"Masaki Aiba banenge naye 'Ukyo-san' — TV Asahi ka 'The Great Chase' se 'Aibō' series ka badalnay ka plan"

 "Masaki Aiba will be the next 'Ukyo-san'" - TV Asahi is hoping for "The Great Chase" to replace the "Aibō" series, and the anticipated "post-Yutaka Mizutani" slot

　The TV Asahi drama "Dai Tsuisei ~Metropolitan Police Department SSBC Violent Crimes Division~" (TV Asahi, every Wednesday at 9pm) starring Arashi 's Aiba Masaki (42), Omori Nao (53), and Matsushita Nao (40) has been well-received. Expectations are rising within TV Asahi that it will be the "successor to Aibō . "

　The setting of the drama "The Great Chase" is the Investigation Support and Analysis Center (SSBC), commonly known as SSBC, which was newly established in 2009 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. It is a group of professionals who support criminal investigations by analyzing security camera footage, smartphones, computers, etc. The story takes place in the "SSBC Violent Crimes Unit," a separate unit that specializes in supporting the First Investigative Division, which handles violent crimes such as murder, robbery, and arson.

　The trio - Igaki Shuji (Omori), a former detective from the First Investigative Division who is currently in charge of mobile analysis at SSBC, his partner Nanami Rintaro (Aiba), a career officer who transferred from a foreign securities company, and Aoyagi Haruka (Matsushita), the head of the First Investigative Division and Igaki's ex-wife - use the latest investigative analysis technology to tackle the case.

　TV Asahi's "Wednesday 9pm slot" is known for producing many popular detective dramas, such as the "Aibou" series, the " Tokusou 9 " series, and the "Detective Seven" series. "The Great Chase" will be the first new detective drama series to air in this slot in 10 years since "Detective Seven."

"The other cast members are also quite impressive, including Koichi Sato (64) and Kenichi Endo (64), and the script is by Yasushi Fukuda , who is a first-class writer when it comes to 'crime stories,' so you can really feel the enthusiasm of TV Asahi. The production staff are also heard to be enthusiastically saying, 'We have assembled the strongest lineup to continue for 10 years.'" (Production company insider - same below)

　On August 13th, the "Great Chase Summer Thanksgiving Festival" was held at Roppongi Hills Arena, with Omori, Aiba, Matsushita, Sato, and Endo appearing in yukata . The event was a huge success.

"The event was free to enter, and applications for numbered tickets were accepted in advance by lottery online, but it seems that a considerable number of people were unsuccessful. The event was reported on by several online media outlets, and TV Asahi later asked that sports newspapers also run articles about it in print. It seems that TV Asahi wants to increase the exposure of 'The Great Chase' above all else. It is clear that they want to make it a 'long-lasting series'."