Yuki Saito has two television projects set for October 2026: TBS's Friday drama LOST10, where she plays Harune, and Netflix's Downtime, where she directs Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka. Filming on Downtime required roughly a year of preparation for the special makeup used on Ken Naoko's character Yuriko Sakashita.
Yuki Saito occupies two roles in the fall 2026 television season. On TBS's Friday drama LOST10, she is in the cast as Harune, a family member of a missing mountain tour participant, with Kenji Iwaya also added and the show starting in October. On Netflix's Downtime, she is the director, working with stars Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka on a series about the cosmetic surgery industry.
The Downtime coverage goes into the method behind the series. Saito spent six months interviewing cosmetic surgery patients and doctors, from first-timers to people who had undergone multiple surgeries, contacting subjects through Nekura-chan, who runs a plastic surgery website. Doctors interviewed included staff at Takasu Clinic, which supervised the series, and younger surgeons who opened their own practices. Those interviews shaped both the script and the character Ozo-chan, whose model is the website operator who arranged the roundtable sessions.
On set, Saito described the filming as grueling. Ken Naoko sometimes arrived around 3 a.m. for three hours of special makeup before shooting began. Because Yuriko Sakashita also has terminal cancer, Saito told her to lower her voice and speak hoarsely. The special makeup was trial-and-errored to show the surgery's before-and-after, with Sakashita appearing so wrinkled before the operation that a character says, "You're all skin and bones." Hana Amano and Yumi Adachi underwent transformations without dubbing. Saito said a year of preparation made the special makeup possible, something he called difficult for terrestrial TV dramas.
The LOST10 announcement and the Downtime reports establish a slate running on two schedules at once. LOST10 is building its cast in public, with eight of ten roles announced. Downtime is a completed or near-completed streaming production whose schedule allowed the long preparation Saito described. The stories do not state how the two commitments overlap in time.
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Oct 3
Netflix's Downtime, starring Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka, depicts the cosmetic surgery industry's hopes and conflicts. Ken Naoko plays Yuriko Sakashita, a 75-year-old widow seeking full-body plastic surgery. Director Yuki Saito said filming was grueling: Ken sometimes arrived around 3 a.m. for three hours of special makeup before shooting began. Ken stayed playful on set, keeping the mood light with jokes. Sakashita also has terminal cancer, so Saito told Ken to lower her voice and speak hoarsely. Special makeup was trial-and-errored to show the surgery's before-and-after. Before the operation, she looks so wrinkled that a character says, "You're all skin and bones." Cast members including Hana Amano and Yumi Adachi underwent transformations without dubbing. Saito said a year of preparation made the special makeup possible, something he called difficult for terrestrial TV dramas.
Sep 17
Director Yuki Saito spent six months interviewing cosmetic surgery patients and doctors for the Netflix series Downtime, which stars Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka. Patient subjects ranged from first-timers to people who had undergone multiple surgeries. Doctors interviewed included staff at Takasu Clinic, which supervised the series, and younger surgeons who opened their own practices. Contact was made through Nekura-chan, who runs a plastic surgery website.
Sep 4
TBS's Friday drama LOST10 has added Yuki Saito and Kenji Iwaya to its cast, bringing the announced roster to eight. Saito plays Harune, a family member of a missing mountain tour participant. Iwaya plays Awashima, a police chief and the boss of Ryusei Yokohama's detective. The final two cast members will be revealed on September 11. The show starts in October.
Aug 7
Masatoshi Yuge, creator of TATSUJIN, and Takayuki Saito, designer of the Raiden Fighters series, have joined forces at TATSUJIN Inc. for the new game TATSUJIN EXTREME. In an interview with Denfaminicogamer, the two veterans discussed their first collaboration and their decades-long careers in vertical shooters.