Machiko Ono and Yosuke Eguchi to play married couple in Asahi TV 2016 Summer drama

Ono Machiko and Eguchi Yosuke will be playing a married couple in the TV Asahi Summer 2016 drama "Hajimemashite, Aishitemasu" (How do you do? I Love You) which will begin its run from July in the Thursdays 9pm timeslot.

The drama which is written by Yukawa Kazuhiko, is based on the theme of plenary adoption where a married couple welcomes a 5-year-old boy into their family after the boy is abandoned by his parents who he had never seen before. Even though they aren't related by blood, the law allows them to be recognised as a family unit under the special adoption scheme. The drama depicts the six months when they first begin living together as a family.

Yukawa commented that despite working with Ono for the first time, he wants to bring out her talent by writing difficult scenes for her to act in. With response to this, Ono said that she is raring to go and happy to take on the challenge. In addition, as she has to play a pianist who has an internationally-renowned conductor father, Ono has been learning how to play the piano since early May. As for her first-time collaboration with Eguchi, Ono expressed excitement at working with such a respected actor she has been seeing on TV before she made her debut.

On the other hand, Eguchi who is also appearing in a Yukawa drama for the first time and has two teenage daughters with his wife Moritaka Chisato, commented that he has come to realize that a married couple's relationship gradually changes as the children grow up. As such, the family dynamics will probably change in a very different way by adopting a child who is not related by blood.

Sources: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi

Ayami Gouriki to star in TV Asahi 2016 Summer drama

Gouriki Ayame will be playing a chef for the first time in the upcoming TV Asahi Summer 2016 drama "Gurame! ~ Souri no Ryoriban ~" (Gurame! The Prime Minister's Cook) which will begin its run from July in the Fridays 11.15pm timeslot. The drama which is based on the popular manga titled "Gurame! ~ Daisaishou no Ryorinin ~" by Nishimura Mitsuru and Ozaki Mitsuru, features Gouriki as an aloof and talented chef who is the designated cook for the Prime Minister and showcases her culinary talent when the latter holds banquets for politicians and important individuals.

As Gouriki has to cook a wide range of dishes from French cuisine to B-kyuu gourmet, she is undergoing intensive training at a cooking school so as to look convincing for the part. She commented that it was great that she can also improve her own cooking skills through this training.

Co-stars include Matsuo Yukimi, the 2013 Japanese repsresentative for Miss Universe who is making her debut as an actress and plays an employee at the Prime Minister's office, Shinkawa Yua who plays a political reporter and Naito Lisa who plays the Prime Minister's daughter. Kohinata Fumio will be playing the prime minister while Takito Kenichi will be playing the Prime Minister's secretary who scouts Gouriki's character after meeting her at a ryotei.

Sources: Sanspo / Oricon

Kenichi Matsuyama and Taichi Saotome star in WOWOW drama "Futagashira 2"

Matsuyama Kenichi and Saotome Taichi will be back in the WOWOW drama "Futagashira 2" which will begin its run from September. The duo were the leads in the first series which spanned 5 episodes from June to July last year and are back in the sequel to reprise their roles as Benzo and Soji respectively who try to make it to the top of Edo this time.

Matsuyama commented that he is looking forward to acting in the new sequel which allows him to experience things unique to period dramas. He also said that the drama will showcase the cool charm of men and the womanly charm of women so it will be a must-see for viewers. As for Saotome, he is looking forward to do things that he couldn't show in the last series and wants to challenge himself in the sequel.

Source: Oricon

Wow, Aibou is really lasting the distance. There's a season 15 in autumn and it also stars Sorimachi Takashi, so yay for that!
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Tsuyoshi Ihara to star in TV Tokyo 2016 Summer drama

Ihara Tsuyoshi will be starring in the upcoming TV Tokyo Summer 2016 drama "Yassan ~ Tsukiji Hatsu! Oishii Jikenbo ~" (Yassan - the delicious case files from Tsukiji) which will be shown from July in the Fridays 8pm timeslot. This will be the last drama series to be shot on location at the 80-year-old Tsukiji Market before it moves to Toyosu in November and is Ihara's first primetime drama where he has a leading role.

Ihara plays the role of a mysterious man known as Yassan who has no money and a place to live in. However, he has a lot of knowledge about food and is discerning about food. Yassan's talents are deeply appreciated by many people at Tsukiji Market including the brokers and chefs at high-class restaurants in hotels and he ends up helping the people at the market solve various problems related to food with his buddy Takao who is also homeless like him. There will also be a "Madonna" appearing in each episode as Yassan's potential love interest.

Ihara commented that he found the drama's proposal very interesting and likens it to "Kodoku no Gurume" which also has a food theme and is very excited about being offered this role. As he owns a restaurant in real life and is good at cooking, he can identify with the storyline and its developments. In order to prepare for his role, Ihara started running and weight training to reduce his weight from 84.5kg to 76kg. He also tried to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor for three nights to experience what it felt like to be homeless.

Source: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Oricon

Akira Terao to star in TBS 2016 Summer drama

Terao Akira will be the lead in the upcoming TBS Summer 2016 drama "Aogeba Totoshi" which will be shown from July in the Sundays 9pm timeslot. This is his first appearance in a Sunday 9pm drama in 28 years and he is the eldest lead in this timeslot since its inception in 1993. The drama will be written by Izumi Yoshihiro and Hirakawa Yuichiro who worked together on "ROOKIES".

The drama which is based on a true story in 1980 at Kanagawa Prefectural Yokohama Nanryo Senior High School and its brass band and their advisor Nakazawa Tadao, features Terao as a former saxophone player Higuma Koichi who suffers from side effects due to an accident thus stopped having anything to do with music. He is then hired to manage a small brass band in a senior high school which is to be closed down and has to deal with a group of problematic students who behave violently at times and their parents also giving him a hard time because they do not want to let their children become musicians. Nonetheless, he refuses to give up on his dream of leading the band to take part in the national championship. Co-stars include Tabe Mikako who plays Higuma's daughter Natsuki, Ishizaka Koji, the principal of the senior high school who hires Higuma to be the advisor of the brass band while Mackenyu, Murakami Nijiro, Kitamura Takumi, Taiga and Sano Gaku will play students in the school.

Terao commented that he will be working with many young actors this time who are about 50 years younger than him but he is looking forward to the filming and the chemistry that will evolve between them. It was reported that Terao was selected for the role not just for his acting but also for the fact that he had won the Nippon Record Taisho before with his hit song "Ruby no Yubiwa" since he needs to play musical instruments in the drama.

Sources: Yomiuri Hochi / TBS / Sponichi / Oricon

Yo Yoshida to star in WOWOW 2016 Fall drama

Yoshida Yo will be taking on her first leading role in a drama when she stars in the upcoming WOWOW Autumn 2016 drama "Cold Case ~ Shinjitsu no Tobira" which will begin its run from October. The drama which is the Japanese version of the popular US series and the 2nd commemorative drama for WOWOW's 25th anniversary, features Yoshida as Ishikawa Sayuri, a police detective in the Kanagawa Prefectural Police who works on unresolved cases with her colleagues.

Yoshida who is celebrating her 20th anniversary since her acting debut, revealed that she accepted the offer quickly and is very thankful for the chance to act in this drama. Although she last played a police detective in the TBS drama "Ouroboros ~ Kono ai koso Seigi", this drama would be different as she has to lead the cast. As part of the preparation for this drama, she also cut her hair in layers rather than the straight cut she has been sporting all this while.

Filming is currently in progress in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Source: Sanspo

Kodoku no Gurume Special to be shown this Summer

TV Tokyo will be showing the latest instalment in the "Kodoku no Gurume" series this summer. In the SP titled "Kodoku no Gurume SP! Tohoku Miyagi Shucchou Hen", Matsushige Yutaka who plays the lead character Igashira Goro, will be going on a business trip to Miyagi City in the Tohoku region and continue his journey as a "food terrorist". (Note: Kodoku no Gurume is regarded as a food terrorist drama because it is shown late in the night and the food featured will make the viewers crave for something to eat even though the broadcast time is way too late at night for them to be eating. As such, it is "torture" to the viewers to be fighting their desire and hunger pangs while watching this drama. ^__^)

"Kodoku no Gurume" which is based on the same-titled manga by Kusumi Masayuki, has seen five seasons made to date. Of these, Season 5 got the highest average ratings and a New Year SP in Asahikawa, Hokkaido was aired this year on 1 January. In the upcoming SP, Goro will be visiting Sendai City and Onnagawa-cho and pass by Ishinomaki City and try the local delicacies. Filming has already been completed.

Matsushige commented that even though the Kodoku no Gurume series has seen many instalments to date, this is the first time that they are introducing delicious food from Tohoku and he is confident that viewers will be feeling hungry while they watch this. Especially since this is the first time he has set foot on this region since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, he was reminded of what happened because of the lingering after-effects still visible there. However, the locals have remained at their hometowns and are still producing really tasty cuisine so he hopes to see more people visiting the area after watching this SP.

Source: Dwango

Doctor X SP
July 3 2016 / 9pm


Kojiro Himuro (Kei Inoo) is a champion figure skater taking part in an upcoming world competition. Yet, he is suffering from a complicated CTEPH (chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension). Kantaro Kurosu (Takeshi Kitano) is the director of the Cross Medical Center. He asks Michiko Daimon (Ryoko Yonekura) to perform surgery on Kojiro Himuro, but, right before his surgery, Michiko Daimon is deprived of �gthe most important weapon as a surgeon.�h


Doctor X Season 4
October 2016


Michiko Daimon (Ryoko Yonekura) goes up against Shigekatsu Hiruma (Toshiyuki Nishida). Shigekatsu Hiruma is a new director for the best university hospital in Japan and also bears a deep grudge against Michiko Daimon.

Arisa Mizuki to star in NHK/BS Premium channel drama

Mizuki Arisa will be starring in the NHK / BS Premium drama "Kakuregiku" which will begin its run from 4 September in the Sundays 10pm timeslot. This marks the renewal of her current record of starring in the lead roles of drama series for 25 consecutive years.

The drama which is based on the same-titled novel by the late Renjo Mikihiko that had won the 9th Shibata Renzaburo Award in 1996, features the turbulent life of Ueshima Michiko who becomes the manager of a ryotei beside Hamano Lake in Shizuoka Prefecture after being a housewife for 17 years and had to divorce her husband of 17 years. The previous female manager of the ryotei named Kiku will be played by Matsubara Chieko while Maekawa Yasuyuki will play Michiko's ex-husband and Ogawa Tamaki will play his lover. Tsutsui Michitaka will play the president of a construction company who has feelings for Michiko.

Source: Sponichi

Hiroshi Abe & Teruyuki Kagawa to star in NHK drama

Abe Hiroshi and Kagawa Teruyuki will be working together in the new NHK drama "Sniffer Kyuukaku Sousakan" (Sniffer The investigation officer with a sense of smell) which will begin its run from 22 October in the Saturdays 10pm timeslot. The drama is based on the 2013 Ukranian drama "THE SNIFFER" which achieved the highest drama ratings in Russia within the last five years, had been shown in more than 60 countries and won many awards at various TV drama festivals overseas. The Japanese remake version will feature new cases and characters which do not appear in the original.

Abe plays the role of Hanaoka Shinichiro, a police detective nicknamed Sniffer who relies on his strong sense of smell to solve cases while Kagawa plays his buddy Komukai Tatsuro who works with him to solve strange and difficult cases. Abe commented that he is in the midst of thinking of how to project his character who relies on his nose to conduct the investigation and he hopes to make this drama as interesting as possible. Although the Japanese version is a remake, he also hopes to make it as good as, if not better than the original even though it is going to be challenging. As for Kagawa, he jokingly said that the selling point of this drama is that Abe is going to be like a police dog who has a good sense of smell and can speak words like a human being who can solve cases quickly.

Co-stars include Igawa Haruka who plays Suenaga Yuki, an otolaryngologist who is secretly in love with Hanaoka, Itaya Yuka who plays Katayama Emi, Hanaoka's ex-wife and Yoshiyuki Kazuko who plays Komukai's mother and is an original character in the Japanese version. There will be guest stars in each episode.

Filming begins from the end of July to October in the Kanto area.

Source: Oricon

Masahiro Matsuoka to star in TV Asahi 2016 Fall drama

TOKIO's Matsuoka Masahiro will be taking on the lead role in the TV Asahi Autumn 2016 drama "Kaseifu no Mitazono" (Male Housekeeper Mitazono) which will begin its run from October in the Fridays 11.15pm timeslot. He plays the role of a super housekeeper named Mitazono Kaoru who belongs to a housekeeper agency and can handle all types of housework and cook well. While working at the families he is dispatched to, Mitazono comes to know their secrets and problems. He sets out to destroy their interpersonal relationships so that their families can be rebuilt after the issues are resolved. In the drama, there will also be useful housework tips introduced which will be of help to viewers.

The popular "Kaseifu wa mita" series by TV Asahi had featured Ichihara Etsuko (1983 to 2008) and Yonekura Ryoko (from 2014) while Matsushima Nanako's 2011 NTV drama "Kaseifu no Mita" achieved high ratings. With regard to that, Matsuoka said that he wouldn't let the preceding dramas' success weigh him down and will do his best as the dark housekeeper Mitazono. He also commented that this will be a refreshing experience and is looking forward to the start of the filming from early September.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Sponichi / Oricon

gaijinmark wrote:

Masahiro Matsuoka to star in TV Asahi 2016 Fall drama TOKIO's Matsuoka Masahiro will be taking on the lead role in the TV Asahi Autumn 2016 drama "Kaseifu no Mitazono" (Male Housekeeper Mitazono) which will begin its run from October in the Fridays 11.15pm timeslot. He plays the role of a super housekeeper named Mitazono Kaoru who belongs to a housekeeper agency and can handle all types of housework and cook well. While working at the families he is dispatched to, Mitazono comes to know their secrets and problems. He sets out to destroy their interpersonal relationships so that their families can be rebuilt after the issues are resolved. In the drama, there will also be useful housework tips introduced which will be of help to viewers. The popular "Kaseifu wa mita" series by TV Asahi had featured Ichihara Etsuko (1983 to 2008) and Yonekura Ryoko (from 2014) while Matsushima Nanako's 2011 NTV drama "Kaseifu no Mita" achieved high ratings. With regard to that, Matsuoka said that he wouldn't let the preceding dramas' success weigh him down and will do his best as the dark housekeeper Mitazono. He also commented that this will be a refreshing experience and is looking forward to the start of the filming from early September. Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Sponichi / Oricon

He can cook? i love JDramas 2016 it's why all about foods! lol

i also like Masahiro, i remember saw him on some dramas like one with Mikako Tabe

Eiichi Funakoshi to star in NTV 2016 Fall drama

Funakoshi Eiichiro will be starring in the upcoming Yomiuri TV & NTV Autumn 2016 drama "Kuroi Juunin no Onna" (Ten dark women) which will begin its run from 29 September in the Thursdays 11.59pm timeslot. The drama's concept was based on the same-titled 1961 movie directed by Ichikawa Kon and will be re-written by comedian Baka Rhythm. Funakoshi will "inherit" the leading role of Kaze Shokichi from his father Funakoshi Eiji who took on the same role in the movie. The drama depicts how Kaze who is a married drama producer with a beautiful wife, continues to play the field and gets into a messy web of relationships with various women who engage in a battle for his affection.

Narumi Riko plays the role of Kanda Kumi who works as a receptionist at the TV station and is Shokichi's 9th lover who has been seeing him for half a year. One day, she receives a call from an unfamiliar number and is called out to meet Yukino Kayo (Mizuno Miki) who is a stage actress and has been Shokichi's lover for 8 years. Through the conversion between Kayo and Yagami Miwa (Sato Hitomi), Kumi finds out another shocking truth and a big secret about Aiba Shino (Triendl Reina) who is selected to be part of the cast for Shokichi's new drama. Due to the jealousy enveloping Shokichi's wife and 9 lovers, they start to toy with the idea that Shokichi should be better off dead thus leading the situation to head for an unexpected development.

Source: Oricon

Tasuku Emoto to star in TBS 2016 Fall drama

Emoto Tasuku will be starring in the TBS Autumn 2016 late night drama "Kokku Keibu no Bansankai" (Police inspector Cook's dinner party) which will begin its run from October in the Wednesdays 12.10am timeslot. He plays the role of Kokku Hoshimitsu, a police detective who has the cooking skills of a professional chef and invites suspects to dinner where he tries to uncover the culprits for the cases he is investigating. Kokku feels strongly about how murder suspects can get away scot-free and continue eating their favourite foods so he recreates the food that the victims had eaten so as to help him find clues in seeking the real culprits.

Kojima Ruriko will be playing a newbie police detactive Nanase Azumi who works together with Kokku. This will be her first appearance in a drama. In addition, Kokku's rival Nekota Norio will be played by Enari Kazuki while Fuji Mariko will play the director of the criminal investigation department and thinks highly of him.

As this is Emoto's first leading role in a drama, he said that he didn't think he would ever play the leading role so he is quite uneasy and worried although he's also eagerly anticipating this. He also thinks that it will be a fun experience working with people he had never met before such as Kojima, Enari and Fuji. As for Kojima, she commented that she's feeling 85% worried and 15% excited about her drama debut and had aspired to be a police detective at one time. She hopes that she will be able to enjoy the filming experience 100% by the end. Enari revealed that he's been a fan of Emoto and hopes to put in his all with his co-stars and crew for this drama.

Source: Eiga.com

Aoi Morikawa to star in NHK premium drama

Morikawa Aoi will be starring in the new NHK BS Premium drama "Princess Maison" which will be shown in the Tuesdays 11.15pm timeslot from 25 October. The drama which consists of 8 episodes, features Morikawa as a 26-year-old woman who earns JPY 2.5 million annually and aims to buy a high-rise apartment of her own. This will be Morikawa's first leading role in a NHK drama.

"Princess Maison" is based on the same-titled manga by Ikebe Aoi which is published on Shogakukan's free manga site "Yawaraka Spirits" and features Morikawa as the heroine Numagoe Sachi who aspires to live in a high-rise apartment in Tokyo and will go to visit the gallery of new high-rise apartments on her off-days. While surrounded by couples and families at the galleries, Sachi is serious about the viewings and asks in-depth questions to the staff who finds her mysterious. The drama will reveal why Sachi wants to buy her own apartment and is bent on getting a high-rise one in Tokyo.

In this era where the rate of single Japanese women in their 20s is more than 60 percent and the average marriage age for women is 29.2 years old, the percentage of single women in their twenties is a mere 12.7% as most women tend to do so at an average age of 36.8 years old. While working in an izakaya and with no plans to get married, Sachi wants to get her own home which is reflective of the current trend.

Morikawa commented that when she was asked what is the biggest thing she must face up to, she cited a house since she is living alone and that's the most important thing which will support her. In addition, as buying a house is usually the biggest purchase in a person's life, she hopes to be able to learn how to live with other people around her and form meaningful connections with them rather than just pick up knowledge on how to buy a house through the filming of this drama.

Sources: Sponichi / My Navi / Oricon

Aoi Nakamura to star in TV Tokyo 2016 Fall drama
Nakamura Aoi will be starring in the TV Tokyo Autumn 2016 drama "Sennyuu Sousa Idol Deka Dance" (Undercover investigation idol Police Detective Dance) which will begin its run from 8 October in the Saturdays 12.20am timeslot. This will be Nakamura's first leading role in a TV Tokyo drama since 2014's "Nazo no Tenkousei".

The comedy features an idol group named Deka Dance which consists of undercover police detectives who hide their identities to become idols and solve cases which happen in showbiz. Nakamura plays the role of a newbie police detective named Tatsuya Sumire who is assigned to join the group and tries his best to be an idol star while wearing flashy costumes and being part of a group with a funny name. Nakamura commented that he is looking forward to sparks between him and his co-stars during the filming and will aim to be a national idol during the drama's broadcast period.

Sources: Yomiuri Hochi / Oricon

Takanori Iwata to star in TBS Fall 2016 drama

Iwata Takanori who is a member of both EXILE and Sandaime J Soul Brothers, will be making his first appearance in a TBS drama through the upcoming Autumn 2016 drama "Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin" which will begin its run from October in the Fridays 10pm timeslot. The suspense drama which features Kanno Miho as the heroine Takano Aki, describes how she tries to protect her family from her strange neighbour Sasaki Yumiko (Matsushima Nanako) as she struggles with class differences and harassment after moving into a new high-rise condominium complex. Iwata plays the role of a gymnastics coach Ubukata Kohei who is a childhood friend of Aki and happens to teach her daughter Sora at the children's class so the two are reunited after a long time. In actual fact, Aki and Kohei both came from the same town and she was his first love. While seeing how tired and stressed Aki has become after moving house, he tries to provide support to her but has a hidden side which is unknown to her.

Iwata commented that it will be a very stimulating experience to be able to work with his seniors in acting like Kanno and Matsushima so he is eager to learn from them and feels honoured about being allowed to take part in this drama. As for his character Kohei, Iwata described him as a cheerful young man but has a traumatic experience due to a setback suffered in the past so he hopes to be able to show the delicate and hidden side of Kohei in this drama.

Source: Oricon

Takasu Emoto to star in NHK drama Special

Emoto Tasuku will be starring in the new NHK drama SP "Scrap and Build" which will be shown at 9pm on 17 December. The drama which is based on the same-titled Akutagawa Award-winning novel by Hada Keisuke, features Emoto as the leading character Kento who is a 28-year-old unemployed young man who sees no hope in his future. He used to work in a company but quit because he didn't like the work and is studying hard now to pass the administrative scrivener exam while trying to find another job. However, he has no luck in securing a new job. Meanwhile, Kento lives with his mother and his 87-year-old grandfather who needs to be taken care of. Despite not suffering from any illness and is relatively healthy for his age, Kento's grandfather has mobility problems and keeps saying that he's better off dead. Although Kento is fed up with his grandfather's lamenting, he suddenly comes to realise that he has never paid attention to his grandfather's feelings and that actually stems from his own unwillingness and selfishness to treat other people sincerely.

While grappling with this newfound realisation, Kento confides in his friend Daisuke who works in the welfare industry where the latter suggests that the welfare workers should not go beyond their means to care for those who need help as it can make the patients to lose the will to move and cause the deterioration of their mind and body. Kento resolves to help his grandfather by knowing when to stop so that he will be able to face impending death in a peaceful manner. During the tug-of-war between them, Kento finds out about a huge secret which leads the situation to head for an unexpected ending.

Filming began at the end of August and will wrap up in Osaka by November. Co-stars include Yamashita Rio, Asaka Kodai, Akimoto Sayaka, Asaji Yoko and Yamaya Hatsuo.

Sources: Sponichi / Oricon
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Toshiaki Karasawa and Masataka Kubota return in NTV Fall drama "THE LAST COP/Last Cop"

Karasawa Toshiaki and Kubota Masataka will be back in the NTV Autumn 2016 drama "THE LAST COP / Last Cop" which will begin its run from 8 October in the Saturdays 9pm timeslot. Before the start of the drama, "episode 0" will be shown at 9pm on 3rd, 10th and 17th September. The series began as a drama SP in June last year and was the first private network series to be shown on Hulu for six consecutive weeks.

During the open filming recently, Karasawa held a surprise birthday celebration by bringing a birthday cake and present for Kubota who turns 28 on 6 September. When asked what present he had got for Kubota, Karasawa grinned and said that it was a secret while Kubota commented that he will be looking forward to opening the present later. Karasawa added jokingly that it is a present which only men will know the meaning. Kubota expressed his appreciation for the celebration and will work hard in return for the kind gesture.

The drama describes how Karasawa's character Kyogoku Kosuke, a police detective during the Showa era who wakes up from his 30-year coma, teams up with his Heisei era colleague Mochizuki Ryota to solve cases. As it's been a long time since they met up, Kubota commented that it was not difficult to get back into the groove of things since the cast and crew are about the same as one year ago.

"episode 0" is a recap of how Kyogoku and Mochizuki became buddies and what had happened so far in addition to new revelations and a surprise announcement. Kubota commented that compared to when the drama was shown on Hulu, they will have to spend more time and energy on the filming this time so they will try their best to eat nutritious food and put up a good performance. Although the drama is heavy on the comedy aspect, the story's serious aspect is also highly valued so it is important to strike a balance between the two. In response to Kubota's comments, Karasawa praised him for being so good with words despite his young age and joked that he can't remember when he was first able to speak in such a comprehensive manner since he only thought about how to do his work.

Source: Oricon