<figure id="attachment_469047" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-469047" style="width: 1894px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2af40812"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/c6930d0fe3de3d7222152bfee7b8fea8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-469047" class="wp-caption-text">A Vote for the Galaxy / Hana Kuroki (36) Kuroki in a party blouson talks to high school girls with a flyer in hand,&#8230;&#8230; a good film depicting the difficult subject of politics from a female perspective</figcaption></figure>
<h2> They are all hidden masterpieces.</h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The April season, when the fiscal year changes and new viewership habits of newcomers to the workforce are taken into account, is often lined with strong productions, but this spring, there are no productions that have attracted much attention. However, this spring, there are no high-profile productions. There is no sense of &#8220;drama excitement&#8221; in the atmosphere, and I get the impression that light users are not being captured by the dramas.</span></p>
<p> As of the end of April, none of the dramas had double-digit viewer ratings, and none of them had an average of over 2 million views on distribution. The low spring drama season is a hot topic.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> Erika Toda (37), who plays the role of Kazuko Hosoki, a smiling woman who lights a 10,000-yen bill on fire, has a tremendous impact. The production budget and advertising costs far exceed those of terrestrial TV dramas,&#8221; said a commercial TV programming executive.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> A producer at a key station said, &#8220;I think the reason for the slowdown in this season is the existence of a segment of the population that wants to devote their limited time resources to &#8216;Hell No!</span></p>
<p> While many TV people cite the headwind of &#8220;Jigoku ni Kororu yo yo&#8221; (Netflix) as the cause, broadcaster Prin Aida added, &#8220;It is rare to see a cool season with so few former Johnny&#8217;s talents.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He added, &#8220;I think it&#8217;s largely due to the generally subdued lead casts of spring dramas, and the lack of high-profile or seasonal stars. The lack of a cast that people would definitely watch if this person starred in it directly affects the initial response.</span></p>
<p> The fact that viewers, who have developed the habit of watching all episodes in one sitting due to the spread of original drama distribution, do not see the value in real-time viewing has been a headwind for terrestrial drama series, but &#8220;Although the casts are modest, they are all talented. However, there are actually not a few people who say, &#8220;Although the casts are modest, they are all talented. There are many good hidden works, and I feel that this season is rather bountiful.</p>
<p> For example, writer Kumao Oyama praises &#8221; <span class="strongInContent">A Vote for the Galaxy</span> &#8221; ( <span class="strongInContent">Fuji Television</span> ) as &#8220;outstanding.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> The story is about a secretary who has been kicked out of politics and challenges for the Tokyo gubernatorial election by supporting a mama from a snack bar, but there is no sense of gimmickry. It&#8217;s not a &#8216;pretty thing. It&#8217;s a beautiful thing,&#8217; and &#8216;The strongest thing is not to give up on something beautiful.&#8217; The lines &#8220;There is this person in a good movie,&#8221; and they sink in because of Kayo Noro (42).</span></p>
<p> A number of viewers have said that they are &#8220;moved to tears every time&#8221; (Kawada) by the sight of <span class="strongInContent">Hana Kuroki</span> ( <span class="strongInContent">Haru, 36)</span> and Noro trying to do the &#8220;clean things&#8221; that have disappeared in modern Japan.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Noro&#8217;s performance alone adds a great deal of reality to every role she plays. She is already an indispensable presence in the drama, and it is only a matter of time before she takes the lead role.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" This season, too, is sure to be one to ponder!"></div>
<h2>Actors with a flair for acting captivate</h2>
<p> The &#8221; <span class="strongInContent">Tagusuri Brothers</span> &#8221; (TBS), which captured the hearts of young viewers with an exceptional increase in core ratings (ratings among men and women aged 13-49) in its second episode, is also receiving rave reviews from watchers.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The story is about two brothers who become policemen and try to find out the truth behind the murder of their parents, whose statute of limitations has expired,&#8221; said one watcher. The brothers are played by Masaki Okada (36) and Shota Sometani (33), who are both excellent actors. The brothers differ in the way they think and express their emotions, and this affects the investigation of the case.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The film combines the enjoyment of watching the characters with the pleasure of following the mystery. The strength of this film is that it is not a mere detective drama, but rather overlaps multiple themes such as family love, revenge, justice, statute of limitations, and the relationship between the siblings. The presence of Goro Kishitani (61) and Haruka Igawa (49), who provide the supporting cast, is also significant. Everyone is hiding something, and the more good-looking a person seems, the more suspicious he or she appears,&#8221; said Aida.</span></p>
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<p> The producer is Junko Arai, who has worked on &#8220;MIU404&#8221; and &#8220;Unnatural&#8221; (both on TBS) and is known for her crime suspense. The main director is Takeyoshi Yamamoto, who worked on &#8220;Kujo no Daishin&#8221; (Netflix), and the cinematographer is Kenjiro So, who has won several Japan Academy Awards for his film lighting work. &#8220;The quality of both direction and visuals is high,&#8221; says Kawada.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The director, Kenjiro Mune, who has won several Japan Academy Awards for his work in film direction, is in charge of lighting. I personally like the last episode of the Sunday theater series, which was a great success. Personally, I see it as a &#8220;thought-provoking work&#8221; on par with the previous season&#8217;s Sunday Gekijo &#8220;Reboot&#8221; (TBS). It is also good that Kaito Miyachika (28) of Travis Japan plays a cheerful rookie detective in the midst of heavy themes.</span></p>
<p> One TV Asahi employee is looking at the &#8220;reboot&#8221; with a certain amount of resentment.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The timing of &#8216;Reborn: The Last Hero&#8217; was too bad,&#8221; said a TV Asahi employee. The title and the one-man, two-person setup were just too good to be true,&#8221; said a TV Asahi employee. The title and the two-person setup were so similar to the &#8220;Reboot&#8221; that I thought, &#8216;No way! At the production announcement press conference, there was an entertainment reporter who said to himself, &#8220;I have to make sure I don&#8217;t make a mistake&#8221; (laughs).</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Both &#8220;Rebirth&#8221; and &#8220;Reboot&#8221; have a mystery element with murder as the key axis, and the lead actor is an actor in his 40s &#8230;&#8230;. Although we started the season with a handicap, the TVer ranking for the first five episodes was No. 1 overall, and the total number of views of the missed episodes up to the fifth episode exceeded 10 million, so we are doing well!</span></p>
<p> Mr. Oyama also has a high opinion of the show.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> The main character uses his business experience and past memories to revitalize a deserted shopping arcade, and the &#8220;cheat factor&#8221; is so good that you can&#8217;t help but grin and laugh. The performance of Issei Takahashi (45), who is always perplexed, is also charming. The highlight of the show is how he uses his cheat abilities to the benefit of the world and the people around him.</span></p>
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<p> The second part is here. <a href="https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/469045">&#8220;A Spring Drama to Watch,&#8221; which shows the trial and error of TV people, and even though the ratings are low, the experts are roaring!</a></p>
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<figure id="attachment_469048" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-469048" style="width: 1660px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="375c03dd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/1afd9865602fda65ef430af231bc36ec.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-469048" class="wp-caption-text"> The Tasane Brothers / Masaki Okada (36) &amp; Shota Sometani (33) Okada (left) plays a detective and Sometani a coroner. The buddies, who filmed on location at an apartment in the suburbs of Tokyo, were in good harmony during the recording sessions.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_469053" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-469053" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0a1adfb0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/5c5043ed005138944501d68b528ce59a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-469053" class="wp-caption-text"> TVer Favorite Viewer Registrations&#8221; and &#8220;Household &amp; Core Viewer Ratings&#8221; List</figcaption></figure>
<p> From &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; June 5 and 12, 2026</p>


 Kumataro Arai

 The April season is supposed to be filled with strong productions to capture the viewing habits of newcomers to the workforce, but this spring there are no productions that have garnered much attention. Although the sluggishness of the season has become a topic of conversation, there are many hidden good works, and this season can be considered a bumper crop!

 Part 1] "You're Going to Hell," a headwind blows in - Kayo Noro's charms explode in "Ginga no Ippou" and more!

Unusually small number of former Johnny&#8217;s talents&#8230; &#8220;Spring Dramas to Watch&#8221; secret stories and data released, with low viewer ratings but a roar from the gurus!

Unusually small number of former Johnny’s talents… “Spring Dramas to Watch” secret stories and data released, with low viewer ratings but a roar from the gurus!

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