Summer Dramas Worth Watching—Inside Stories on What Made Some Shine and Others Falter
Drama production efforts and July personnel changes
Fuji TV faced an unprecedented crisis triggered by Masahiro Nakai (53) and a female-related scandal.
“Sponsors pulling out has affected casting. Most veteran actors are absent. Former Johnny’s talents, including main names like Arashi and King & Prince, have gone to other networks. Haruka Fukuhara (26), the lead of Ashita wa Motto, Ii Hi ni Naru, is a good actor, but a bit weak for the flagship Getsu-9 slot,” said an entertainment agency executive.
The executive continued, noting that Getsu-9 was hit directly by the “Fuji Shock.”
“Initially, a drama set in the aviation industry was planned, but due to the incident, a major airline that was supposed to fully cooperate withdrew, forcing a complete rework of the project. It’s impressive they managed to complete the work.”
Viewer watchers also gave positive feedback:
“It’s a modest drama but carefully crafted as an original project. It faithfully depicts the work of child consultation centers, which many people aren’t familiar with, and teaches adults to face children’s problems as their own. I also respect the handling of stories about undocumented mothers and children, without fear of backlash,” said Mr. Oyama.
Ai no Gakkou. (Fuji TV) is performing excellently in online distribution and drawing attention from TV producers:
“The story follows a female teacher ignored by her students and a host who struggles with literacy due to his home life. Through private lessons, they cultivate love. Fumino Kimura (37) gives a committed performance, but the highlight is Raoul (22), who seems perfectly cast for this role,” added Mr. Oyama.
A key network producer pointed out that Fuji’s drama production efforts were influenced by July personnel changes:
“The faction of Ryo Ota, former Kansai TV president who dominated the trendy drama era, is being removed. Fuji’s weakness was having old guard personnel sticking to past glories and repeating the same patterns.”
Casting Hayato Isomura (32) in his first commercial drama lead role for Bokutachi wa Mada Sono Hoshi no Kousoku wo Shiranai (Fuji TV) was possible due to the new drama team:
“Isomura, known for his range, delivers a strong performance as a naive lawyer. Young viewers empathize with the protagonist’s perspective at a private high school, while older viewers struggling to understand youth gain insight into bridging generational gaps,” said drama watcher Mihiro Kawada.
Core Ratings Focus and the Arashi Battle
In contrast to TV Asahi and Fuji TV, Nippon TV continues with a strategy focused entirely on core ratings. Housoukyoku Senkyo (“Station Takeover”) literally recorded an extraordinary number of favorite registrations. Vtuber commentator yumelive praised it as the only drama this season where analysis channels can rack up views
“The staple of the Sakurai Sho (43)-starring Senkyo series—where members of the culprit group gradually remove their masks to reveal their identities—is intact. While it can get repetitive, the sensation of the foreshadowing connecting as episodes progress is addictive. This time, a new trick showing past and present simultaneously has been added, which is another reason for its popularity.”
Nittele’s Chihayafuru — Meguri also launched strongly, ranking second in core ratings. The drama adapts an original story, set ten years after the three-part Chihayafuru movies, in collaboration with the manga creator, allowing enjoyment even for viewers who haven’t seen the films.
“This drama shows Nippon TV’s reflection and reform after previous problems with manga adaptations. The ability to gather popular young actors like Ami Toma (18) reflects the agencies’ high regard for NTV’s strategy. Jun Saito (18) appeared in the movie Karaoke Ikou! and has matured into an exceptionally handsome and talented actor. Manato Sakamoto (16) broke out in Futekisetsu ni mo Hodogaru! (TBS). Amid many peers, he still shows remarkable presence,” said an entertainment executive.
TBS’s Sunday theater drama 19-banme no Karte debuted at first place in both household and core ratings, showing its authority, but watchers expressed concern about lead actor Jun Matsumoto (41).
“Even though the legendary Matsujun is the protagonist, 900,000 favorite registrations feel insufficient. The ratings are far ahead, but it inevitably gets compared to Sakurai from Arashi in Housoukyoku Senkyo,” said Kawada.
Online, comments like Matsujun have gotten older and he’s gained weight appeared, but TBS staff are optimistic:
“We can’t exactly tell such a big star to lose weight for a role. For this project, he plays a doctor who can be stout and appear older, so the producers were relieved. Adjusting one’s role with age is part of being an actor. This might become a turning point for him.”
Due to the drop in at-home viewing rates during long holidays, ratings tend to stagnate, which usually encourages more challenging projects and casting for summer dramas. A commercial broadcast programming executive noted, “Following the ‘Fuji Shock,’ all networks are accelerating this trend.”
“The attitude of not being swayed by short-term ratings, and thinking long-term including distribution recovery, is encouraging. If nothing changes, for the fall season, Masaki Suda (32) is scheduled to appear in Fuji’s Wednesday 10 PM drama. Big names are gradually returning to Fuji as well.”
Enjoy this summer drama season with a sense of each network’s hidden strategies and intentions.
From the September 5, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”
PHOTO.： Kumataro Arai (Fukuhara, Honda, Kimura, Koshiba)