Possible “Joining of Masahiro Nakai” emerges as “New Map” starts full-scale activities such as TV dramas, movies, and live performances.

New Map” returns to Fuji TV on Mondays at 10:00.

Trap War” (Fuji TV), which began airing on the 16th, is Kusanagi Tsuyoshi’s (48) first starring role in a commercial TV drama in six years. In this “war” series following “Sen no Senso” and “Uso no Senso” produced by Kansai Television, Kusanagi plays a parliamentary secretary who vows to avenge his mortally wounded son. As early as the first episode, Kusanagi has been praised for playing three different faces: that of a father, that of a secretary, and that of an avenger.

But that was not all that fans focused on.

The theme song for the drama is “BETTING,” a song written by Shingo Katori (45) in collaboration with the Korean male idol group SEVENTEEN. Furthermore, the commercials being aired were for Suntory’s “Kinmugi” featuring Katori and GM Corporation’s “Electron” featuring Goro Inagaki (49). The drama is currently broadcast on Monday nights at 10 pm on Fuji Television, the same time slot where “SMAP x SMAP” used to be broadcast. Fans who knew the show back then were very excited.

The breakthrough of “New Map” this year was not limited to Kusanagi. Katori’s first solo exhibition in three years, “WHO AM I – SHINGO KATORI ART JAPAN TOUR,” will be held in Tokyo until January 22, and will tour Osaka, Fukuoka, and other cities throughout Japan for over a year. He also held a solo live concert in Tokyo on January 21 and 22, and plans to do the same in Kobe in March.

Goro Inagaki (49), the eldest of the three, has a hot movie coming out this year.

He will be directing Yoshiyuki Kishi’s “Shogeki. The original story by Ryo Asai of “Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutte yo” and “Nobody” caused a stir as soon as it was announced and won the Shibata Renzaburo Award. The film is also attracting attention because Yui Aragaki, who became a freelance actress last year, will appear in the film with Inagaki. Inagaki plays a father of a public prosecutor who is worried that his truant elementary school son will be cut off from the world,” said a staff member of the production company.

This magazine witnessed the location scene last September.

The location scene was in a park in Tokyo. There were about 20 parents and children waiting in the park as extras.

The scene was of elementary school students playing badminton in the center of the park, with parents and children watching around them. Inagaki is still watching the play by a nearby tree.

Inagaki remained standing the entire time, not breaking his pose, while the cut was made and his makeup was being fixed. In the end, he stood under the tree for less than two hours.

When the camera angle changed and he sat down in the chair provided, he was tired and fell asleep with his eyes closed, which was amusing.

Kusanagi said, “Goro-san already has his own world view as an actor. Moreover, his size is so large that I am always surprised by it,” Inagaki commented. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of performances he will give in the future.

In any case, this year, we can expect to see the activities of each of the three actors at full throttle. One thing that comes to mind, then, is the joining of former “SMAP” member Masahiro Nakai (50). Nakai took two months off at the end of last year due to health problems and has only recently returned to all regular programs. ……

Nakai’s ties with Inagaki, Kusanagi, and Katori are still strong, and when Kusanagi won the “Japan Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” in 2009, Nakai contacted Inagaki to congratulate him. During Nakai’s recent leave of absence, I heard that Kusanagi contacted Nakai out of concern for him. The possibility of Nakai joining “New Map” is not immediate, but it is not impossible,” said a source from a major entertainment company.

Fans are waiting to see the four of them together again.