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Kou Shibasaki leads star-studded cast in Koki Mitani drama
Thu, September 10, 2009 (3:10am EDT)
 
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Fuji TV has announced a major television drama special titled "Wagaya no Rekishi." Playwright and director Koki Mitani provided the script for the drama, which will star Kou Shibasaki along with many other big names.
    
The story takes place between 1945 and 1964, chronicling the lives of the seven members of the fictional Yame family. Shibasaki plays one of five siblings, along with Jun Matsumoto (Arashi), Ryuta Sato, Maki Horikita, and Nana Eikura. Their parents are being played by Toshiyuki Nishida and Sumiko Fuji, while the rest of the cast includes Masami Nagasawa, Yo Oizumi, Yuki Amami, Tetsuji Tamayama, Koji Yamamoto, Sawa Suzuki, and Junji Takada.
      
"Wagaya no Rekishi" will air on three consecutive nights during spring 2010.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Upcoming Fall J-Dramas
September 11, 2009 by J!-ENT
In a recent column of Televiews by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn writes about the upcoming J-dramas. Here is an excerpt from that article:
More medicine may just be the best medicine for the new autumn TV season. The only hit drama of the summer of 2009 was Kyumei Byoto 24-ji IV (Tuesdays, 9 p.m. Fuji until Sept. 22), which featured two of the best actors of the 1990s–Nanako Matsushima and Yosuke Eguchi–in serious roles in an interesting, realistic script. TBS and NTV are both offering medical tales in October with hopes of filling that same winning prescription.
The goal of Kyumei Byoto 24-ji IV was to show the exhausting and overwhelming difficulties Japanese ER doctors face. Gine: Sanfujinka no Onna-tachi (Wednesdays, 10 p.m., NTV from mid-October) will demonstrate that the only medical personnel confronting more daunting challenges are the fast-fading ob-gyn specialists who face 38-hour straight shifts, lots of nights on call and a higher percentage of malpractice suits. “Gine” is the katakana medical world slang for those in the gynecology field, thus the title.
Norika Fujiwara plays a dedicated but overworked ob-gyn who soldiers on with costars Yuki Matsushita and Yuka Itaya in this Shizuka Oishi script.
Gine should be revealing but does not sound like relaxing, highly entertaining viewing so Jin, an original medical alternative, takes the top spot on my “to watch” list. This science fiction tale, based on the current Super Jump manga, starts with a two-hour special (Sunday, Oct. 11, TBS, 9 p.m.). Another star of the 1990s, Takao Osawa, returns to the small screen after an eight year absence to play the title role. The supporting cast includes Haruka Ayase and Miki Nakatani.
Jin is a modern-day neurosurgeon who slips back in time to the Edo period (1603-1867), where he enjoys the slower pace, heals the sick and befriends Sakamoto Ryoma. The series looks promising and should tide over the many Japanese TV viewers–who can never seem to get enough of Edo superhero Sakamoto–until Jan. 3, 2010 when Masaharu Fukuyama brings him to life yet again in the new Sunday NHK taiga drama Ryoma Den.
Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT |
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Yu Shirota joins cast of "Samurai High School"
Tue, September 15, 2009 (12:33am EDT)
 
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Haruma Miura (19) will star in a school comedy on NTV next season. The show's title has now been finalized as "Samurai High School," and Miura's supporting cast will include actor Yu Shirota (23).
Miura's character is a mild-mannered high school student named Kotaro, but whenever trouble arises, he somehow transforms into a samurai and saves the day. Shirota, on the other hand, plays a classmate who becomes a victim of bullying, a departure from his usual image as a tough guy.
    
Fashion model Anne (23) plays the heroine, a classmate and childhood friend of Kotaro, while Goro Kishitani (44) plays Kotaro's father. Shigeru Muroi, Mikako Ichikawa, and Suzuka Ohgo will also appear in the drama.
The show starts next month, airing at 9:00pm on Saturday nights.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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w-inds' Tachibana, Ska Para's Yanaka cast in TV dramas
Mon, September 21, 2009 (4:48am EDT)
 
Two musicians will be making their debuts in television dramas next season on TBS. w-inds. member Keita Tachibana (23) will appear in "Ohitorisama," while Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra's Atsushi Yanaka (42) will appear in "Shokojo Seira."
"Ohitorisama" is a romantic comedy starring Alisa Mizuki as a teacher who falls in love with a younger co-worker, played by Teppei Koike. Tachibana has been cast as one of Koike's friends from college, who works as a part-timer while he tries to determine what he really wants to do in life. The show premieres on October 16.
"Shokojo Seira" is based on the story "A Little Princess," which was adapted as the anime "Princess Sara" in Japan. The drama stars Mirai Shida as the daughter of a wealthy father, but she becomes the victim of bullying after the father dies and his business falls. Yanaka will make regular appearances throughout the story as the father. The series starts on October 17.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Osamu Mukai to play "Kitaro" mangaka
Sat, September 19, 2009 (5:59am EDT)
 
On Friday, NHK revealed its male lead for next year's morning drama series, "Gegege no Nyoubou." The drama, first announced this past April, stars Nao Matsushita (24) as the wife of "Gegege no Kitaro" mangaka Shigeru Mizuki. Rising actor Osamu Mukai (27) has been selected to play the part of Mizuki.
"Gegege no Nyoubou" is scheduled to run next year from March 29 to September 25.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Shosuke Tanihara plays killer in Seicho Matsumoto drama
Wed, September 23, 2009 (5:01am EDT)
NHK plans to broadcast a drama special based on the Seicho Matsumoto story "Kao." Actor Shosuke Tanihara (37) will star.
Tanihara plays a struggling stage actor named Ryokichi Ino, who finally gets his big break when he is chosen for a major part in a movie. However, he begins to worry about an incident nine years ago, in which he murdered his pregnant girlfriend for the sake of his career. Believing that his face was seen at the time, he plots to commit a second murder to prevent the witness from recognizing his face on the big screen and exposing his crime.
"Kao" will air on December 29.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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MAKIDAI stars in "Tantei M" drama
Mon, September 28, 2009 (12:39am EDT)
EXILE's Daisuke Maki (also known as MAKIDAI) has been given his first starring role in a television drama. He will play the lead in NTV's one-shot drama "Tantei M," scheduled to air next month.
Maki has already starred in three movies, but never in a TV drama. In "Tantei M," he plays an unmotivated, skirt-chasing, debt-laden detective. Two women visit him to request his services, and an unexpected connection between the two emerges.
  
The show is said to be reminiscent of "Tantei Monogatari," which starred the late actor Yusaku Matsuda. Yusaku's wife, Miyuki Matsuda (47), has also been cast in "Tantei M." Other cast members include Shizu-chan, Erina Mizuno, and Uno Kanda.
The single episode will be broadcast on October 28, late at night (1:44am). Depending on its success, the drama may later be turned into a series.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Utsurun Desu" goes live-action
Mon, September 28, 2009 (1:30am EDT)
 
Sensha Yoshida's four-panel gag manga "Utsurun Desu." is being adapted as a live-action series on mobile broadcast service BeeTV. The show will star Arata Furuta (43), Akina Minami (20), and Cunning Takeyama (38).
"Utsurun Desu." was serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits from 1989 to 1994. The nonsensical manga features a cast of peculiar characters, who also appear in Yoshida's sequel-like "Hirake Aiaigasa." That comic began running in Big Comic Spirits this past May. A series of anime DVDs also started being released in August.
Due to the manga's resurgence in popularity, the live-action series was decided. Furuta will dress up in costume to play the protagonist Kawauso, while Minami plays the young girl Micchi. Takeyama has been cast as Kabutomushi Saito, whom he voiced in the anime version.
The live-action project will consist of 50 one-minute episodes released daily, starting on October 26.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Fuji TV NEXT to broadcast first original drama
Tue, September 29, 2009 (1:23am EDT)
Fuji TV NEXT, a pay channel operated by Fuji TV, will soon broadcast its first original drama series. Established last year as Fuji TV CSHD, the channel was renamed at the start of April, along with the network's older pay channels, Fuji TV ONE and Fuji TV TWO.
The drama, titled "News Sokuho wa Nagareta," is written by Ryoichi Kimizuka and produced by Toru Ota. Set in a television newsroom, it is described as a "real-time" suspense drama, in the style of the popular American series "24." The story focuses on an incident that unfolds during the hours between late night and morning.
 
Hiroki Narimiya (27) stars as a rookie assistant director, with Kaoru Kobayashi (58) playing the editor-in-chief. Other cast members include Wakana Sakai (29), ARATA (35), Masato Hagiwara (38), and Kosuke Toyohara (44).
   
The series is set for ten episodes, starting on November 18. New episodes will reportedly air every other week at 9:00pm on Wednesdays, though they will be rerun at other times. The premiere episode will also be shown on Fuji TV ONE and Fuji TV TWO.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Welkame" starts at second-lowest 16%
Tue, September 29, 2009 (1:45am EDT)
NHK's newest morning drama series is off to a disappointing start. The first episode of "Welkame" aired on Monday, and it drew only 16.0% ratings in the Kanto area, which is the second worst Asadora premiere in history. In the Kansai area, it scored 11.8%.
In recent years, Asadora ratings have typically been declining. The 2007 series "Dondo Bare" set the record low for a premiere episode at 14.9%, though it managed to average a 19.4% rating by the end of the series. The recently-finished "Tsubasa" started out better at 17.7%, but its overall average was a mere 13.8%, the worst in history.
"Welkame" stars Kana Kurashina (21) as a young woman working for a small publisher in her hometown in Tokushima. The series is expected to run until March 27, 2010.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Riko Narumi stars in first jidaigeki drama
Wed, September 30, 2009 (2:58am EDT)
Actress Riko Narumi (17) will star in a period drama series on NHK next year. This will be her first role in a jidaigeki work.
The ten-episode series, titled "Sakuya Konohana," deals with the well-known Hyakunin Isshu card game, in which players must be the first to grab cards based on recited poems. Narumi plays a slightly peculiar young girl trying to lead an ordinary life, who wins a Hyakunin Isshu competition. She heads to Edo Castle for a major tournament, where her winning streak quickly draws attention. Throughout this, she grows as an individual and experiences her first love with a revenge-seeking ronin.
Narumi is said to have little experience with Hyakunin Isshu, so she is undergoing fundamental training for the game. The drama already begins filming early next month, though it is not scheduled to start until January 9, 2010. It will air in NHK's Saturday 7:30pm time slot.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Yukie Nakama to play reporter for second-rate rag in 'Untouchable'
Friday 02nd October, 04:30 AM JST
TOKYO —
Actress Yukie Nakama, 29, will play a reporter for the first time in her acting career when she stars in the upcoming TV Asahi drama “Untouchable.” She plays a persevering reporter for a second-rate weekly magazine and tries to get to the bottom of several incidents, the underlying truths of which are “untouchable.”
Nakama plays a character the same age as her, and on this she said: “It’s probably got nothing to do with me, but I did feel that references to turning 30 was in my lines a lot! I’m looking forward to my 30s though. I hope to do a few things I couldn’t do while in my 20s.”
Nakama’s co-star, actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa, 35, was asked if there was anything that was untouchable for him, and he said: “Whenever I have a problem, I just ask my older sister.” He was then asked about his relationship with actress Anne Watanabe, 23, who he is rumored to be dating. “Now that’s untouchable. Ask my office,” he replied.
“Untouchable” will air on Fridays at 9 p.m. starting Oct 16.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Kana Nishino to appear in drama
Sat, October 3, 2009 (4:19am EDT)
Up-and-coming singer Kana Nishino (20) is set to make her first appearance in a television drama later this month. She will play herself in NTV's drama special "Tantei M," scheduled to air late-night on October 28.
The drama was unveiled earlier this week. It will be the first starring role for EXILE member Daisuke Maki, who plays a private detective. Nishino will reportedly appear in just one scene.
Nishino will also provide the drama's theme song, titled "Motto..." The song will be released as a CD single on October 21, but it has already achieved more than 300,000 downloads as a chaku-uta.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Ryoko Yonekura’s 'Negotiator' works her way onto Nintendo DS
Tuesday 06th October, 03:00 AM JST
TOKYO —
Actress Ryoko Yonekura, 34, will star as an elite detective again when “The Negotiator 2” airs on TV Asahi later this month.
Yonekura plays a detective with exceptional negotiating skills and an uncanny ability to snuff out evildoers. The second installment of the drama sees Yonekura sporting a black gun belt strapped to her right thigh, as she deals with hostage-takers and terrorists with explosives. Her daring low-cut top and her well-toned legs have led some to compare her with actress Angelina Jolie, also 34 years old.
Yonekura said: “This drama has got impact. It’s not even like a Japanese drama.”
“The Negotiator 2” will air on Thursdays at 9 p.m. starting Oct 22. Game software for the Nintendo DS based on the drama will go on sale in December.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Though a veteran of many hugely popular TV dramas, Fukuyama Masaharu is making his period drama debut in next year's taiga series. In NHK's yearlong historical drama for 2010, he will lead an all-star cast in an original biography of Sakamoto Ryoma (1836-67). "Ryomaden" is the first original taiga series since Mitani Koki's version of "Shinsengumi" in 2004. One of the most important and best known figures that helped shape the future of Japan as it ended centuries of isolation, Ryoma was a native of Tosa, a region in the island of Shikoku. Fukuyama (40) and other cast members, including Hirosue Ryoko, Sato Ken and Oizumi Yo, gave a press conference yesterday on a set (actually in Hiroshima) that recreated a Tosa village. The series is Fukuyama's first on NHK and his first historical role. It comes on the heels of a 20th anniversary nationwide concert tour that finished at the end of September and included his first ever show at the Nippon Budokan. "Ryomaden" will air on Sunday nights from January 3, 2010.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Kenji Sakaguchi to star in NHK series
Fri, October 9, 2009 (3:34am EDT)
Actor Kenji Sakaguchi (33) has been chosen to star in the NHK drama series "Kimitachi ni Asu wa Nai," airing this winter.
The drama is based on the 2005 prize-winning novel of the same name by Ryosuke Kakine. Sakaguchi plays a corporate restructuring consultant who has become a pro at sending employees into "voluntary retirement," despite the agony that the job brings.
The script is being handled by actor Takayuki Takuma, who has written under the pen name Mikio Satake for dramas such as "Hana Yori Dango." NHK will broadcast the series in Saturday 9:00pm time slot, starting on January 16.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post time 12-9-2009 02:00 PM
