Actor�Sato Ryuta will be tackling a starring role in the special drama, "Necchu Jidai", scheduled for broadcast sometime in 2011. �"Necchu Jidai" was originally a�popular�school drama aired back in 1978 which starred�Mizutani Yutaka as 'Kitano Kodai', a teacher at an elementary school. The original series was so popular that the last episode garnered a viewer rating of over 40%, and both Mizutani and the drama's theme song became a social phenomenon in Japan.

Ryuta's drama will not be a remake, but instead, will be a sequel to the original focusing on one of Mizutani's former students, 'Nagumo Daichi' (Ryuta), who returns to the elementary school years later as a teacher. Ryuta's character begins his career brimming with dreams and ideals, yet runs into obstacles when his students refuse to accept him, brushing him off as "annoying".



Matsushita Nao has been chosen as his female co-star, who will also play as a teacher by the name of 'Asahina Haruka'. Her teaching philosophy contrasts with Ryuta's, as she keeps her students at a distance in order to avoid excessive meddling.

Further details about the drama storyline and characters have yet to be unearthed, but what is known is that�Ichikawa Kamejiro, Watanabe Ikkei, Tsugawa Masahiko, Muroi Shigeru, and Guts Ishimatsu will be making their appearances in the drama.

Stay tuned to tokyohive for more details!

Source & Photo: Oricon style