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Tetsuya Watari to play PM in upcoming NTV drama
Sunday 05th July, 04:00 AM JST
TOKYO —
Actor Tetsuya Watari, 67, will take on the role of prime minister for the first time in his 44-year acting career, for the upcoming Nippon TV drama “Kareinaru supai” (“The Great Spy.”)
Watari said that he wants to play a reliable prime minister who doesn’t flip flop, and said that he will not be seeking inspiration from current Prime Minister Taro Aso. He also remarked on the possibility of viewer ratings exceeding current support levels for the incumbent government.
Actor and vocalist of rock group TOKIO, Tomoya Nagase, 30, will play a brilliant scamster who is serving a 30-year sentence in prison, but who is released on the condition that he become a spy for the government and help out in their fight against terrorism. It’s the first time in five years for Nagase to star alongside Watari, and he complemented his senior partner when he said: “It would be great if Japan had such a cool prime minister in real life.”
Actress Kyoko Fukada, 26, will play a female spy, and Ken Watanabe’s daughter Anne, 23, will play a newspaper reporter.
“Kareinaru supai” will air on Saturdays at 9 p.m. starting July 18.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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"Kyumei Byoto" special fills in broadcast delay
Tue, July 7, 2009 (3:45am EDT)
Fuji TV has announced a new broadcast date for the fourth season of "Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji." Originally scheduled to start on July 7, filming was delayed due to an injury suffered by lead actor Yosuke Eguchi. Now, the series is set to premiere on August 11 instead.
To fill in the weeks before the delayed start, Fuji TV will air a series of special episodes titled "Kinkyu Special: Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji ~Kyumeii Kojima Kaede~," which will focus on Nanako Matsushima's character on the show.
   
The four episodes, airing from July 14 to August 4, will each feature a guest appearance by a cast member from the show's previous three seasons: Norito Yashima, Risa Sudo, Hiroyuki Miyasako, and Mao Inoue.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Hiromi Iwasaki faces typhoon in daytime drama
Sun, July 12, 2009 (3:49am EDT)
Fuji TV is planning to broadcast an afternoon drama series titled "Arashi ga Kureta Mono," starring actress Hiromi Iwasaki (32). Iwasaki has never starred in a daytime drama before.
The drama's theme is the love between a mother and child. Iwasaki plays a mother whose family is hit by the devastating Typhoon Vera (also known as Isewan Typhoon) in September 1959, which resulted in more than 4,500 people dead and over 600 people missing. Iwasaki's husband and daughter disappear in the typhoon, and while taking refuge, she meets an orphan whom she begins raising as her child. Ten years later, she discovers that her husband and daughter are alive, leading a separate life.
"Arashi ga Kureta Mono" premieres on August 31 and will air for a total of 44 episodes in Fuji TV's weekday 1:30pm time slot.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Dreams Come True does "Kyumei Byoto" song
Thu, July 16, 2009 (2:54am EDT)
 
Celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, Dreams Come True will be releasing a new single on September 9 titled "Sono Saki e." The song was written to be the theme of Fuji TV's upcoming drama series "Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji," which is scheduled to premiere on August 11.
Dreams Come True was a natural choice for the theme song. They provided the themes for the first three seasons of "Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji," starting with "Asa ga Mata Kuru" in 1999.
The title track of "Sono Saki e" includes the members of the band FUZZY CONTROL, who have served as support musicians for Dreams Come True's concerts. This collaboration is described as Dreams Come True's first song with a "featuring" artist. Also on the single is a live recording of a special 20-minute medley from Dreams Come True's latest nationwide tour.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Ryomaden" adds Yoko Maki, Shihori Kanjiya
Thu, July 16, 2009 (3:20am EDT)
On Tuesday, NHK unveiled the primary cast members for next year's taiga drama "Ryomaden." A total of 21 names were officially announced.
 
It was already known that Masaharu Fukuyama is playing the lead as Sakamoto Ryoma. Although Ryoko Hirosue has been cast as his first love, there will be at least two more key female characters: Yoko Maki as his wife, and Shihori Kanjiya as a swordswoman he encounters.
 
The rest of the roster includes Tetsuya Takeda, Teruyuki Kagawa, Nao Omori, Wakako Shimazaki, Kaoru Okunuki, Yo Oizumi, Takeru Sato, Jun Kaname, and Pierre Taki, most of whom have never appeared in a taiga drama before.
Filming is scheduled to start at the end of August, and the series broadcast will begin in January.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Live-action "Shinya Shokudo" planned for fall
Sat, July 18, 2009 (8:00pm EDT)
The newest issue of Shogakukan's Big Comic Original reveals that Yaro Abe's manga "Shinya Shokudo" is getting a television drama adaptation this fall. It was announced on the magazine's cover, but the magazine contained no further details about the project.
"Shinya Shokudo" is a story about an unusual restaurant open only late at night. The "master" of the restaurant has no set menu, offering customers, "If I can do it, I'll make it."
The manga has had three volumes released in tankoubon form, with the fourth scheduled for release on August 28. Earlier this year, the manga was nominated for the Manga Taisho award.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Aibou" ready for Season 8
Wed, July 22, 2009 (12:47am EDT)
 
The 8th season of the hit detective series "Aibou" has been confirmed to start this fall. Along with Yutaka Mizutani (57), the show will star Mitsuhiro Oikawa (39), who took over as Mizutani's partner after Yasufumi Terawaki (47) left last season.
The "Aibou" series has been popular ever since its start in 2002. With more than 100 episodes aired, the show finally surpassed 20% ratings with multiple episodes last season. The theatrically-released movie was also one of 2008's biggest hits, earning over 4.4 billion yen.
Season 8 will start this October in its usual Wednesday 9:00pm time slot on TV Asahi.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Takao Osawa travels through time for "Jin"
Wed, July 22, 2009 (1:44am EDT)
 
The previously announced live-action adaptation of Motoka Murakami's manga "Jin" will be aired on TBS this fall. Leading the cast is actor Takao Osawa (41), who has not acted in a serial drama since "Mukashi no Otoko" in 2001.
The original manga tells the story of brain surgeon Jin Minakata (Osawa), who falls into a "time slip" that sends him back to Edo during the Bakumatsu period in the 19th century. Still being serialized in the magazine Super Jump, the comic has sold more than 1.6 million copies of the 15 volumes released so far in tankoubon format.
The show will also feature actress Miki Nakatani (33), who has similarly not appeared in a drama series since 2002. She will play two roles - Jin's fiancee in the present day, and an oiran in Edo's Yoshiwara district.
        
Haruka Ayase (24) will also play a major role as Jin's assistant. Other cast members include Masaaki Uchino, Fumiyo Kohinata, Tetsuya Takeda, Keisuke Koide, Yumi Aso, Naho Toda, Hiromasa Taguchi, and Kenta Kiritani.
TBS will broadcast "Jin" on Sunday nights at 9:00pm, starting in October.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Finally realizing one of his ambitions, actor Sorimachi Takashi (35) has landed the lead role in a samurai drama. He will play the role of Edo Period samurai Yagyu Mitsuyoshi (1607-50) in a New Year drama on TV Tokyo, one of the first broadcasts for the network's 45th anniversary. Popularly known as Yagyu Juubei, the master swordsman is one of the most romanticized figures of his time and has been the subject of dozens of novels, manga, movies and TV dramas.
Source: www.japan-zone.com
Scheduled for January 2, 2010, the drama is tentatively titled "Yagyu Bukeicho." Although the "Shinshun Wide Jidaigeki" dramas started out at 12 hours long in 1979, they were shortened to 10 hours long starting in 2001. This time, the drama will be only 7 hours long.
 
Sorimachi has acted in jidaigeki dramas before, including a role as Oda Nobunaga in the 2002 taiga series "Toshiie to Matsu," but he has never starred in one until now. His supporting cast members include Hideki Takahashi (65) as Jubei's father, Yagyu Munenori, and Mocomichi Hayami (24) as Jubei's brother, Yagyu Munefuyu. This will be Hayami's first time in a jidaigeki role.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Japan's most famous cartoon housewife is coming to life once again. As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, Fuji TV has announced a live-action version of perennial favorite "Sazae-san." The anime, based on the late Hasegawa Machiko's manga, has aired on Sunday evenings for 40 years. Though its audience rating peaked at a massive 39.4% in 1979, the show has maintained solid numbers in the high teens or low 20s ever since. Taking on one of Japan's best-loved roles is Mizuki Arisa (32), and done up with Sazae-san's distinctive hairstyle she certainly looks the part. "It's an honor for me," she said. "We've been discussing it for several years, so I think I'm ready to play the part." A Fuji producer said of the star, "She's probably Japan's No.1 comedy actress and, because she's loved by audiences of all ages, she perfect as Sazae-san." The role has been taken on by several actresses in the past - about once every decade - with the most recent being Asano Atsuko (48) in 1992-96. The first, on TBS and starring the late Eri Chiemi, was in 1965-67 and actually predates Fuji's anime version. The new drama, which will air in the autumn, will follow the anime's 3-story omnibus format, though it will run to two and a half hours.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Arashi's Aiba stars in television drama
Sun, August 2, 2009 (5:26pm EDT)
Arashi member Masaki Aiba (26) is set to take on his first lead role in a drama series this fall. He will star in TV Asahi's "My Girl," his first series since "Yankee Bokou ni Kaeru" in 2003.
Aiba, who is more known for appearing in variety shows than in dramas, said that he wants to show his fans a "completely different Masaki Aiba" from his usual self.
"My Girl" is based on a manga by Mizu Sahara (an alternate pen name of mangaka Sumomo Yumeka), currently being serialized in Shinchosha's Weekly Comic Bunch. The comic is described as an "ultimate love story" about a young man named Masamune Kazama (Aiba). During high school, he had a girlfriend four years older than him, but she suddenly left one day. Six years later, he receives news that she has passed away. In addition, she secretly gave birth to Masamune's child, whom he finally meets and decides to raise.
TV Asahi will broadcast "My Girl" in its Friday 11:15pm time slot, starting in October.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Asami Mitsuhiko" specials turned into fall drama series
Wed, August 5, 2009 (2:13am EDT)
Actor Ikki Sawamura (42) has never starred in a regular drama series before, but that will change this fall when he takes the lead in a TBS drama tentatively called "Meitantei Asami Mitsuhiko."
"Asami Mitsuhiko" is a series of drama specials based on a mystery-solving character created by author Yasuo Uchida. Besides TBS, NTV and Fuji TV have also produced their own specials with different cast members. TBS's version starred Takuro Tatsumi (50) in 13 episodes between 1994 and 2000, then Sawamura took over for 13 more between 2000 and 2008. But with this new series, TBS is changing it to a regular weekly format.
The title character, Mitsuhiko Asami, is a reportage writer and detective who solves difficult cases related to local legends across Japan. Each weekly episode in the new series will have the sleuth visiting a different part of the country to tackle these mysteries.
  
The show starts in October, airing Wednesday nights at 9:00pm. Although Sawamura is reprising his role as Asami, his supporting cast has changed. Morio Kazama (60), Yoshiko Sakuma (70), and Sachie Hara (31) have been cast in main roles.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Mirai Shida stars as "Princess Sara"
Thu, August 6, 2009 (1:43am EDT)
The next starring role for young actress Mirai Shida (16) will be in a drama series on TBS this fall. The drama is titled "Princess Sara" (alternatively, "A Little Princess") and is based on a famous children's story that was turned into an anime in Japan.
"A Little Princess" was originally written in the UK during the late 1800s by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The story became famous worldwide and was adapted as a successful Broadway play, as well as multiple musicals, films, and television works. In 1985, the story was animated in Japan by Nippon Animation as part of the "World Masterpiece Theater" series, under the title "Princess Sara."
The TBS drama has Shida playing the part of Sara, a high school student whose father is extremely wealthy. After her father dies and his business collapses, leaving her penniless, the school's director and Sara's previously jealous classmates take the opportunity to make her life miserable. But despite their bullying, Sara endures it with a positive attitude. Kanako Higuchi (50) plays the school director, while Kento Hayashi (18) plays Sara's love interest Kaito.
 
Filming will start on September 1 in India, since Sara lived there until entering high school. TBS has scheduled the drama in its Saturday 8:00pm time slot, starting this October.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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aiko does "Werukame" theme
Sat, August 8, 2009 (4:29pm EDT)
Singer aiko will be providing the theme song for NHK's next morning drama series, "Werukame." The song will be a lively tune titled "Ano Ko no Yume."
aiko has previously sung for dramas such as "Hotaru no Hikari" and "Ganbatte Ikimasshoi."
Starring idol Kana Kurashina (21), "Werukame" will premiere on September 28.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Yukie Nakama is "Untouchable"
Tue, August 11, 2009 (1:53am EDT)
With her "Gokusen" days apparently behind her, actress Yukie Nakama (29) will tackle her next comedy role in TV Asahi's upcoming mystery series, "Untouchable." The show is an original work penned by Hiroshi Hashimoto, who has worked on "Karei Naru Ichizoku" and the "Shomuni" franchise.
Nakama plays the role of Ryoko Narumi, a reporter who gets dismissed from a top-notch magazine and winds up at a third-rate weekly. Clumsy yet persistent, she notices details that other reporters overlook, leading her to the "untouchable" sides of criminal cases and, ultimately, to the truth. The story will be episodic, but the show will also include a larger mystery that gets unveiled as the show progresses.
   
The supporting cast includes Jun Kaname (28) as a rival reporter, Tetsushi Tanaka (43) as Ryoko's editor-in-chief, Tomohito Sato (25) as a photographer, and Susumu Terajima (45) as a big-shot businessman. TV Asahi will begin airing the drama in October, on Fridays at 9:00pm.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji" still sees strong ratings
Wed, August 12, 2009 (1:41am EDT)
The fourth season of Fuji TV's drama series "Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji" opened on Tuesday night. Starring Yosuke Eguchi and Nanako Matsushima, the popular show averaged about 20% ratings for its first three seasons, and this one appears to be on track for another strong performance.
For Tuesday's premiere, ratings in the Kanto region achieved an average of 20.3%. This is weaker than the past season openers (24.0%, 21.5%, and 21.4%), but compared to the other drama series that have been airing this summer, it is still exceptionally high. In fact, it is the first show of this season to break the 20% mark, despite starting a month late due to Eguchi's injury in a motorcycle accident in June.
To fill in the gap caused by the show's delay, Fuji TV aired four special episodes that revolved around Matsushima's character. Ratings for those episodes ranged between 12.5% and 15.0%.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Katsunori Takahashi stars in bank scandal drama
Wed, August 12, 2009 (3:44am EDT)
Katsunori Takahashi (44) will star in a drama series called "Inpei Shirei" on WOWOW this fall. The story is based on a novel by Go Egami, which was inspired by the real-life scandal of the Daiichi Kangyo Bank in the 1990s.
Takahashi plays Yoshihiko Amano, a loyal secretary to the president of a major bank (Ikko Furuya). Under the president's orders, he tries to cover up 700 million yen in bad loans, but he is later discarded and falls into despair. However, he eventually manages to pull his life back together. Throughout this, the drama explores the hidden sides of politics and finance.
"Inpei Shirei" will be broadcast on Sunday nights at 10:00pm, starting on October 18.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Real Clothes" drama being turned into series
Wed, August 12, 2009 (4:00am EDT)
Satoru Makimura's manga "Real Clothes" is being turned into a live-action series. The news was revealed in the latest issue of Shueisha's YOU magazine, though no further details have been announced at this time.
The manga tells the story of a drab saleswoman named Kinue, assigned to the futon section of a department store. Despite her lack of fashion sense, she suddenly gets transferred to the women's clothing department, forcing her to change her lifestyle.
 
The manga was adapted as a one-episode drama special last September, which starred Karina as Kinue and Hitomi Kuroki as her boss. It is not yet known if the new series will involve the same cast.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Liar Game" sequel dated for November
Thu, August 13, 2009 (10:57am EDT)
On Thursday, a press conference was held to announce details about the planned "LIAR GAME" sequel. It was first mentioned in April that the popular drama series was getting a second season and feature-length film.
 
Based on a manga by Shinobu Kaitani, "LIAR GAME" originally aired in 2007. Erika Toda starred as an honest young woman who gets involved in a high-stakes game of deception, aided by an expert swindler (Shota Matsuda).
 
The sequel will continue from the first season, with the main cast returning, including Michiko Kichise, Kosuke Suzuki, and Ikkei Watanabe. In the drama, the players will face off in four games and a semifinal round, while the final game will take place in the movie, titled "LIAR GAME: The Final Stage."
Yasutaka Nakata (of capsule) will once again be handling the show's music.
Fuji TV will start airing the drama in November, and the movie will open in theaters in February 2010.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post time 7-7-2009 05:33 PM
