The winter Jdrama season has just started, so naturally there will be announcements and rumors of the new dramas for the next season. Before you get excited or otherwise, please note that several of these dramas are still in the ‘rumored’ stage sourced from tabloids. However, it can also be observed that rumored dramas eventually gets confirmed.

Since we missed out on some new drama announcements, here’s a list of confirmed and rumored dramas (commercial) for next seasons. Arama, what do you think?

Spring (April – June 2017)

Rumor – TBA
Date: 9 pm, Monday
Station: Fuji TV
Cast: Aiba Masaki

Aiba’s next major project after hosting Kohaku, this drama is rumored to be a mystery drama based from a novel. Aiba’s previous getsu9 2015 drama “Yokoso, Wagaya e” is also in a similar genre.  The drama had an average audience rating of 12.5% and gained high evaluation from viewers. Will an Arashi member recover getsu9’s sluggish ratings?

Confirmed – Crisis Kouan Kidou Sousatai Tokusou-han
Date: 9 pm, Tuesday
Station: Fuji TV
Cast: Oguri Shun, Nishijima Hidetoshi

Early in November 2016, there were sightings of Oguri and Nishijima filming a ‘crime drama’ in Ibaraki prefecture (1, 2, 3)

Oguri and Nishijima play specialists in a secret force called “The Special Investigation Unit”. Oguri plays investigator Inami Akira who sustained serious trauma in a previous special mission and Nishijima plays Tamura Saburo who was transferred from the Public Security Department’s Foreign Affairs Division.

Confirmed – Final Fantasy XIV: Daddy Of Light

Date: 1 am, Wednesday
Station: TBS
Cast: Chiba Yudai, Osugi Ren

Based on real-life experiences of a FFXIV player who wrote a series of posts called “The Father of Light”. The drama will mix live-action and in-game scenes to tell the father and son’s story.

Confirmed – Hito wa Mita Me ga 100%

Date: 10pm, Thursday
Station: Fuji TV
Cast: Kiritani Mirei

Kiritani Mirei plays Jonochi Jun, a researcher at a paper manufacturing company. Her character doesn’t hold any interest in making herself attractive, until she notices that others don’t view her as a woman.

Rumor – TBA
Date: 10 pm, Saturday
Station: NTV
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Takei Emi, Oizumi Yo

NTV’s Saturday 9pm drama moves to 10pm and this is rumored to be the first drama in the said timeslot. Title and contents are still unknown but this is not a sequel to “Kaito Yamaneko”. With this Kamenashi drama, there are also rumors of a KAT-TUN comeback with the theme song.

Rumor – Hanzawa Naoki 2
Date: 9 pm, Sunday
Station: TBS
Cast: Sakai Masato, Ueto Aya

Since the series ended, there’s a clamor for a sequel to this mega hit 2013 drama which scored an average rating of 28.7% and a final episode rating of 42.2%. When lead actor Sakai Masato is committed to the 2016 taiga drama “Sanada Maru”, there were rumors of Abe Hiroshi taking over the sequel. But looks like the rumors of Season 2 are back with the original cast.

After “Hanzawa Naoki”, Sakai had appeared in “Legal High Season 2”, “Dr. Rintaro” and “Sanada Maru”. Since the taiga drama has finished, it is reported that preparation for the production of the sequel to “Hanzawa Naoki” is in place.

Confirmed – Yasuragi no Sato
Date: TBA
Station: TV Asahi
Cast: Ishizaka Koji

Elderly home “Yasuragi no Sato La Strada” admits people who were active in the television and movie industry. In this facility, Kikumura Sakae (Ishizaka Koji), a once popular scriptwriter and former huge stars reside.

Summer (July – September)

Rumor – Code Blue ~Doctor Heli Kinkyuu Kyumei~ Season 3
Date: 9 pm, Monday
Station: Fuji TV
Cast: Yamashita Tomohisa, Aragaki Yui, Toda Erika

For the summer season, it is usual for dramas with the theme of “sea” to be featured. However, it looks like this will not be the case with Fuji TV’s summer getsu9 in 2017.

This will be the third installment following the first season in 2008 and the second season in 2010. Fuji TV’s SMAP x SMAP ended in 2016 due to the disbandment of the group. In 2017, it is rumored that Johnnys will be starring in the network’s getsu9 drama back to back.

(sources: haru drama, natsu drama, spring list)