Summer Dramas Worth Watching—Inside Stories on What Made Some Shine and Others Falter

When TVer first launched, there were frequent cases where the number of favorites registrations and viewership ratings diverged. This was because fans of the main cast registered solely to support their favorite actor, regardless of the drama’s content or quality. However— “Now, the gap between viewership ratings and favorites registrations has disappeared,” said a key network producer.

A symbolic example is the marriage-suspense drama Shiawase na Kekkon (TV Asahi), which TV producers and watchers unanimously call the biggest topic of this summer season. The first episode’s online views surpassed 3.08 million in a week, setting the highest record in TV Asahi’s primetime (7–11 p.m.) slot. It also ranked first on major streaming platforms including TVer, Netflix, and TELASA.

Takako Matsu (48) plays art teacher Nerura, a complex character whose quirks—from the way she eats croissants to the way she walks—make her emotions unreadable. Sadao Abe (55) plays lawyer Kotaro, who falls in love with Nerura at first sight and marries her. Their talented performances and every gesture are extremely entertaining. While the drama appears to depict a comedic married life, Nerura soon faces suspicion of murder. With mysteries and foreshadowing such as a Buddhist altar without a memorial photo and a detective obsessed with Nerura, viewers eagerly anticipate how these threads will unfold (comment by scriptwriter Aida Purin).

Shizuka Oishi, who wrote the script, revealed on her appearance on Tetsuko no Heya (TV Asahi) that the original title was Nerura to Iu Tsuma, but staff persuaded her to change it.

“Why is ‘shiawase’ written in hiragana? There’s been a lot of discussion about this within the network. The performances of the cast—Takashi Okabe (53), Reo Tamaoki (40), Rihito Itagaki (23), Yosuke Sugino (29)—who appeal to drama fans and female viewers, are also a major attraction,” said a TV Asahi insider.

While other networks focused on core ratings (viewership among men and women aged 13–49) to attract younger viewers, TV Asahi had long prioritized traditional household ratings. However, a key network producer sees that the station has decided to change direction starting this season.

“Series like Aibou and Kasouken no Onna, with traditional casting like old-time period dramas, have been TV Asahi’s strength. But with challenging works like Shiawase na Kekkon, they seem eager to create content that can be sold globally through streaming platforms.”

Another ambitious project is Daichaseki: Keishicho SSBC Kyoukouhan Kakari, scripted by Yasushi Fukuda (HERO, Fuji TV; Manpuku, NHK), starring actors like Nao Omori (53), Masaki Aiba (42), and Nao Matsushita (40). But writer Kumao Oyama points out a bad habit:

“For TV Asahi’s Wednesday 9 p.m. slot, this is the first new series in 10 years. It seems aimed to replace Yutaka Mizutani’s Aibou, but the story is too straightforward, possibly to appeal to seniors. It doesn’t fully utilize its setting—the SSBC—and lacks differentiation from other detective dramas.”

The remake of the Korean drama Yuukai no Hi (TV Asahi), scripted by Kentaro Ushio (Hanzawa Naoki, Shitamachi Rocket, both TBS), targets overseas distribution. However, “Watching the Korean version, the Japanese adaptation falls short in human drama, suspense, and scale. Also, Takumi Saito (43) is too handsome to play a flawed protagonist,” Oyama notes.

Although ratings are struggling, the world-class brilliance displayed by an outstanding young actor in the series gives TV insiders hope:

“In the Korean version, the genius girl character is 11 years old, but in the Japanese version, it’s 8-year-old Yuno Nagao. She speaks Chinese, Tagalog, French, Arabic, English, and Korean, delivering a performance more reliable than many young actors. Though a child, she carries the presence of a veteran actor. Truly worth watching,” says Aida.

Part two here: [Arashi Battle hits Getsu9 with the Fuji Shock!? Behind the scenes of summer dramas’ clear successes and failures].