Hiroshi Abe and Mei Nagano in "Caster"

 Hiroshi Abe is back, this time as a maverick newscaster named Soichi Shindo hired to shake things up in a failing news program NEWS GATE, where he immediately butts heads with his unorthodox style in an effort to revamp the show into something new.

Mei Nagano stars as Hana Sakikubo, a frustrated program director tasked with overseeing Shindo  and reining in his wild methods as he disregards protocol and social niceties to get the the seeming ‘real” truth. 

And in the field, Shindo DOES seem to have a taste for the real cutthroat shenanigans going on in the political world and  seems to be one step ahead of everyone else when it comes down to nailing his subject. But we will learn that both he AND Nagano’s character have secret pasts which hide the real motivations that dictate their choices and decisions...some of which may not be so valiant.

with Shunsuke Michieda

Kinya Kataoji

Kanato Tsukishiro

Well, this is certainly a formula we’ve seen time and time again with a multitude of News-based dramas and I’m not sure if this one will be any different from the rest…. Will continue to watch to see if Nagano’s character evolves into more of a partner  than a frustrated reactionary character...

Believe~Kimi no Kakeru Hashi

 Takuya Kimura stars as Riku Kariyama, an architectural designer with great skills and success. He has confidence in both his designs as well as his relationship with work associates, where he is respected and well-liked!

Maika Yamamoto

Hayate Ichinose

Kinya Kitaoji

As the head designer of a prominent bridge set to be the crowning achievement of a town, it seems he only has highs to look forward to- that is until tragedy strikes. While on location doing routine inspections to the bridge, a serious fault is discovered and, once failing, sets in motion a horrific collapse of the entire structure, causing both injury and even death.

Though there are lots of factors to the incident and much finger pointing, as the head designer of the project, Kariyama takes it upon himself to accept full responsibility for the accident, and after a sensational trail, is sentenced to a prison term.

Though now in prison, Kariyama still holds fast to his dignity and reserve, believing what he has done by taking the burden of the responsibility off the company and fellow workers by placing the fault in his initial architectural designs.

But we will learn that  there have actually been NO faults in his part of the project, and that the blame falls squarely on the supplier of the support cables, of whom which they secretly replaced quality materials with shoddy replacements. No, the real reason Kariyama has taken the blame is due to company president Osoda’s request, who feels that if the truth were to come out, the company themselves would be blamed for associating with the faulty supplier.

Osoda promises  that if Kariyama takes the blame, he will make sure his punishment is light and will surely be returned to the company in due time.But of course, these promises soon fall by the wayside as greedy people in positions of power make their own moves within the company.

For his part, Kariyama intends to endure his sentence silently, believing it is for the sake of all. But when his wife Reiko (Amami Yuki) visits him, she only has two things to report. One, that what he’s doing is not noble protecting people with his silence, but rather lying and deception. And furthermore, she adds that though he never noticed when they were together, she is dying of cancer, and, as it stands, he won’t be out until she has long passed.

It is faced with these hard truths that Kariyama takes stock in what he has done and said and, with the help of his lawyer Akizawa (Saito Takumi),  asks for a retrial so he can finally speak the truth of the tragic accident and clear his name.

But with so much at stake, there are many who can benefit from him remaining imprisoned and  use all their connections to sabotage his attempts at freedom. At the same time, there are those out there who are seeking the truth of the matter, and who will work tirelessly to have Kariyama’s voice heard and the corrupt individuals exposed!

Takaya Kamikawa

Ryoma Takeuchi

Fumiyo Kohinata

Takumi Saito

Chikako Kaku

Yuki Amami

As usual for  Kimura Takuya vehicles, Believe~Kimi no Kakeru Hashi is a real event, with huge stars simply crammed into the cast in all prominent roles and this one looks to be a fast-paced and gripping show!

So far it seems to be a character-driven series rather than a political/business one, and that’s a good sign. Lately lots of dramas have taken the VIVANT route and (IN my opinion) simply been bogged down with technical government/political stuff...I know this is a popular genre right now, but I get a real headache trying to wade through so much technical jargon, political figures, departments, etc.... hope this one doesn’t fall to the same trope!