Preview of "Nou ni sumaho ga umareta" - Summer 2017

Title: Nou ni sumaho ga umareta 脳にスマホが埋められた! (There is a smartphone buried in my brain)
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official LINE: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 6 July 2017
Timeslot: Thursdays 11.59pm
Broadcast by: YTV / NTV
Theme Song: "U" by Miura Daichi
Cast: Ito Atsushi, Shinkawa Yua, Ando Natsu, Okada Ryutaro, Nomura Masumi, Bokumoto Sakiko, Yuuki Moe, Nakagawa Chika, Nitta Yuriko, Takashima Kotoha, Shinoda Mariko, Ikeda Tetsuhiro, Hayashiya Pee, Hayashiya Parko, Nishimaru Yuko, Toda Masahiro, Kishitani Goro

Oricon's most anticipated Summer 2017 dramas ranking

Oricon conducted a survey on 1,364 people from their teens to 50s where they chose which Summer 2017 they are looking forward to watch. Dramas which were not announced before the start of the survey i.e. 19 June were not included and only dramas from the private networks and NHK were considered in this list.

There are two rankings here i.e. the primetime (7pm to 10pm) and midnight categories (shown after 11pm). Numbers in brackets indicate the overall weighted score in terms of anticipated ratings, leading actor/actress, supporting cast and content which account for 20 marks each. As such, the maximum score a drama can get is 80. The asterisk indicates dramas which are based on novels/manga so those without have original scripts.

Primetime Category

1) Code Blue ~ Doctor Heli Kinkyuu Kyuumei ~ THE THIRD SEASON (77)

2) Iryu Sousa (67)

3) Hello Harinezumi (66)*

4) Bokutachi ga yarimashita (65)*

5) Gomen Aishiteru (61)*

6) Keiji Shichinin 3 (53)

7) Kurokawa no Techou (49)*

8) Aishitetatte, himitsu wa aru (48)

9) Kahogo no Kahoko / Seshiru no Mokuromi* (45)

11) Kanna-san!* / Keishicho Zerogakari ~ Seikatsu Anzenka Nandemo Soudanshitsu ~ SECOND SEASON* / Uchi no otto wa shigoto ga dekinai (44)

14) Keishicho Ikimonogakari* (29)

15) Ecchan* (16)

Midnight Category

1) Shimokitazawa Diehard (52)

2) Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta! (28)

3) Aino Kekkon Soudanjo* (27)

4) Izakaya Fuji* (24)

5) Wanitokagegisu* (20)

6) Maji de koukai shimasu / Saboriiman Kantarou* (12)

Source: Oricon

First-episode-screening event for NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta"

The first-episode-screening event for NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta" was held on 3 July which was attended by the scriptwriter Suzuki Osamu and cast members Ito Atsushi, Shinkawa Yua and Ando Natsu. The drama begins its run from 6 July in the Thursdays 11.59pm timeslot.

Ito plays the lead character Orimo Keita who is a 34-year-old salaryman placed on the retrenchment list by his employer which is an apparel company. He is divorced and raising his 9-year-old daughter on his own. Having the power to see the messages sent and received by other people in his brain, he makes use of this to solve various problems, help others and become a better person while being embroiled in these troublesome issues at the same time. Shinkawa Yua will play the heroine Ryuuko who teaches him how to use the smartphone in his brain.

When asked about how he came up with the story, Suzuki said that due to the proliferation of mobile phones now, the concept of people crossing paths without being able to meet each other has become almost unthinkable thus leading to the notion that dramas are less dramatic than before. However, there are still many stories which don't feature the mobile phone so he wanted to do something with a far-fetched concept of smartphones being put inside the bodies of human beings.

When asked about what kind of smartphone application they wold like to install in themselves, ito said that a weather app will be good since he will be able to tell if there will be rain on the filming days and can give out accurate advice. On the other hand, Shinkawa commented that she wanted an alarm app which can shake herself awake rather than rely on sound alarms since she is often worried about sleeping too deeply and being unable to wake up even though she may be exhausted due to the long filmng days. As for Ando, she revealed that she would like an app which tells her the gourmet reviews of the restaurants near her wherever she goes while Suzuki wanted a search engine function since he tends to be so forgetful these days after turning 40 and even forgets the names of people he already knows.

Suzuki also revealed an episode in the past when his wife Oshima Miyuki and Ando were joint leads in a drama and went for sushi together. Even though his wife ate about 20 plates of sushi, Ando only managed 7 which made Oshima "flare up" at her for eating so little even though her body size suggests that she has a huge appetite. Ito also chipped in to say that everyone on set was surprised at seeing Ando eat so little. Ando herself commented that even the catering staff thought that she was a big eater and gave her so much rice that she had to tell them to halve the portion.

Sources: Eiga.com / Oricon

Sagara Itsuki to be the guest star in the 2nd episode of NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta"

Sagara Itsuki will be the guest star in the 2nd episode of NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta" starring Ito Atsushi which will begin its run from 13 July in the Thursdays 11.59pm timeslot. This will be her first collaboration with Ito since they last played a married couple in the 2016 NHK morning drama "Toto Nee-chan".

The science-fiction drama is based on the book "Shin Kikaku Konshin no kikaku to hassou no te no uchi subete misemasu" by Suzuki Osamu which talks about the secrets behind the planning of hit TV programmes. Ito plays the lead character Orimo Keita who is a 34-year-old salaryman placed on the retrenchment list by his employer which is an apparel company. He is divorced and raising his 9-year-old daughter on his own. Having the power to see the messages sent and received by other people in his brain, he makes use of this to solve various problems, help others and become a better person while being embroiled in these troublesome issues at the same time. Shinkawa Yua will play the heroine Ryuuko who teaches him how to use the smartphone in his brain.

Sagara plays the role of Souma Miwa who works for a rival brand now and used to be Orimo's subordinate when they were working in the Osaka branch. A chance reunion marks the start of Souma's aggressive advances towards Orimo but it turns out that she has other men waiting in the sidelines.

Sagara said that as the cast had met up for meals after the end of the morning drama, it didn't feel like a long time since she last met Ito and that she felt secure having him around even though she didn't join the filming of this drama from the start. As for her character, Sagara said that it felt weird to be playing Miwa who twists Orimo around her little finger but the filming turned out to be fun and easy to do as she was familiar with Ito. However, the filming period was too short so she didn't get a chance to say goodbye properly to Ito who expressed his wish to work with Sagara again in future.

Source: Oricon

Shinoda Mariko to appear in NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta"

Shinoda Mariko will be appearing in the new NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta" starring Ito Atsushi which begins its run from 6 July in the Thursdays 11.59pm timeslot. Ito plays the lead character Orimo Keita who is a 34-year-old salaryman placed on the retrenchment list by his employer which is an apparel company. He is divorced and raising his 9-year-old daughter on his own. Having the power to see the messages sent and received by other people in his brain, he makes use of this to solve various problems, help others and become a better person while being embroiled in these troublesome issues at the same time. Shinkawa Yua will play the heroine Ryuuko who teaches him how to use the smartphone in his brain. Kishitani Goro plays the role of Kurobe Jin who is the president of the company where Keita and Ryuuko work at and built the company from scratch in just one generation.

Shinoda will be playing the role of Kuriyama Satsuki who works in the general affairs department of the company where Orimo works at. She used to be a star employee but has since lost interest in her work for an unknown reason.

Other co-stars in this drama include Ando Natsu, Okada Ryutaro, Nomura Masumi, Bokumoto Sakiko, Yuki Moe, Nakagawa Tomoka, Nitta Yuriko, Takashima Kotoha, Ikeda Tetsuhiro, Nishimaru Yuko and Toda Masahiro.

Source: Oricon

Kishitani Goro to appear in NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta"

Kishitani Goro will be appearing in the NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta" starring Ito Atsushi which begins its run from 6 July in the Thursdays 11.59pm timeslot. This will be the first time in 20 years since they last worked together in the 1996 FujiTV drama "Minikui Ahiru no ko" where they played a teacher and a student.

The science-fiction drama is based on the book "Shin Kikaku Konshin no kikaku to hassou no te no uchi subete misemasu" by Suzuki Osamu which talks about the secrets behind the planning of hit TV programmes. Ito plays the lead character Orimo Keita who is a 34-year-old salaryman placed on the retrenchment list by his employer which is an apparel company. He is divorced and raising his 9-year-old daughter on his own. Having the power to see the messages sent and received by other people in his brain, he makes use of this to solve various problems, help others and become a better person while being embroiled in these troublesome issues at the same time. Shinkawa Yua will play the heroine Ryuuko who teaches him how to use the smartphone in his brain. Kishitani plays the role of Kurobe Jin who is the president of the company where Keita and Ryuuko work at and built the company from scratch in just one generation.

Kishitani commented that when he last worked with Ito, he was still a primary school student so he is glad and proud to see him grow up to take on the leading role in a drama. He also revealed that ever since then, he would call Ito by his character name Kenta whenever they met up. Just when he thought that he could call him by another name this time, it ends up that his character Keita is so similar to Kenta so Kishitani declared that he would try to call Ito by his full name going forward.

Source: Oricon

Ito Atsushi to star in new NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta"

Ito Atsushi will be starring in the new NTV Summer 2017 drama "Nou ni sumaho ga umerareta" (There is a smartphone buried inside my brain) which will begin its run in the Thursdays 11.59pm timeslot from 6 July. The science-fiction drama is based on the book "Shin Kikaku Konshin no kikaku to hassou no te no uchi subete misemasu" by Suzuki Osamu which talks about the secrets behind the planning of hit TV programmes.

Ito plays the lead character Orimo Keita who is a 34-year-old salaryman placed on the retrenchment list by his employer which is an apparel company. He is divorced and raising his 9-year-old daughter on his own. Having the power to see the messages sent and received by other people in his brain, he makes use of this to solve various problems, help others and become a better person while being embroiled in these troublesome issues at the same time. Shinkawa Yua will play the heroine Ryuuko who teaches him how to use the smartphone in his brain.

Ito commented that although the story has a rather far-fetched setting, he hopes to convey the interesting side of it which viewers will probably enjoy. As he has no example to learn from when playing such a character, he will try to figure things out on his own. On the other hand, Shinkawa said that the story may seem unlikely but could happen in real-life so she hopes that viewers will feel engaged and continue watching the drama.

Sources: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi