Yukie Nakama, Rei Dan face off in winter drama series
Tue, August 31, 2010 (7:39pm EDT)
The stars of one of Fuji TV's drama series this coming winter have already been announced. Although the show does not yet have a title, it will be led by Yukie Nakama (30) and Rei Dan (39), apparently working together for the first time. Filming already started on August 30.

The show portrays a suspenseful battle between two women. Nakama takes on the role of a mysterious "wicked woman," while Dan plays a housewife of a happy home. After the two meet, their peaceful lives become a complicated mess of both friendship and jealousy.

The series begins in January and will air in Fuji TV's Tuesday 10:00pm time slot.
Source: Sankei Sports

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Tomohiro Ichikawa to star in "Clone Baby"
Tue, August 31, 2010 (7:25pm EDT)
This fall, TBS is creating a new 30-minute time slot for dramas on Friday nights at 12:20am, called "Friday Break." The first series in that slot is tentatively titled "Clone Baby" and will star 18-year-old actor Tomohiro Ichikawa. This will be his first starring role in a drama series.

The show, which revolves around human cloning, is described as a suspense and mystery story set in a metaphorical game of "musical chairs," involving elements such as psychological warfare.

Of the nine main cast members, six were chosen through audition: Ichikawa, Tori Matsuzaka, Yukari Taki, Kento Yamazaki, Daisuke Kikuta, and Yu Inaba. The other three main cast members are Akiko Kikuchi, Honoka Miki, and Tetsuya Makita.

"Clone Baby" will premiere in October.
Source: Sankei Sports

Keigo Higashino's "Himitsu" adapted to drama
Wed, September 1, 2010 (8:15pm EDT)
The Keigo Higashino novel "Himitsu" ("The Secret") is being turned into a live-action drama series this fall, starring Mirai Shida (17) and Kuranosuke Sasaki (42). The show will air in TV Asahi's Friday 11:15pm time slot, starting in October.

Published in 1998, "Himitsu" was nominated for the Naoki Prize and the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize, while winning the Mystery Writers of Japan Prize. In 1999, director Yojiro Takita adapted it as a movie, starring Ryoko Hirosue (30) and Kaoru Kobayashi (58). The story involves a married couple, where the wife dies but her spirit ends up inside the couple's daughter.

Naturally, Shida is playing the role of the daughter and Sasaki is playing the father. Hikari Ishida (38) has been cast as the mother. Other cast members include Yuika Motokariya (22), Tantan Hayashi (21), Satoshi Hashimoto (44), Shoko Ikezu (40), Takeshi Masu (54), Ryo Ryusei (17), Keiko Horiuchi (39), and Mitsuru Fukikoshi (45).
Source: Oricon

Downtown's Hama-chan tackles law in new drama series
Wed, September 8, 2010 (6:19pm EDT)
Comedian Masatoshi Hamada (47), better known as "Hama-chan" of the duo Downtown, is going to star in his first drama series 2001. He will play a public prosecutor in "Kenji Onijima Heihachiro," set to start this October on TV Asahi.

In the drama, Hamada plays the titular Heihachiro Onijima, a 44-year-old man who becomes a public prosecutor due to an incident 6 years earlier, where his older sister committed suicide after being caught up in a political scandal. The unyielding Onijima fights to uphold his views of what is right as he takes on Japan's legal system.

The female lead, an elite public prosecutor who is the polar opposite of Onijima, will be played by actress Yuki Uchida (34).

"Kenji Onijima Heihachiro" will air on Friday nights at 9:00pm.
Source: Sankei Sports

xploring wrote:

The female lead, an elite public prosecutor who is the polar opposite of Onijima, will be played by actress Yuki Uchida (34).

That should pique Geezer's interest.

xploring wrote:

Downtown's Hama-chan tackles law in new drama series

I wonder if Matsumoto will get a cameo and get conked on the head.

Saki Aibu, Manami Higa co-star in volleyball drama
Mon, September 20, 2010 (1:37pm EDT)
Saki Aibu and Manami Higa will co-star in a TBS drama special titled "Ashita mo Mata Ikite Ikou." The drama will depict the friendship between volleyball players Saori Kimura and Yumika Yokoyama. In April 2008, Yokoyama passed away at the age of 21 due to a rare form of cancer.

Kimura and Yokoyama will be played by Aibu and Higa, respectively. The two athletes were one year apart at the same high school, and they were said to have been as close as sisters. Yokoyama's death occurred just one month before Kimura and the rest of Japan's national team competed in the preliminaries for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The drama is based on Yokoyama's writings, which were later published as a book by the title "Ashita mo Mata Ikite Ikou." The story begins during their time in high school, when the highly talented Kimura was selected for the national team and the promising Yokoyama was diagnosed with cancer.

To play the parts, Aibu and Higa received volleyball training under the guidance of former national team member Mari Ochiai.

"Ashita mo Mata Ikite Ikou" will air on October 25, just a few days before Japan's national women's tournament begins.

^ Hmm, another tragic story turned into a drama...

Goro Inagaki plays Aya Ueto's brother in "Nagareboshi"
Thu, September 23, 2010 (6:51pm EDT)
SMAP member Goro Inagaki has been cast in the upcoming Fuji TV drama series "Nagareboshi," which stars Yutaka Takenouchi and Aya Ueto.

The series, announced last month, has Ueto playing a young woman working in the sex trade in order to pay off her brother's debt. It is now known that Inagaki will play the cruel brother, who is willing to ruin his sister's happiness for the sake of money. However, the character is also said to have a timid side.

"Nagareboshi" airs on Monday nights at 9:00pm, starting on October 18.

Tatsuya Fujiwara becomes "25-year-old grandfather"
Thu, September 23, 2010 (8:05pm EDT)
Actor Tatsuya Fujiwara (28) is taking on his first role in a TV comedy series, titled "Ojiichan wa 25 Sai." The show is being directed by Yasuo Baba, whose past works include the films "Watashi wo Ski Ni Tsuretette" and "Bubble e Go!! Time Machine wa Drum Shiki."

Fujiwara stars as a man who was in an accident on a snowy mountain 46 years ago. His frozen body is discovered in the present day, and despite being actually 71 years old, he has the appearance and personality of a 25-year-old. He also learns that at his old home in Oshiage, Tokyo, his son (played by Katsumi Takahashi) is now 52 years old and is raising two children of his own - a 25-year-old son (Shunsuke Daito) and a 20-year-old daughter (Kana Kurashina).

Naturally, Fujiwara's character knows nothing about the past 46 years, so things such as mobile phones and concepts such as hikikomori are completely new to him.

The series will have a short run on TBS, starting on November 15 and ending on November 25. For those two weeks, it will air on Mondays through Thursdays at 11:50pm, for a total of 8 half-hour episodes.
Source: Sponichi Annex

Fujiwara Tatsuya back in a drama! But why so short?
_________________

xploring wrote:

Fujiwara stars as a man who was in an accident on a snowy mountain 46 years ago. His frozen body is discovered in the present day, and despite being actually 71 years old, he has the appearance and personality of a 25-year-old. He also learns that at his old home in Oshiage, Tokyo, his son (played by Katsumi Takahashi) is now 52 years old and is raising two children of his own - a 25-year-old son (Shunsuke Daito) and a 20-year-old daughter (Kana Kurashina).

Hey! It's a remake of hibernatus!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBGlbgzSos0

Hiroshi Tachi stars in NHK jidaigeki dramas
Sat, September 25, 2010 (2:21am EDT)
Actor Hiroshi Tachi has landed two lead roles in NHK historical dramas. The first will be a special aired on January 1, titled "Onmitsu Hichou," followed by a related series called "Onmitsu Happyakuyacho" that starts a week later on January 8.

For Tachi, these will be his first appearances in a jidaigeki television drama since the 2006 taiga drama "Komyo ga Tsuji." It is also his first time as the star of a drama on New Year's Day.

In "Onmitsu Hichou," Tachi plays the samurai Kamiya Shozaemon, ordered to uncover the truth behind an incident known as the "Ninjo Jiken," which later led to the downfall of Tanuma Okitsugu, a senior counselor of the Tokugawa shogunate. "Onmitsu Happyakuyacho" is set 34 years later, and there Tachi plays Shozaemon's son Matajuro.

Filming for both works started on September 18. Tachi's supporting cast includes Kiyotaka Nanbara, Cunning Takeyama, Tatsuomi Hamada, Maki Mizuno, Keiko Matsuzaka, Norihito Kaneko, Takashi Sasano, and Masahiko Tsugawa.

The "Onmitsu Happyakuyacho" series is scheduled for Saturday nights at 7:30pm.

Looks like they're milking the old "Double Kitchen" scenario again:

Michiko Hada, Yoko Nogiwa co-star in daytime drama
Tue, September 28, 2010 (11:14am EDT)
Michiko Hada and Yoko Nogiwa are co-starring in an upcoming daytime drama series on Fuji TV. Titled "Hanayome Noren," the show is another take on the bride-versus-mother-in-law setup.

Set in a long-standing Japanese inn, Hada plays the modern woman who finds herself at odds with the traditional culture of her mother-in-law (Nogiwa). For Hada, this is her first time appearing in a daytime drama. On the other hand, this role gives Nogiwa the record of oldest heroine ever in that Fuji TV time slot (weekdays 1:30pm).

"Hanayome Noren" premieres on November 1.

gaijinmark wrote:

Looks like they're milking the old "Double Kitchen" scenario again: Michiko Hada, Yoko Nogiwa co-star in daytime drama Tue, September 28, 2010 (11:14am EDT) Michiko Hada and Yoko Nogiwa are co-starring in an upcoming daytime drama series on Fuji TV. Titled "Hanayome Noren," the show is another take on the bride-versus-mother-in-law setup. Set in a long-standing Japanese inn, Hada plays the modern woman who finds herself at odds with the traditional culture of her mother-in-law (Nogiwa). For Hada, this is her first time appearing in a daytime drama. On the other hand, this role gives Nogiwa the record of oldest heroine ever in that Fuji TV time slot (weekdays 1:30pm). "Hanayome Noren" premieres on November 1.

Groan.

Nogiwa has played the bitter, old-fashioned mother-in-law so often that it's almost become a caricature...

As a twist, they should have Nogiwa as the modern mother-in-law.

The new drama season seems exciting - thank god there's also easy-to-identfy-as-cliche stuff like the Double Kitchen drama, the Fukada show or the Volley Ball series. Otherwise I would spend the next three month watching TV.

I wasn't going to but I will check out Keizoku SPEC just because of these excellent trailers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggMi5T1sooA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAQfPBAx2iI

(and because of Kase Ryo )

Kou Shibasaki joins Yuji Oda in "Amalfi" drama
Thu, September 30, 2010 (5:32pm EDT)
It was reported in August that Fuji TV has green-lit a television sequel to the 2009 movie "Amalfi: Megami no Hoshu," which starred actor Yuji Oda. More details have now been released, including the casting of Kou Shibasaki as the female lead.

The drama series, titled "Gaikoukan Kuroda Kosaku," will bring Oda back as the diplomat Kosaku Kuroda, who now has to take on matters such as domestic terrorism as well as international affairs. Settings include San Francisco, Mexico, and Japan, with part of the series planned to be filmed overseas. Kuroda's backstory will also be covered.

Shibasaki will play the part of a police detective who works with Kuroda. She previously acted on-screen with Oda in the 2006 movie "Kenchou no Hoshi" (also known as "Star Reformer").

Filming has just started, even though the series will not start until January 2011 in the Thursday 10:00pm time slot. Teruyuki Kagawa, Kaho, and Tamiyo Kusakari have also been cast.

gaijinmark wrote:

Kou Shibasaki joins Yuji Oda in "Amalfi" drama Thu, September 30, 2010 (5:32pm EDT) It was reported in August that Fuji TV has green-lit a television sequel to the 2009 movie "Amalfi: Megami no Hoshu," which starred actor Yuji Oda. More details have now been released, including the casting of Kou Shibasaki as the female lead. The drama series, titled "Gaikoukan Kuroda Kosaku," will bring Oda back as the diplomat Kosaku Kuroda, who now has to take on matters such as domestic terrorism as well as international affairs. Settings include San Francisco, Mexico, and Japan, with part of the series planned to be filmed overseas. Kuroda's backstory will also be covered.

Nice

The movie wasn't bad. First part was excellent second part fell into a US blockbuster wannabe style ending.

Ayane Nagabuchi plays heroine in "Coyote, Umi e"
Sat, October 2, 2010 (12:05pm EDT)
Actress Ayane Nagabuchi (22) has been given the heroine role in the upcoming drama special "Coyote, Umi e," which stars actor Kento Hayashi (19). Details of the drama were initially revealed last month.

"Coyote, Umi e" is a collaboration between musician Motoharu Sano and director Yukihiko Tsutsumi. Hayashi plays a young man who travels to New York searching for the secret behind the sudden disappearance of his father (Shiro Sano). Nagabuchi will play an energetic half-Japanese woman whom he happens to meet there.

Nagabuchi is the daughter of singer Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi (54) and former actress Etsuko Shihomi (54). She started her acting career with Kiyoshi Sasabe's 2008 movie "Sanbongi Nougyou Koukou, Bajutsubu," which earned her the Best Newcomer prize in the 33rd Hochi Film Awards.

Filming already took place in New York this past February. WOWOW will broadcast the drama on January 3, 2011.
Source: Sports Hochi

Yukie Nakama stars in suspense drama "Mesen"
Sun, October 3, 2010 (8:28pm EDT)
Yukie Nakama (30) will star in a true suspense drama special this December in Fuji TV's "Kinyo Prestige" time slot (Friday 9:00pm-10:52pm). Titled "Mesen," the story is based on a novel published last year by writer Setsuko Amano.

Nakama plays the daughter of a construction company president. She works as an illustrator, but due to an accident during her childhood, she has been using a wheelchair almost her whole life. One day, her father suddenly commits suicide, and one by one the other members of the family fall victim to a string of mysterious murders. Nakama's character begins her search for the killer, uncovering the clever tricks used in the murders and the unexpected culprit's sorrowful motive.

The supporting cast includes Koji Yamamoto (33), Takashi Ukaji (48), and Kitaro (62). Fuji TV has not yet announced a specific broadcast date.
Source: Sankei Sports

Masato Sakai stars as doctor in "Saigo no Ikaiho"
Mon, October 11, 2010 (8:38pm EDT)
Masato Sakai (36) will star in an NTV drama special titled "Nise Isha to Yobarete: Saigo no Ikaiho," scheduled to air this winter. The story is based on the life of Zensho Miyazato (89), a "substitute doctor" who served the people of Okinawa for roughly 60 years.

After World War II, only about 60 doctors were left in war-torn Okinawa. As a result of the shortage, the occupying U.S. forces established a special "ikaiho" ("substitute doctor") system in 1951, authorizing former Japanese soldiers who had served as medics to practice medicine on the Okinawa Islands. Miyazato was one of 126 ikaiho who qualified. He served as the only doctor in his area, becoming a hero to the local people. In 2008, he retired at the age of 87 due to poor hearing.

In the drama, Sakai will play an ikaiho modeled after Miyazato. Shinobu Terajima (37) will play his wife, making this their first appearance together in a TV drama. The two will play the roles from their 30s to their 80s, requiring special makeup to achieve the effect of aging. Filming has already started in the village of Nakijin.

Other cast members include Machiko Ono (28). Masahiro Kunimoto is directing, while Kazuhiko Yukawa ("Joou no Kyoushitsu," "GTO") is in charge of the script.
Source: Sports Hochi