Strange casting decisions are often explained by advertising prerogatives, so we're not sure what prompted NHK to cast Aya Ueto against type to play an ex-con in the 10-part drama "Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de" ("In a Place Where the Sun Sometimes Shines"; NHK-G, Tues., 10 p.m.).
Ueto plays Tomoko, who is released from prison after serving seven years for killing her lover. Her family reluctantly lets her live in her late grandmother's vacant house in the Yanaka section of Tokyo. She finds peace of mind hanging out with Ayaka (Naoko Iijima), the only friend she made in prison, who now works at a bakery. One day her brother stops by and asks her to remove her name from the family register because he plans to get married.
A new Japanese translation of Dostoevsky's classic "The Brothers Karamazov" was published in 2006 and sold 1 million copies. This week, Fuji TV starts airing a multipart adaptation of the novel that is set in Japan, even though the title is still "Karamazov no Kyodai" (Sat., 11:10 p.m.).