52 minSeason 1 • Episode 11
LatestBuzzer Beat is a Fuji TV Japanese television drama, which stars Yamashita Tomohisa, Keiko Kitagawa, and Aibu Saki. The series primarily focuses on two characters, Naoki Kamiya, a professional basketball player, and Riko Shirakawa, an aspiring violinist. Over the course of the series Naoki faces difficulties trying to succeed in the world of basketball, and Riko struggles to become a successful violinist. Eventually the two meet and the series chronicles their relationship and struggles, as well as those of their friends.
Acting
Yamashita's puppy-dog eyes could melt actual glaciers
Score
Violin pieces that make every almost-kiss feel epic
Production
Basketball courts and concert halls shot with genuine warmth
Tomohisa Yamashita
Naoki Kamiya
Keiko Kitagawa
Riko Shirakawa
Saki Aibu
Natsuki Nanami
Nobuaki Kaneko
Ren Yoyogi
Hideaki Ito
Tomoya Kawasaki
Shihori Kanjiya
Mai Ebina
Junpei Mizobata
Shuji Hatano
Miki Maya
Makiko Kamiya
Munetaka Aoki
Shuto Moriguchi
Masaru Nagai
Toru Utsunomiya
Keisuke Kato
Yoichi Oze
Ayaka Komatsu
Shion Kanazawa
Shigemitsu Ogi
Kunimitsu Ashikaga
Yasuyuki Maekawa
Yusuke Mishima
Aya Omasa
Yuri Kamiya
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Buzzer Beat captures Japan's 2000s 'renai drama' boom where sports settings became shorthand for youthful ambition and delayed romance.
Yamashita Tomohisa performed his own basketball scenes after months of training, while Keiko Kitagawa had to fake violin prowess—she's actually left-handed.
JP
