February 3, 2012 05:00 PM | by 
Nakai Masahiro, member of the über-popular pop group SMAP, is all set to star in the upcoming TBS mystery drama “ATARU.”
Nakai will take the role of the protagonist, the titular character. ‘Araru’ is a man with autism and a savant, meaning he possesses special abilities in specific areas. The drama will focus on him and the cases he solves using his extraordinary memory and deductive skills.
Nakai expresses his difficulty to playing Ataru, commenting, “It’s a very difficult role. I hope it will draw out a new side of Nakai Masahiro.” On the character, who is meant to resemble Dustin Hoffman’s role in “Rain Man” (1988), he says, “I want to focus on the acting once again.”
Kuriyama Chiaki and Kitamura Kazuki will play alongside Nakai as the heroine and detective, respectively, who work alongside and assist Ataru.
I’m getting Sherlock Holmes vibes (but who doesn’t for the mystery genre?) but the bit about autism is original and should be a very interesting element.