Escape (Japanese Television Series)

Escape, known in Japanese as ESCAPE Sore wa Yukai no Hazu datta (ESCAPE それは誘拐のはずだった), is a Japanese television drama series broadcast on the NTV network. Directed by Naoko Komuro and Makoto Naganuma with a script written by Kayo Hikawa, the 10-episode series aired from October 8 to December 10, 2025, taking over the Wednesday 22:00 time slot.

Plot Synopsis

The story follows Yui Yagami, a 20-year-old second-year university student and the daughter of the president of one of Japan's leading pharmaceutical companies. Having lost her mother at a young age, she was raised by her father. Although she possesses a serious personality deeply concerned with social welfare and poverty, she is reluctant to interact with others, harboring a secret known only to herself. During her twentieth birthday celebration, Yui is targeted in a ransom kidnapping orchestrated by a group of individuals.

Daisuke Hayashida, a 24-year-old car mechanic with a background marked by poverty and a history of fraud, is one of the kidnappers. Despite his blunt attitude and honest demeanor, his difficult family background grants him acute sensitivity to shifts in human emotion. When the ransom plot ultimately fails, Yui unexpectedly pleads with Daisuke to take her with him and escape.

Cast and Characters

The principal cast members include:

• Hiyori Sakurada as Yui Yagami
• Hayato Sano as Daisuke Hayashida
• First Summer Uika as Shino Bandai
• Shunsuke Tanaka as Sota Fuji
• Hiroyuki Mamiya as Kyoichi Yagami
• Yasuko Tomita as Miyako Kiryuu
• Kazuki Kitamura as Keishi Yagami
• Kousei Yuki as Kenji Yamaguchi
• Kisuke Iida as Joji Saito
• Chihiro Kato as Masaki Onishi
• Hiromu Takatsuka as Misaki Onishi
• Mirai Shida as a mysterious woman
• Sachie Hara as Akira Jounouchi
• Raito Abe as Hikaru Jounouchi
• Yu Kamio as Shinobu Kiryuu
• Satoru Matsuo as Taku Komiyama
• Makiya Yamaguchi as Hirota Shiraki

Broadcast Schedule and Viewership Ratings

Escape was broadcast on NTV on Wednesdays at 22:00. The time slot was previously occupied by Chihayafuru: Meguri and was later followed by Fuyu no Nankasa, Haru no Nankasa on January 14, 2026. According to research provided by Video Research, Ltd., the series recorded an average Kanto region viewership rating of 3.9% across its 10 episodes.