The upcoming fall season for dramas is only a few weeks away (the earliest prime time drama starts on October 6th), but all the important announcements have already been made. During the mid-season it's time for the networks to promote their upcoming dramas as much as they can in order to attract as many viewers as possible for their season premieres.

What happens after that depends on how viewers experience the framework consisting of the story, the acting, and the pacing. Is the story compelling enough to make you want to watch the next episode? Is the acting convincing enough to draw you into the world it's trying to create? Is the presentation of the characters and the story dragging too much or maybe even feels a bit rushed?

Before the actual premiere, there are several components that greatly influence the hype and consequently the rating of the first episode. Just try to ask yourself why you are looking forward to a particular drama. Do you like the cast? Do you like the premise of the drama? Did you like the original novel/manga and are curious about the live-action adaption? The drama announcements usually are made within one or two months before the actual season and therefore it's easy to get lost within this vast amount of information. This is why we decided to offer you a nice overview of the upcoming prime time dramas along with short teasers (if available) that could help you learn more about the upcoming dramas and maybe already put some of them on your imaginary must-see or ignore list.

Please note that all of the information is only based on the information that is currently known (as of September 24th) and that the midnight and late-night dramas are not included in this preview.

Check out the Prime Time Drama Preview for the Fall Season 2012 below!

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Monday

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Perfect Blue

-- Start: October 8th --
-- Air Time: 20:00 --
-- Directors: Karaki Akihiro and Tanaka Mineya --
-- Script: Yamazaki Junya --
-- Original: 'Perfect Blue' and 'Kokoro Torokasu Youna - Masa no Jikenbo' by Miyabe Miyuki --
-- Cast: Takimoto Miori, Terawaki Yasufumi, Zaizen Naomi, and Funakoshi Eiichirou (voice only) --
-- Theme Song: "MyPerfectBlue" by Shibasaki Kou --

# Takimoto Miori and the dog Masa are solving crimes together!

First a scream and then there's a fire. A warehouse is ablaze in the Tokyo Wangan area and gazing at the fire are female private detective Hasumi Kayoko (Takimoto) and her partner, a former police dog called Masa (voiced by Funakoshi). Together they are going to face a blazing swirl of greed as they solve one crime after another. The private investigation firm is run by Kayoko's mother (Zaizen) and one day they run into a crime scene where the dead body has suddenly gone missing. Things become even more strange when the supposed dead body isn't so dead after all. Always providing them with the latest gossip is the bar owner next door (Terawaki) and it's not uncommonly that his hints help them solve a case. While solving those cases, Kayoko is also trying to find out how her father really died...

'Perfect Blue' was Miyabe�s first long novel and was released in 1989. In 2010, WOWOW already adapted it into a TV movie starring Kato Rosa, which was also screened in cinemas nationwide for a whole week. However, this time they are changing parts of the story by adding characters and elements from Miyabe�s other novel 'Kokoro Torokasu Youna: Masa no Jikenbo', hence the addition of a speaking dog.

It's a light-hearted crime drama starring an ambitious young actress and a German shepherd.

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PRICELESS
~Aru Wake Needaro, Namon!~

-- Start: not yet fixed --
-- Air Time: 21:00 --
-- Directors: Suzuki Masayuki and Hirano Shin --
-- Script: Furuya Kazunao --
-- Cast: Kimura Takuya, Nakai Kiichi, and Karina --
-- Theme Song: "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones --

# Kimura Takuya portraying a man who is walking at the bottom of his life!

Kindaichi Fumio (Kimura) is a popular and friendly office worker at his company, but for some reason the top brass of his company aren't too fond of him. One day he is suddenly being faced with a crime he can't remember that he committed and gets chased out from his position. In the blink of an eye he becomes penniless, hopeless, and homeless. However, he happens to meet two children who have no money just like him and thanks them as he learns how to survive in the world without money. Despite this time of adversity, he keeps on plunging forward and never loses his positive attitude. He's not only one going through a major change. His unreliable boss (Nakai) and the plain female accountant (Karina) gradually start to get influenced by Fumio for the better as well.

'PRICELESS' is a heartwarming comedy about a man who is struggling to get back on his feet after reaching the absolute bottom in his life. Kimura and Nakai have already worked together for the movie 'HERO' (2007), but Karina is a new name on the list of supporting actresses. He seems to be very enthusiastic about this drama and the Olympics inspired him to make great teamwork his top priority for this project. It will be interesting to see whether the viewers will be able to feel the great teamwork and chemistry on screen as well.

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Tuesday

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Osozaki no Himawari

-- Start: October 23rd --
-- Air Time: 21:00 --
-- Directors: Ishikawa Junichi and Ueda Yasushi --
-- Script: Hashibe Atsuko --
-- Cast: Ikuta Toma, Maki Yoko, Kiritani Kenta, Kashii Yuu, Emoto Tasuku, Kimura Fumino, and Kuninaka Ryoko --

# A drama about the so-called 'lost generation' starring Ikuta Toma!

Kodaira Joutarou (Ikuta) has graduated from a private university in Tokyo and has found a job as a temporary worker. He has an earnest personality and always does his best at work. He is looking forward to get a full-time job soon, but his company suddenly has to downsize by laying off temporary workers. At the same time his girlfriend suddenly breaks up with him after their seven-year long relationship. Nowhere to go, he decides to move back in with his parents. One day he happens to stumble upon a topic on the Internet about a so-called 'Chiiki Okoshi Kyouryokutai', a group that aims to revitalize certain areas. He decides to join this group for no reason whatsoever and suddenly finds himself living and hanging out in the Shimanto River area in Kochi (Shikoku).

Maki plays 'Nikaido Kahori', who is a graduate from an elite private medical university in Tokyo whose dream of becoming a medical researcher on the foremost line. However, the leading doctor suddenly orders her to work as a clinician at a hospital in Shimanto, which also happens to be her hometown. Having her dream broken, she is now losing confidence in herself.

The other characters include the successor of a local hardware store (Kiritani) who also volunteers as the leader of this revitalization group. The only time he has ever left Shikoku was for a school trip, but that's not a big deal since he loves his hometown. Kashii plays an excellent nurse at the local hospital and often clashes with Kahori. Emoto plays Kahori's ex-boyfriend from high school who now works as an assistant at the rehab center of the hospital. Kimura plays the daughter of a powerful city council member who works as a real estate agent. She manages the house where Joutarou is living in and constantly makes a move on him. Kuninaka plays Kahori's older sister who used to be a local idol back during their high school days. Now she lives a perfect life with her husband, a banker, and their two daughters. However, she does have a complex regarding her younger sister.

'Osozaki no Himawari' is a drama with and about a group of great individuals.

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Going My Home

-- Start: October 9th --
-- Air Time: 22:00 --
-- Director: Koreeda Hirokazu --
-- Script: Koreeda Hirokazu --
-- Cast: Abe Hiroshi, Yamaguchi Tomoko, Miyazaki Aoi, Makita Aju, YOU, Natsuyagi Isao, Abe Sadao, Yoshiyuki Kazuko, and Nishida Toshiyuki --
-- Theme Song: "Yotsuba no Clover" by Makihara Noriyuki --

# An original family drama directed by Koreeda Hirokazu and starring Abe Hiroshi!

The drama focuses on the 45-year-old Tsuboi Ryota (Abe Hiroshi), the coordinator of a large CM company who is receiving the request from one of their clients to change some parts of their new CM. However, he's unable to really explain to the director what changes should be made exactly. At the same time he receives a call from his older sister (YOU), who tells him that his father (Natsuyagi) has collapsed while golfing in Nagano and that he was admitted to a local hospital. In a hurry Ryouta decides to go Nagano, his birth-place.

Tsuboi Ryota is a good man. Nobody can really hate him, which is why the coordinator between his company and their clients seems like the perfect job for him. However, he frequently finds himself stuck in a dilemma, whether that's between his wife (Yamaguchi) and his daughter (Makita), his older sister and their mother (Yoshiyuki), or his family and work in general.

Adding some mysterious, almost fantastical elements to this family drama are Miyazaki as a puzzling young woman Ryota happens to meet at the hospital and Natsuyagi as his father who strong believes in the existence of a tiny fairy-like race called the 'Kuna'. Abe Sadao plays a kind taxi driver in Nagano and Nishida plays a good friend of Ryota's father.

Director Koreeda is known throughout the world for creating movies with subtle yet deep and moving motifs such as 'Nobody Knows' and 'Kiseki'. It's his first time trying his hands on a TV drama, but so far it seems like he's going to stay true to his style. Only he can turn an ordinary family drama into a fantastic and sweet journey into the minds of people, even more so with such an astounding cast at his disposal.

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Wednesday

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Aibou season 11

-- Start: not yet fixed --
-- Air Time: 21:00 --
-- Director: Izumi Seiji --
-- Script: Koshimizu Yasuhiro --
-- Cast: Mizutani Yutaka, Narimiya Hiroki, Suzuki Anju, Matobu Sei, and Ishizaka Kouji --

# The 11th season with a new partner for inspector Sugishita Ukyo!

The new season begins with a special case that leads the duo to the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong. It's the first time for 'Aibou' to expand its setting to a foreign location since they went to London in the second season. Mizutani commented that it perfectly suits inspector Sugishita Ukyo, since Hong Kong used to be a British colony and Ukyo is interested in everything British. His new partner is called 'Kai Toru'. He's played by Narimiya Hiroki and is going to breath new life into the series. More details about him can be found here and here, but we will have to wait until the first episode to find out how they end up as partners.

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Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo

-- Start: October 10th --
-- Air Time: 22:00 --
-- Director: Kubota Mitsuru --
-- Script: Ban Kazuhiko --
-- Cast: Takei Emi, Watabe Atsuro, Miura Shohei, Higa Manami, and Tsukamoto Takashi --
-- Theme Song: "Onshirazu" by Nakajima Miyuki --

# A heartwarming father-daughter drama starring Takei Emi and Watabe Atsuro!

The mother of the 19-year-old Saeki Rei (Takei) comes home only to find a note from her daughter - "Don't worry Mom, I went to Tokyo." It's not that Rei isn't thankful for her mother who brought her up all by herself since her divorce 15 years ago, but her dream to live in a sparkling city like Tokyo has become too strong to simply waste her life in Kagawa. She withdrew all of her savings - 620,000 Yen (7,900 USD) and took the night bus to Tokyo. Her father Suzuki Takuya (Watabe) is living in Tokyo as well, but she doesn't really want to rely on him. Once Rei arrives in Tokyo, she checks the shop front of the real estate agency for a cheap place to stay, but everything is too expensive for her. Discouraged, she decides to have a breakfast first and that's when she gets approached by Tamagawa Daisuke (Miura).

Tamagawa has been lovestruck ever since he saw Rei in the nigh bus. His father is a wealthy person, so he doesn't really have to work to get by. Rei's father is a successful lawyer who loves to show off his wealth and pick up women. Other characters include an unpopular model (Higa) who struggles to make a living as a promotional and catalog model. On her days off, she tries to sell her clothes on the flea market in order to make some money and when things get really bad, she tries to get some money from Suzuki. Tsukamoto plays an assistant of Suzuki.

Takei keeps on starring in dramas season after season and is currently fighting for the title of post-Ueto CM Queen with fellow actress Gouriki Ayame. This time she's playing a bright, cheerful and somewhat reckless character. Writer Ban Kazuhiko already provided the scripts for 'Papa wa Newscaster' and 'Deka Wanko'. He knows how to deliver a story with a great pacing and how to blend comedy with heartwarming moments.

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Thursday

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Sousa Chizu no Onna

-- Start: not yet fixed --
-- Air Time: 20:00 --
-- Directors: Inohara Tatsuzo, Fujioka Koujirou, and Ishikawa Ichirou --
-- Script: Iwashita Yuko and Manabe Chiaki --
-- Cast: Maya Miki, Ishiguro Ken, Nakamura Baijaku, Uchiyama Rina, Kusabue Mitsuko, and Watanabe Ikkei --

# A map maniac solves various crimes while the viewers can marvel at the beauty of Kyoto!

Tachibana Tamako (Maya) is a veteran at the Criminal Investigation unit of the Kyoto Prefectural Police. She's known as a "map maniac" and knows every inch of Kyoto as long as you can find it on a map. The police is using her talent as a "human GPS" to make detailed investigation maps that are able to break every fake alibi. However, it also happens that Tamako doesn't appear at a crime scene, because she once again found a spot that hasn't yet been recorded on a map.

Believe it or not, it's only the first time Maya is starring in a drama serial. That and the magnificent backdrop of Kyoto should be enough reasons to check out 'Sousa Chizu no Onna' this fall.

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Doctor X
~Gekai Daimon Michiko~

-- Start: not yet fixed --
-- Air Time: 21:00 --
-- Directors: Tamura Naomi and Matsuda Hidetomo --
-- Script: Nakazono Miho --
-- Cast: Yonekura Ryoko, Tanaka Kei, Uchida Yuki, Kishibe Ittoku, and Ito Shiro --
-- Theme Song: "Force" by Superfly --

# Yonekura Ryoko as a cool and dirty super doctor!

Daimon Michiko (Yonekura) is a 37-year-old freelance surgeon who is part of a questionable "doctor placement service" that has her wander from hospital to hospital. The harsh environment at the hospitals led many doctors to retire from their positions, forcing hospitals to make use of said program to fill the empty spots at least temporary. However, Michiko doesn't look like a doctor at all with her flashy clothes and eccentric attitude.

In the first episode she raises objections to a certain operation which is planned to be done by the head of a hospital who hasn't performed an operation for a very long time. This causes Michiko to incur odium at the hospital, however, everyone becomes frozen when Michiko points out the outdated skills of the director.

She also holds a scrupulous compliance when it comes to her working hours, never does any unnecessary chores that don�t require a medical license, and couldn�t care less about the power struggles within the hospitals. Nobody knows how she acquired such a top-level skill that allows her to claim exorbitant sums as reward, but her private life is an even greater mystery to everyone around her.

Tanaka plays a rookie surgeon, Uchida an anesthetist, Kishibe the head of the placement service, and Ito the head of the surgical department of this institution.

Scriptwriter Nakazono and Yonekura already teamed up in the past for the drama 'Nasake no Onna'.

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Resident ~ 5-nin no Kenshui

-- Start: October 18th --
-- Air Time: 21:00 --
-- Directors: Takanari Mahoko and Yoshida Akio --
-- Script: Nagata Yuko --
-- Cast: Naka Riisa, Hayashi Kento, Masuda Takahisa, Omasa Aya, and Ishibashi Anna --
-- Theme Song: "Answer" by flumpool --

# Five young actors lead by Naka Riisa play medical interns at the emergency and critical care center!

The story revolves around a group of new medical interns at the emergency and critical care center of a university hospital. Miyama Shizuku (Naka) is one of them and medical care seems to run in her blood, as her father is a private clinician himself. However, at the hospital she soon realizes that reality is far different from her own ideals of "facing each patient with the utmost sincerity and benevolence", as Naka described her character.

Shizuku's father doesn't support her at all and doesn't have any expectations because she's a girl. Therefore she was only able to enroll into a medical faculty thanks to a scholarship. The rest of the group is made up of the cool yet diligent and knowledgeable Yazawa Kei (Hayashi) who had been neglected by his parents throughout his childhood; the extremely polite and trustworthy Manaka Junichi (Masuda) who earns the trust of every patient, but is pressured by his father to succeed him as a doctor; the smart Koiwai Hinako (Omasa) who has never been given a bad grade in her life and wants to give herself some dignity by becoming a doctor - Shizuku and Hinako are like cats and dogs; and the stoic Shinjo Sachi (Ishibashi) who pursues the dream of her high school friend who lost his life saving her from drowning.

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Kekkon Shinai

-- Start: October 11th --
-- Air Time: 22:00 --
-- Directors: Ishii Yusuke and Tanaka Ryo --
-- Script: Yamazaki Takako and Sakaguchi Riko --
-- Cast: Kanno Miho, Amami Yuki, and Tamaki Hiroshi --

# The ordinary life of two women who can't or don't want to get married!

Tanaka Chiharu (Kanno) is a contract employee for a travel agent. She's 34 years old and hasn't had a boyfriend in over five years. All of her friends of similar age are getting married, so she's starting to feel anxious that she might not be able to get married. Kirishima Haruko (Amami) is a successful landscape gardening planner. She's 44 years old and was having an affair with her boss for a quite some time. Therefore, she is looking at romance from a farsighted perspective and resigned herself from getting married.

Chiharu and Haruko happen to meet each other for the first time at the wedding of Chiharu�s sister, where they it off right away and decided to move together at Haruko�s place. They are very different in terms of personality and age, which leads to a very delightful interaction between the two. Of course they frequently fight with each other, but they also support each other as much as they can.

Kudo Junpei (Tamaki) is a part-time worker at a flower shop. He's 32 years old and a very kindhearted and sensitive man who is not very proactive when it comes to love. Kudo doesn't have the confidence to get married and to support another person let alone a whole family.

Coming from the same writers, it's not surprise that 'Kekkon Shinai' sounds like a more mature version of 'Watashi ga Renai Dekinai Riyuu'. It's said to be a realistic approach at how unmarried women in their thirties and forties struggle with that damn thing called love.

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Friday

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Ooku ~Tanjou~ (Arikoto � Iemitsu Hen)

-- Start: October 12th --
-- Air Time: 22:00 --
-- Directors: Kaneko Fuminori, Watase Akihiko, and Fujie Yoshimasa --
-- Script: Kamiyama Yumiko --
-- Original: 'Ooku' by Yoshinaga Fumi --
-- Cast: Sakai Masato, Tabe Mikako, Tanaka Koki, Hirayama Hiroyuki, Naito Takashi, and Aso Yumi --
-- Theme Song: "DEEPNESS" by MISIA --

# The Ooku series continues and this time focuses on the pure love between the former monk Arikoto and Shogun Iemitsu, and the secret how the roles of men and women switched.

'Ooku' is set during the Edo period of Japan, in an alternate history where a mysterious disease that affects only males has resulted in a sharply decreasing population of men and women overwhelmingly outnumber the male population. Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu already passed away as well, but a head of Ooku (inner chambers of a shogun's castle), Kasuga no Tsubone (Aso) keeps the bloodline alive by raising Iemitsu's daughter (Tabe) as the next Shogun Iemitsu. At the age of 13, she was attacked by her own bodyguard who tried to rape her. This incident ended with her killing him with his own sword and her shutting away her heart.

Now Iemitsu is 16 years old. Kasuga no Tsubone threatens the the monk Arikoto (Sakai) and makes him return to secular life. Together with his disciple (Tanaka), they are forced to serve as the pages for Iemitsu. After seeing Iemitsu for the first time, Arikoto can't believe that Shogun Iemitsu is actually a young girl. Arikoto himself is an open-minded and always composed man, but the continued cruel treatment by Kasuga no Tsubone begins to hurt his feelings. However, he knows the huge burden Iemitsu is carrying on her shoulders and wants to devote himself to serving her as best as he can.

The drama covers the volumes 2 through 4 of the original manga, while the upcoming movie 'Ooku ~Eien~ (Emonnosuke - Tsunayoshi Hen)' will cover the volumes 4 through 6.

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Tokumei Tantei

-- Start: October 12th --
-- Air Time: 23:15 --
-- Director: Akiyama Jun --
-- Script: Takayama Naoya --
-- Cast: Takahashi Katsunori, Katase Nana, Tayama Ryosei, Miura Rieko, and Yamaguchi Daichi --

# Takahashi stars as a nameless, bourbon- and jazz-loving, hard-boiled private detective!

The district along the Chuo Line in Tokyo is brimming with subcultures and commoners. In a shabby apartment of an old multi-tenant building, a nameless detective (Takahashi) has set up his home and work place. Somehow this detective is getting various requests from one beautiful woman after another thanks to the beautiful lawyer Saejima Kyoko (Katase) who always recommends his services to her clients. He's very creative when tackling a case and knows some very resourceful supporters who lend him a hand from time to time. This district is full of unique individuals like the police officer Anan Koichi (Tayama) or the tenacious moneylender Aragaki Mayumi (Miura) who makes you pay with your body if you can't pay back the money.

Said detective is a real trouble shooter who only takes requests from women. Aside from those requests, he often does some odd jobs for the strip club that's being operated in the same multi-tenant building and tries to settle some trivial matters. He hates to feel restrained and lives a life without a phone, e-mails, nor the Internet in general. On the other hand, he couldn't live without his beloved bourban and jazz music.

This night drama is looking to become another very colorful Takahashi drama, spiced up with a bit of action and suspense to truly entertain its viewers. As he said with the announcement, this is the time slot that is most likely to produce fresh and unique dramas. His past series 'Tokumei Kakarichou � Tadano Hitoshi' in the same slot has proven just that and recorded viewer ratings as high as 17.0%.

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Saturday

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Akumu-chan

-- Start: October 13th --
-- Air Time: 21:00 --
-- Directors: Sakuma Noriyoshi, Inomata Ryuichi, and Sugawara Shintaro --
-- Script: Omori Sumio --
-- Original: 'Yume Chigai' by Onda Riku --
-- Cast: Kitagawa Keiko, GACKT, Yuuka, Kimura Manatsu, Okada Keisuke, and Kohinata Fumiyo --

# A black-hearted teacher and a young girl with foreseeing dreams save the world!

Mutoi Ayami (Kitagawa) looks like a sincere and splendid primary school teacher on the outside, but she's actually a black-hearted woman who doesn't believe in love or other deep bonds. One day, her class gets a mysterious new transfer student named Koto Yuiko (Kimura) who greets her new classmates with a shocking remark - "Someone in this school is soon going to kill a person." Around the same time some anonymous blogger has been exposing the real character of Ayami and now everyone thinks that this blogger is no other than Yuiko. Ayami herself thinks so too and decides to make a home visitation at Yuiko's place and there she finds out that Yuiko actually has the ability to dream about the future and that her grandfather Koto Mannosuke (Kohinata) has invented a technology to project her dreams onto a monitor.

Mutoi Ayami has a special way of dreaming as well, because she is able to control them to her liking. In those so-called "lucid dreams", you are dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming.

GACKT is playing a respected professor of neurology named Shiki Takashi who helps out Yuiko's grandfather. He wants to go public with his research, but her grandfather is absolutely against it, which causes him to gradually lose his temper. He looks like the 'ideal prince' who Ayami regularly meets in her lucid dreams. Other characters include the horror- and cult-loving school nurse Hirajima Kotoha (Yuuka) and the hot-blooded and always bright school teacher Mugiyama Yuichi (Okada).

'Akumu-chan' is a mix of science-fiction, comedy, mystery, and suspense. Ayami is struggling to save the world from all those nightmares Yuiko is dreaming about, although she could think of plenty more enjoyable ways to spend her time. One of the highlights of this series will be the visualization of all those weird and lucid dreams.

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Koukou Nyushi

-- Start: October 6th --
-- Air Time: 23:10 --
-- Directors: Hoshi Mamoru and Kitagawa Manabu --
-- Script: Minato Kanae --
-- Cast: Nagasawa Masami, Minamisawa Nao, Nakao Akiyoshi, Tokuyama Hidenori, and Saiki Shigeru --
-- Theme Song: "Aoi Haru" by back number --

# An educational mystery drama written by the famed Minato Kanae!

Haruyama Kyoko (Nagasawa) is a former travel agent who was in charge of organizing school trips. Her frequent contact with various school classes made her want to be more directly engaged with them and so she decided to become an English teacher at the Tachibana Senior High School that is simply known as 'Ikkou'. Ikkou is a very prestigious high school in this neighborhood and is even rated higher than the Tokyo University (short: Todai) as people say "Ikkou over Todai!" It's currently the season of the entrance examinations. Kyoko and the other teachers are working hard at preparing for the exams, so that there won't be any mistakes or irregularities. However, one day before the exam the teachers discover a sign pasted to the blackboard of the exam class room that reads: "I'm gonna wreck those entrance exams!"

Haruyama Kyoko has been living overseas for a very long time and therefore has her problems understanding some of the traditional and old-fashion Japanese ways of thinking. She's also a very straightforward and lively person and is on very good terms with her students. Other characters include a music teacher (Minamisawa), a PE teacher (Nakao), another English teacher (Tokuyama) that guides Kyoko through her first steps, and a computer science teacher (Saiki).

The story of 'Koukou Nyushi' only focuses on the day before the exam and the appointed day itself. The script is written by the best-selling author Minato Kanae ('Kokuhaku', 'Shokuzai') herself and therefore the viewers can be sure that at least the story and the script should be of very high quality.

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Sunday

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MONSTERS

-- Start: October 21st --
-- Air Time: 21:00 --
-- Director: Fukuzawa Katsuo --
-- Script: Makita Mitsuharu --
-- Cast: Katori Shingo, Yamashita Tomohisa, Otake Makoto, and Endo Kenichi --
-- Theme Song: "MONSTERS" by TheMONSTERS --

# A thrilling mystery drama starring Katori and Yamashita together for the first time!

Hiratsuka Heihachi (Katori) is an eccentric detective at the First Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Department who is working as a one-man team. He is hated by everyone around him and they are not exactly hiding their aversion, but he does a great job solving one case after another. Inside the First Division rumor has it that Heihachi is connections to the underworld. Coincidentally this division also happens to have a new rookie named Saionji Kosuke (Yamashita) and so he's being given the task to act as Heihachi's new partner in order to observe him around the clock.

The characters of this new duo couldn't be any different. Heihachi is a petty and meticulous man, but as soon as he opens his mouth he's suddenly all gentlemanly. Kosuke, on the other hand, is still a pure greenhorn with strong morals who is coming from a wealthy family.

During the announcement, the Katori and Yamashita were described of portraying a unique convexo-concave partnership in the drama. Both are very ambitious about this drama and even formed a temporary unit to provide the drama's theme song. 'MONSTERS' is produced, directed, and written by the same people who created the hit-drama 'MR. BRAIN' in 2009 and what else could they aim for than a similar success?

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TOKYO AIRPORT
~Tokyo Kuukou Kansei Hoanbu~

-- Start: October 14th --
-- Air Time: 21:00 --
-- Director: Nishizaka Mizunari --
-- Script: Uda Manabu --
-- Cast: Fukada Kyoko, Sasaki Nozomi, Kaname Jun, Seto Koji, Seto Asaka, and Tokito Saburo --

# Fukada Kyoko gives us an insight into the job of an air traffic controller!

Shinoda Kaori (Fukada) has been working as a ground staff at an airport, but her dream has always been to become an air traffic controller. She goes through an intense training in order to make her dream come true and eventually gets assigned to the control tower at Haneda Airport. It's her first day and of course she's tense, excited and anxious. On her way to the tower, she's able to witness the other controllers who are protecting lives with their composed interactions even in the state of an emergency. Kaori immediately gets assigned to veteran Takeuchi Yumi (Seto Asaka) and immediately makes a careless mistake that almost results in a huge accident. So much for her first impression. She regrets her mistake and feels incredibly sad, but after hearing the thoughts of her two superiors Yuki Noboru (Tokito) and Kondo Yukihiro (Kaname), she gradually regains her footing.

Other characters include the very well-liked controller Sakai Mana (Sasaki) and the young controller who's actually a railroad maniac (Seto Koji).

It's the first time for one of the five main networks to air a drama about air traffic controllers. The Haneda Airport handles around 62,000,000 passengers per year (around 170,000 per day), which makes it almost impossible not to face various troubles and difficulties every day - plenty material for a TV drama. 'TOKYO AIRPORT' depicts how controllers, among many others, make sure to protect the lives of all those people and the bonds between colleagues. It's said to be one of the most difficult jobs in the world and Fukada wants to show us a new side of her through this opportunity. The last time Fukada starred in a Fuji TV drama was in 'Fighting Girl' in summer 2001.

Trailer