A few months ago, it was announced that the television drama franchise "Trick" is getting its third theatrical film this spring. Now, it has been revealed that it will also get its first spinoff drama series, focusing on the character played by Namase Katsuhisa (49).
"Keibuho Yabe Kenzo" will be the first starring role for Namase in a television series. In the "Trick" dramas and movies, which revolved around the mystery-solving duo of amateur magician Yamada Naoko (Nakama Yukie) and university professor Ueda Jiro Ueda (Abe Hiroshi), Namase played the odd wig-wearing detective Kenzo Yabe. His character attracted many fans, who have voiced plenty of requests for a spinoff.
In "Keibuho Yabe Kenzo," the detective will have to tackle difficult cases on his own, without the help of Yamada and Ueda. His supporting cast includes Ikeda Tetsuhiro (39) and Kanjiya Shihori (24).
TV Asahi has scheduled the series for its Friday 11:15pm time slot, with the first episode airing in April. The "Trick" movie opens in theaters on May 8.
cr: TOKYOGRAPH
