"Because there was television, we are here." A dialogue collection "One More Thing, May I?" by Koki Mitani and Perry Ogino, where they talk passionately about their favorite programs and their influences, will be released on April 22!
Screenwriter Koki Mitani and columnist Perry Ogino release a dialogue collection based on their serialization in 'Nami'. They discuss the deep influence of TV culture on their lives and creations, including behind-the-scenes stories of 'Furuhata Ninzaburo'.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 20:00
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"Because there was television, we are here." A dialogue collection "One More Thing, May I?" (Mō Hitotsu, Ii Desu Ka?) by Koki Mitani and Perry Ogino, where they talk passionately about their favorite programs and their influences, will be released on Wednesday, April 22!
■ "This was the most enjoyable work I've ever had in my life." (Koki Mitani)
Two genuine "TV kids" who grew up immersed in television culture during the era when the household penetration rate in Japan exceeded 90%, talk passionately about the television programs they love. This dialogue collection, which had received many inquiries for book publication during its serialization in "Nami," is finally going on sale.
Born in 1961 and 1962, the two are only one year apart in age and originally shared deep memories of their favorite programs via short messages. Mitani proposed the idea, which led to the realization of the dialogue in "Nami." Under six themes—Taiga drama, foreign drama, detective/police drama, home drama, a tribute to Toshiyuki Nishida, and the year 1973—they competed to share their stories.
Mitani, who was so obsessed with the Taiga drama "Ogon no Hibi" in his teens that he lived for the drama for a year, stated, "My life exists to reproduce the things that were input into me when I was in elementary school." Perry, who confessed to crying and skipping junior high school when his favorite actor Ryuzo Hayashi died in the final episode of "Hissatsu," said, "I do this job under the banner of 'mixing public and private' because I wanted to meet the people I admired on TV." The conversation between the two, who shared joys and sorrows with television, continued endlessly, overlapping with "One more thing, may I?" Mitani even wrote in the afterword, "This was the most enjoyable work I've ever had in my life."
■ A must-read for fans of Mitani's works! Behind-the-scenes stories including "Furuhata Ninzaburo" one after another.
Even if you think, "But stories about TV programs are hard to understand if the generations are different...", don't worry.
Surprising revelations about "how Koki Mitani is made" are revealed one after another, such as the actor who was supposed to play the phantom culprit in "Furuhata Ninzaburo," behind-the-scenes stories of masterpiece episodes, and which programs and lines the roots of Mitani's works lie in. In addition, digressions such as "Why do magicians use 'Pénélope' (Olive no Kubikazari) as BGM?" and "Which 'Hissatsu' series is recommended for a 10-year-old?" are interesting and full of trivia you'll want to tell someone.
■ Book Content Introduction
Two people who grew up bathing in the heat of the golden age of television and are deeply involved in the television industry talk about their favorite programs, such as Taiga dramas, detective stories, and variety shows, and the influence they had on their real lives and creations. Why is the BGM for magicians "Pénélope"? Who was the phantom big-name guest planned for "Furuhata"? Please enjoy the talk live full of treasure episodes from the front row! [Introduction: Perry Ogino / Conclusion: Koki Mitani]
■ Author Profiles
Photo courtesy of Sis Company
Koki Mitani: Born in 1961, Tokyo. In 1983, while studying at Nihon University College of Art, Department of Theatre, he formed the theater company Tokyo Sunshine Boys. As a screenwriter, he is active in a wide range of fields including stage, TV drama, and film. Recent major works include the TV dramas "The 13 Lords of the Shogun," "Oi, Dazai," "If This World Were a Stage, Where Would the Dressing Room Be?", the stage plays "The Mongols are Coming," "Showa Fuss," "The Show Must Go On - Don't Close the Curtain," "Inokori-gumi," "8:15 from Shinjuku," and the films "Hit Me Anyone One More Time" and "All About Suomi." His main books include the "Koki Mitani's Ordinary Life" series and "The Kiyosu Conference."
Perry Ogino: Born in 1962, Aichi Prefecture. While studying at Aichi University of Education, he began working as a radio personality and broadcast writer at Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. He intended to use this pen name as a masked writer, but before he knew it, he was showing his face. He has covered the television industry for over 30 years and has written numerous articles as a columnist and historical drama researcher. His books include "People Who Walked the Wilderness of Television," "The Job of a Screenwriter: How Hit Dramas are Made," and "Life is All About Topknots." He has been involved in many historical drama projects, such as producing the historical drama theme song omnibus CD "Chonmage Tengoku," and is currently serializing "100 People in Historical Dramas Perry Met" in Daily Shincho.
■ Book Data
[Title] One More Thing, May I?
[Authors] Koki Mitani, Perry Ogino
[Release Date] April 22, 2026
[Format] Shirokuban softcover, 224 pages
[Price] 1,980 yen (including tax)
[ISBN] 978-4-10-356811-7
[URL] https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/book/356811/
■ "This was the most enjoyable work I've ever had in my life." (Koki Mitani)
Two genuine "TV kids" who grew up immersed in television culture during the era when the household penetration rate in Japan exceeded 90%, talk passionately about the television programs they love. This dialogue collection, which had received many inquiries for book publication during its serialization in "Nami," is finally going on sale.
Born in 1961 and 1962, the two are only one year apart in age and originally shared deep memories of their favorite programs via short messages. Mitani proposed the idea, which led to the realization of the dialogue in "Nami." Under six themes—Taiga drama, foreign drama, detective/police drama, home drama, a tribute to Toshiyuki Nishida, and the year 1973—they competed to share their stories.
Mitani, who was so obsessed with the Taiga drama "Ogon no Hibi" in his teens that he lived for the drama for a year, stated, "My life exists to reproduce the things that were input into me when I was in elementary school." Perry, who confessed to crying and skipping junior high school when his favorite actor Ryuzo Hayashi died in the final episode of "Hissatsu," said, "I do this job under the banner of 'mixing public and private' because I wanted to meet the people I admired on TV." The conversation between the two, who shared joys and sorrows with television, continued endlessly, overlapping with "One more thing, may I?" Mitani even wrote in the afterword, "This was the most enjoyable work I've ever had in my life."
■ A must-read for fans of Mitani's works! Behind-the-scenes stories including "Furuhata Ninzaburo" one after another.
Even if you think, "But stories about TV programs are hard to understand if the generations are different...", don't worry.
Surprising revelations about "how Koki Mitani is made" are revealed one after another, such as the actor who was supposed to play the phantom culprit in "Furuhata Ninzaburo," behind-the-scenes stories of masterpiece episodes, and which programs and lines the roots of Mitani's works lie in. In addition, digressions such as "Why do magicians use 'Pénélope' (Olive no Kubikazari) as BGM?" and "Which 'Hissatsu' series is recommended for a 10-year-old?" are interesting and full of trivia you'll want to tell someone.
■ Book Content Introduction
Two people who grew up bathing in the heat of the golden age of television and are deeply involved in the television industry talk about their favorite programs, such as Taiga dramas, detective stories, and variety shows, and the influence they had on their real lives and creations. Why is the BGM for magicians "Pénélope"? Who was the phantom big-name guest planned for "Furuhata"? Please enjoy the talk live full of treasure episodes from the front row! [Introduction: Perry Ogino / Conclusion: Koki Mitani]
■ Author Profiles
Photo courtesy of Sis Company
Koki Mitani: Born in 1961, Tokyo. In 1983, while studying at Nihon University College of Art, Department of Theatre, he formed the theater company Tokyo Sunshine Boys. As a screenwriter, he is active in a wide range of fields including stage, TV drama, and film. Recent major works include the TV dramas "The 13 Lords of the Shogun," "Oi, Dazai," "If This World Were a Stage, Where Would the Dressing Room Be?", the stage plays "The Mongols are Coming," "Showa Fuss," "The Show Must Go On - Don't Close the Curtain," "Inokori-gumi," "8:15 from Shinjuku," and the films "Hit Me Anyone One More Time" and "All About Suomi." His main books include the "Koki Mitani's Ordinary Life" series and "The Kiyosu Conference."
Perry Ogino: Born in 1962, Aichi Prefecture. While studying at Aichi University of Education, he began working as a radio personality and broadcast writer at Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. He intended to use this pen name as a masked writer, but before he knew it, he was showing his face. He has covered the television industry for over 30 years and has written numerous articles as a columnist and historical drama researcher. His books include "People Who Walked the Wilderness of Television," "The Job of a Screenwriter: How Hit Dramas are Made," and "Life is All About Topknots." He has been involved in many historical drama projects, such as producing the historical drama theme song omnibus CD "Chonmage Tengoku," and is currently serializing "100 People in Historical Dramas Perry Met" in Daily Shincho.
■ Book Data
[Title] One More Thing, May I?
[Authors] Koki Mitani, Perry Ogino
[Release Date] April 22, 2026
[Format] Shirokuban softcover, 224 pages
[Price] 1,980 yen (including tax)
[ISBN] 978-4-10-356811-7
[URL] https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/book/356811/