Setsuyaku Rock

Setsuyaku Rock (節約ロック) is a Japanese manga series by Hiromi Okubo. Setsuyaku Rock was serialized in the manga magazine Morning from December 22, 2016, to July 6, 2017. A live-action television drama adaptation was broadcast on Nippon TV from January 22 to March 26, 2019 as the seventh entry to their late-night Monday television programming block, Shin Dora.

Plot
Takao Matsumoto, a 30-year-old salaryman who has a passion for Western rock music, has no money in his savings, causing his girlfriend, Makiko, to break up with him. After discovering how delicious homemade food is, Takao decides to start being frugal in order to get back together with Makiko. Each chapter depicts Takao saving money in various situations, such as food, electricity, clothes, and medical expenses. Every time Takao saves money, it is accompanied with a visual gag of him hearing money rain down into an imaginary piggy bank.

Characters

 * Takao Matsumoto (松本 タカオ)
 * Takao is a 30-year-old salaryman who works at an advertising agency, earning a net income of ¥200,000. He plays in a band and has no sense of money.
 * Takao is a 30-year-old salaryman who works at an advertising agency, earning a net income of ¥200,000. He plays in a band and has no sense of money.


 * Makiko Oguro (大黒 マキコ)
 * Makiko is Takao's ex-girlfriend who breaks up with him over his lack of sense of money.
 * Makiko is Takao's ex-girlfriend who breaks up with him over his lack of sense of money.


 * Kouta Inaba (稲葉 コウタ)
 * Inaba is a refreshing and handsome man who Takao sees as his rival, especially when Makiko befriends him.
 * Inaba is a refreshing and handsome man who Takao sees as his rival, especially when Makiko befriends him.


 * Hamada (浜田)
 * Hamada is a follower of Takao's Instagram account and they develop a close relationship when they meet in person.

Manga
Setsuyaku Rock is written and illustrated by Hiromi Okubo. It was serialized in the manga magazine Morning from December 22, 2016, (2017 issue nos. 4 and 5) to July 6, 2017 (2017 issue no. 32). The chapters were later released in three bound volumes by Kodansha under the Morning KC imprint.

Television drama
A live-action television series adaptation was announced on November 18, 2018, as the seventh entry to Nippon TV's late-night Monday television block, Shin Dora. The series aired on Nippon TV from January 22, 2019, to March 26, 2019, for 10 episodes.

The series was re-imagined as a buddy comedy and stars KAT-TUN member Tatsuya Ueda as Takao and Johnny's West member Daiki Shigeoka as Inaba. On December 24, 2018, Mina Fujii was cast as Makiko. Other series regulars include Ayaka Wilson and Takashi Ukaji as Rin Shiina and Keizō Kuwata respectively, original characters created for the drama. Cookie (comedian) from the comedy duo Yasei Bakudan also plays an original character created for the drama as the "god of rock", with ten different appearances based on popular Western musicians.

The drama adaptation is directed by Kaku Mizuno, Atsushi Okamoto, and Kai Ōe, with Hayashi Mori writing the script and Hidehiro Kawai composing the music. The theme song is "Go Ahead" by KAT-TUN. In addition, Ueda performed the insert song "Setsuyaku Rock." A version of the song was also performed as a duet between Ueda and Shigeoka, credited as the "Setsuyaku Rockers."

Nippon TV rebroadcast the drama beginning on July 20, 2020, with the addition of newly filmed scenes. The new scenes took place a year after the initial broadcast of the final episode and take place in July 2020, depicting Takao and Inaba reflecting on the events of the past year as they are being kidnapped.