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【Included Benefits】
- Booklet (planned)
- Bonus Video:
- Collection of TV spots
- Others (planned)

【Starring】
Toru Matsuzaka makes his first lead role in a Sunday drama!
A bureaucrat and teacher from the Ministry of Education, who is corrupted by power, aims to destroy Japan’s education system!
A revolutionary story of educational reform as 18-year-olds in the Reiwa era confront the rotten power spreading through Japanese education!

【About the Work】
The lead actor in this work is Toru Matsuzaka. Since his debut in 2009, he has appeared in numerous films and dramas, winning several awards including the Best Supporting Actor at the 42nd Japan Academy Prize for the film "Koro no Chi" (Blood of the Wolf) in 2018, and the Best Actor Award at the 43rd Japan Academy Prize for the film "The Journalist" in 2019.

Recently, he played a cheating husband in Netflix’s "Let’s Divorce" and a member of a special team in the Sunday drama "VIVANT." Known for his versatility, he can portray everything from a good young man to a scoundrel, from comedic roles to psychotic characters, making him one of Japan’s leading actors.

In this project, Matsuzaka takes on his first leading role in a Sunday drama. He plays Takashi Mikami, an elite bureaucrat from the Ministry of Education who graduated from the University of Tokyo. After a certain incident, he decides to change Japan’s education system, but soon realizes that the reality is far from his ideals.

The reform to develop "thinking" skills is merely superficial, and the core of Japan’s power structure is more concerned with self-preservation than reform. He also notices that even the educational environment where children dream of the future has fallen into the hands of adult power struggles.

Amidst this, Mikami is ordered to be dispatched to a private high school through a newly established bureaucratic secondment system—effectively a demotion for an elite bureaucrat.

However, Mikami believes that if he cannot change the system from the top, he should raise his voice from the ground and break it from within. He stands on the front lines, guiding high school students living in the Reiwa era, and fights against power.

The script, an entirely original story, is written by Roba Shimoda, who has received the 28th Yomiuri Theatre Award for Best Director and is a prominent figure in the theatre world.

Matsuzaka, who challenged himself with recent works like "The Journalist," which won the Excellent Screenplay Award at the 43rd Japan Academy Prize, is making his first attempt at writing a script for a consecutive prime-time drama.

Producers include Kazutaka Iida, who has worked on popular Sunday dramas such as "Anti-Hero" (2024), "VIVANT" (2023), "My Family" (2022), and "Dragon Zakura" (2021).

TBS, known for impactful school dramas like "3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei," "Dragon Zakura," "Hana Yori Dango," and "High School Teacher," centers the story around two seemingly separate worlds: "schools" where children live and "ministries" where adults struggle.

This story depicts the harsh reality where children dreaming of the future are sacrificed by the corrupt power of adults, and how a bureaucrat teacher and high school students of the Reiwa era confront this reality—an ultimate story of educational reform and reversal, presenting a new kind of school drama unlike anything before.

【Highlights】
- Toru Matsuzaka’s first lead role in a Sunday drama!
A highly acclaimed actor who has won numerous awards and shown different facets in each work, now takes on his first Sunday drama lead.
He plays a "teacher" who was an elite bureaucrat from the Ministry of Education!

- Set in a high school, an original story involving power struggles, government schemes, and adult society elements.
TBS has a history of impactful school dramas like "Kinpachi-sensei," "Dragon Zakura," "Hana Yori Dango," and "High School Teacher." This work focuses on two worlds: "schools" where children dream of the future, and "ministries" where adults struggle—both seemingly separate but intertwined in the story.

- The harsh reality where children’s dreams are sacrificed by the dirty power of adults, and how a bureaucrat teacher and high school students of the Reiwa era confront this—an innovative school drama that breaks new ground.

- A talented young cast selected through auditions for student roles!
The students of Class 2-3, taught by Matsuzaka’s character Mikami, include 29 actors such as Oki Takanori, Makita Aju, Kubozuka Airu, Yoshinagi Sakura, Toyoda Yuta, Uesaka Juri, Takai Akari, Hachimura Rintaro, Yamashita Koki, Natsuki Taiko, Kageyama Yuka, Nagase Riko, and others. This ensemble features promising newcomers and next-generation stars making their first major drama appearances.

- Experienced cast members also play key roles as teachers and bureaucrats!
Yui Yoshioka, Masaki Okada, Mayu Hotta, Kyohei Takahashi, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Taka Taka Taka, Asami Usuda, Takako Tokiwa, and Issei Kitamura appear in roles closely related to Mikami and the school.

- The theme song is "Puppets Can’t Control You" by ONE OK ROCK!
This song was a surprise announcement at the first broadcast and became a hot topic. It resonates with the theme of challenging social injustices, expressing feelings of resentment, anger, and fiery passion toward society. The powerful, message-driven rock number enhances the story’s intensity!

【Plot Summary】
Bureaucrat from the Ministry of Education, Takashi Mikami (Toru Matsuzaka), stands in front of Class 2-3 at the private Rintoku Academy. As he begins his lesson in front of 29 students, each with their own thoughts, a certain question posed by Mikami causes ripples and sets the students in motion—leading to unforeseen consequences.

【Cast】
Toru Matsuzaka, Riho Yoshioka,
Daiken Okudaira, Aju Makita, Airu Kubozuka, Sakura Yoshinagi, Yuta Toyoda,
Juri Uesaka, Akari Takai, Rintaro Hachimura, Koki Yamashita, Taiko Natsuki, Yuka Kageyama, Riko Nagase,
Masaki Okada, Mayu Hotta, Kyohei Takahashi,
Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Taka Taka Taka, Asami Usuda, Takako Tokiwa, Issei Kitamura

【Staff】
Screenplay: Roba Shimoda
Music: Shiro Sagisu
Theme Song: ONE OK ROCK "Puppets Can’t Control You" (Fueled By Ramen / Warner Music Japan)
Screenplay Cooperation: Junichi Hatakeyama, Mari Okada
Educational Supervisor: Issei Nishioka
School Education Supervisor: Yuichi Kudo
Producers: Kazutaka Iida, Mao Nakanishi, Minami Nakazawa
Directors: Yohei Miyazaki, Hirono Shimada, Sakura Komaki
Production/Distribution: TBS

【Blu-ray Specifications】
Year: 2025
Country: Japan
Color: Yes
Main Feature + Bonus Content (duration TBA)
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1080i High Definition
Single Layer
Audio: Linear PCM 2ch Stereo
Japanese Subtitles (for the main feature only)
Total Episodes: 10
Set: 4 discs (3 discs for the main feature + 1 bonus disc)
*Specifications are subject to change.

TBS
Distributor: TBS / TBS Glodia
Sales: TC Entertainment