Masato Sakai to Star in July’s Sunday Gekijo Without His Ally Teruyuki Kagawa’s Name — Why Is It So Difficult for Him to Return to TV Even if the Conditions Are Right?

TBS’s “Sunday Gekijo” in July is already creating a buzz.

The lead role is played by Masato Sakai, who rose to the top actor with the “Hanzawa Naoki” series. At the end of last year, he made headlines when he became independent from the Tanabe Agency, a professional entertainment agency to which he had belonged for many years.

I hear that the relationship with the Tanabe Agency is good. In the past, TBS and Tanabe worked together to produce dramas such as the “Hanzawa Naoki” series, but now they are working directly with the independent Sakai-san’s side,” said an entertainment industry insider.

The supporting cast is also gorgeous.

Big-name actors such as Koji Yakusho and Hiroshi Abe also appear in the series. The former starred in “Rikuoh,” a TBS Sunday theater broadcast in 2005, and the latter played the lead role in “Shitamachi Rocket,” a Sunday theater broadcast in 2003 and 2006.

In addition, Fumi Nikaido and Momori Matsuzaka will also appear in the film. As for Nikaido.

Nikaido said, “For the past few years, I’ve been focusing more on movies than serial dramas. Since she has given her word that she will appear in the drama, I think this drama is the pinnacle for all actors.

Also cast in the drama is Ai Iinuma, a young actress who is being pushed hard by the Tanabe Agency.

The title of the drama has not been announced, but it is expected to be a business story that spans overseas. A long-term location shoot in Mongolia is also planned.

The production cost is more than three times that of a regular drama. The production cost is more than three times that of a regular drama, and TBS’s corporate fortune is literally at stake. There is no doubt that a series or even a movie is in the works.

In the past, there has been no actor whose name has always been included in such “festive” dramas. Last year, actor Teruyuki Kagawa was reported to have sexually assaulted a Ginza hostess.

Kagawa has played the role of “Executive Director Owada,” Hanzawa’s nemesis, in the “Hanzawa Naoki” series starring Sakai. His strong-acting style is known as “face art,” and he was appointed as Friday MC of TBS’s morning information program, “The Time,” (he later left the show).

TBS and Ms. Kagawa were close friends. Even when a series of sexual harassment scandals were reported, he covered for her to the end. There is no reason why TBS would not make an offer to Ms. Kagawa for the drama series, which will be a gamble on the company’s fortunes.

However, at this point, the name “Teruyuki Kagawa” is not on the casting list. As one might expect, it is difficult for a TV actor to appear in a TV drama because of sponsor conflicts. This is especially true for the traditional “Sunday Gekijo” series.

After the sexual assault report, Kagawa reportedly contacted his close actor friends and apologized to them. Among them was the aforementioned Koji Yakusho. Kagawa was scheduled to appear in a major film starring Koji Yakusho to be released this winter, but he did not want to be the focus of unwanted attention and abruptly dropped out of the film before shooting last fall.

Mr. Yakusho apparently tried to persuade her, but Ms. Kagawa was adamant, saying, ‘I can’t put mud on the face of my respected senior. In the end, he tearfully expressed his feelings.

It is a strange fate that Koji Yakusho will appear in Mr. Sakai’s July drama. Perhaps he is thinking of making a “seat” for Mr. Kagawa so that he can come back to the drama at some point.

Kagawa returned to the Kabuki world at the end of last year as the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Chuguruma, but his “real job” is probably as a TV and movie actor. Although he still faces strong headwinds from the public, it is also true that there is a longing for his return.

TBS, Masato Sakai, Koji Yakusho. With all of these “conditions” in place, it would not be surprising if they were to pop up somewhere….