First Summer Uika and other cast members revealed for the drama “Forest” starring Manami Higa and Takanori Iwata

■A special video that digs deeper into the true faces of Manami Higa & Takanori Iwata is now available on TVer!

The cast members of the drama “Forest” starring Manami Higa and Takanori Iwata (EXILE / Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS) have been revealed.

“Forest,” a new drama aired nationwide on Sundays at 10:15 pm by ABC Television, is an original love suspense drama. The important key to unraveling the mystery is the Ikushima family, the family home of Kaede Ikushima, played by Higa. The Ikushima family is full of lies and secrets, and is full of mysterious characters, a forest of mistrust in humanity that confuses Kaede and Jun Ichinose (Iwata), who are in love.

The unique cast members who play two-faced characters with various intentions hidden inside have been revealed, along with their roles.

■Mysterious characters and cast members with various “lies” revealed all at once!
Kaede Ikushima and Jun Ichinose are lovers who have been living together for almost a year. The two of them live a normal but happy life, but Kaede is telling a lie to Jun. That is the lie that “I don’t have a family.”

However, Kaede has a mother who runs the famous hotel group Bran Forest. Kaede ran away from home three years ago, hating her ruthless mother Suzuko who did everything according to her wishes. She lied to her beloved Jun, cut ties with her family, and started a new life. However, when Jun’s lie is exposed, their relationship begins to unravel little by little.

This time, we will reveal the five main cast members who play behind the scenes in this mysterious work.

The first person to watch is Makoto Mizuhara, who plays First Summer Uika. Kaede’s cousin, and a good understanding person who has watched over Kaede since childhood. Kaede’s mother works at Bran Forest, a hotel group run by her own aunt Suzuko. First Summer Uika takes on the role of someone with complicated feelings, who cares about Kaede but cannot resist Suzuko.

The second person is Shuntaro Makino, a colleague of Kaede’s flower gift company. Although he is younger than Kaede, he has a senior company history and is a reliable younger man. Even though he knows about the relationship between Kaede and Jun, he seems to have feelings for Kaede… Daisuke Nakagawa carefully depicts a life-sized portrait of a young man caught up in a large vortex.

The third person is Suzuko’s personal doctor, Touko Shinoda, played by Miki Mizuno. It’s been about the past two and a half years that I’ve been coming in and out of the Ikushima family. Although he doesn’t know Kaede, who ran away from home three years ago, it seems like they have a connection that can never be erased… What is Touko’s purpose for infiltrating the Ikushima family? Mizuno shows his presence in the role of a doctor who does not know her true identity.

The fourth person is Osamu Hayama, played by Keisuke Horibe. Hayama, who is Kaede’s mother Suzuko’s secretary and also serves as a director of Suzuko’s hotel group Bran Forest, shows absolute loyalty to Suzuko. Suzuko is ordered to find Kaede, who ran away from her parents’ house. Pay attention to Horibe’s appearance, which heralds the beginning of the suspense.

And finally, Miyuki Matsuda plays Kaede’s mother, Suzuko Ikushima. The head of the Ikushima family and a charismatic manager who grew the company in one generation. He has a ruthless personality and always puts the company first. On the other hand, he is extremely obsessed with Kaede and tries to control even his daughter with money and power… What kind of true face does Suzuko, the poisonous mother, really have? Matsuda creates Suzuko’s chillingly cold demeanor, which is a must-see.

■Special video now available on TVer!
Prior to the drama broadcast, TVer is releasing a special video that delves deeper into the true faces of the two lead actors, Manami Higa and Takanori Iwata. Comment videos from the cast will also be streamed from 7pm on November 26th.

Cast comments
■First Summer Uika
This is the first time I’ve watched a drama where I’m so suspicious of all the characters (lol), but everyone on set, including Mr. Higa and Mr. Iwata, is bright and cheerful, so it’s completely different from the style, and everyone is friendly and there’s a lot of laughter. These are the days without it! Makoto plays the role of being the person who understands Kaede the most and kindly supports her, so I prepared the glasses myself because I thought they would fit Makoto. This is a challenge to create a character that has never been seen before, so please pay attention to it.
■Daisuke Nakagawa
When I first read the script, I thought it was a heavy suspense story, and the second time I read it, I thought it was like a black comedy. Then, when I read it for the third time, I realized that it was about the ultimate love.
I shoot with great enthusiasm every day. It’s a very cool video, and it brings out new ways of acting for me. I think this work has content that can be viewed from many different ways, so I would be happy if you could watch it while thinking about it. Look forward to the broadcast from January next year!
■Miki Mizuno
This is a story that gives you the impression of getting lost in a dark, deep forest. There are many mysteries and a dark feeling that awaits the ending of sadness.
The doctor Toko, who I play, is also a mysterious person. The purpose of entering the Ikushima family gradually becomes clear. Are you the hunter or the hunted? I hope you enjoy watching the ending. Everyone, please wander into this deep forest together and witness the monsters lurking here.
■Keisuke Horibe
I thought it was a tense and suspicious worldview with a very disturbing atmosphere. Every time I receive a script, there’s a new surprise, and even I, who plays the role, am excited to participate, thinking, “This is what Hayama is doing!?”
Hayama, the president’s secretary, seems to be doing some secret activities in addition to company duties under Suzuko’s instructions. He is involved behind the scenes in various things that happen in the play. I am absolutely obedient to President Suzuko, but from time to time, something interesting is inserted unexpectedly, so I hope you enjoy that as well.
■Miyuki Matsuda
It’s such a strong role, so I was worried about how to play her, but Suzuko has a sense of responsibility, and has the strength, freedom, and humanity to laugh and overcome any adversity. With that in mind, I wanted to be excited and have fun playing Suzuko, a unique and intense role. Higa-san told me that it was difficult for her to play Suzuko’s Mama because she loves Matsuda-san, although it’s a scary role (lol) Even though they get along well, she plays the role of a strained parent-child relationship to the fullest. Keep an eye on the incidents that occur one after another in the Ikushima family and the mysterious relationships between people! is! Look forward to it!

Program information

ABC TV“Forest”
Starting from January 2025, every Sunday from 22:15
*After the broadcast, missed broadcast will be available on TVer and ABEMA

Cast: Manami Higa Takanori Iwata
First Summer Uika Daisuke Nakagawa / Miki Mizuno / Keisuke Horibe / Miyuki Matsuda
Screenplay: Junpei Yamaoka
Original idea: Yukari Ryuki
Producers: Chinami Tsuji, Koji Yamashita, Shuhei Mita (ABC TV), Yoshihiko Yamamoto, Michiko Koji (MMJ)
Direction: Tomohiro Takahashi, Yui Matsuzaki, Ken Higurashi
Production cooperation: MMJ
Production work: ABC Television
(C)ABC TV

“Forest” program site
https://www.asahi.co.jp/forest/

TVer program page
https://tver.jp/series/sr4vizlomz

ABEMA program page
https://abema.tv/video/title/871-316