Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Tsutsumi Shinichi and Toda Erika to work together in FujiTV Summer 2015 drama "Risk no Kamisama"

Tsutsumi Shinichi will be starring in the FujiTV Summer 2015 drama "Risk no Kamisama" (The God of Risk) which is his first solo leading role in a drama series in 16 years. He plays the role of a risk management expert who tries to save individuals and companies involved in various problems such as bribery and doctoring of accounts and would resort to anything to achieve his goals. His subordinate will be played by Toda Erika, a smart and aggressive Todai graduate who always gets into trouble with the people around her. This will be the first time that Tsutsumi and Toda are working together in a drama and their hometowns happen to be in Hyogo Prefecture. The two of them will be appearing in the new movie "Kakekomi Onna to Kakedashi Otoko" which is due to be shown in cinemas from 16 May.

Tsutsumi commented that it is interesting to see a drama which delves into the responsibilities and attitudes of a company that gets into trouble and is looking forward to the start of the filming to make a good drama with the cast and crew. On the other hand, Toda said that her first impression of the script was that it felt like she is knowing about the dark side of the adult world for the first time and was surprised at the harsh reality depicted in the story. However, she is confident that they will do well since she will follow Tsutsumi's lead.

Filming begins at the end of May.

Source: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi

Hitoto Yo announces her marriage and pregnancy

Hitoto Yo announced on 26 April that she had married guitarist Yamaguchi Shuhei on 4 April and is currently expecting their first child. According to insiders, the couple had been dating for about a year since they met in spring last year and they had worked together during her concerts. They were first romantically linked in the media in January this year when they were caught on a date by a female weekly magazine. Hitoto is already 4 months into her pregnancy and due to give birth in early November. The couple chose to submit their marriage application on 4th April as it was the day after Hitoto finished the filming of her movie "Hana-chan no Misoshiru" which will be shown in cinemas from December. They are already living together and there are no plans yet for a wedding.

Hitoto was previously involved in a extramarital affair with music producer Kobayashi Takeshi in 2007 but broke up with him in the summer of 2013.

Source: Sanspo

Monday, April 27, 2015

Takei Emi & EXILE's TAKAHIRO reportedly dating?

EXILE's vocalist TAKAHIRO and Takei Emi are said to be dating, according to the 27th April issue of "FLASH". In the article, TAKAHIRO was said to have visited Takei's apartment at least twice per week and photos of him alighting from his car and entering the apartment block as well as visiting the convenience store near her place were published.

The two of them last worked together in NTV's Winter 2014 drama "Senryokugai Sousakan" and reunited at the beginning of this year for the filming of the SP which was shown on 21 April. It was believed that they became closer while on the overseas filming trip to Macau and they were first caught to have gone on a date at a yakiniku restaurant in late February. However, TAKAHIRO was previously romantically linked to former AKB48 member Itano Tomomi and even rumoured to be close to getting married in January this year although this was denied by him later. On the other hand, Takei was said to be told not to date anyone until she turns 25 which is a rule believed to be imposed since she made her debut in 2006.

When asked about the dating rumour, Takei's agency denied it and said that they are friends. It further explained that TAKAHIRO was at Takei's place for occasions such as a group steamboat party or to pass her a present. Besides, Takei is staying with her mother so it's not as if they were alone. However, it admitted that her actions did cause some speculation and worry and claimed that they would not meet up anymore. As for TAKAHIRO, his agency said that they were not dating and denied the rumour.

Source: Nikkansports

Completion screening event of new movie "Yokokuhan"

The completion screening event of new movie "Yokokuhan" was held on 21 April which was attended by cast members including Ikuta Toma, Toda Erika, Suzuki Ryohei, Hamada Gaku and Arakawa Yoshiyoshi. The movie which will be screened in cinemas from 6 June, features Ikuta as a mysterious man who wears a mask made from newspapers and makes declarations over the Internet on what crimes he will be committing. When asked to reflect on the filming, Ikuta commented that it was tough because it was hot to wear the mast and he could see and hear nothing. However, he hopes that this will be a movie which will leave a deep impression on everyone.

In relation to the theme of the movie, the cast were asked to make some declarations before the release of the movie. Ikuta declared that he will be the host for the first-day-screening event. Although he has never been a host before, he is looking forward to taking on the double roles of being the host and the lead in the cast lineup where he has to interview himself. However, besides Hamada who declared that he will promote this movie to a lot of movie, the rest of the cast joked about their declarations which led the audience to burst into laughter. Toda claimed that she will become 2cm taller, Suzuki saying that he will make his debut as a singer while Arakawa declared that he will be getting married.

Source: Sponichi

Osawa Takao denies dating report on FRIDAY

Osawa Takao updated his Twitter on 24 April to deny a report published on FRIDAY alleging that he is dating the daughter of a doctor. In his message, Osawa stated that he did not do anything which would worry anyone including his fans and asked for continued support for him.

FRIDAY reported that Osawa is dating a lady who is 20 years younger than him and the daughter of a doctor who owns a private practice in Kanagawa Prefecture. The two of them were said to have been seen on dates at a cafe and in his car and even said that their relationship was known to and approved by their respective families.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi

Production press conference of TBS Spring 2015 drama "Tenno no Ryoriban"

The production press conference of TBS Spring 2015 drama "Tenno no Ryoriban" was held on 20 April which was attended by Sato Takeru, Suzuki Ryohei, Kuroki Haru, Sugimoto Tetta, Takeda Tetsuya, Go Hiromi, Kobayashi Kaoru, Kiritani Kenta, Emoto Tasuku, Takaoka Saki, Miho Jun, Kato Masaya, Sato Gajiro and Ashina Sei. The drama which will begin its run from 26 April in the Sundays 9pm timeslot, is TBS' 60th commemorative production and Sato's first TBS drama where he plays the lead. To fit the image of his role as a man who works his way up to become the chef for the emperor, Sato cut his hair by 20cm and jokingly commented that he looks a lot like his father now because of this hairstyle. When asked about his cooking experience, Sato admitted that he hardly cooks. However, since he loves to eat and wanted to learn properly how to cook, he did attend a cooking school in the past.

Source: Sponichi

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Hagiwara Nagare passes away due to traffic accident

Actor Hagiwara Nagare passed away on 22 April due to a traffic accident which happened around 6pm in the same evening. According to the police, Hagiwara had been riding his motorcycle on a three-lane road in Ome, Tokyo, when he was trying to avoid running into a vehicle travelling in front of him which was changing lanes. As a result, he fell from his motorcycle and was reportedly run over by another car from behind thus leading to his death due to a heart rupture. It was reported that he already lost consciousness while being sent to a hospital.

Hagiwara entered the theatre group Tsuka Kouhei Jimusho in 1982 and was active in stage plays, movies and dramas. He and his wife were suffering from depression at a time and had released books and held seminars talking about their experiences. In October last year, Hagiwara was involved in a traffic accident where he allegedly ran into a pedestrian while on his motorcycle. He was also involved in another accident in March this year when he fell from his motorcycle while driving.

Source: Sanspo

Cast announcement press conference of NHK morning drama "Asa ga kita"

The cast announcement press conference of NHK morning drama "Asa ga kita" was held in Osaka on 23 April which was attended by the lead Haru and her co-stars Miyazaki Aoi, Tamaki Hiroshi, Emoto Tasuku, Kondo Masaomi, Fubuki Jun, Nono Sumika, Tatsumi Takuro, Manda Hisako, Hayashi Yoichi, Miyake Hiroki and Yamauchi Takaya. The drama which will begin its run from 28 September, features Miyazaki as the heroine's elder sister while Tamaki will play Haru's husband and Fubuki Jun will play her mother-in-law.

Miyazaki who has experience playing a NHK morning drama heroine (2006's Junjo Kirari), was asked about what advice she had for Haru. As the filming period will last for 9 months from mid May in the Kansai region, Miyazaki said that it is best to eat well so as to have enough energy. However, when asked how to cope with homesickness since the cast have to be away from Tokyo for a long time, Miyazaki said that when she was doing "Junjo Kirari", the filming was primarily in Tokyo so she could go home every day thus she didn't have a solution for the problem.

Source: Sponichi / Sanspo

Odagiri Jo & Kashii Yui's second son passes away due to strangulation ileus

Odagiri Jo and Kashii Yui released a joint statement through their agencies on 24 April to announce the sudden demise of their second son on 20 April. In the fax statement, the couple mentioned that their second son who was just one year and nine days old was diagnosed with strangulation ileus on 14 April and underwent emergency surgery to treat the condition. However, his condition worsened on 20th April and he passed away at 6.23am that morning. His funeral had been held soon after that day.

Odagiri and Kashii got married on their birthday i.e. 16 February 2008 and gave birth to their first son in February 2011. Their second son was born in April 2014.

Source: Sponichi / Sanspo 

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Preview of "Futagashira" (WOWOW) - Spring 2015

Title: Futagashira ふたがしら
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 13 June 2015
Timeslot: Saturdays 10pm
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Total number of episodes: 5
Original manga by: Ono Natsume
Cast: Matsuyama Kenichi, Saotome Taichi, Narimiya Hiroki, Nanao, Taguchi Hiromasa, Ashina Sei, Murakami Jun, Yamamoto Koji, Hashimoto Jun, Shinagawa Toru, Kunimura Jun

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Preview of "Yokokuhan ~ THE PAIN ~" (WOWOW) - Spring 2015

Title: Yokokuhan ~ THE PAIN ~ 予告犯
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 7 June 2015
Timeslot: Sundays 10pm
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Total number of episodes: 5
Original manga by: Tsutsui Tetsuya
Cast: Higashiyama Noriyuki, Toda Erika, Kiritani Kenta, Ichikawa Mikako, Hashimoto Satoshi, Mitsuishi Ken, Onishi Shima, Ikeda Narushi, Miura Masaki, Murai Kunio

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Preview of "Yume wo ataeru" (WOWOW) - Spring 2015

Title: Yume wo ataeru 夢を与える
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 16 May 2015
Timeslot: Saturdays 10pm
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Total number of episodes: 4
Original novel by: Wataya Risa
Theme Song: "dIS de rEAm" by Rinbjo
Cast: Komatsu Nana, Kikuchi Rinko, Ota Shingo, Nagaoka Tasuku, Kageyama Tai, Mackenyu, Hamada Tatsuomi, Tanaka Min, Kaho, De Lencquesaing Nozomi, Asano Kazuyuki, Tani Kanon, Odagiri Jo

Monday, April 20, 2015

"DEATH NOTE" to be made into real-life drama for Summer 2015 season

"DEATH NOTE", the popular manga series published between 2003 and 2006 in "Shukan Shonen Jump" by Oba Tsugumi and Obata Takeshi, will make its return as a real-life drama adaptation this summer from July via NTV in its Sundays 10.30pm timeslot. The manga which had achieved domestic sales of more than 30 million copies to date, was made into a movie in 2006 featuring Fujiwara Tatsuya as Yagami Light and Matsuyama Kenichi as L. However, the drama's storyline will deviate from the anime and movie versions with a new ending. As for the cast and staff lineup, it will be announced at a later date. What's noteworthy is that Near who is one of the more popular characters in the manga, will be appearing in a real-life adaptation for the first time in this drama series.

Source: Oricon

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When I first read about this, my initial reaction was "wow" then it went to "erm...". I thought that Fujiwara and Matsuyama were perfect for their respective roles and I struggle to think of anyone who might fit these roles. I surely don't mind if they reprise their roles! Whoever appears in the drama will have to cope with the double challenge of overcoming the comparisons between them and the manga characters as well as Fujiwara and Matsuyama. When adaptations try to go a different path from the original, it may sometimes work against them so I do worry about the storyline going haywire.

Mukai Osamu & Kuninaka Ryoko expecting their first baby

Mukai Osamu and Kuninaka Ryoko who got married in December 2014, announced on 20 April that she is currently pregnant with their first child and due to give birth this autumn. Kuninaka released a handwritten message through her official website where she said that they got to know the news early this year and it was a happy surprise for them. Although she will continue with her acting career, Kuninaka mentioned that her health will take priority and that they will be making preparations for the arrival of their baby during this time. On the same day, Mukai also released a handwritten statement through his agency's website where he asked for the support of everyone around them.

The couple last worked together in the FujiTV Winter 2012 drama "Hungry!" and started dating since then before getting married on 28 December 2014.

Source: Oricon

Preview of "Temisu no Kyukei" (WOWOW) - Spring 2015

Title: Temisu no Kyukei テミスの求刑
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 10 May 2015
Timeslot: Sundays 10pm
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Total number of episodes: 4
Original novel by: Daimon Takeaki
Cast: Naka Riisa, Sugimoto Tetta, Takaoka Sosuke, Hakamada Yoshihiko, Endo Yuya, Tonesaku Toshihide, Otozuki Kei, Hotaru Yukijiro, Otaka Akira, Moro Morooka, Sato Jiro, Sera Masanori, Kishitani Goro

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Higashiyama Noriyuki stars in new WOWOW drama "Yokokuhan ~ THE PAIN ~"

Higashiyama Noriyuki stars in the new WOWOW drama "Yokokuhan ~ THE PAIN ~" which begins its run from 7 June in the Sundays 10pm timeslot. The drama which is in conjunction with the movie "Yokokuhan" featuring Ikuta Toma and due to be shown in cinemas from 6 June, will be an original story written by the original manga's author Tsutsui Tetsuya. The movie will be about a man (Ikuta) who wears a mask made of newspapers and puts criminals who are unable to be punished by the law on trial before giving them what they deserve. As the man releases videos of the process online, he is nicknamed "Shinbunshin" (Newspaper God) and worshipped for what he does. The drama will carry on one year after the ending of the movie where a mysterious group replicates what Shinbunshin had done and tries to do a mock trial in order to expose a hidden truth. Higashiyama plays a judge in the drama and will be featured in a mask at least two-thirds of the time while Toda Erika who appears in the movie as a police officer, will also be featured in the drama.

Filming of the drama had been completed.

Source: Sponichi

yui announces her marriage and pregnancy

yui, who is the vocalist of rock band FLOWER FLOWER now, announced through the band's official website on 17 April that she got married and is currently pregnant. In her statement, yui stated that her husband is a non-celebrity and she is already pregnant with their first child now. The last time when yui wrote something about her current situation was in March last year when she revealed that she had suffered from a panic disorder. Since then, she had not given any updates on her condition so yui also mentioned in her marriage statement that she was sorry about making everyone worried for her all this while.

According to insiders, yui's husband is in his late 20s and is working in the construction industry. The two of them were said to have been introduced to each other by mutual friends and they registered their marriage at the end of March this year. yui is reportedly 5 months' pregnant now and due to give birth in autumn.

Source: Sanspo / Sponichi

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Ueto Aya announces her first pregnancy

Ueto Aya announced through her agency on 12 April that she is currently pregnant with her first child. In the statement, Ueto commented that she is very happy about the impending arrival of her new family member and expressed thanks to everyone around her for the support during this period as she continues to work during her pregnancy. However, she did not give any details of her pregnancy or her expected due date. Currently, Ueto is in the midst of filming for the TV Asahi Spring 2015 drama "I'm Home" which is expected to end in June. Her work plans after that will be decided depending on her condition. According to insiders, Ueto came to know about her pregnancy after the filming of "I'm Home" began in mid March so she is expected to be about three months' pregnant now. As she has a heavy role as the heroine i.e. Kimura Takuya's wife in the drama, care has been taken to ensure that the filming doesn't affect her condition adversely.

Ueto got married to EXILE's leader HIRO who is also the president of talent agency LDH on 14 Sep 2012 which was her 27th birthday. She had expressed her wish to have a child before she turns 30 this year. As recent as during the production press conference of "I'm Home" held on 6 April, she was asked by the reporters if she would prefer a boy or girl for her first child and the reply was that it didn't matter as long the child is healthy. Ueto used to dream of being a nursery teacher when she was in her teens but due to her entry into showbiz, she had to give that up. Nonetheless, she went ahead to study and obtain the childcare licence in 2008 which was seen as a show of her interest in taking care of children.

Source: Sanspo

Review of "Kyouwa Kaisha Yasumimasu" (Autumn 2014)

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't keen on this drama at all from the start. Firstly, there is a lack of novelty in seeing a single woman finding love for the first time and what's more with a younger man (again!). As such, the first reaction I had when I heard about this drama was, "is this a repeat of "Last Cinderella"? Even though I like Shinohara Ryoko, I detested her character in that drama and just couldn't bring myself to write a review for it in the end because I found that I had no kind words for it at all. Secondly, the "younger guy" in this equation i.e. Fukushi Sota isn't really my cup of tea (well, most of the younger actors are also in this category, save for a few like Matsuyama Kenichi) so there was really not much excitement about the idea of seeing him romancing Ayase Haruka. Last but not least, feedback about the first episode wasn't exactly favourable especially from fans of the original manga so it had affected my willingness to get started with this even though I had not read the manga before.

However, as it turned out unexpectedly, I was suddenly in the mood for something light which didn't require much thinking and decided to watch this to pass time. True enough, the first episode was a huge disappointment. There were many developments which reminded me of other dramas and the chemistry between Ayase and Fukushi was seriously lacking. To give them some credit, it was just the first episode so it was a bit too early to pass judgement. It was obvious that Ayase was trying to lead her younger co-star but the results were like seeing a lopsided table tennis match with one side clearly being outmatched. On the other hand, there was a hint that something more exciting was brewing between Ayase's and Tamaki Hiroshi's characters but there wasn't a lot of airtime showcasing that in the pilot episode so I carried on watching the drama in the hope for better things to come from this pair.

Before I share my views, here's a summary of the storyline. Aoishi Hanae (Ayase Haruka) is a 29-year-old woman who works at a foodstuff company. She is a conscientious worker who is trusted by her colleagues and superior. However, Hanae is clueless about love and wonders if she will ever get married especially after seeing her buddy Ichika (Hiraiwa Kami) being married with two kids and getting anxious about hitting the Big Three soon.

On Hanae's 30th birthday, nobody in the office knows about it and she seems destined to spend it in the same way as per previous years i.e. with her parents at home. However, during a company dinner, Tanokura Yuto (Fukushi Sota) happens to hear about Hanae's birthday and celebrates it for her. Out of impulse, Hanae asks Tanokura to spend the rest of the night with her and they eventually end up sleeping together in a hotel. However, when morning comes, Hanae is at a loss as to how she should react and leaves the hotel without telling Tanokura. Unable to face him in the office, Hanae even takes a day off from work for the first time by pretending to be sick as she tries to come to terms with what she had done.

Despite Hanae's efforts in trying to pretend that nothing has changed between her and Tanokura, things do not go as expected. When Tanokura presses Hanae to stop running away from him and be his girlfriend, she gets the shock of her life and delays giving him a definite answer. On the other hand, Hanae meets Asao Yu (Tamaki Hiroshi), the CEO of an Italian foodstuff company, who watches with interest what's happening between Hanae and Tanokura. However, he advises Hanae to take a reality check and not get too carried away about Tanokura. Although Hanae tries to convince herself that Tanokura is not serious about her, she finds herself being increasingly drawn to him and they eventually start dating. Things are not rosy all the time as Hanae lacks confidence in herself and the age gap between them causes various issues. At the same time, Hanae has to deal with unwanted attention from Asao who keeps trying to convince her that he is a better match for her and Tanokura is not the ideal partner she is seeking.

From this point onwards, there will be spoilers so if you do not wish to know about the storyline and ending, you may wish to skip this review.

Right from the start, I got riled up over Hanae's way of handling the situation after the one-night-stand with Tanokura. She knew exactly what she was getting herself into when she asked Tanokura to spend the night with her. Although there were scenes of them playing games at the amusement centre or going for a ferry ride prior to the "main event", I'm sure both parties knew what was going to happen at the end when she made the request for him to stay with her. As such, her behaviour in the morning-after seems a bit too exaggerated especially when you compare it to what Shinohara Ryoko's character in "Last Cinderella" who was in a drunken state and did not knowingly ask to sleep with the younger stranger. On the other hand, Hanae knew for sure who she was going to spend her night with. As such, that kind of response seems to be overly exaggerated as if to emphasize how clueless Hanae is about relationships or dealings with the opposite sex. However, being inexperienced doesn't mean that she will be stupid or has no mind of her own. As such, her knee-jerk behaviour just seems not too realistic.

Secondly, Tanokura's feelings for Hanae didn't seem that convincing to me after all. I know that the night they spent together was the catalyst in bringing them together but still, we had little information about how they interacted prior to that and it was not that obvious if he had thought of Hanae in the romantic sense. It seemed from the story that they were just colleagues and nothing more between them had transpired. As such, it felt a bit forced and rushed that all of a sudden, he had the hots for Hanae to the extent of pressing her to date him which resulted in that "kabe-don" that made Fukushi Souta so popular last autumn. Throughout the course of their relationship development, it was obvious how much Hanae loved Tanokura but I can't see it the other way. It could also be that Fukushi's acting is not quite up to that level yet to show the subtle side of Tanokura's affection for Hanae so everything just felt too superficial as if Fukushi was just going through the motions with no feelings. Or it could be that the script didn't give us enough insight into Tanokura's feelings and showed a very lopsided view of Hanae's side of the story so Tanokura's character felt flat and not so engaging.

Although it was obvious from Day 1 that Hanae and Asao were not going to end up together no matter how the scriptwriter tried to trick you to believe otherwise, I thought their relationship was one of the better things about this drama. Although Hanae thinks of Asao as someone who's always at loggerheads with her, the unmistakable thing about them is that they are a good match in terms of characters. As such, it was fun to see them engaging in the "arguments" where Asao kept poking fun of Hanae or delivering his sharp observations about Hanae's relationship with Tanokura which wasn't music to her ears in a matter of fact manner. On the other hand, it was obvious how they could be at ease with each other especially when you consider how hard Hanae tried to behave in a certain way so that she could be "liked" by Tanokura.

This brings us to the question of whether you would prefer to be with someone who gives you that fluffy-type of being in love i.e. "doki-doki" and keeps you on your toes all the time or someone who allows you to be yourself and the relationship is comparatively less eventful than the former. It seems like the drama is trying to portray Hanae and Tanokura as the former category while Hanae and Asao are in the latter so as to show both sides of the spectrum. Of course, there are no right and wrong answers to this because it really depends on the individual and the person they love. However, I do prefer the interaction between Hanae and Asao because I don't necessarily think that being with a comfortable soulmate is less ideal than with a passionate lover. Maybe it has to do with age, if I was in my teens or early twenties, the doki-doki feeling might have been more important. As you grow older, finding that someone who you can communicate with is probably much harder than finding someone you can fall in love with. And I certainly don't fancy having to engage in so much guesswork just to project a perfect image in front of my partner!

The ending of the drama also left much to be desired because it took such a drastic turn for the worst. Just as it seemed like Hanae was going to live her life independently and move on to other things rather than harp on Tanokura who was going away for further studies, I just didn't understand why Hanae had to be encouraged to look for Tanokura and pledge that she will wait for him. Duh! I mean, if it had been that there was no firm promise between them and yet they still ended up together, it would have been more palatable. However, in this time and age, such a promise rings hollow even in dramaland. I would have wanted them to both venture out and do the things they wanted and come together again rather than the "forced" expectation that they would be together at the end. Sometimes, things are better left unsaid so it feels a bit like the scriptwriter expected you to accept this ending which felt literally like it was shoved into your face.

On the acting side of things, Fukushi got a lot of attention for his role as Tanokura especially due to that kabe-don scene. However, I must also highlight that due to his lack of experience, he was also the weakest link in the cast. Of course, all actors start off as being greenhorns and need time to sharpen their skills. Besides, to his credit, Tanokura is a rather one-dimensional character because we hardly saw any airtime devoted to how he truly felt about Hanae so there was no way he could show the viewers if he could manage scenes which required subtle displays of emotions. We saw his actions but there was a missing link between what he did and why he did them. As such, I couldn't really understand why certain things happened and I was never convinced about how he felt about Hanae. Working with Ayase was also somewhat a double-edged sword for him because she was clearly more experienced than him and it was obvious on screen that she was trying to lead him which did help him to get better towards the end but the difference in their tempo and a lack of chemistry showed Fukushi's weakness as a newbie actor. To make things worse, when Ayase and Tamaki displayed such impeccable teamwork between them after working together several times, the lack of it between her and Fukushi was even harder to ignore.

As for Ayase, I think what's outstanding about her performance this time is how she blended herself into the role and made it look like she was Hanae and not Ayase Haruka. I liked some of the episodes when Hanae was troubled over her relationship progression with Tanokura and how she struggled to find answers within herself on the next course of action. No doubt a lot of these scenes were monologues only, her expressions and body language fitted the content and it felt like she was totally immersed in the role as Hanae without trying too hard. This made it even more enjoyable to watch her as a character rather than an actress trying to play a character. In addition, she did show a new level of maturity this time by taking the lead and trying to get Fukushi up to speed as the drama progressed. Most, if not all of Ayase's works in the past tend to feature her with co-stars who are older or about the same age as her. As such, given that Fukushi lacks experience, I thought she did pretty well in leading her younger co-star so that he did not appear totally outmatched by her throughout the entire drama. No doubt it took some time for Fukushi to ease into the situation, I thought Ayase's mentoring did help him to a certain extent and showed that she has enough experience now to be able to help her juniors.

The co-stars were also great in their own ways. Tamaki's role as Asao may not have a lot of airtime but he made an impact (by that, I don't mean his suave image as a CEO in this story) by his words which sound a lot like sarcasm but is actually the truth which is jarring to the ears. He served as a good wake-up call for Hanae to pull her back into reality and keep her grounded when she was getting too hung up or ditzy over her whirlwind romance with Tanokura. Sounds like a good friend who may speak harshly but has nothing but the truth for your ears? On the other hand, the banter between the two of them provided such timely humour in this sometimes overly sweet romance story. I cringed a lot when I saw Tanokura and Hanae being lovey-dovey on screen but I was enjoying the "quarelling" between Hanae and Asao and wished it would last longer. Likewise in Tamaki's case, he seemed to be having a good time as Asao rather than making an obvious effort to play Asao so the seamless integration of him into the role also made it more enjoyable to watch him in this drama.

Naka Riisa shows a new sense of maturity after she returns to work as a wife and mother. In the past, her roles tend to be either of the weirdo-type or people with very unique character traits Surprisingly, she fits very well into this seemingly-ordinary OL character of Hitomi who's looking for a rich guy with good terms to marry. On one hand, her quirkiness and chirpy nature shows in her portrayal of Hitomi's slightly extreme demands for a marriage partner and how aggressive she gets in trying to snag Asao but there is a tinge of steadiness seen in her acting now that makes her more believable as an OL. As such, I think that in Naka's case, marriage and motherhood probably brought about some new perspectives in her life thus changing her way of acting in a good way. It will be fun to see how she progresses in future as she takes more a wider variety of roles.

In Chiba Yudai's case, this is the first time I'm seeing him in a drama and I liked how he nailed the role of Kagami. In the beginning, viewers only saw how Kagami behaved like he was entitled to anything and didn't seem to put in any effort at work but demanded a lot. It felt like he was a real jerk in the workplace who only wanted to do the bare minimum. However, as the story progressed, the true nature of Kagami was shown and his steadfast affection for Hitomi was done in such a cute manner that I'm sure that many people would have changed their impressions of him by then. Nonetheless, given his babyface looks, Chiba has an uphill task if he wants to take on more serious and mature roles. As for Taguchi Junnosuke, I've only remembered watching him in "Ganbatte Ikimasshoi" (when he took over mid-season from Uchi Hiroki) and Legal High but frankly speaking, they weren't especially memorable performances. This time round, he plays a very comical Oshiro who is so noisy and gossipy that it got on people's nerves at times but left an impression on me. It might have been better though if the twist in the ending didn't happen (hinting that he held a torch for Hanae all this while) because I thought that left a bad aftertaste.

Last but not least, Hanae's parents played by Asano Kazuyuki and Takahata Atsuko were such a joy to watch as parents who cared a lot but pretended to be nonchalant so as not to put pressure on their daughter. It was easy to see and understand where they were coming from especially as seen from the scene when the father got rather worked up upon hearing that Tanokura was much younger than Hanae and still in university. It is natural for parents to have certain expectations of their children's partners but even in Hanae's case, the parents who would have been quite happy just to see her dating, were taken aback by the huge disparity between the couple. I certainly didn't feel like the parents were being overly concerned or reacted too violently and I'm glad that the scriptwriter didn't try to make this drama become an unrealistic fairy tale by making Hanae's parents so welcoming of Tanokura without expressing their valid concerns about the relationship.

To sum things up, I think this drama had a lot of flaws especially in its story. It could have been that because the source material is a shoujo manga targeted at a younger audience that it fails to resonate with someone like me who's about the same age as Hanae. Or it could have been due to the fact that the manga is still ongoing so the ending may not have what the author had in mind. Anyway, despite all my grouses about how much I hated Hanae's relationship with Tanokura, the acting from the cast made it more palatable. However, be warned that you need a lot of patience to sit through the fluffy romance especially around the episode 5 mark which seems to be the turning point for most people as to whether to continue watching the rest of the drama. Frankly speaking, if you can't stomach another older-woman-younger-man love story which doesn't offer any new perspective on this issue, it is best to steer clear of this drama. Even if you are a fan of the leads and are in this for the eye candy, it's still best to be prepared in case you get really frustrated with the story.

And my ratings for this drama...

Story: 2 out of 10 (I would have given lower marks if not for the side story of Hanae and Asao. I hated the ending for being too hard-sell on the concept of "happily-ever-after" and the romance is too sweet for me.)

Acting: 7.5 out of 10 (Generally good acting from the cast but Fukushi needs to brush up his skills because the kabe-don effect wouldn't sustain his popularity forever)

Theme song/BGM: 7.5 out of 10 (A pretty light-hearted number from Makihara Noriyuki written especially for the drama and is a good description of Hanae's inner world)

Visual effects / Scenery: 8 out 10 (Yokohama is simply gorgeous and I can attest to that because I've been to most of the places featured in the drama. It's really a beautiful city and I can see why it's said to be a romantic city for lovers. The Minato Mirai area is definitely worth checking out if you are there but if you are going alone like what I did, be prepared to face the hordes of couples surrounding you. ^__^)

Teamwork / Chemistry: 6 out of 10 (This is mainly for Ayase and Tamaki but I had to deduct a few marks because of the lack of it between Ayase and Fukushi)

Total: 31 out of 50

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Production press conference of FujiTV Spring 2015 drama "Youkoso Wagaya e"

The production press conference of FujiTV Spring 2015 drama "Youkoso Wagaya e" was held on 7 April which was attended by the cast members Aiba Masaki, Sawajiri Erika, Terao Akira, Arimura Kasumi and Minami Kaho. The drama which will be shown from 13 April in the Mondays 9pm timeslot, is based on the same-titled novel by Ikeido Jun about a family who suffers from incessant harrassment from a stalker after the elder son in the family Kurata Kenta tells a man off at the train station for cutting queue. The family then bands together to fight back against the unknown stalker in a bid to regain control of their lives.

Although this is the first time Aiba is acting in a Ikeido drama, he admitted that he didn't know much about his works other than having watched the DVD of  "Hanzawa Naoki" which was being borrowed by his fellow Arashi members. Despite this being the first time he is working with his co-stars, Aiba revealed that they have built up a pretty close relationship by now as Terao gave guitars to his "family members" and even taught him how to play the guitar. On the other hand, Terao said that he had always wanted to meet Aiba as he had heard many good things about the latter and commented that he is glad to get a good son this time. Minami who plays Aiba's mother in the drama, also praised him for being a forgiving guy who is cute and said that his parents have raised a good son. Arimura who plays Aiba's younger sister, said that although she always thought of Aiba as someone with a cute character, she is surprised to find out how manly he is while working together. In response to this remark, Aiba was embarrassed and said that this is the first time anyone had said that he was manly.

During the event, Aiba was asked to perform an Aikido technique to ward off attackers after being taught on the spot and he was glad to have accomplished this in one try.

On the other hand, Sawajiri's character is a newly added one who doesn't appear in the novel. She commented that it has been a very relaxing and fun experience so far because she can wear casual clothes during the filming and doesn't have to wear high heels. Besides, since her character is not in the novel, she has the freedom to be more experimental in her acting so she hopes to show a new side of her through this drama. When asked about her impression of Aiba, she praised him for being a nice person who is as good as his image. She revealed that as her character is supposed to like sweet things, Aiba even prepared low-sugar chocolates for her so that her blood sugar level would not rise too high during the filming. In response to this, Aiba said that as Sawajiri had to eat lots of sweet stuff during the filming, he felt sorry for her so he decided to help by getting the low-sugar chocolates.

At the moment, filming for episode 1 hasn't been completed but the scripts up to episode 6 are already out. Aiba commented that the story is very interesting and hopes to know quickly how things will turn out towards the end. As for whether there will be any romance between his and Sawajiri's character, he said that there isn't anything at the moment but hopes that they may just have a kissing scene in time to come.

The theme song of this drama will be "Aozora no shita, kimi no tonari" (Under the blue sky, beside you) sung by Arashi and it will be released as their 46th single on 13 May.

Source: Sponichi 1 / Sponichi 2

Narimiya Hiroki & Nanao to appear in WOWOW period drama "Futagashira"

Narimiya Hiroki will be appearing in the new WOWOW period drama "Futagashira" starring Matsuyama Kenichi and Saotome Taichi which begins its run from 13 June in the Saturdays 10pm timeslot. This is his first drama after graduating from the "Aibou" series in March this year so Narimiya commented that he hoped to bring whatever he learnt from "Aibou" to his new works and it will be a new experience for him to change from being a police detective to becoming a bandit in this drama.

Matsuyama and Saotome play the characters Benkei and Soji who break into the houses of the evil at night to steal their stuff and are part of the bandit group Akame. After their respected leader Tatsugoro entrusts the group to them on his deathbed, his widow Okon played by Nanao comes up with a will said to be written by Tatsugoro which states that his successor should be Kanzaburo (Narimiya). As Benkei and Soji do not agree with Kanzaburo's ways of killing at will for the sake of stealing, they embark on a journey to do something big. Meanwhile, Kanzaburo and Okon carry on their secret liaison which began way before Tatsugoro died.

Even though this is the first time that Narimiya and Nanao are working together, they have many scenes together and even have bed and kissing scenes. As such, Narimiya said that it was essential for them to build a rapport and trust each other so that they could do the scenes naturally. Nanao also commented that thanks to Narimiya's help in leading her, they were able to finish the intimate scenes successfully.

Source: Sanspo

Production press conference of TV Asahi Spring 2015 drama "I'm Home"

The production press conference of TV Asahi Spring 2015 drama "I'm Home" was held on 6 April which was attended by cast members Kimura Takuya, Ueto Aya, Mizuno Miki, Tanaka Kei, Suzuki Kosuke, Yoshimoto Miyu, Arai Hirofumi, Mitsuishi Ken, Watanabe Ikkei, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Nishida Toshiyuki and child actor Takahashi Rai. The drama which will be shown from 16 April in the Thursdays 9pm timeslot, is Kimura's first TV Asahi drama series in which he takes on a leading role. As such, Kimura commented that it has been a refreshing experience to work with new people and revealed that he likes the food at TV Asahi's staff canteen. He also expressed his gratitude to the staff for their warm welcome into this new family and said that he felt like he was a transfer student when he first started filming. During the event, although there was a chair for Takahashi to sit on, he was sitting on Kimura's lap all the while. When asked about this, Kimura said that Takahashi who plays his son in the drama, preferred to be sitting on his lap so he agreed to the latter's request but commented that his right leg did feel a bit numb after a while.

Kimura and Ueto who play a married couple in the drama, had to take wedding photos to be used during the filming. Ueto said that after taking photos of her being carried by Kimura, he let her down gently which greatly impressed her. Ueto also praised Kimura for being great to work with and they also get along well outside the filming. Kimura returned the favour by saying that Ueto is as feminine as she appears to be and has a nice personality

Source: Sponichi

Production press conference of FujiTV Spring 2015 drama "Tatakau! Shoten Girl"

The production press conference of FujiTV Spring 2015 drama "Tatakau! Shoten Girl" was held on 6 April which was attended by the cast members Watanabe Mayu, Inamori Izumi, Tanabe Seiichi, Daito Shunsuke, Kinoshita Hoka, Suzuki Chinami and Hamada Mari. The drama which will begin its run from 14 April in the Tuesdays 10pm timeslot, features Watanabe in her first leading role in a primetime drama where she plays a newbie employee at a longstanding bookstore who got her job through pulling strings and clashes with her senior played by Inamori who worked her way up the ranks.

Watanabe revealed that she got news of her involvement in the drama through her AKB48 producer Akimoto Yasushi who sent her a LINE message saying that she got a co-leading role in a drama and that she should work hard. She was shocked by the news but was also happy to be able to act in a drama. As the filming will have to take place in a real bookstore during the late night till noon so as not to interrupt its operations, Watanabe admitted that it will be a challenge to juggle her activities as a AKB48 member with the filming but promised to work hard to ensure that both sides are well-taken care of. In line with the theme of the drama, Watanabe was asked what she has to fight against now and said that she must overcome the wall of becoming an idol so as to learn new things and show a more mature side of herself.

Source: Sponichi

Preview of "I'm Home" - Spring 2015

Title: I'm Home アイムホーム
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 16 April 2015
Timeslot: Thursdays 9pm
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Original manga by: Ishizaka Kei
Cast: Kimura Takuya, Ueto Aya, Mizuno Miki, Tanaka Kei, Suzuki Kosuke, Yoshimoto Miyu, Inoo Manabu, Anan Atsuko, Nomaguchi Toru, Takahashi Rai, Yamaguchi Mayu, Arai Hirofumi, Mitsuishi Ken, Watanabe Ikkei, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Nishida Toshiyuki

Friday, April 10, 2015

Preview of "Dr. Rintaro" - Spring 2015

Title: Dr. Rintaro (Dr. 倫太郎)
Official website: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 15 April 2015
Timeslot: Wednesdays 10pm
Broadcast by: NTV
Scriptwriter: Nakazono Miho
Cast: Sakai Masato, Aoi Yu, Kichise Michiko, Uchida Yuki, Takanashi Rin, Takahashi Kazuo, Matobu Sei, Yo Kimiko, Endo Kenichi, Sakai Wakana, Nagatsuka Keishi, Matsushige Yutaka, Ishibashi Renji, Takahata Atsuko, Kohinata Fumio

Thursday, April 09, 2015

Preview of "Mother Game - Kanojotachi no Kaikyu" - Spring 2015

Title: Mother Game - Kanojotachi no Kaikyu マザー・ゲーム 彼女たちの階級
Official website: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 14 April 2015
Timeslot: Tuesdays 10pm
Broadcast by: TBS
Theme Song: Beautiful by Superfly
Cast: Kimura Fumino, Hasegawa Kyoko, Kanjiya Shihori, Seto Koji, Okada Yoshinori, Adachi Yumi, Kamiji Yusuke, Toyohara Kosuke, Muroi Shigeru, Ryu Raita, Dan Rei

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

Preview of "Youkoso, Wagaya e" - Spring 2015

Title: Youkoso, Wagaya e ようこそ、わが家へ (Welcome to My Home)
Official Website: here
O.A. Start Date: 13 April 2015
Timeslot: Mondays 9pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Original novel by: Ikeido Jun
Cast: Aiba Masaki, Sawajiri Erika, Arimura Kasumi, Sato Jiro, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Mashima Hidekazu, Horiuchi Keiko, Adachi Rika, Fujii Ryusei (Johnny's West), Takada Junji, Takenaka Naoto, Kondo Yoshimasa, Minami Kaho, Terao Akira

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Preview of "Scapegoat" - Spring 2015

Title: Scapegoat スケープゴート
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 12 April 2015
Timeslot: Sundays 10pm
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Original Novel by: Koda Main
Theme song: Prayer by Hirahara Ayaka
Cast: Kuroki Hitomi, Ishimaru Kanji, Sasaki Nozomi, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Koichi Mantaro, Aijima Kazuyuki, Mitsuishi Ken, Jinbo Satoshi, Kobayashi Takashi, Nishoka Tokuma, Furuya Kazuyuki

Monday, April 06, 2015

Preview of "Yami no Bansosha" - Spring 2015

Title: Yami no Bansosha 闇の伴走者 (Partner in Darkness)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 11 April 2015
Timeslot: Saturdays 10pm
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Original Novel by: Nagasaki Takashi
Cast: Matsushita Nao, Furuta Arata, Tanaka Tetsushi, Kaname Jun, Fujii Mina, Nukumizu Yoichi, Nomaguchi Toru, Ikeda Tetsuhiro, Maeno Tomoya, Moro Morooka, Bengal, Ishimaru Kenjiro, Fujita Yumiko, Maya Kyoko, Morimoto Leo, Hirata Mitsuru

Sunday, April 05, 2015

Preview of "Tenshi to Akuma Mikaiketsu Jiken Tokumei Koshoka" - Spring 2015

Title: Tenshi to Akuma Mikaiketsu Jiken Tokumei Koshoka 天使と悪魔 未解決事件匿名交渉課 (Angels & Demons)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 10 April 2015
Timeslot: Fridays 11.15pm
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Cast: Gouriki Ayame, Watabe Atsuro, Hasegawa Tomoharu, Naito Risa, Nakamura Shizuka, Arakawa Yoshiyoshi, Uzaki Ryudo

Saturday, April 04, 2015

Liebster Award

A surprise nomination from a regular reader and commentator junny for the Liebster Award! It totally caught me by surprise so it took me a bit of time to prepare this post. I hardly read any blogs these days (wish I could use the time to catch up on my blogging and reading backlog!) so I am struggling to come up with a list of nominees which meet the number of followers' criteria. Besides, I don't even think that I qualify as a new blog because this site has been around since 2006. Yes, this blog will be 10 years old next year!

Nonetheless, I'll still answer the questions junny posted so that other blog readers can also know more about me and the behind-the-scenes of this blog. In case I don't meet the criteria for this award, can someone please let me know and I'll take down the logo and change the title of this post? Thanks!

1. What do you look for in (drama) blogs to read/follow?
I don't have any particular criteria when it comes to reading blogs. As long as there is information which interests me, I'll check the blog once every few days. As for following blogs, I do read a couple from friends and acquaintances but they are not related to J-ent.

2. Do you have a favourite OTP and why?
It's really difficult to narrow it down to one pair but here are the ones I can think of right now (not in order of preference):
 - Eita & Ueno Juri - they were great in Nodame (no romantic link though) and I thought they were awesome in Last Friends
- Odagiri Jo & Asou Kumiko in Jikou Keisatsu
- Tamaki Hiroshi & Ayase Haruka in Kyouwa Kaisha Yasumimasu (Yeah, I know the drama wasn't that good but I think these two made it bearable for me to stick till the end)
- Kase Ryo & Toda Erika in SPEC
- Tanaka Tetsushi & Nakatani Miki in Ghost Writer
- Nagase Tomoya & Sakai Miki in Hakusen Nagashi
- Kimura Takuya & Matsu Takako in Love Generation & Hero 1
- Osawa Takao & Nakatani Miki in JIN
- Kubota Masataka & Eikura Nana in N no tame ni
- Eita & Ono Machiko in Saikou no Rikon
- Tamaki Hiroshi & Ueno Juri in Nodame Cantabile

3. Have you developed any particular style of writing/recapping/reviewing over time?
I used to do synopsis + reviews but this became more difficult to do as work became more demanding and time-consuming. Nowadays, I just put down the major developments in the story and focus more on the reviews. I did make exceptions for some dramas which I really liked e.g. Seinaru Kaibutsutachi but I doubt I'll have the energy and time now to do that kind of posts for a single drama.

4. How do you keep the blogging momentum going?
Well, that's a question which I would like to find the answer to! It's very difficult to find time and energy during weekdays to blog so my updates tend to be concentrated during the weekends.

5. Do you drink? If so, what is your favourite drink?
Once in a blue moon. Usually, white wine or mojito, depending on my mood, the location and occasion.

6. If you could ask your favourite actor/actress a question, what would it be?
Do you see yourself working in this line forever or have you set a retirement age for yourself?

7. Which country’s dramas do you prefer and why?
Obviously, J-dramas is No.1. HK dramas are a close second. However, for both genres, the biggest grouse I have these days is that they tend to have less-than-satisfactory endings even though the drama was great from start to the pre-finale. I wish that more effort can be put into the endings.

8. Do you have a go-to book or music?
Nothing in particular.

9. Do you have a favourite live-action series?
Nodame Cantabile.

10. On average, how long does it take you to write up a post?
For a news article translation, between 5 minutes and 20 minutes. For a review, can range between a few hours and X-number of days because I tend to rewrite reviews at times. Now, I'm stuck with Kyouwa Kaisha wo Yasumimasu which has been pending for a few months. I'll probably write something else first and come back to it later.

11. Where do you see your blog in five years’ time?
In five years' time, this blog should be 14 years old. That's probably considered a granny in Internet terms. I hope that it's still around by then and of course, wishing that there will be more readers compared to now.

Production press conference of FujiTV Spring 2015 drama "Kokoro ga Pokitto ne"

The production press conference of FujiTV Spring 2015 drama "Kokoro ga Pokitto ne" was held on 31 March which was attended by the leads Abe Sadao, Mizuhara Kiko, Fujiki Naohito and Yamaguchi Tomoko. The drama which begins its run from 8 April in the Wednesdays 10pm timeslot, is written by Okada Yoshikazu and features the four leads with psychological ailments of their own who are caught in a love web.

Abe revealed that when he took up the role, he thought it would be a good chance for him to speak freely since this is a love comedy involving adults. However, it turned out that his role is a person who becomes withdrawn into his own world due to stress from overwork so he remains silent most of the time. As such, in the first episode, the majority of his lines was just "iya". Nonetheless, he is still enjoying the filming despite being unable to speak as much as he wishes. When asked if he has any experience of feeling as if his heart had snapped, Abe said that if anyone is to tell him that he or she is going to watch "Dr. Rintaro" this season, he would be quite upset and so he vows to work hard to prevent that from happening. Dr. Rintaro is NTV's Spring 2015 offering in the same timeslot this season as "Kokoro ga Pokitto ne". On the other hand, Yamaguchi who plays Abe's ex-wife and Fujiki's current girlfriend, said that it is an exactly different story for her because she has a lot of lines to say in the drama so she's working very hard to memorise them.

Source: Sponichi

Production press conference of TV Asahi Spring 2015 drama "Tenshi to Akuma Mikaiketsu Jiken Tokumei Koshoka"

The production press conference of TV Asahi Spring 2015 drama "Tenshi to Akuma Mikaiketsu Jiken Tokumei Koshoka" was held on 30 March which was attended by cast members Gouriki Ayame, Watabe Atsuro, Uzaki Ryudo, Hasegawa Tomoharu, Arakawa Yoshiyoshi, Naito Risa and Nakamura Shizuka. The drama which will begin its run from 10 April in the Fridays 11.15pm timeslot, features Gouriki as a police officer who finds it difficult to suspect anyone and has to work with a lawyer played by Watabe who is the exact opposite of her and cannot trust anyone.

Withe regard to her role, Gouriki commented that it is difficult to play such a trusting character and she wondered if being unable to think the worst of others makes her become an "angel". When asked about their impressions of each other, Watabe revealed that he has always felt that Gouriki is a serious person since they first met 2 years ago. As for Gouriki, she mentioned that although Watabe looks cool and scary, he's a gentle person who always places ladies first. During the event, Watabe also teased Gouriki for wearing an elaborate dress of her own as compared to the rest of the cast members who were wearing outfits prepared by the staff. In response, Gouriki said that she wanted to look pretty during the press conference and revealed that Watabe is always wearing flashy outfits in the drama so it was fine for her to be all dressed up for once.

Source: Sponichi

Matsu Takako announces the arrival of her first baby

Matsu Takako announced through her official website on 30 March that she had given birth to her first daughter. In the statement, she mentioned that her baby weighed 3,466 grams at birth and expressed thanks to everyone around them for their support during her pregnancy and childbirth.

Matsu got married to guitarist Sahashi Yoshiyuki in December 2007 and she announced her pregnancy in November last year.

Source: Sponichi

Preview of "Renai Jidai" - Spring 2015

Title: Renai Jidai 恋愛時代 (Love Generation)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 2 April 2015
Timeslot: Thursdays 11.59pm
Broadcast by: NTV
Original novel by: Nozawa Hisashi
Theme song: Arigatou Forever...by Nishiuchi Mariya
Cast: Higa Manami, Mitsushima Shinnosuke, Satsukawa Aimi, Fuchikami Yasushi, Nakao Akiyoshi, Eguchi Noriko, Kashii Yui, Sato Ryuta

Friday, April 03, 2015

Preview of "Tenno no Ryoriban" - Spring 2015

Title: Tenno no Ryoriban 天皇の料理番 (The Emperor's Chef)
Official website: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 26 April 2015
Timeslot: Sundays 9pm
Broadcast by: TBS
Original novel by: Sugimori Hisahide
Theme song: Yume Miru Hito by Sada Masashi
Cast: Sato Takeru, Kuroki Haru, Kiritani Kenta, Emoto Tasuku, Takaoka Saki, Sato Gajiro, Ashina Sei, Morioka Ryu, Ishibashi Anna, Suzuki Ryohei, Takeda Tetsuya, Ito Hideaki, Aso Yumi, Kato Masaya, Hino Yojin, Oshima Satoko, Miho Jun, Sugimoto Tetta, Kobayashi Kaoru

Thursday, April 02, 2015

Preview of "Algernon ni Hanataba wo" - Spring 2015

Title: Algernon ni Hanataba wo アルジャーノンに花束を (Flowers for Algernon)
Official website: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 10 April 2015
Timeslot: Fridays 10pm
Original novel by: Daniel Keyes
Theme song: The Rose by Bette Midler
Cast: Yamashita Tomohisa, Kuriyama Chiaki, Kubota Masataka, Kudo Asuka, Kikuchi Fuma (Sexy Zone), Tanimura Mitsuki, Omasa Aya, Kaai Gamon, Ishida Issei, Kusakari Tamiyo, Nakahara Takeo, Hagiwara Masato, Ishimaru Kanji

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

Preview of "Yamegoku ~ Yakuza yamete itadakimasu ~" - Spring 2015

Title: Yamegoku ~ Yakuza yamete itadakimasu ~ ヤメゴク ~ ヤクザやめて頂きます ~ (Yamegoku ~ I'll have you quit the gangs)
Official website: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 16 April 2015
Timeslot: Thursdays 9pm
Broadcast by: TBS
Cast: Oshima Yuko, Kitamura Kazuki, Katsuji Ryo, Honda Tsubasa, Tanaka Tetsushi, Shonozaki Ken, Okada Koki, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Natori Yuko, Endo Kenichi