No tense surgical scenes!　Liaison,” which will start airing tonight, will challenge the new frontier of medical dramas.

Liaison – Kodomo no Kokoro Shinryo Shiryosho” (Liaison – Children’s Heart Clinic) will begin on January 20 in TV Asahi’s Friday night drama slot. The drama, which focuses on “developmental disabilities,” is attracting attention as a new medical drama about the suffering of people with developmental disabilities and the current situation surrounding them.

The main character, Shiho Tono, a pediatric resident, is often late and forgets things to the extent that it interferes with her life and work. She has been implementing her own countermeasures, but they are not very effective, and have even caused her to make a serious mistake by writing the wrong prescription for a medicine.

One day, Shiho goes to the “Sayama Children’s Clinic” (called “Sayama Clinic” in the original manga), a child psychiatry hospital, for clinical training to become a pediatrician. There, Shiho is told by the director, Taku Sayama, that she has a developmental disorder. He also reveals that Sayama himself has a developmental disability.

Developmental disabilities became widely recognized in Japan probably because actor/model Rui Kurihara (28) confessed his symptoms on NHK’s “Asa Ichi” broadcast in May 2016. Until then, behaviors such as forgetting things frequently, being unable to keep appointments, being restless, and being obsessive were often dismissed with the false perception of “his/her personality” or “lack of effort. Children, in particular, were often treated as “problem children” by those around them because they could not complain to the adults around them about their problems. As the recognition of developmental disabilities increased, the existence of “adult developmental disabilities,” those who have problems after graduating from school and starting work, also became known.

The highlight of “Liaison,” which was created against this backdrop, is that through the drama we can feel the problems of people with developmental disabilities. It also allows viewers to deepen their understanding of what kind of support people with developmental disabilities seek. It will also provide viewers with an opportunity to learn about the reality of the medical system that supports people with developmental disabilities and the existence of “liaison teams,” in which psychiatric specialists collaborate and cooperate with other medical departments to provide comprehensive medical services as a team.

Medical Drama” without Surgery Scenes Draws Attention to Actors’ Performances

Psychiatric treatment is conducted through dialogue between the doctor, the patient, and the patient’s relatives. Inevitably, a new type of medical drama focusing on “dialogue” is developed, which is a departure from conventional medical dramas that mainly feature tense surgical scenes. In particular, the actors’ performances are crucial in portraying the work of a doctor who explores and unravels problems in the “heart” that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Ikusaburo Yamazaki (37) is taking on this difficult role. Yamazaki, who came to prominence with his role in the morning drama “Yale” (NHK), has put aside his glamorous sex appeal to break new ground. In addition, the main character Shiho is played by Hoka Matsumoto (25), who played the heroine Misaki in “Sakura no Yona Boku no Koibito” (Netflix), who developed an intractable disease that causes her to age dozens of times faster than others.

The supporting cast is also full of talented actors. They include Chiaki Kuriyama (38), Mirai Shida (29), and Jun Fubuki (70). The cast also includes Rio Suzuki (17), who played the childhood role of Yae Yamamoto in NHK’s historical drama “Yae no Sakura,” and Rin Kataoka (19), an actress who is currently the center of attention.

In addition, the child actors are all hot names who have appeared in morning dramas and historical dramas, including 9-year-old Asada Basuji (“Soar! Mai Iwakura (Mai Iwakura as a child), Eito Kawahara (Kanna’s son in “Kanna-saan! Kanna’s son), 6-year-old Koiwa Sato (“Natsuzora”), and 6-year-old Yuno Sawada (“Prayer Chart: The Resident Doctor’s Record of Mystery Solving Diagnosis”).

This is a new medical drama with a solid cast. The first episode will air tonight.

To purchase “Liaison – Kodomo no Kokoro Clinic”, click here.