Shitamachi Rocket (TBS)

Details

 * Title: 下町ロケット
 * Title (romaji): Shitamachi Rocket
 * Also known as: Downtown Rocket
 * Format: Renzoku
 * Genre: Corporate, drama
 * Broadcast network: TBS
 * Air time: Sunday 21:00

Season 1

 * Episodes: 10
 * Viewership ratings: 18.64%
 * Broadcast period: 2015-Oct-18 to 2015-Dec-20

Synopsis
Tsukuda Kohei (Abe Hiroshi) worked as an investigator, then decided to work in his father's manufacturing factory, strives with his workers to overcome problems and pursue his passion in manufacturing. Although Kohei stops researching at the Space Science Development Agency to succeed Tsukuda Manufacturing, he cannot leave behind his true passion for rocket development. The cost of rocket engine development has put Kohei's company in serious financial trouble, almost on the verge of bankruptcy.

As it struggles to raise funds, its rival company, Nakashima Industrial, sues Tsukuda Manufacturing for patent infringement. The company's reputation soon drops and banks refuse to finance them, but then one of Japan's leading companies, Teikoku Heavy Industries, offers to buy them a Tsukuda patent for 2 billion yen. Although the company is heavily indebted and desperately in need of cash, the patent is what the engineers put all their efforts and dreams into. Kohei, a president who feels responsible for the livelihood of his workers, faces a very tough decision.

Cast

 * Abe Hiroshi as Tsukuda Kohei
 * Tsuchiya Tao as Tsukuda Rina (Kohei's daughter)
 * Tatekawa Danshun (立川談春) as Tonomura Naohiro
 * Yasuda Ken as Yamasaki Mitsuhiko
 * Wada Soko as Ehara Haruki
 * Konno Hiroki as Sakota Shigeru
 * Yamazaki Ikusaburo as Mano Kensuke
 * Nakamoto Ken (中本賢) as Tsuno Kaoru
 * Tanida Ayumi (谷田歩) as Karakida Atsushi
 * Nakamura Tomoya as Asagi Shohei
 * Abe Shinnosuke as Nomura Kosuke
 * Takeuchi Ryoma as Tachibana Yosuke
 * Sano Gaku as Kawamoto Koji
 * Ato Kai as Tanabe, lawyer
 * Maya Miki as Izumi Saya (Kohei's ex wife)
 * Arai Hirofumi as Tomiyama Takaharu
 * Kinoshita Houka as Mizuhara Shigeharu
 * Hashimoto Satoshi as Mita Kimiyasu
 * Shunputei Shota as Yanai Tetsuji
 * Higashikokubaru Hideo (東国原英夫) as Negi Setsuo
 * Ikehata Shinnosuke (池畑慎之介) as Nakagawa Kyoichi
 * Megumi Toshiaki as Kamiya Shuichi
 * Baisho Mitsuko as Tsukuda Kazue (Kohei's mother)
 * Kikkawa Koji as Zaizen Michio
 * Sugi Ryotaro (杉良太郎) as Toma Hideki
 * Imada Koji as Ichimura Hayato
 * Takigawa Eiji

Production Credits

 * Original work: Novel Shitamachi Rocket by Ikeido Jun
 * Screenwriter: Yatsu Hiroyuki
 * Producer: Iyoda Hidenori, Kawashima Ryutaro
 * Director: Fukuzawa Katsuo, Tanazawa Takayoshi (棚澤孝義), Tanaka Kenta
 * Music: Hattori Takayuki

Recognitions

 * 19th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Oct-Dec 2015): Best Actor - Abe Hiroshi

Season 2

 * Episodes: 10
 * Viewership ratings: 13.6%
 * Broadcast period: 2018-Oct-14 to 2018-Dec-16

Synopsis
Tsukuda Kohei (Abe Hiroshi), a former researcher at JAXA, took responsibility for a failed rocket launch and took over his father’s factory, Tsukuda Manufacturing. His company succeeded in developing and manufacturing a valve system for a rocket engine, and things seemed to be going smoothly for a while…

However, business was deteriorating at Teikoku Heavy Industries, their primary customer for the rocket engine valve system, possibly marking the end of the Stardust Project. Furthermore, the agricultural equipment manufacturer notified them of the reduction in business. In the midst of all this, the father of Tonomura, the accounting manager, falls ill and he decides to go help out at the family farm. Watching Tonomura drive the tractor, Tsukuda realizes something. This was the moment a new dream was born. Moving from the universe to the earth, a new story begins.

Cast

 * Abe Hiroshi as as Tsukuda Kohei
 * Tsuchiya Tao as Tsukuda Rina
 * Takeuchi Ryoma as Tachibana Yosuke
 * Yasuda Ken as Yamasaki Mitsuhiko
 * Tokushige Satoshi as Karube Makio
 * Wada Soko as as Ehara Haruki
 * Konno Hiroki as Sakota Shigeru
 * Nakamoto Ken (中本賢) as Tsuno Kaoru
 * Tanida Ayumi (谷田歩) as Karakida Atsushi
 * Tsubokura Yoshiyuki (坪倉由幸) as Kurata Shinji
 * Baba Toru (馬場徹) as Kashiwada Hiroki
 * Asakura Aki as Kano Aki
 * Tateishi Ryoko as Tonomura Kyoko
 * Yamamoto Keisuke (山本圭祐) as Makita
 * Yamada Yusuke as Honda Ikuma
 * Matsukawa Naruki as Saeki Fumiya
 * Sugaya Tetsuya as Ueshima Tomoyuki
 * Kanno Rio as Sakamoto Nanao
 * Hara Anna (原アンナ) as Saito Ayumi
 * Bokumoto Sakiko (ぼくもとさきこ) as Nishina Misaki
 * Imoto Ayako as Shimazu Yuu
 * Maya Miki as Izumi Saya
 * Rokkaku Seiji as Tatsuno
 * Uchiba Katsunori (内場勝則) as Kandagawa Atsushi
 * Okada Kohki as Inamoto Akira
 * Imada Koji as Ichimura Hayato
 * Megumi Toshiaki as Kamiya Shuichi
 * Ikehata Shinnosuke (池畑慎之介) as Nakagawa Kyoichi
 * Furutachi Ichiro (古舘伊知郎) as Shigeta Toshiyuki
 * Kinoshita Houka as Mizuhara Shigeharu
 * Kudo Yuki as Tonomura Sakiko
 * Yamamoto Gaku as Tonomura Masahiro
 * Nakamura Baijaku as Suenaga Takaaki
 * Baisho Mitsuko as Tsukuda Kazue
 * Onoe Kikunosuke (尾上菊之助) as Itami Dai
 * Tatekawa Danshun (立川談春) as Tonomura Naohiro
 * Kanda Masaki as Matoba Shunichi
 * Kikkawa Koji as Zaizen Michio
 * Sugi Ryotaro (杉良太郎) as Toma Hideki

Production Credits

 * Original work: Novel Shitamachi Rocket Ghost by Ikeido Jun
 * Screenwriter: Ushio Kentaro (丑尾健太郎)
 * Producer: Iyoda Hidenori, Tawada Yutaka (峠田浩)
 * Director: Fukuzawa Katsuo, Tanaka Kenta, Aoyama Takahiro (青山貴洋), Matsuki Aya
 * Music: Hattori Takayuki