Is the sequel to “Kurosagi” a movie…Murasaki Hirano: TBS’s blueprint for a “¥1.7 billion super hit” in the fall ’25 drama series.

From August 17 to 18, the three-member group Number_i, consisting of Shiyou Hirano (27), Yuta Kishi (28), and Yuta Jinguji (26), will perform at the music festival “Summer Sonic 2024. Hirano also has high expectations for his acting career.

In the July 11 issue of “Josei Seven,” it was reported that Hirano has been cast in the lead role in a drama series for the fall 2013 school year. Furthermore, “Shukan Jitsuwa Web” on August 2 reported that next year’s drama starring Ms. Hirano will be a sequel to “Kurosagi” (TBS), which aired in 2010. Not coincidentally, the same work is being distributed on “Tver” from July 26 to August 15, so fans’ enthusiasm is growing” (sports newspaper reporter).

Kurozagi” is based on the popular manga of the same name. The story is about the protagonist, Takashi Kurosaki, who survived his father’s attempted family suicide after being cheated by a swindler and became a “kurozagi” (a black heron) to fight back against the swindlers in the world.

In 2006, the story was adapted into a drama series starring Tomohisa Yamashita (39), and in 2010, a “Reiwa version” was broadcast starring Hirano. With such a popular series making a comeback, it is no wonder that fans are excited. However, there is a high hurdle to overcome before “Kurosagi 2” can be made into a serial drama.

Yuna Kuroshima (27), who plays the heroine, would have a hard time participating in the filming of a serial drama. She announced her “de facto marriage” to Hio Miyazawa (30) in January of this year and reported the birth of their first child in July. With her child still young, filming a drama series that requires three to four months of filming must be a heavy burden for her,” said a source at a TV station.

In addition to the heroine’s “child-rearing problem,” there are other hurdles to a drama series.

A source at the aforementioned TV station said, “It is difficult to combine the original story with the sequel when producing a sequel.

The ’22 drama “Kurosagi” ended with the final battle against the banker who drove the protagonist’s father into bankruptcy. This storyline was the biggest climax in the original story. It would not be very realistic to draw out the climax and then once again create a script for about 10 episodes for a serial drama.”

Due to the numerous hurdles, it seems unlikely that “Kurosagi” will be revived in a serial drama series. However, a source in the entertainment industry speculates, “TBS may want to make the sequel happen at any cost.

In the final episode of the ’22 drama, a meaningful message was broadcast: “Kurosaki’s journey continues. In fact, it seems that TBS is thinking positively about producing a sequel. However, considering the conflict with the original story, it is highly likely that the sequel will be a movie, not a drama. Yamashita’s “Kurosagi” was made into a movie in 2008, two years after the drama ended, and grossed 1.71 billion yen at the box office. If a “Reiwa version” of the movie comes to fruition, it may even surpass it.

There is no doubt that TBS is aiming to revive “Kurosagi,” a major content series. However, the movie version is the main line, and the drama starring the lead character in next year’s fall season will most likely have a different title.

The drama reported in “Josei Seven” is heard to be a new work, different from “Kurosagi. Hirano has not appeared in a drama since he left Johnny’s in 2011. TBS may want Hirano to “return to acting” first, and then make a movie version of “Kurosagi”.

Will we ever see Hirano again smiling wryly as he cheats back the swindler?