The only topic of conversation was “the bombing of Tsuki 9″…but before we knew it, “Fuji of Drama” had begun to strike back!

A novel setting grabs the hearts of fans.

A new year has begun. The winter 2013 drama series on commercial TV networks, including “Private Banker” (TV Asahi) and “The Worst Man in Japan: My Family Was a Fake” (Fuji TV), both of which started on January 9, have been a hot topic of discussion. Looking back, a variety of dramas were talked about in 2012, but the fall dramas of the previous season in particular were highly regarded as excellent productions when they were over.

Among them, “Zenryoiki Anomalous Solution Room” (Fuji TV) starring Tatsuya Fujiwara (42) and Alice Hirose (30) grabbed the hearts of drama fans with its unprecedented and innovative setting. A writer familiar with the drama situation had the following to say.

To be honest, until the fourth episode, I had the impression that it was a half-hearted case-solving story, and I was on the verge of dropping out. However, the story was turned upside down in the fifth episode. The main characters are all in fact gods of 8,000,000, which is an unexpected characterization. From there, the story plunged into a battle between humans and gods, a development that was too new, and social networking sites began to get all excited.

I won’t mention it because it would be a spoiler, but the ending was also very well done, and there were many calls for a sequel. There is a great possibility that this will become one of Fuji’s most popular new works.

The previous reputation of “ZENKOKU” was not high. The previous reputation of “Zentoiki” was not high, but it has completely overturned the low reputation. In fact, there were many other Fuji productions in the last fiscal year that betrayed expectations in a positive sense.

One of them was “Lie Unraveling Rhetoric,” which aired in the Tsuki 9 slot. In this detective drama, a poor and debt-ridden detective solves various cases with his assistant (Hoka Matsumoto, 27), who can hear through people’s lies. For the lead role, a young actor, Osamu Suzuka (24), whose popularity and ability are still unknown, was boldly selected. This was a great decision.

His indescribably warm atmosphere and the retro atmosphere of the early Showa period fit perfectly, and the film was well received as “heartwarming” despite being a mystery. The romance element of the story was also more sympathetic than the straightforward romance dramas that have been depicted in previous Gekkan dramas. There are growing expectations for a series rather than a sequel.

The fact that Fuji Television took the plunge and tried a new genre and new setting has turned out to be a good thing. Speaking of Fuji Television, however, recently all the talk has been about the “decline of Fuji in drama production,” such as the dying of Geki 9 and the slump in viewer ratings. However, it appears that Fuji Television has found a new way of life.

The popularity of “Lies Unraveled” was inevitable.

Concerned by this transformation, we decided to interview the people involved. One of Fuji Television’s public relations staffers had the following to say.

The popularity of ‘Lie Unraveling Rhetoric’ is said to be surprising, but to us it is not surprising at all,” said one of Fuji Television’s PR staff. This is because “Lie Unraveling~” was directed and produced by the duo of Hiroshi Nishitani and Yoshihiro Suzuki, who created the hit series “Galileo.

Other directors include Kozo Nagayama, who directed “Under One Roof” and “Long Vacation,” Masayuki Suzuki, who directed the hit series “HERO” and “Masquerade,” and Shunsaku Kawage, who directed “24 Hours in the Emergency Ward. I was confident that the drama would be a good one because it was being produced by Fuji’s leading actors and actresses.

The same goes for “Zenryoku. The same is true of “Zenryoiki”, which is produced and directed by the same renowned hit makers of “Confidence Man JP” (’18), “Legal High” (’12 and ’13), and “Unfair” (’06). The film is produced and directed by a number of well-known hit makers. In addition, the screenplay was written by Tsutomu Kuroiwa, who is currently in the groove, having worked on the “Kingdom” series and “Grand Maison Paris.

Fuji is able to have such a diverse staff because of its long track record in TV dramas. Fuji has recently tried its hand at new genres, such as the socially-conscious entertainment drama “Elpis: Hope or Disaster” (’22) and “Umi no Hajimari” (“The Beginning of the Sea”) (’24), which drew controversy for its heavy-hearted content. I was trying to take on the challenge of a new genre. I have the impression that these efforts are finally beginning to bear fruit.

In other words, the “novel” hits of “Zenryoku” and “Usozumaki” were not created overnight. The upcoming winter dramas include “Japan’s Worst Man” starring Shingo Katori (47), who will star in his first Fuji drama in 11 years, and “119 Emergency Call” starring Nana Seino (30), one of the most promising young talents of the moment. The settings range from the completely new genre of election and fake family dramas to orthodox ensemble dramas, all of which are highly anticipated.

It seems unlikely that we will be able to take our eyes off “Fuji Television Strikes Back” for some time to come.

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