Los Angeles television station UTB 18.2 has announced the start of two new drama series in Spring 2014.
Hanzawa Naoki stars Masato Sakai (who previously starred in UTB’s crime drama Joker) as a loan officer forced to take the blame for a bad loan approved by his superiors. Hanzawa decides to recover the money himself and vows “double payback” on those who betrayed him. The multiple award-winning drama received consistently high ratings in Japan in 2013, and the final episode achieved a 42.2% audience share in the Kanto area, the highest figure for a drama in the Heisei Era.
Hanzawa Naoki begins broadcast for free in the Southern California area with English subtitles on April 6.
More information and broadcast schedule:
https://www.facebook.com/utbhollywood
http://utbhollywood.com/en/drama/naokihanzawa/index.php
Long-running police detective series Aibou (Partners) returns to UTB for its twelfth season, starring Yutaka Mizutani and Hiroki Narimiya. The series has won multiple awards in past seasons for writing, directing, and acting, including awards for its two lead stars.
Aibou 12 begins broadcast for free in the Southern California area with English subtitles on March 27.
More information and broadcast schedule:
https://www.facebook.com/utbhollywood
http://utbhollywood.com/en/drama/partners12/index.php
For updates and more information about UTB 18.2’s free, 24-hour Japanese programs:
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/utbhollywood
Website: http://utbhollywood.com/en/