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Live-Action Wakako-zake Series Gets 6th Season in January
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
TV Tokyo announced on Friday that the live-action series based on Chie Shinkyū's Wakako-zake manga will have a new sixth season that will premiere on BS TV Tokyo and BS TV Tokyo 4K on January 10. Rina Takeda (seen below) reprises her role as protagonist Wakako in the new season.
Yoshihiro Nozoe also returns as Taisho, the proprietor of the Araku bar. Kenta Kamakiri is back as Aoyanagi. Kinuwo Yamada reprise the role of Wakako's housemate Mii. Mizuki Watanabe returns as Abe-chan. Shinji Kuma, Kenji Katagiri, and Shōhei Wakabayashi are directing the series, with scripts by Kumiko Asō and Momoka Meriyama.
The original Wakako-zake cuisine manga follows 26-year old Wakako, who drinks different kinds of alcoholic beverages at bars and restaurants alone every night, searching for her place to belong.
Shinkyū started the manga in North Stars Pictures and Tokuma Shoten's Monthly Comic Zenon magazine in 2011. Media Do released the first volume of the manga digitally in English on several platforms in October 2018. Nenzu Nyanbara launched a spinoff manga titled Taishū Sakaba Wakao - Wakako-zake Betten (Public Bar Wakao - Wakako-zake Different Shop) on Tokuma Shoten's Web Comic Zenyon website in January 2019.
The first 12-episode live-action television season aired in January-March 2015, and the second and third 12-episode seasons premiered in January 2016 and April 2017, respectively. The fourth season premiered in January 2019, and the fifth and most recent season premiered in April 2020 and aired for 12 episodes. The series had its first special in December 2020.
Crunchyroll streamed the second season as it aired, and added the first season in April 2016.
The manga also inspired a 12-episode series of three-minute anime shorts, starring Miyuki Sawashiro, that premiered in July 2015. Crunchyroll also streamed the anime series as it aired.
Sources: BS-TV Tokyo, Comic Natalie
