Unfiltered Recommendations: Must-Watch Dramas of Spring 2024 from Three Critical Watchers

Many “amnesiacs” this season

Kaoru Shimada (entertainment reporter): Looking at the household viewer ratings for the first episode of spring dramas, the top viewer is “Believe: A Bridge for You” (TV Asahi), starring Takuya Kimura (51), with 11.7%. The reasons for this are, of course, the focus on Kimura Takuya and the splendid cast. Kinya Kitaoji (81), Fumiyo Kohinata (70), Takumi Saito (42), Ryoma Takeuchi (31), and other famous actors appear in every single cut.

Mai Imai (columnist): “I was excited before the show aired about Kimura and Amami Yuki (56) playing a married couple, but the height difference between the two actors made me nervous. The height difference between the two actors has become a topic of conversation.

Tamami Hiyama (Columnist): At first, the cast of this drama was like “VIVANT” (TBS), where information on the cast was only released for Kimura, and his co-stars were a mystery. But it was not talked about at all. The script was written by Yumiko Inoue, who worked on the “Emergency Interrogation Room” series and the “BG – Personal Bodyguard” series, so I think the story is in good hands, though.

Imai: Due to the Johnny’s s sexual assault issue, the original script was scrapped, and the theme was decided on in January of this year. Because of the rush work, the detailed setting was not properly done. There was a scene in the first episode where the main character erases the evidence left on his computer, but the data is still on the server and can be recovered even if it is put in the trash. With today’s Japanese forensics.

Hiyama If an accident occurs at a bridge construction site, there is no way that only one person in charge of the general contractor, even if he is the general manager, can be put in jail.

Shimada There are a lot of impossible settings in this season. I think the most common is “amnesia,” isn’t it?

Imai: There are five amnesia films this season. In “Re: Revenge – The End of Desire” (Fuji TV), the main character played by Eiji Akachu (30) is attacked by someone and loses his memory in the second episode. The main character, who had been bedridden for months, suddenly wakes up and walks briskly. His beard has grown, but his hair hasn’t. …… There are too many things to be picky about.

Shimada “Re: Revenge” is an original story, but there are many original works this season.

Hiyama I think it is because Nippon TV had a big trouble with an original story.

Imai: That may be part of it. Also, Haruna Kawaguchi’s (29) “silent” (Fuji) was a hit as an original work by a scriptwriter who just made her debut, so maybe they have high expectations.

Shimada: I feel that original works are popular among women. Men like historical dramas such as “Taiga” and manga series that have a clear vision of what will happen next. On the other hand, female viewers may prefer things that have no foreseeable future.

Hiyama: Even so, there is too much amnesia in original scripts. Isn’t that the case with the Tsuki 9 drama “366 Days” (Fuji)?

Shimada Alice Hirose (29) and Go Atsushi Maeda (24), who had a mutual love in high school but could not become lovers due to a slip-up, are reunited as adults. Just as their feelings for each other are reciprocated, Goh Atsushi is bedridden due to an accident……. They are both good actors, but the story is too tragic to be told. Goh Atsushi is an actor who shows with his facial expressions. You have to look into his eyes and wonder how long he’s going to stay in bed.

Hiyama: After all, he has amnesia, doesn’t he?

Imai: He played a high school student after all. I thought he would only appear briefly in a reminiscent scene, but he played back every single scene and went on for a long time.

Hiyama: The inspiration was the famous song “366 Days” by HY. It is a song about lost love. Since Fuji TV had a hit with “silent,” I think they think they can go for a ″setsu na kei″ drama in which the main character goes through a painful and painful experience.