Chiaki as Rika Hasegawa in Ashita no Kita Yoshio: (2008) Episode One

Here is the synopsis of this TV series written by Chuck.  His translation is far better than the Shrine's.on in this TV series.
 

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Here are some of the names of the characters.  They are last names first for actor and character played

Kohinta Fumiyo  plays Kita Yoshio

Matsuda Ryuhei plays Yashiro Heita

Kuriyama Chiaki plays Hasegawa Rika

Yoshitaka Yuriko plays Yoimachi Shinobu

Konishi Manami plays Washizu  Mizuho (Yoshio’s ex wife)

Imai Masayuki as Minami Takao (Yoshio’s dead friend)


Main plot : Yoshio sells all his property and decides to kill himself in 11 days on the anniversary of his best friend’s death (Minami Takao) because he feels used and worthless to the world. He also develops a split personality he calls Negative Yoshio, who pops out from time to time to taught him.

Yashiro Heita (Dance Club operator) befriends Yoshio and Yoshio  meets Hasegawa Rika (Chiaki) in his office. She chastises Yoshio on how he could possibly plan on killing himself.

Rika though, has a big problem. Which Heita is going to try and help her with. Her father left leaving her to deal with his money debt. (He owed somewhere around 10- 20 million yen to a bunch of gangsters) who let it be known to Rika that they want their money or they will use her body in whatever way to be compensated.

Therefore Heita comes up with a scheme to use Yoshio to get the money.  Rika works at an insurance company, so they convince Yoshio to take out a life insurance policy. Rika’s  not happy about doing it because she thinks Yoshio is a nice guy,  Heita insists it’s the only way to get out of debt. Besides he says Yoshio is going to kill himself anyway. Heita also tells Yoshio to make his death not look like a suicide, or no insurance money, who they tell Yoshio, is going to his mother. Rika again does not like this when he tells Yoshio.

The people planting the transmitter are insurance Investigators.  It seems that Washizu Mizuho, Yoshios ex wife, married the president of a clothing company called Waycys. He died in an boat accident and they are suspicious because of the large life insurance payment they have to pay. They believe Mizuho may have arranged his death for the money.
So they are tracking Yoshio trying to find out what’s going on.

Shinobu, the girl who likes foot massages, is a pop singer/model that Yoshio wanted to meet before he died. Heita has connections and arranges a meeting with her.

Naturally she ends up liking Yoshio a lot and gets upset when Yoshio decides to split. She then makes a quick call to her manager saying she’s been kidnapped and the kidnappers (Yoshio) want 20 million yen.  This of course freaks Yoshio out no end.

Heita also says he thinks he can locate Mizuho for Yoshio, which he does, because Yoshio wants to meet her before he dies.
 

   [A BIG RED FLAG ALERT - There is a 2 disc version and a 3 disc version of this TV series out on DVD.  Do Not Buy The 2 Disc Version!]