Synopsis

Matsuzaka Tori makes his primetime TV Asahi drama debut in “The Smiling Man” as Nito Toshimi, an elite banker who drowns his wife and daughter. A graduate of a prestigious university who seemed to have a perfect life with his family at a major city bank, he shocks everyone with his claimed motive: “I wanted space for my books.”

Based on Nukui Tokuro’s bestselling mystery novel, the story follows this shocking case through the eyes of Kamoi Akira (played by Ono Machiko), a weekly magazine reporter who returns to frontline journalism while her husband manages their household. The drama adds her character as an original addition to the novel’s story.

The stellar cast includes Namase Katsuhisa as Akira’s editor who assigns her to cover Nito’s case, Fukuda Tenkyu as a detective familiar with Akira, and Tanaka Yoji as a detention officer. Written by Hata Takehiko and directed by Ochiai Masayuki, this adaptation promises to deliver a shocking conclusion that no one could have imagined, along with thrilling developments unique to the television format.