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Yuto Nakajima to star in FujiTV 2016 Summer drama

Hey! Say! JUMP's Nakajima Yuto will be starring in the upcoming FujiTV Summer 2016 drama "HOPE ~ Kitai zero no shinnyu shain ~" (HOPE ~ The new employee who is not expected to perform well ~) which will be shown from July in the Sundays 9pm timeslot. This will be Nakajima's first leading role in a primetime drama.

"HOPE" is the adaptation of South Korean drama "Misaeng" shown in 2014 which was based on a manga and the last episode had the second-highest ratings i.e. 10.3% in cable TV history. Despite a lack of romance in the story which is a signature trait of many Korean dramas, "Misaeng" attracted a lot of support and attention for its realistic portrayal of Korean corporate culture and its negative aspects.

In the Japanese version, Nakajima plays the lead character Ichinose Ayumu who had been striving to become a professional Go player since he was a child but fails to make the cut every year until the age limit of 22 years old. As a result, he becomes an intern at a trading company due to his mother's recommendation but gets ridiculed by his colleagues for lacking knowledge to do his job and how to behave in a corporate setting and even has to be taught how to use the photocopier. However, Ichinose tries hard to overcome the challenges and make a positive contribution to his company with his observation power and memory built up through training in Go games. There are no planned romance stories in the drama which will be focused on corporate culture and issues facing working people.

Filming begins in early May.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi