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

Reality is important even in amnesia

Imai: Back to the subject of amnesia, “Unmet: Diary of a Brain Surgeon” (Fuji) starring Hana Sugisaki (26) was very good. This is my No. 1 this season. Tatsuya Wakaba (34) is a really good actor.

Shimada: He used to play a child actor. He is just so natural and pleasant to watch without being too fake. It is also interesting because he is an actor that we don’t usually see in commercial TV dramas.

Hiyama: There is a freshness to it. If it weren’t for the problems with Johnny’s, Wakaba would never have been cast opposite him (laughs).

Shimada: Sugisaki has done “It’s love! 〜(NTV), but this time she has a memory disorder that allows her to remember only one day. Isn’t it hell already? But the disabled people she plays don’t give a very negative impression. As an actor, she has a mysterious charm.

Imai: She is very good at playing a “hard worker” without being overbearing.

Hiyama: Is it really possible to play such a role? Hiyama: She plays a role that you wonder if it is really possible to play such a role, but by having her play it, it becomes more realistic.

Imai The content of the film is also very carefully crafted. The realism of the disease is depicted well, and the message of “living with the disease” is conveyed without being too dark. The supporting cast includes actors such as Arata Iura (49) and Amane Okayama (29), who give a great sense of security.

Shimada: I still like the Sunday drama “Antihero” (TBS) the best.

Hiyama A lawyer played by Hiroki Hasegawa (47) says to a murderer, “I will acquit you. He plays an elusive role, either an angel or a devil, and is extremely scary when he flips a switch. I thought he was a professional actor.

Shimada: Takumi Kitamura (26), who plays a fellow lawyer, is quiet and dark, but his forwardness adds a nice touch. Also, Mayu Hotta (26) has improved a lot in the last few years.

Imai: She looks different no matter what she does. Her performance as the Shogun in “Ooku” (NHK) is powerful and dignified, yet her acting is sensitive.

Shimada In “Even If I Forget You” (TV Asahi), which was broadcast last October, she played a woman who falls in love with a man who also has amnesia (laugh). She played a sad role, but she got the part well. This time, she plays a cool lawyer and is very sharp and has a strong character.

Imai: I also really like “95” (TV Tokyo), although the ratings for the first episode are struggling at 1.9%.

Hiyama: Me too. 95″ does a good job of recreating the atmosphere of that era.

Shimada: Like the cigarette vending machine where students can buy cigarettes.

Imai If people who spent their youth in 1995 saw the film, they would be deeply moved. When we were conversing in the living room, there were breaking news all the time: “Shoko Asahara has been arrested. And it was real news footage!

Hiyama: Kaito Takahashi (25), the lead actor, is not bad, but he still seems to have lost the dullness of his role as Masayasu Wakabayashi in “But I Have a Passion” (Nippon TV).

Imai If he had a little more acting ability, this drama might have had more buzz.

Shimada So you’re saying that if either the script that everyone is satisfied with or the actor’s ability is lacking, the viewers won’t follow.

From the May 24, 2024 issue of FRIDAY