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New drama series for Kansai Johnny's Jr.
Mon, March 8, 2010 (1:40am EST)
This spring, Kansai TV will broadcast a new drama series featuring members of Kansai Johnny's Jr. Tentatively titled "Daremo Shiranai J Gakuen," the show will run for 10 episodes, each starring a different person.
The school-themed drama has been scheduled for late Wednesday nights, in a half-hour block starting around 1:30am. The first episode, titled "Gakkou no Kaidan," will air on April 28, with Akito Kiriyama (20) of B.A.D. taking on the lead role. Although he played a high school student in "Gokusen 3" two years ago, this time he is playing a rookie teacher.
The network is still selecting Kansai Johnny's Jr. members for the ten starring roles. So far, eight have been decided. |
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"Kaibutsu-kun" cast revealed
Thu, March 11, 2010 (2:19am EST)
Last month, it was announced that Arashi's Satoshi Ohno (29) will star in a live-action drama series based on the "Kaibutsu-kun" manga. On Wednesday, more of the cast members were revealed, along with their costumes.
   
The fantasy story follows young Kaibutsu-kun (Ohno), the prince of a land of monsters, who travels to the human world for training. Takeshi Kaga (59) plays the king of that world, while other monsters include Dracula (Norito Yashima), Wolf Man (Ryuhei Ueshima of Dachou Club), Frankenstein (Choi Hong Man), and Jijiya (Kazuaki Hankai).
  
Members of the demon world include the prince Demokin (Masahiro Matsuoka), Demorina (Izumi Inamori), and Akkuma (Kanji Tsuda). The human world includes Utako Ichikawa (Umika Kawashima), Hiroshi Ichikawa (Tatsuomi Hamada), and a policeman (Hiroki Miyake).
http://asiacue.com/images/persons/m/Miyake,%20Hiroki_face.jpeg
The series premieres on April 17. |
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Mirei Kiritani stars in "Jotei" sequel
Tue, March 16, 2010 (3:52am EDT)
TV Asahi recently announced a new television drama time slot: the "Nichiyo Night Drama" will occupy Sunday nights at 11:00pm. The network has now revealed that the first show lined up for the time slot is "Jotei Kaoruko," featuring model Mirei Kiritani (20) in her first starring role for a TV series.
"Jotei Kaoruko" is yet another live-action adaptation based on a manga by Ryo Kurashina. The original comic is a loose continuation of "Jotei," which was turned into a drama starring Rosa Kato (24) in 2007. Like other Kurashina works such as "Jyouou," the "Jotei" series focuses on the world of hostess clubs.
Kiritani plays a young woman named Saya, who becomes a Ginza hostess after finishing high school. Saya is looking for her mother, whom she has been separated from all her life, while Saya's rival Miki is another young hostess in search of her own father.
"Jotei Kaoruko" will premiere in April.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Seiko Matsuda sings for "Team Batista"
Thu, March 18, 2010 (3:46am EDT)
Singer Seiko Matsuda (48) has been tapped to do the theme song for Fuji TV's spring drama series "Team Batista 2: General Rouge no Gaisen." This is actually her first theme song for a television drama since "Sayonara No Shunkan" was used in TBS's "Dear Woman" in 1996.
The theme for "Team Batista 2" will be her new song, "Ikutsu no Yoake wo Kazoetara," scheduled for CD release on May 5. Matsuda wrote and composed the song herself.
The song will be available as a chaku-uta starting on April 6, the same day that "Team Batista 2" premieres. |
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Teppei Koike stars in NHK drama
Fri, March 19, 2010 (1:45am EDT)
http://a1.vox.com/6a00f48ce4a8520002011017c32f29860e-320pi
WaT's Teppei Koike (24) is starring in his first NHK drama series this summer. "Tetsu no Hone" is set to air in the network's Saturday 9:00pm time slot, for five episodes starting on July 3.
"Tetsu no Hone" is an adaptation of a novel by prize-winning author Jun Ikeido. Koike plays a young employee of a general contracting company who faces a moral dilemma when he is forced to participate in bid-rigging.
Takanori Jinnai (51), Atsuo Nakamura (70), Kosuke Toyohara (44), and Asami Usuda (25) will also appear in the drama. |
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"JIN" wins four in Drama of the Year awards
Sat, March 20, 2010 (3:24am EDT)
TVnavi magazine has wrapped up its annual Drama of the Year poll, and this time, readers gave the title to the TBS series "JIN" that aired this past fall.
In addition to being named Drama of the Year, the show won in three other categories. Lead actor Takao Osawa (42) was voted Best Actor, while Masaaki Uchino (41) and Haruka Ayase (24) received Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. This is the first time that a series has won in four of TVnavi's award categories.
Best Actress went to Yuki Amami (42) for her starring role in "BOSS." In the category of Best Newcomer, Yuichi Nakamaru (26) from "RESCUE" took the title. |
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Koji Kikkawa becomes Eita's father in "Sunao ni Narenakute"
Mon, March 22, 2010 (2:20pm EDT)
http://asiacue.com/images/persons/k/Kikkawa,%20Koji_face.jpeg
Singer Koji Kikkawa (44) has joined the cast of Fuji TV's Twitter-themed drama series "Sunao ni Narenakute," which starts next month. This will be his first role in a drama on a commercial broadcasting network.
The drama tells the story of five young men and women who become friends through Twitter and help each other overcome their personal problems. The starring cast includes Eita (27) and Juri Ueno (23).
Eita plays a photographer named Keisuke who aspires to become like his father, a war photographer (played by Kikkawa). His father returned to Japan after being injured on the battlefield, but is now unable to keep a steady job, even resorting to asking Keisuke for money. As a result, Keisuke begins hating his father, while still pursuing his path as a photographer.
Kikkawa has previously appeared in at least two NHK dramas: "Tenchijin" in 2009 and "Mayonaka wa Betsu no Kao" in 2002. |
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Tokiwa stars in "Okaasan no Saigo no Ichinichi"
Thu, March 25, 2010 (12:06am EDT)
Takako Tokiwa (37) is taking on the starring role in "Okaasan no Saigo no Ichinichi," a drama special that will be broadcast on TV Asahi. This is her first television role since she got married last October to actor Keishi Nagatsuka (34).
The drama reunites Tokiwa with popular screenwriter Eriko Kitagawa (48). The two worked together previously for the 1993 series "Aishiteru to Itte Kure" and the 2000 series "Beautiful Life." This time, Kitagawa has penned a story about family, involving a terminally ill mother (Mitsuko Baisho, 63) and her daughter (Tokiwa). Isao Hashizume (68) plays the father of the family, while Kotomi Kyono (31) and Kazue Fukiishi (27) play Tokiwa's younger sisters.
TV Asahi plans to broadcast the drama by the end of this year.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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NHK morning drama "Welkame" sets record low
Mon, March 29, 2010 (2:44am EDT)
The NHK Asadora "Welkame," starring Kana Kurashina (22), ended its six-month run last Friday. According to data collected by Video Research Ltd., the drama set a new record for the lowest average rating by an Asadora.
Video Research Ltd. has been collecting viewership data since 1964. The previous record low was set by "Tsubasa" in 2009, at an average of 13.8% in the Kanto region. "Welkame" finished slightly below that with an average of 13.5% in the Kanto region (10.8% in Kansai).
The performance of "Welkame" reflects a trend of declining ratings in recent years. Up until 1990, the NHK morning dramas generally averaged well over 30% and sometimes over 40%, but those numbers have been falling steadily in the past two decades. Since 2003, no Asadora has averaged over 20%.
The next Asadora is "Gegege no Nyoubou," starring Nao Matsushita (25). The series premieres on March 29. |
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"Gegege no Nyoubou" marks new Asadora low
Wed, March 31, 2010 (12:20am EDT)
Public broadcaster NHK hit a new ratings low with its morning drama series "Gegege no Nyoubou," which premiered on Monday. At 14.8% in the Kanto area and 10.1% in the Kansai area, "Gegege no Nyoubou" has achieved the lowest-rated start for an Asadora since viewership data began being collected in 1964.
Before this, the previous record low in the Kanto region was set by "Dondo Bare" in 2007, which fared slightly better at 14.9%. In the Kansai region, "Gegege no Nyoubou" performed significantly worse than the previous 11.8% record set by the recently-ended "Welkame."
Although ratings have been on the decline for years, "Gegege no Nyoubou" may also have been affected by NHK's decision to change the show's time slot from 8:15am to 8:00am. The last time the Asadora time slot was moved was 48 years ago. |
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Alisa Mizuki to star in "Onimasa" drama remake
Fri, April 2, 2010 (2:56am EDT)
"Kiryuin Hanako no Shogai," a novel by Naoki Prize-winning author Tomiko Miyao ("Tenshoin Atsuhime"), is being turned into a drama special, starring Alisa Mizuki (33). The story has already been turned into a 1982 film directed by Hideo Gosha and a television miniseries in 1984.
Gosha's movie version was a big hit in the '80s, marking one of the most memorable roles of the late actress Masako Natsume. The film, marketed overseas under the title "Onimasa," has been described as the Japanese equivalent of "The Godfather." The story follows the violent saga of the Kiryuin clan, led by a man named Masagoro (originally played by Tatsuya Nakadai), who is also known as Onimasa. The heroine is the strong-willed adopted daughter Matsue (played by Natsume), who delivered the famous line "Nametara ikanzeyo!" ("Don't f*** with me!")
In the new drama version, Alisa Mizuki will bring that line back to life, taking on the part of Matsue. Hideki Takahashi (66) will play Masagoro.
"Kiryuin Hanako no Shogai" will be broadcast by TV Asahi this summer.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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[Spring update]
Zettai Reido
- RAW (Episod 1) SINI
Team Batista 2
- RAW (Episod 1-2) SINI
- Softsub  (Episod 1-2) SINI |
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Fuji TV to launch weekday midnight drama with Taiwanese star
Tue, April 6, 2010 (2:46am EDT)
Fuji TV is trying out a new experiment: starting on April 26, it will broadcast a drama series titled "Tokyo Little Love" in a late-night weekday time slot. The drama is a romance story that will star Taiwanese idol Xia Yu Tong (21) in her first lead role.
"Tokyo Little Love" will air late at 12:35am on Mondays through Thursdays, with each episodes lasting 10 minutes. The series will run until September, for a total of 88 episodes. This is the first of its kind for any of Japan's major television networks.
Fuji TV has also decided to broadcast the series on all 28 of its affiliated stations throughout the country, plus Aomori TV (affiliated with TBS). Normally, for a late night time slot, Fuji TV's stations have aired local programming, which makes this even more of an unusual experiment.
In "Tokyo Little Love," Xia Yu Tong plays a Taiwanese woman who gradually falls in love with a Japanese police detective. Producer Tsugi Shikanai says that it will tell a love story that could happen to anyone, and that the episodes will feel more like a diary or blog than a typical television series. Xia Yu Tong, who has appeared in Taiwanese dramas before, will speak her lines mainly in Chinese (with Japanese subtitles), though she is also studying Japanese for the role.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Miyazawa, Mizukawa to play Ueno's sisters in "Gou"
Mon, April 12, 2010 (4:46am EDT)
As announced in January, NHK's 2011 taiga drama will be "Gou ~Himetachi no Sengoku~," starring actress Juri Ueno (23). On Monday, two more key cast members were revealed: Rie Miyazawa (37) and Asami Mizukawa (26).
Ueno plays the role of Gou (also known as Oeyo), the third daughter of the 16th century daimyo Azai Nagamasa (who married Oda Nobunaga's sister Oichi-no-kata). Gou and her two older sisters are famous historical figures. The eldest, Yodo (also known as Chacha), will be played by Miyazawa, while the second sister, Hatsu, will be played by Mizukawa.
Filming for "Gou" is scheduled to start this August. For Miyazawa, this will be her first work in a television drama since she gave birth to her first child in May 2009. |
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Aya Ueto looking forward to detective role
Sunday 11th April, 04:45 AM JST
TOKYO —
Popular singer and actress, Aya Ueto, 24, says she is looking forward to her upcoming detective drama “Absolute Zero Point - Unsolved Cases Special Investigation, which will air on Fuji TV each Tuesday from 9 p.m. beginning April 13.
“Absolute Zero Point,” which loosely resembles the American TV series “Cold Case,” will be Ueto’s first attempt at a detective drama. “This was a difficult role,” she said. “I only fully understood the tone of the series after watching the completed first episode.”
Co-starring with Ueto is veteran Kinya Kitaoji, 67, who gave Ueto the nickname of “Gullible Turtle,” during filming. It was all in good fun, said Kitaoji. “I think she’s really cute. Even if I wasn’t her senior, I’d still want to cheer her on,” he said. |
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Kichise stars in "Hagane no Onna" drama
Tue, April 13, 2010 (1:07am EDT)
Michiko Kichise (35) has been given her first starring role in a drama series, set to air this spring. She will play an elementary school teacher in "Hagane no Onna," based on an ongoing manga by Kahoru Fukaya.
Kichise plays the titular character, Ineko Haga, whose nickname is "Hagane" ("steel"). 35 years old and single, with no savings and no stable job, she returns to teaching with a position as the homeroom teacher of a fourth grade class. However, the class has been plagued with problems such as bullying and disobedience, leading several previous teachers to quit.
The supporting cast includes Jun Kaname, Osamu Shitara, Kasumi Arimura, Nozomi Ohashi, Miwako Shishido, Toshiki Ayata, Akihito Yoshiie, Michiko Shimizu, and Megumi Yokoyama. One of the guests on the first episode will be former Morning Musume member Hitomi Yoshizawa.
Ketsumeishi's "Nakama" is being used as the show's theme song. The series starts on May 21 in TV Asahi's Friday 11:15pm time slot. |
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Alisa Mizuki returns for another "Sazae-san" drama
Sun, April 18, 2010 (5:43pm EDT)
Due to the success of the "Sazae-san" drama special last fall, Fuji TV is working on a second one to air this summer. Alisa Mizuki (33) will once again star as Sazae-san.
The first special achieved ratings of 20.9% when it aired on November 15. That was the fourth time that the long-running "Sazae-san" anime series was adapted into live-action. It was previously made into a drama series by TBS in 1965-1967, then by Fuji TV in 1981-1985 and 1992-1996.
Cast members returning from the first special include Michitaka Tsutsui (39), Tsurutaro Kataoka (55), and Keiko Takeshita (56). This episode will introduce the Isasaka family, portrayed by playwright Koki Mitani (48), Keiko Toda (52), and Kana Kurashina (22).
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Odagiri to star in "Atami no Sousakan"
Sun, April 18, 2010 (7:30pm EDT)
Actor Joe Odagiri (34) will star in a new drama series this summer on TV Asahi, titled "Atami no Sousakan." The show reunites Odagiri with director and screenwriter Satoshi Miki, whom he worked with on the popular mystery series "Jikou Keisatsu" in 2006 and 2007.
"Atami no Sousakan" begins with the disappearance of a school bus and four high school girls. Still unsolved three years later, the case gets revived when one of the girls reappears. Odagiri plays a sharp national investigator searching for the truth behind the incident, which leads back to a seemingly peaceful town.
TV Asahi has not yet announced the time slot for the series.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Uchiyama, Mukai play couple in cell phone drama
Thu, April 22, 2010 (11:21am EDT)
Actress Rina Uchiyama (28) and actor Osamu Mukai (28) will co-star in a BeeTV mobile drama series titled "5-nengo no Love Letter."
Mukai and Uchiyama play a husband and wife expecting their first son, but the husband dies from illness before the child is born. The woman raises the boy on her own, and five years later, a picture book leads the mother and son on an adventure involving a letter from the deceased husband.
Part of the series will have Uchiyama playing a pregnant woman, wearing a maternity dress for the first time.
BeeTV will begin distributing "5-nengo no Love Letter" on May 1. The show's theme song will be "Kanashimi no Yukue," the upcoming solo single from TVXQ's Junsu.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post time 8-4-2010 05:38 PM
Author
