Two Hurdles Blocking the Sequel to Jun Matsumoto’s Popular Drama 99.9

On the 16th, popular group Arashi’s member Jun Matsumoto (40) announced his departure from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT and decision to become independent via the company’s official website.

 

Matsumoto’s departure marks the second member of Arashi to go independent, following Sho Sakurai, who left SMILE-UP. (formerly Johnny & Associates) in October last year. Matsumoto will officially go independent after overseeing STARTO’s concert on the 29th and 30th of this month, which he is directing himself.

“After leaving the agency, Matsumoto will soon begin rehearsals for the stage production ‘Sho Triangle,’ directed by Hideki Noda, which he will perform in from domestic performances in July to the London performances in November. He may start other acting jobs as early as next year,” a entertainment journalist stated.

While Matsumoto starred in last year’s NHK Taiga drama “What Should I Do, Ieyasu,” his recent notable work includes the drama series “99.9 -Criminal Lawyer-” which began in 2016 and had a theatrical release in 2021. The title “99.9” signifies the conviction rate in Japanese criminal cases, with 99.9% resulting in guilty verdicts, leaving the remaining 0.1% to be cleared by defense attorney Daisuke Shigeyama, played by Matsumoto. The drama gained attention for being the first legal entertainment work to focus on a criminal defense lawyer as the main theme in a TV series.

“The average household viewership rating for ‘SEASON I’ of the drama was 17.2% (according to Video Research, Kanto region, the same applies below), while ‘SEASON II,’ broadcast in 2018, had an average of 17.6% for 9 episodes. The special edition aired before the movie release in 2021 recorded 13.9% viewership, and the theatrical version became a hit with box office earnings of 3 billion yen. Fans are eagerly anticipating a sequel. Since it’s a guaranteed hit, once Matsumoto settles down, there is a likelihood that the drama and sequel movies will be produced within the network,” a TBS official stated.

According to this source, there are two significant hurdles that need to be overcome for the production of a sequel.