| Saiko no Jinsei | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Saikō no Jinsei no Owarikata: Ending Planner |
| 最高の人生の終り方～エンディングプランナー～ | |
| Genre | Mystery, slice of life, romantic comedy |
| Starring | Tomohisa Yamashita Nana Eikura Takashi Sorimachi Atsuko Maeda Yuri Chinen Ito Ono Kohei Otomo Tsutomu Yamazaki |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| Original release | |
| Network | TBS |
| Release | January 12, 2012 (2012-01-12) |
Saikō no Jinsei no Owarikata: Ending Planner (最高の人生の終り方～エンディングプランナー～, lit. The best way to complete a life: Ending planner) is a Japanese television drama series. It premiered on TBS on January 12, 2012. The drama revolves around the members of the Ihara family who operate a funeral parlor in Tokyo.
Show Synopsis
The funeral parlor Ihara-ya (井原屋) has been run by Ihara Masato’s (Tomohisa Yamashita) family for generations. Masato grows to hate the family business due to the teasing he suffers from for being "the undertaker's kid", and he leaves home early in life. The sudden death of his estranged father and the disappearance of his older brother Kento (Takashi Sorimachi) leave the Ihara-ya in Masato's reluctant hands.
The Ihara-ya has close ties with the police and mostly handles the bodies of people who have died under mysterious or unexplained circumstances. On occasions, when the police simply classify the deaths as accidental, Masato tries to find out the truth for the sake of the surviving family, even though he knows that he is being meddlesome.
Masato ends up dealing with these silent bodies, the painful reasons behind their deaths, and the harsh realities of the world together with rookie detective Sakamaki Yuki (Nana Eikura). As he does so, he starts to face up to his own life and family.
Cast
| Actor |
Character |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tomohisa Yamashita | Ihara Masato (井原真人) | Second son of the Ihara family; takes over Ihara-ya after his father's death; formerly a high-level employee in an izakaya chain |
| Nana Eikura | Sakamaki Yuki (坂巻優樹) | Rookie detective; former acquaintance of Masato |
| Takashi Sorimachi | Ihara Kento (井原健人) | Eldest son of the Ihara family; Masato's half-brother; worked at the Ihara-ya since graduating from high school; mysteriously disappeared two months before his father's death |
| Atsuko Maeda | Ihara Haruka (井原晴香) | Middle child and eldest daughter of the Ihara family; looks after the accounts of Ihara-ya; suffers from a minor physical disability |
| Yuri Chinen | Ihara Hayato (井原隼人) | Youngest son of the Ihara family; university student; left home early in life like Masato |
| Ito Ono | Ihara Momoko (井原桃子) | Youngest child of the Ihara family |
| Kohei Otomo | Tanaka Eisuke (田中英輔) | Ihara-ya employee |
| Tsutomu Yamazaki | Iwata Itsuro (岩田逸郎) | Former police chief; Ihara family friend |
| Keizo Kanie | Ihara Kotaro (井原浩太郎) | Ihara patriarch; Masato's father |
| Kensei Mikami | Nagamine Jun (長峰 潤) | TBA |
| Sansei Shiomi | Kinohara Yoshio (木野原義男) | TBA |
| Isono Kiroko | Kagawa Yuko (香川夕子) | TBA |
| Rei Okamoto | Mizuno Kanako (水野可南子) | TBA |
| Mami Hashimoto | Murauchi Yayoi (村内弥生) | TBA |
| Masaya Kikawada | Kawahara Tatsuho (川原達法) | TBA |
Crew
- Screenwriter: Chiho Watanabe
- Directors: Yasuharu Ishii, Ryutaro Kawashima, Yamamuro Daisuke
- Producer: Hidenori Iyoda
Episodes
| Episode | Air date | Title | Outline | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 12, 2012 (2012-01-12) | TBA | TBA | 15.3 |
References
- "Eikura Nana, Maeda Atsuko, Sorimachi Takashi, Chinen Yuri join Yamapi's new drama". Tokyograph. November 23, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
- "榮倉奈々、女刑事役で山下智久と再共演 ～AKB48前田敦子は山Pの妹役に感激". Oricon (in Japanese). November 24, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
- "山下智久主演 1月期TBS系連続ドラマ『最高の人生の終り方～エンディングプランナー～』共演陣が決定!". TBS Hot Information (in Japanese). November 24, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2011.