Ramune Monkey Japanese Television Drama Series
Ramune Monkey is a Japanese television drama series broadcast on Fuji TV. The series premiered on January 14, 2026, occupying the Wednesday 22:00 time slot previously held by Pray Speak What Has Happened. The production is directed by Tomonobu Moriwaki, with the webcomic and screenplay both written by Ryota Kosawa.
Premise and Plot Synopsis
The narrative centers on three middle-aged men—Yuta Yoshii, Hajime Fujimaki, and Kisuke Kikuhara—who were close friends and members of a middle school movie club in 1988, where they spent their time producing amateur kung-fu films. Now at 51 years of age, all three feel that their lives have stalled. Their paths converge again following a news report about human bones discovered at a construction site in Danbe, the very town where they shared their youth. Reconnecting after 37 years, they realize their memories of their middle school advisor have grown hazy. Finding a group photograph marked with the word "missing," the men embark on an investigation into their advisor's mysterious disappearance.
Production and Origins
The series is based on the webcomic Ramune Monkey 1988, written by Ryota Kosawa and first published on September 9, 2025, via the publishing platform Note. The adaptation airs weekly on Fuji TV during the Wednesday 22:00 time slot.
Cast and Characters
The main adult characters and their younger counterparts are portrayed by an ensemble cast:
- Takashi Sorimachi as Yuta Yoshii
- Nao Omori as Hajime Fujimaki
- Kenjiro Tsuda as Kisuke Kikuhara
- Mai Kiryu as Michiru Miyashita
- Riko Fukumoto as Hakuba Nishino
- Noriko Nakagoshi as Satsuki Onodera
- Yuki Matsumura as Kento Yoshii
- Keiko Takahashi as Shoko Kikuhara
- Noritaka Hamao as Policeman Tsurumi
- Hideo Osumi as Yuta Yoshii (middle school student)
- Kanade Aoki as Hajime Fujimaki (middle school student)
- Kirato Uchida as Kisuke Kikuhara (middle school student)
