towards the new Meiji era manifests itself. Shinjuro, Rie and Toranosuke tangle with many important people of the period such as Saigo Takamori (Tsurumi Shingo) and Okubo Toshimichi (Sasai Eisuke) through these cases, and grow up.
Website: www.nhk.jp/p/ts/M3X38LNYN7
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Ore no Ie no Hanashi
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Fridays, 22 January – 26 March 2021
Station: TBS
Genre: Family
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriter: Kudo Kankuro (Kangoku no Ohimesama, Yutori desu ga Nani ka Series, Gomen ne Seishun!)
Directors: Kaneko Fuminori, Yamamura Daisuke, Fukuda Ryosuke
Cast: Nagase Tomoya, Toda Erika, Nagayama Kento, Eguchi Noriko, Inowaki Kai, Michieda Shunsuke, Hamura Jinsei, Katsumura Shuichiro, Choshu Riki, Arakawa Yoshiyoshi, Miyake Hiroki, Hiraiwa Kami, Akiyama Ryuji, Kiritani Kenta, Nishida Toshiyuki, Abe Sadao (guest star), Tanaka Minami (guest star), Sato Ryuta (guest star), Yazawa Shin (guest star), Muro Tsuyoshi (guest star), Tsukamoto Takashi (guest star), Fujita Nicole (guest star)
Synopsis: Nicknamed Blizzard Ju, professional wrestler Miyama Juichi (Nagase Tomoya) used to belong to a large professional wrestling group and even became the Puerto Rico Champion. However, he now scrapes by with a small group due to his injuries and age. One day, he receives a phone call informing him that his father Jusaburo (Nishida Toshiyuki) is in a critical condition. Juichi’s father is the 27th generation head of the Miyama family. A practitioner of Noh which is an important intangible cultural asset, he is also a living national treasure and has over 10,000 disciples across the country. Although Juichi was expected to follow in Jusaburo’s footsteps, he rebelled. After he left home, they did not communicate for more than 20 years. When Juichi visits his father, Jusaburo declares that he is engaged to his female caregiver Shida Sakura (Toda Erika) and intends to leave all his fortune to her. Juichi retires from pro wrestling and returns to his family home to help care for his father.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/oreie_tbs
Twitter: twitter.com/oreie2021
Preview: Ore no Ie no Hanashi CM
Dream Team
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Fridays, 22 January – 12 March 2021
Station: NHK
Episodes: 8
Scriptwriter: Yoshizawa Tomoko (Byoushitsu de Nenbutsu o Tonaenaide Kudasai, Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita, Damena Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai)
Directors: Masuda Shizuo, Doi Shohei
Theme Song: Yaminaru Shiro by Tokyo Jihen
Cast: Yamaguchi Sayaka, Zaizen Naomi, Sakuraba Nanami, Mikata Ryosuke, Maekawa Yasuyuki, Murakami Shingo, Nemoto Maharu, Nakahara Takeo, Ibu Masato, Yo Kimiko
Synopsis: The former female members of a high school basketball club are gathered for a party to send off their basketball teacher Ando Katsuhito (Ibu Masato). Among them are three former captains – 39-year-old Enoki Kana (Yamaguchi Sayaka), 53-year-old Tsuruga Yuko (Zaizen Naomi) and 27-year-old Mishiro Akane (Sakuraba Nanami) – who are noticeably unhappy. Each of them has just suffered an unexpected incident and they say with a touch of self-derision that they were in their prime during high school. One remark from Ando’s wife Yoshie (Yo Kimiko) abruptly changes things. “How about staying in the team’s dorm?” And so the three women end up living under the same roof. With the addition of Ando’s son Yuichi (Mikata Ryosuke) and Kana’s young daughter Tamaki (Nemoto Maharu), they become a pseudo family of six. As Kana, Yuko and Akane strive to change, will they be able to turn their lives around?
Website: www.nhk.jp/p/drama-dreamteam/ts/MK1QWK4R9Q
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Deaikei Saito de 70-nin to Jissai ni Atte Sono Hito ni Aisouna Hon o Susume Makutta 1-nenkan no Koto
Date: From 11.30 p.m., Fridays, 26 February & 26 March 2021
Network: WOWOW & WOWOW On Demand
Episodes: 10
Original Work: Deaikei Saito de 70-nin to Jissai ni Atte Sono Hito ni Aisouna Hon o Susume Makutta 1-nenkan no Koto by Hanada Nanako
Scriptwriter: Date Sorami (Raise de wa Chanto Shimasu, Coffee and Vanilla)
Directors: Smith, Tsubakimoto Keijiro, Totsuka Hiroto
Cast: Takimoto Miori, Takezai Terunosuke, Morisaki Win, Iwao Nozomu, Itagaki Mizuki, Maruyama Tomomi, Kurihara Rui, Kato Ryo, Tomita Kentaro, Mori Yusaku, Shiozaki Daichi, Konishi Haru
Synopsis: Hanada Nanako (Takimoto Miori) is the manager of a bookstore and loves books with a passion. She and her husband Ken (Takezai Terunosuke), who was a former colleague, are on the verge of divorce. Paperback books are not as saleable as much as she would like them to be with the growing popularity of digital formats. It seems as if she is hurtling to rock bottom. One day, Nanako signs up with online dating site AU×AU and writes a note in her profile, “I’ll recommend the book that is right for you now.” After going through numerous dates, Nanako hits it off with a filmmaker with a cute smile called Endo (Morisaki Win). She starts seeing him regularly and gradually becomes conscious of him. As Nanako encounters people that she would never have met and earnestly introduces books to each one of them, how will she look at herself and what kind of life will she decide to lead?
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/drama/original/deasusu
Twitter: twitter.com/drama_wowow
Pension Metsa
Date: From 12.00 a.m., Saturdays, 16 January – 19 February 2021
Network: WOWOW
Episodes: 6
Scriptwriter: Matsumoto Kana (Designer Shibui Naoto no Kyuujitsu, Tokyo Danshi Zukan, Cote d’Azur No.10)
Director: Matsumoto Kana
Ending Theme: Soratobi Neko by Onuki Taeko
Cast: Kobayashi Satomi, Yakusho Koji, Ishibashi Shizuka, Bengal, Itaya Yuka, Yamanaka Takashi, Mitsuishi Ken, Miura Toko, Motai Masako
Synopsis: There is a signage with the words Pension Metsa inscribed on it in front of a house built in a forest of larch trees in an area for holiday homes in Nagano Prefecture. It is a pension with only one guest room and Tenko (Kobayashi Satomi), the owner of the house, lives on alone. The occasional guests that drop in are generally on their own including long-time friends and people she unexpectedly encounters. As Tenko gets involved with them, she begins to become aware of her own circumstances.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/drama/original/pensionmetsa
Twitter: twitter.com/drama_wowow
Preview: Pension Metsa CM
Mairunovich
Date: From 12.00 a.m., Saturdays, 13 February – 2 April 2021
Network: Hulu
Genre: School romance
Episodes: 8
Original Work: Mairunovich by Sato Zakuri
Scriptwriter: Mochiji Yukiko (Irodori Himura)
Director: Ninomiya Takashi
Theme Song: Bluetooth Love by Yabai T-Shirts Yasan
Cast: Sakurai Hinako, Kamio Fuju, Otomo Karen, Ito Asahi, Akutsu Nichika, Nagaoka Tasuku, Miura Ryosuke
Synopsis: Kinoshita Mairu (Sakurai Hinako) is a plain and unpopular high school girl. With hair like a mushroom head and thick spectacles, her nickname is “toadstool”. One day, Mairu falls for a male classmate’s fake confession of love. She is crying in mortification when the handsome senior Kumada Tenyu (Kamio Fuju) points out that she should not to use her ugly looks as an excuse and to fight back by making an effort to be pretty. Fired up by his words, Mairu decides to change who she is. Tenyu not only transforms her into a stunningly cute girl through his outstanding makeup skills but also gives her advice. Mairu’s childhood friend Kozuki Mirai (Akutsu Nichika) is astonished. At her first matchmaking party, Mairu meets Kudo Narutaro (Ito Asahi) who is from another school. But he is also the target of her beautiful and strong-willed classmate Matsumaru Ayano (Otomo Karen). However, a remark from Mairu immediately brings her closer to him … …
Website: www.hulu.jp/static/mairunovic
Twitter: twitter.com/mairunovichHulu
Byplayers Season 3 ~ Meiwakiyaku no Mori no 100-kakan
Date: From 12.12 a.m., Saturdays, 9 January – 26 March 2021
Station: TV Tokyo
Episodes: 12
Scriptwriters: Fujiki Mitsuhiko (Byplayers Series, Asunaro San San Nana Byoushi)), Miyamoto Takeshi (Byplayers Series, Prison Hotel)
Directors: Matsui Daigo, Asano Atsuya, Morishita Toshiyuki, Tomita Kazunari
Ending Theme: Koyoi mo Karoujite Utaikiru by Takehara Pistol
Cast: Taguchi Tomorow, Matsushige Yutaka, Mitsuishi Ken, Endo Kenichi, Abe Ryohei, Ando Tamae, Ishimaru Kenjiro, Uno Shohei, Emoto Tokio, Okura Koji, Ozawa Hitoshi, Omi Toshinori, Katsumura Masanobu, Kato Ryo, Kaneko Daichi, Kita Kana, Kondo Yoshimasa, Sasaki Nozomi, Shishido Miwako, Shida Mirai, Sugino Yosuke, Daigo Kotaro, Takasugi Mahiro, Takito Kenichi, Tanaka Yoji, Tsuda Kanji, Terajima Shinobu, Hasegawa Kyoko, Hamada Gaku, Hayashi Yasufumi, Harada Ryuji, Fuse Eri, Horiuchi Keiko, Mizuki Arisa, Mukai Osamu, Murata Takehiro, Motomiya Yasukaze, Morishita Yoshiyuki, Ryo, Rokkaku Seiji, Watanabe Ikkei, Iketani Nobue, Ukaji Takashi, Okada Koki, Ogi Shigemitsu, Sugata Shun, Takahata Atsuko, Tomita Miyu, Namioka Kazuki, Nishimura Masahiko, Hamano Kenta, Honda Hirotaro, Honda Miu, Masu Takeshi, Yoshida Yo, Yoshine Kyoko, Riju Go, Aijima Kazuyuki, Inaba Yu, Inoue Hajime, Ibu Masato, Okayama Amane, Onoue Hiroyuki, Kinoshita Houka, Komoto Masahiro, Konno Hiroki, Shibukawa Kiyohiko, Tanaka Min, Tamaoki Reo, Nomaguchi Toru, Hashimoto Jun, Hayami Mokomochi, Honda Chikara, Maeda Atsuko, Maeno Tomoya, Matsuo Takashi, Mizuma Ron, Musaka Naomasa, Megumi, Miyazawa Rie
Synopsis: Set in Byplaywood, a large film studio surrounded by forest and far from the city, 100 days of turmoil ensues as a result of the clustering of various TV stations’ drama series and movies at the same time in this remote studio. It is a story of the battle for ratings between studios, clashes between young, mid-career, and lead actors, as well as the touching friendships and bonds.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/byplayers
Twitter: twitter.com/tx_byplayers
Related: Byplayers Season 2
Tokyo Kaikizake
Date: From 12.52 a.m., Saturdays, 20 February – 26 March 2021
Station: TV Tokyo
Episodes: 6
Original Work: Tokyo Kaikizake by Seino Toru
Scriptwriters: Yamada Yoshitatsu (Zenra Kantoku Season 1, Denei Shojo Series, Nou ni Sumaho ga Umerareta!), Tsuji Kenichi (Oshaie Sommelier Oshako!), Fukuda Shohei (Keshite Mane Shinaide Kudasai), Ota Yu
Directors: Ota Yu, Hirose Yoichi, Yamaguchi Masayuki
Ending Theme: Complication by OKAMOTO’S
Cast: Sugino Yosuke, Seino Toru, Chance Oshiro, Matsubara Tanishi, Okamoto Sho, R-Shitei, Oshima Teru, Mikami Takeharu, Yoshida Yuki, Arigato Ami, Sequence Hayatomo, Yasu, Borsalino Seki, Okayama Amane
Synopsis: Actor Sugino Yosuke (Sugino Yosuke) dreads horror but ends up receiving an offer to be the lead actor in an overseas horror movie. One day, he listens to a story from Seino Toru (Seino Toru), a manga writer who is making a guest appearance on his own radio programme. Seino talks about drinking alcohol at a haunted place where paranormal phenomenon took place. Sugino is told that this is suitable for cowardly people and decides to experience it as recommended.
Website: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/kaikizake
Twitter: twitter.com/drama25_202101
Nile Perch no Joshikai
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 30 January – 20 March 2021
Station: BS TV Tokyo
Episodes: 8
Original Work: Nile Perch no Joshikai by Yuzuki Asako
Scriptwriter: Yokota Rie (Gokusen)
Director: Taki Yusuke
Theme Song: Namida no Ginga by Loza Reena
Cast: Mizukawa Asami, Yamada Maho, Shinohara Atsushi, Tamura Shin, Koike Rina, Fuchikami Yasushi, Iida Kisuke, Miyaji Masako, Moriya Kanna, Ando Sei, Nobukawa Seijun, Ota Midori Laurence, Tamura Taijiro, Isahaya Kosaku, Goshima Momoka, Nakamura Shuri
Synopsis: Career woman Shimura Eriko (Mizukawa Asami) works for a large general trading company on equal footing with the men. She is beautiful and highly educated. Her parents have a house in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward. Life seems to be going well for Eriko whose single greatest hang up is the fact that she does not have any female friends. Her secret pleasure is to read a popular journal written by a housewife influencer of the same age on social media. At one point, she happens to meet Maruo Shoko (Yamada Maho), the writer of the diary, who lives nearby. Shoko also has no female friends. The two of them who have this point in common, quickly become close. However, some incident causes their relationship to develop in an unexpected direction.
Website: www.bs-tvtokyo.co.jp/nileperch
Twitter: twitter.com/BS7_nileperch
Rokujoma no Piano Man
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 6 – 27 February 2021
Station: NHK
Episodes: 4
Original Work: Rokujoma no Piano Man by Ando Yusuke
Scriptwriter: Adachi Shin (Nusumareta Kao, Sabori Man Kantaro)
Directors: Noda Yusuke, Izuminami Keishin
Cast: Kato Shigeaki, Danta Yasunori, Harada Taizo, Minami Sara, Miura Takahiro, Furutachi Yutaro, Kamiji Yusuke, Hosoda Yoshihiko, Aso Yumi
Synopsis: Our lifestyles have drastically changed due to COVID-19. What if there was a moment when someone gave a supportive push on the back of a person feeling loneliness and anxiety? There was a young man (Furutachi Yutaro) who called himself Six Tatami Piano Man who sang Billy Joel’s Piano Man on a video sharing site. His singing voice illuminated the hearts of the people (Minami Sara, Miura Takahiro, Kamiji Yusuke) around him. Eventually their lives intersect, and they help and encourage each other without realising it.
Website: www.nhk.jp/p/ts/YX9GY2MN41
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Cold Case Season 3 ~ Shinjitsu no Tobira
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 5 December 2020 – 13 February 2021
Network: WOWOW
Episodes: 10
Original Work: Cold Case by Warner Bros
Scriptwriters: Sakai Masaaki (Aogeba Toutoshi, Hamon (Yakubyougami Series)), Nogi Moegi, Yoshida Yasuhiro (Konoudori Season 2, Plage, Cold Case Series), Hourai Ryuta (Heisei Sasameyuki, Cold Case Series), Zeze Takahisa (Cold Case Series, Zainin no Uso, Kanata no Ko), Takimoto Tomoyuki (Talio, Hokuto, Tenshi to Akuma)
Directors: Hatano Takafumi, Uchikata Akira, Morishita Toshiyuki
Genre: Crime suspense
Cast: Yoshida Yo, Nagayama Kento, Takito Kenichi, Mitsuishi Ken, Miura Tomokazu, Eguchi Yosuke (guest star), Ogata Naoto (guest star), Toda Naho (guest star), Inowaki Kai (guest star), Yokota Eiji (guest star), Kurosawa Asuka (guest star), Yamamoto Mirai (guest star), Okabe Takashi (guest star), Matsukado Yohei (guest star), Watanabe Dai (guest star), Riju Go (guest star), Arimura Kasumi (guest star), Iwata Takanori (guest star), Izumisawa Yuki (guest star), Nimura Sawa (guest star), Matsubara Chieko (guest star), Wakabayashi Go (guest star), Nakamura Toru (guest star), Otoo Takuma (guest star), Matsuzawa Takumi (guest star), Oda Risa (guest star), Kokubo Toshihito (guest star), Yamaguchi Sayaka (guest star), Kubota Sayu (guest star), Akaso Eiji (guest star), Kuroki Haru (guest star), Takasugi Mahiro (guest star), Suruga Taro (guest star), Nakajima Hiroko (guest star), Yamaji Kazuhiro (guest star), Maya Kyoko (guest star), Takehara Pistol (guest star), Tamaoki Reo (guest star), Hamada Megumi (guest star), Umegaki Yoshiaki (guest star), Miyazawa Kazufumi (guest star), Mizuno Miki (guest star), Houwei (guest star), Cho Tamiyasu (guest star), Nakayama Shinobu (guest star), Nashimoto Kenjiro (guest star), Guts Ishimatsu (guest star), Murata Takehiro (guest star), Daichi Yasuo (guest star), Tomita Yasuko (guest star), Kita Kana (guest star), Nakajima Hiroki (guest star), Nakata Kurumi (guest star), Hirata Kaoru (guest star), Nishio Mari (guest star), Kanno Misuzu (guest star)
Synopsis: Inspector Ishikawa Yuri (Yoshida Yo) leads the team (Nagayama Kento, Takito Kenichi, Mitsuishi Ken) from the Kanagawa Prefectural Police’s First Investigative Division to crack unsolved cases.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/drama/original/coldcase3
Twitter: twitter.com/drama_wowow
Preview: Cold Case Season 3 CM
Related: Cold Case Season 2 ~ Shinjitsu no Tobira
Red Eyes ~ Kanshi Sousa-han
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Saturdays, 23 January – 27 March 2021
Station: NTV
Genre: Suspense
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriters: Sakai Masaaki (Aogeba Toutoushi, Yakubyougami Series, Smoking Gun), Fukuda Teppei (In Hand), Manabe Yukiko ( Renzoku Satsujinki Kaeru Otoko, Bouncer)
Directors: Mizuno Kaku, Naganuma Makoto
Theme Song: Roar by KAT-TUN
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Matsushita Nao, Shuri, Shishido Kavka, Matsumura Hokuto, Kawase Yota, Osada Seiya, Takahashi Hikaru, Fukuzawa Jubun, Yajima Kenichi, Kimura Yuichi, Takashima Masanobu, Oshinari Shugo (guest star), Shiono Akihisa (guest star)
Synopsis: The Kanagawa Prefectural Police’s Investigation Support Analysis Centre is a unit which tackles criminal investigations by using big data collated such as footage from some 5 million surveillance cameras nationwide. Fushimi Kyosuke (Kamenashi Kazuya) a former detective with the Prefectural Police’s First Investigation Division, is a special investigator whose fiancee Miho (Ono Yuriko) was murdered by a serial killer. The other members of the unit are civilians including a former university professor in criminal psychology Yamazaki Tatsujiro (Kimura Yuichi) who is an expert in profiling, a single mother Minatogawa Yumiko (Shishido Kavka) who used to be with the Self Defence Forces, and a young genius hacker Komaki Kaname (Matsumura Hokuto). They seems like a dream team but all of the members are former criminals with dark pasts.
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/redeyes
Twitter: twitter.com/redeyes_ntv
Preview: Red Eyes CM
Mokomi ~ Kanojo ga Chotto Hen dakedo
Date: From 11.00 p.m., Saturdays, 23 January – 3 April 2021
Station: TV Asahi
Genre: Family
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriter: Hashibe Atsuko (Ghost Writer, Freeter Ie o Kau, Boku Series)
Directors: Takezono Hajime, Tsunehiro Jota, Kamada Toshiaki
Theme Song: Ame Nochi Hare by GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE
Cast: Koshiba Fuka, Kudo Asuka, Kato Seishiro, Tanabe Seiichi, Tomita Yasuko, Hashizume Isao, Mizusawa Erena, Naito Risa
Synopsis: Shimizu Mokomi (Koshiba Fuka) possesses delicate senses which allow her to understand the feelings of objects such as stuffed toys, stones and plants. As a result of this uncanny ability, she has been treated as a weirdo and scolded. Mokomi stopped going to school when she was in fifth grade in elementary school and tried to live with as little interaction with other people as possible. She eventually graduated from high school through a correspondence course. It was only when Mokomi was 20 that she followed her mother Chikako’s suggestion and began a part-time job checking for defective products at a factory. On her 22nd birthday, she suddenly declared that she did not want to go to the factory. However, something makes Mokomi decide to step out into the wide world. As she begins to venture out, this also affects her seemingly peaceful family which is actually splintered. They start throwing their honest opinions at each other and come to terms with themselves in this story about the rebirth of Mokomi and her family (Kudo Asuka, Tanabe Seiichi, Tomita Yasuko).
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/mokomi
Twitter: twitter.com/mokomi_tvasahi
Kakenai!? ~ Kyakuhonka Yoshimaru Keisuke Sujigaki no Nai Seikatsu
Date: From 11.30 p.m., Saturdays, 16 January – 13 March 2021
Station: TV Asahi
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 8
Scriptwriter: Fukuda Yasushi (Doctors ~ Saikyou no Meii Series, Good Partner, Galileo Series)
Directors: Toyoshima Keisuke, Yuki Saito
Cast: Ikuta Toma, Kichise Michiko, Kikuchi Fuma, Ono Takehiko, Umezawa Masayo, Yamada Anna, Yunho, Hamano Kenta, Okada Masaki (guest star), Nagai Mijika, Koike Teppei, Kitamura Yukiya
Synopsis: Yoshimaru Keisuke (Ikuta Toma) has liked watching television dramas since he was a child and wanted to become a scriptwriter. However, he was not successful in competitions. He eventually gave up on his dream and found a job at a real estate company. That is how he met Nami (Kichise Michiko), a single mother who was searching for an apartment. They fell in love and got married. Nami won a newcomer of the year award for a novel that she wrote while she was pregnant and became a popular writer. This reignited Keisuke’s forgotten dream. When he was 32, he finally won a competition. He quit his job to concentrate on writing scripts but he barely had projects and ended up taking care of the children (Yamada Anna, Yunho) and housework. Five years later, he has not made progress as a scriptwriter, and yet he is somehow content with his current life. One day, Keisuke suddenly gets the chance of a lifetime to write the screenplay for a prime time drama series after the main scriptwriter pulls out without warning. Although Nami worries whether Keisuke will be able to write well, she grows more supportive as she watches him try to do his best.
Website: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kakenai
Twitter: twitter.com/KakenaiOshidora
Preview: Kakenai!? CM
Koko wa Ima kara Rinri desu
Date: From 11.30 p.m., Saturdays, 16 January – 13 March 2021
Station: NHK
Genre: School
Episodes: 8
Original Work: Koko wa Ima kara Rinri desu by Amase Shiori
Scriptwriter: Takaha Aya
Directors: Watanabe Tetsuya, Ono Michi, Ono Yohei
Cast: Yamada Yuki, Kayashima Mizuki, Ikeda Yuto, Watanabe Ao, Ikeda Akana, Kawano Kaisei, Uragami Seishu, Kiryu Sakura, Itagaki Rihito, Inukai Naoki, Sugita Rairu, Nakata Seina, Tamura Kentaro, Umefune Ariei, Igita Natsuha, Fujimatsu Shoko, Kawashima Junya, Mikami Ichiro, Hizuki Hana, Yamashina Keita, Kimura Hanayo, Furuya Ryuta, Songha
Synopsis: There is a high school where students can take an elective course in ethics. Despite their innocent looks, the students that attend the class have serious problems of their own such as self-harm, bullying, drugs, non-consensual sex, and seem weighed down by their troubles. Takayanagi (Yamada Yuki), the mysterious teacher in charge of this elective course, offers words on ethics and philosophy to them. When applied to the students of today, these words written in what seems like a boring ethics textbook, help them deal with their own problems and get through life.
Website: www.nhk.jp/p/rinri/ts/WKL8N2Z561
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_rinri
Preview: Koko wa Ima kara Rinri desu CM
Sono Onna, Jiruba
Date: From 11.40 p.m, Saturdays, 9 January – 13 March 2021
Station: Fuji TV
Episodes: 10
Original Work: Sono Onna, Jiruba by Arima Shinobu
Scriptwriter: Yoshida Noriko (Dying Eye, Mistresses, Henshin)
Directors: Murakami Makito, Nemoto Kazumasa
Cast: Ikewaki Chizuru, Eguchi Noriko, Matobu Sei, Yamazaki Shigenori, Nakao Mie, Hisamoto Masami, Kusamura Reiko, Nakata Yoshiko, Shinagawa Toru, Kusabue Mitsuko, Takezai Terunosuke (guest star)
Synopsis: 40-year-old Usui Arata (Ikewaki Chizuru) works for a large department store but is mocked for being an abandoned old woman and demoted to its logistics warehouse. She has no boyfriend, savings or security in old age. Driven out from her workplace because of restructuring, Arata is on the verge of giving up on her dreams, work and marriage. However, at that moment, she happens to come across a place that will significantly change her life. It is the legendary Bar Old Jack & Rose which has a poster recruiting hostesses. The condition is that applicants have to be over 40. Arata decides to take the plunge and work here in a bid to change her life. She soon gets shocked by the difference in values. The average age of the hostesses at Bar Old Jack & Rose which started right after the war, is over 70. The customers visit for its food and hospitality. Taking the name Arara, she blossoms and begins to recover the important things that she had forgotten, as the youngest hostess in a space brimming with the vitality and energy of mature women.
Website: www.tokai-tv.com/io/jitterbug
Twitter: twitter.com/tokaitv_dodra
Preview: Sono Onna, Jiruba CM
Keihan Ensen Monogatari ~ Kominka Minpaku Kizunaya e Yokoso
Date: From 12.00 a.m., Sundays, 10 January – 27 March 2021
Station: BS TV Tokyo
Episodes: 12
Scriptwriters: Ishida Akira, Aso Kumiko (Lunch Gokon Tantei, Gosaigyou, Yami no Bansosha Series), Mitsuru Yu
Directors: Chimura Toshimitsu, Nagao Kumiko, Tanaka Kenji
Cast: Konishi Sakurako, Nakamura Shunsuke, Niitsu Chise, Dan Mitsu, Okada Yoshinori, Ken, Nakagawa Tsuyoshi, Hashiyasume Atsuko, Terada Minori, Hotaru Yukijiro, Nakamura Shizuka, Tanimura Mitsuki, Sugiura Taiyo
Synopsis: 24-year-old Imachi Jun (Konishi Sakurako) is a new writer who scored a big hit with her debut work. Because it sold well, she is unable to write her next book because of the pressure she feels. To escape from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, Jun heads to Cable Hachimagu Sanjo Station on Keihan Railway which runs between Osaka and Kyoto. She meets a former chef Kuga Sosuke (Nakamura Shunsuke) and an elementary student Kinomiya Kokoro (Niitsu Chise), and is taken to their residence Kizunaya which takes lodgers and ends up staying long-term. As Jun lives at Kizunaya and interacts with Sosuke, Kokoro and the guests who come to stay, she gradually becomes emotionally stronger and gains the confidence to write her second book.
Website: www.tv-osaka.co.jp/keihan_story
Twitter: twitter.com/tvo_mayodora
Preview: Keihan Ensen Monogatari CM
Seiten o Tsuke*CAST UPDATE*
Date: From 8.00 p.m., Sundays, 14 February – 26 December 2021
Station: NHK
Episodes: 41
Scriptwriter: Omori Mika (Mikaiketsu no Onna Series, Kono Koe o Kimi ni, Asa ga Kita)
Directors: Kurosaki Hiroshi, Tanaka Kenji, Murahashi Naoki, Watanabe Tetsuya, Kawano Hideaki
Cast: Yoshizawa Ryo, Kobayashi Kaoru, Wakui Emi, Murakawa Eri, Fujino Ryoko, Kora Kengo, Narumi Riko, Tanabe Seiichi, Mitsushima Shinnosuke, Hashimoto Ai, Okada Kenshi, Hiraizumi Sei, Asaka Mayumi, Takenaka Naoto, Watanabe Ikkei, Tsuda Kanji, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, Tsutsumi Shinichi, Kimura Yoshino, Hirata Mitsuru, Tamaki Hiroshi, Yoshi Ikuzo, Watanabe Daichi, Kamishiraishi Mone, Minemura Rie, Mimura Rie, Kawaei Rina, Kishitani Goro, Otani Ryohei, Satoi Kenta, Nakamura Yasuhi, Kaname Jun, Koike Teppei, Tezuka Satomi, Tezuka Mai, Sakou Yoshi, Itabashi Shunya, Yamazaki Ginnojo, Fujiwara Kisetsu, Hara Hideko, Morley Robertson, Isomura Hayato, Fukagawa Mai, Nakajima Ayumu, Itagaki Rihito, Toyama Toshiya, Namioka Kazuki, Ikeda Narushi, Hakata Hanamaru, Ishimaru Kanji, Tokui Yu, Sugawara Daikichi, Mizukami Ryushi, Onoe Ukon, Yamauchi Takaya, Okuda Yohei, Kanai Yuta, Watanabe Toru, Kitaoji Kinya, Dean Fujioka, Machida Keita, Shison Jun, Ikeuchi Mansaku, Yamanaka So, Okamori Akira, Inukai Atsuhiro, Hosoda Yoshihiko, Minosuke, Onoue Hiroyuki, Kohinata Seiichi, Kohinata Shunpei, Fukushi Seiji, Yamazaki Ikusaburo, Okura Koji, Takeda Shinji, Ogata Issey, Yasui Junpei, Ogura Hisahiro, Nakamua Shikan, Masuda Shuichiro, Miura Masaki, Takagi Wataru, Asakura Aki, Ono Rina, Hata Mei, Nimura Sawa, Kiba Katsumi, Tanaka Yoji, Izumisawa Yuki, Kasamatsu Sho, Tamura Kentaro, Uchino Kenta, Ikeda Akana, Oshima Yuko, Manaki Reika, Komai Ren, Kureshiro Kumi, Kanno Rio, Oshinari Shugo, Okabe Takashi, Osamura Koki
Synopsis: Shibusawa Eiichi (Yoshizawa Ryo), the man whose face will be on Japan’s new 10,000 yen bill, is known as the father of Japanese capitalism. He was involved in the founding of almost 500 companies, and at the same time some 600 social welfare organisations. Shibusawa lived in a time of turbulent change. He began as an advocate of anti-foreign sentiment, but recognising the momentum of history he came to embrace Western ideas. Born to a farming family (Kobayashi Kaoru, Wakui Emi, Murakawa Eri, Fujino Ryoko) in a rural area, Shibusawa became a vassal of the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi). But with the demise of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868, he found himself unemployed. Shibusawa ended up serving the new Meiji government despite himself. After waging a great battle in the political arena, he eventually resigned at the age of 33 and became a civilian. As an industrialist, he kicked off towering reforms, founding what was needed and laying the foundation for modern Japan – banking, insurance, paper manufacturing, railway, shipping, gas and electricity. Guided by the teachings of Confucius, which he had learned since young, Shibusawa was able to rise above adversity no matter how the situation changed. In his later years, he focused his energy on serving public interest and was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Website: www.nhk.or.jp/seiten
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_seiten
Preview: Seiten o Tsuke CM
Tengoku to Jigoku ~ Saikona Futari
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Sundays, 17 January – 21 March 2021
Station: TBS
Genre: Body/soul swap
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriter: Morishita Yoshiko (Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita, Gibo to Musume no Blues Series, Tenno no Ryoriban)
Directors: Hirakawa Yuichiro, Aoyama Takahiro, Matsumoto Aya
Theme Song: Tadaima by Teshima Aoi
Cast: Ayase Haruka, Takahashi Issei, Emoto Tasuku, Mizobata Junpei, Nakamura Yuri, Sakoda Takaya, Hayashi Yasufumi, Nomaguchi Toru, Yoshimi Kazutoyo, Baba Toru, Tani Kyosuke, Kishii Yukino, Kiba Katsumi, Kitamura Kazuki, Nakao Akiyoshi (guest star)
Synopsis: 35-year-old Mochizuki Ayako (Ayase Haruka) is a detective who is a hard working, righteous and ambitious. She is the type who irks bosses and the people around her with her personality and focus on how things “should be done”. One day, she finds evidence proving that a man is a suspect in a murder case. It is her big chance to arrest him. Unfortunately Ayako swops bodies with Hidaka Haruto (Takahashi Issei), a chemistry researcher and shrewd entrepreneur, whose smart, nice guy persona belies his true psychotic, murderous nature. Ayako lives with the easygoing Watanabe Riku (Emoto Tasuku) who survives on part-time work and is a complete leech. Even so, he is the only one that she can lean on. Will he be able to detect the changes in Ayako? Furthermore, Ayako has to contend with a senior detective Kawahara Mitsuo (Kitamura Kazuki) who can be called her nemesis. He is very capable and will do anything in order to get results. Now that Ayako and Hidaka have switched places, they are filled with anxiety every day over the possibility of a momentary error of judgement as their status, personality, use of words and behaviour are complete opposites. Over time, their values are shaken to the core. They are also in for an unanticipated truth and romance.
Website: www.tbs.co.jp/tengokutojigoku_tbs
Twitter: twitter.com/tengoku_tbs
Preview: Tengoku to Jigoku CM
Company ~ Gyakuten no Swan
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 10 January – 28 February 2021
Station: NHK BS Premium
Genre: Corporate
Episodes: 8
Original Work: Company by Ibuki Yuki
Scriptwriter: Umeda Mika (Seigi no Se, 37.5°C no Namida, Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai Series)
Directors: Matsuda Ayato, Tanazawa Takayoshi
Cast: Inohara Yoshihiko, Kurashina Kana, Miyao Shuntaro, Oda Risa, Furukawa Yuta, Kobayashi Mina, Matsuo Tatsuru, Obana Kie, Otani Rena, Fujitani Riko, Kuriyama Ren, Tabata Shima, Iwamatsu Ryo, Sakai Maki, Konishi Manami, Nishimura Masahiko, Kuroki Hitomi
Synopsis: One day, Aoyagi Seiichi (Inohara Yoshihiko) suddenly faces the threat of layoff after his employer Ariake Pharmaceutical goes through a merger. His wife Etsuko (Konishi Manami) and daughter leave home without any warning. What exactly went wrong when he had been living honestly? Aoyagi is given a mission by his boss as a chance to return to the company. Ariake Pharmaceutical has been sponsoring a ballet troupe. His mission is to make the performance of Swan Lake at the end of the year a success. This is a challenge that is near impossible for him. With his wife’s ballet diary as his only clue, Aoyagi faces the world of ballet which is completely foreign to him.
Website: www.nhk.jp/p/ts/NYXK5QNJVW
Twitter: twitter.com/nhk_dramas
Tokkai ~ Furyou Saiken Tokubetsu Kaishuubu
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Sundays, 17 January – 4 April 2021
Network: WOWOW
Genre: Corporate
Episodes: 12
Original Work: Tokkai Bubble no Kaijin ga Oitsumeta Otokotachi by Kiyotake Hidetoshi
Scriptwriter: Todayama Masashi (Keiji Zero Series, Ishi Tsubute, Shingari)
Directors: Wakamatsu Setsuro, Muratani Yoshinori
Theme Song: Yoake no Uta by Tjiros
Cast: Ito Hideaki, Nakayama Yuma, Hirosue Ryoko, Yajima Kenichi, Hagiwara Masato, Sakurai Yuki, Nakamura Yuri, Miura Masaki, Matsukado Yohei, Ota Rina, Yoshizawa Hisashi, Sasai Eisuke, Watanabe Hiroyuki, Tanaka Ken, Dan Jiro, Sano Shiro, Ogata Naoto, Issey Ogata, Nakamura Toru, Hashizume Isao
Synopsis: In 1996, Shibasaki Akira (Ito Hideaki) who works for the Loan Department of Aoba Bank’s Yotsubashi branch, is seconded to the Home Financing Credit Management Organisation. Besides those transferred from banks just like Shibasaki, the former employees of failed home financing companies have been gathered at this government corporation aimed at collecting the bad debts of these companies that have gone under. Their priority is to collect every single yen which amounts to a staggering 6.78 trillion yen of bad debts. When the bubble economy collapsed, the government injected 685 billion yen in order to manage the bad debts of the failed home financing companies, drawing the wrath of the people. The ones assembled at the frontline have to risk their lives facing off against vicious debtors including real estate tycoons and gangs order to protect taxpayers’ money.
Website: www.wowow.co.jp/drama/original/tokkai
Twitter: twitter.com/drama_wowow
Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni Season 1
Date: From 10.30 p.m., Sundays, 17 January – 14 March 2021 (Season 2 on Hulu in March)
Station: NTV
Genre: Survival, love mystery
Episodes: 10
Scriptwriter: Ikeda Natsuko (Zekkyou, Shinhannin, Miyazawa Kenji no Shokutaku)
Director: Sugawara Shintaro
Theme Song: Hoshi o Aogu by Suda Masaki
Cast: Takeuchi Ryoma, Nakajo Ayami, Kasamatsu Sho, Iitoyo Marie, Makita Sports, Ando Tamae, Yokomizo Naho, Suzunosuke, Kim Jaehyun, Hyunri, Asaka Kodai, Horike Kazuki, Yagi Takumi, Tanaka Kanau, Niitsu Chise, Otani Ryohei, Sasano Takashi, Jinbo Satoshi, Takito Kenichi, Yoshine Kyoko (guest star), Tanaka Michiko (guest star), Uno Shohei (guest star)
Synopsis: Mamiya Hibiki (Takeuchi Ryoma) works at a car maintenance shop. On the day that he intends to propose to his live-in girlfriend Ogasawara Kurumi (Nakajo Ayami), whom he has dated since high school, a tunnel caves in and he gets trapped. When Mamiya makes it out from the tunnel four days later, the world has completely changed. There is no one around. The transportation network is wrecked and he cannot get mobile signals. A directive for an emergency evacuation is repeated on the radio. There are traces of blood in the streets. It seems that the world has come to an end. Mamiya desperately searches for Kurumi but she is nowhere to be found. He eventually realises that the town has been sealed off as a hazardous zone. Are the few survivors (Kasamatsu Sho, Iitoyo Marie, Otani Ryohei, Sasano Takashi, Makita Sports, Ando Tamae, Yokomizo Naho, Suzunosuke) a bunch who can pull through this hopeless situation together with him?
Website: www.ntv.co.jp/kimiseka
Twitter: twitter.com/kimiseka_ntv
Preview: Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni Season 1 CM
Miyako ga Kyoto ni Yatte Kita!
Date: From 11.55 p.m., Sundays, 10 January – 14 February 2021
Station: ABC TV
Genre: Family
Episodes: 6
Scriptwriter: Imai Masako (Soko o Nantoka Series, Bitter Sugar)
Director: Chiba Yukitoshi
Theme Song: I Love My Daughter by BREAKERZ
Cast: Sasaki Kuranosuke, Fujino Ryoko, Yuki Kousei, Matsumoto Wakana, Mitsubayashi Kyoko, Ichikawa Ennosuke
Synopsis: Kakinoki Kukichi (Sasaki Kuranosuke) is a doctor who runs a small clinic in Kyoto. He specialises in making house calls. One day, his only daughter Miyako (Fujino Ryoko), whom he has never been in touch with in the 12 years since his divorce, shows up at the clinic. The last time he saw her was when she was 8 years old. The Miyako standing in front of him has turned 20 and is a lovely young woman. Kukichi cannot hide his shock at her sudden appearance in Kyoto. Regardless of his feelings, Miyako declares that she will be staying here for a while. Although father and daughter feel awkward meeting again after 12 years, they gradually begin to understand each other as they come in contact with the beautiful town and the caring people.
Website: www.asahi.co.jp/miyakyo
Preview: Miyako ga Kyoto ni Yatte Kita! CM
© jdramas.wordpress.com.
Jdrama Weblog 