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The story
Nippon TV’s popular “Occupied” series will get its fourth installment, “XXXX Occupied,” announced as a two-hour New Year special airing in January. The series, starring Sakurai Sho as detective Musashi Saburo, has produced a new sequel every year since 2023’s “Hospital Occupied,” making this the fourth entry. Following the announcement, 5ch lit up with mixed reactions — guesses about the new setting and mastermind villain, and worries about whether newcomers who haven’t seen the earlier entries can keep up.
Sakurai Sho-Led “Occupied” Series Confirms 4th Installment “XXXX Occupied” as New Year Two-Hour Special [Full Comment]
It was announced on the 14th that “XXXX Occupied,” the fourth installment of Nippon TV’s “Occupied” series starring actor Sakurai Sho, will air. It will be broadcast in January as a two-hour New Year special.
The “Occupied” series, in which Sakurai plays detective Musashi Saburo, has produced sequels including 2023’s “Hospital Occupied,” 2024’s “Airport Occupied,” and 2025’s “Broadcasting Station Occupied,” with this new work marking the fourth installment.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
A dumb drama like this doesn't come around often, it'd be a waste not to watch it.
They used the brother-in-law last time, so who's the mastermind next?
The wife, or Sonin?
Now that you mention it, giving Sakurai that catchphrase might be this series' biggest achievement
There'll probably be a year-end marathon rerun anyway
Ultra Quiz used to be the New Year special too
Ski Resort Occupied? Mt. Fuji Occupied?
That's basically "Gakuen Sodom" (a manga about a school under violent siege)
Kikuchi Fuma blew up, so next time maybe it's Igari from KEY TO LIT
And if I actually did, it'd probably be boring as hell anyway.
I wonder if they'll use the special as a springboard into a regular series?
A snowy mountain? Maybe Kurobe Dam Occupied.
Why can't they do something gentle like Gunkanjima (Battleship Island) Occupied, where nobody gets inconvenienced?
Which "Whiteout" is this supposed to be
After all, Katori's strongest image ended up being his "hoge-" bit, the live-action Kochikame, and Ninja Hattori-kun too.
It's fun if you watch it as a comedy sketch.
Falls off a building, gets caught in a bus explosion, and comes out totally fine —
you don't find a protagonist like that very often.
And this is supposed to be a joke-drama slot.
The production side knows that perfectly well.
You're the only one desperately trying to point it out.
Tha~t's~ shi~t~ (a drawn-out pun on "kuso," meaning both "crap!" and literally "poop," continuing the toilet joke above)
Background and Key Points of This Topic
The “Occupied” series has been produced at a pace of one installment per year since 2023’s “Hospital Occupied,” with this new “XXXX Occupied” marking the fourth entry. Comments in the thread frequently claimed that ratings have been sluggish, but it’s worth noting that these specific figures aren’t based on official announcements — they come from individual posters’ personal recollections and guesswork. Speculation about the setting and mastermind of the next installment also ran hot, which is typical for this series’ fanbase, with much of the guessing drawing on the fact that past entries have been set in enclosed spaces like hospitals, airports, and broadcasting stations. Some of the posts about Sakurai Sho’s personal popularity and career are unsubstantiated, subjective opinions and shouldn’t be taken as fact.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuho+) thread “[Nippon TV] Sakurai Sho-Led “Occupied” Series Confirms 4th Installment “XXXX Occupied” as New Year Two-Hour Special.”
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