Tsuyoshi Kusanagi stars in "Fuyu no Sakura"

SMAP's Tsuyoshi Kusanagi is set to star in a new TBS drama series this winter, titled "Fuyu no Sakura." The heroine role will be played by Miki Imai, who has not appeared in a drama series since she starred in "Brand" in 2000.

"Fuyu no Sakura" is described as a pure love story with similarities to the popular Korean drama "Winter Sonata" (titled "Fuyu no Sonata" in Japan). Kusanagi plays a gentle glass craftsman in Yamagata who has no experience in love. Imai plays an older housewife with a husband and daughter who goes on a trip alone to Yamagata, hoping to see sakura trees blooming in winter. She gets into an accident, but is saved by Kusanagi. He ends up tending to her, and the two are soon drawn to each other.

Takeru Sato will play Kusanagi's brother, who left Yamagata and coincidentally worked as a trainee doctor at the hospital run by Imai's husband, played by Masanobu Takashima. Rosa Kato will play Sato's girlfriend.

"Fuyu no Sakura" will start in January, airing on Sunday nights at 9:00pm.

Oricon�fs most anticipated fall drama?
Posted by HPriest on October - 11 - 2010

Oricon once again ordered a survey to find out about the most anticipated drama of the upcoming season. This fall we will see the return of the highly popular "Aibou" series as well as the third season of the suspense medical drama "Iryu", but there will be tough competition with several new and original stories lead by big names. Shinohara Ryoko will make her return as a drama starring actress in "Ogon no Buta". Kanno Miho and Tamaki Hiroshi will team up for "Guilty" and Oguri Shun will turn into a veterinarian for "Jyuui Dolittle" co-starring Inoue Mao.

There is still more to look forward to. Fuji TV's Monday dramas always aimed for the drama crown, but recently their stories failed to deliver that certain unique element. This season they will put their hope on Takenouchi Yutaka and Ueto Aya. The drama "Freeter" starring Ninomiya Kazunari, Karina and veteran actress Asano Atsuko seems to have all the ingredients to become a hit as well. Other interesting dramas such as "SPEC" (Kase Ryo, Toda Erika), "Himitsu" (Shida Mirai, Sasaki Kuranosuke) and "Reinoryokusha" (Ishihara Satomi, Tanihara Shosuke) might have it more difficult with the average drama viewers in Japan, but they all still have the potential of becoming a hit. The young cast of "Q10" (Sato Takeru, Maeda Atsuko) will probably get a lot of fans as well and a lot of women are going to be interested in the story of "Second Virgin" starring Suzuki Kyoka and Fukada Kyoko.

Anyway, this fall most people seem to be anticipating the continuation of the story about our favorite medical dragons lead by Sakaguchi Kenji in "Iryu 3". Arashi's Ninomiya Kazunari can be happy as well, because his new drama "Freeter" made it on the 2nd place, followed by 9th season of the "Aibou" series.

Here is the top 10:

01 – Iryu 3 10/14 Sakaguchi Kenji, Inamori Izumi�c
02 – Freeter, Ie wo Kau 10/19 Ninomiya Kazunari, Karina�c
03 – Aibou Season 9 10/20 Mizutani Yutaka, Oikawa Mitsuhiro�c
04 – Ogon no Buta 10/20 Shinohara Ryoko, Okada Masaki�c
05 – Q10 10/16 Sato Takeru, Maeda Atsuki�c
06 – Guilty 10/12 Kanno Miho, Tamaki Hiroshi�c
07 – SPEC 10/08 Toda Erika, Kase Ryo�c
08 – Nagareboshi 10/18 Takenouchi Yutaka, Ueto Aya�c
09 – Jyuui Dolittle 10/17 Oguri Shun, Narimiya Hiroki, Inoue Mao�c
10 – Himitsu 10/15 Shida Mirai, Sasaki Kuranosuke�c

Source: http://www.kawaii-joyuu.com/2010/10/11/oricons-most-anticipated-fall-drama/

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. 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.

NICE!!!
i love the movie!! i am so looking forward to see more of Oda Yuji's action in this upcoming drama!!
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EXFAMILY forever!

....am trying out all the whole line-up this season.

Nasake no Onna ~ Kokuzeikyoku Sasatsukan and Ogon no Buta ~ Kaikei Kensachou Tokubetsu Chousaka seemed unwittingly similar.


Perfect Report carries a deja vu plot. Funny, it seems that only women journalists are noble and capable.

SPEC and Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso had the worst storylines.Period.

Juui Doolittle tells me pet owners are unreasonable animals.

Yamikin Ushijima-kun - manga favourite

Himitsu - kind of bizarre. I wonder how do you hug your wife who is in the body of your daughter? But I like the cast.

Facemaker - I think there was a Korean version on this.

Mori no Asagao and Hei no Naka no Chuugakkou ----i hope they don't look too similar.

Marks no Yama seems really good though. Well WOWOW's production have always been good.
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Keiko Kitagawa stars as criminal profiler in "LADY"
Fri, November 5, 2010 (7:56pm EDT)
Keiko Kitagawa (24) is set to star in a new drama series on TBS, which will be her first time as the sole lead in a prime time show. The drama is tentatively titled "LADY ~Saigo no Profiling~" and will feature Kitagawa as a former FBI agent.

"LADY" focuses on a team of profilers in the CPS, a fictional police division that deals with analyzing criminal behavior. Kitagawa plays the part of Shoko, a gifted profiler who returns to Japan after working with the FBI in the United States. Her character is described as a "crime maniac," as she is overly knowledgeable about past crimes, while also being unskilled in matters of romance.

Tae Kimura (39) will play the chief profiler in the CPS, and other profilers will be played by Yuta Hiraoka (26), Jun Kaname (29), and Risa Sudo (34). Yusuke Santamaria (39) has been cast as a police detective, while Yukiyoshi Ozawa (36) plays another detective who is always at odds with the CPS.

As this is a new kind of role for Kitagawa, she has reportedly been preparing by watching the American drama "Criminal Minds" and reading books on profiling.

Each episode is said to be one complete case. The show will air on Fridays at 10:00pm, starting in January 2011.
Source: Sports Hochi |

Nao Matsushita stars in Fuji TV detective drama
Sun, November 7, 2010 (5:28pm EST)
Nao Matsushita (25) will star in a new drama series on Fuji TV this winter, which will be her first lead role on one of the commercial networks. The series is not yet titled, but it will have her playing the part of a police detective.

Matsushita has had a few starring roles in dramas on the public network NHK, including the recent "Gegege no Nyoubou." That series tremendously boosted her popularity, to the point that she was chosen as one of the hosts for this year's Kohaku Uta Gassen.

In her new drama, she will play a quick-acting detective, who forms a strange combination with a level-headed but eccentric psychology professor, played by Naohito Fujiki (38). His skills at behavioral analysis are the key to successfully solving the cases and tracking down the criminals. Kanjani8's Yu Yokoyama (29) will play another detective who helps Matsushita, though he also has feelings for her that he is unable to confess.

Fuji TV will air the series on Tuesdays at 10:00pm, starting in January.
Source: Sankei Sports

^ Nao has become quite popular as of late.

Jav_sol wrote:

^ Nao has become quite popular as of late.

All thanks to Gegege no Nyobo.
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Kanjani8's 18th single, "365 Nichi Kazoku" out June 8th, 2011!

colorbar credits to nannandesuka@LJ

Saki Fukuda, Yuya Matsushita co-star in "Quartet"
Thu, November 11, 2010 (8:01pm EST)
Actress Saki Fukuda (20) has been chosen to lead a drama series on TBS and MBS titled "Quartet." The drama is based on a hardboiled crime/action story by author Arimasa Osawa, who wrote the popular "Shinjuku Shark" novel series.

Fukuda will be taking on a role unlike her previous characters. She plays the part of Shun, a descendant of a "zanryu-koji" (a Japanese orphan left behind in China at the end of World War II). Now living as an illegal resident in the fictional city of Midori, she is one of three young people helping police in undercover investigations. Fukuda will be wearing a full-body tattoo for this serious action drama, which includes heavy topics such as bootlegs drugs being tested on people, and people treating others as slaves. Fukuda is also learning some Chinese for the part.

Fukuda's co-star is singer and actor Yuya Matsushita (20), who will play the rough and reckless Takeru. Although he has acted in a few films and stage productions, this is his first appearance in a television drama. He has also been tapped to provide the show's theme song "paradise," which involves producer Kiyoshi Matsuo and songwriter Jin Nakamura.

TBS and MBS will broadcast "Quartet" in a late-night time slot, starting in January.
Source: Oricon

Karina turns from hostess to teacher in "Misaki No. 1!!" drama
Tue, November 16, 2010 (7:25pm EST)
Actress Karina (26) will star in the NTV drama series "Misaki No. 1!!," adapted from Masato Fujisaki's manga of the same name. The show is being produced by the same team behind the hit series "Gokusen."

"Misaki No. 1!!" tells the story of Misaki Tennoji (Karina), the number-one hostess of a club in Roppongi. The "mama" of the club suddenly asks her to become a teacher for "only three months" at an elite high school, but her class consists only of troublemakers and problematic students.

The drama will air on Wednesdays at 10:00pm, beginning this January.
Source: Anime News Network |

Katsunori Takahashi stars as villainous cop in "Akutou"
Tue, November 16, 2010 (8:08pm EST)
TV Asahi has announced that Katsunori Takahashi (45) will star in a new drama series titled "Akutou: Juuhanzai Sousahan," scheduled for Friday nights at 9:00pm. Takahashi plays a police detective who is described as the "most powerful antihero ever."

The "akutou" ("villain") in the show's title refers to a fictional group of detectives on the Yokohama police force who will stop at nothing to close a case, even if it means committing blackmail, using violence, and deceiving their superiors. Takahashi plays Togashi, the leader of that group.

Togashi's associates include Kosuke Suzuki (35), Hiroyuki Hirayama (33), and Rina Uchiyama (29) as the sole female of the team. Kotaro Koizumi (32), Tomio Umezawa (60), and Hiroaki Murakami (53) have also been cast on the show.

"Akutou" premieres in January. S.R.S performs the show's ending theme song "Real Lie," while Korean girl group 4minute is providing a currently untitled tune for the show's opening theme. This is 4minute's first song for a Japanese drama.
Source: Mantan Web

^ The premise sounds sort of like the American series The Shield.

xploring wrote:

"Misaki No. 1!!" tells the story of Misaki Tennoji (Karina), the number-one hostess of a club in Roppongi. The "mama" of the club suddenly asks her to become a teacher for "only three months" at an elite high school, but her class consists only of troublemakers and problematic students.

What an innovative, ground-breaking idea for a drama. Has never been done before.

Yosuke Asari gets starring role in wheelchair rugby drama
Sat, November 20, 2010 (9:48pm EST)
Actor Yosuke Asari (23) has been given his first starring role in a television series, titled "Hitori Janai." Up until now, he has had supporting roles in dozens of dramas, including both seasons of "Code Blue."

In "Hitori Janai," Asari plays Shohei, a university student who is partially paralyzed in a motorbike accident. After falling into despair about his condition, he is introduced to the sport of wheelchair rugby, helping him regain his self-confidence. Yoko Moriguchi (44) plays a housewife who has lost her will to live. Her character meets Shohei through a blog.

To prepare for the role, Asari trained twice a week in August at the National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, located in Tokorozawa, Saitama. He also practiced with players from the national wheelchair rugby team.

BS Fuji produced the drama to commemorate its 10th anniversary. The network will broadcast the 6-episode series on Saturday nights at 8:00pm, starting on January 8.
Source: Sankei Sports

Mikako Tabe stars in "Deka Wanko" drama
Mon, November 22, 2010 (9:44pm EST)
Actress Mikako Tabe (21) has been chosen to star in the live-action "Deka Wanko" drama series, which was first announced at the end of August. This will be Tabe's first lead role in a series on a commercial broadcaster.

"Deka Wanko" is originally a manga by "Gokusen" creator Kozueko Morimoto. The comedic series revolves around a rookie detective named Ichiko Hanamori (played by Tabe), whose exceptional dog-like sense of smell is used to solve difficult cases, in addition to earning her the nickname of "Deka Wanko."

One of the highlights of the show will be Tabe's various costumes, which include the Gothic Lolita dress seen in a promotional poster for the show.

Ikki Sawamura (43) plays an older detective, and NEWS member Yuya Tegoshi (23) plays another detective on the force. NTV will broadcast the series on Saturdays at 9:00pm, beginning in January.
Source: Oricon



"Team Batista 2" drama gets special episode in January
Mon, November 22, 2010 (12:18pm EST)
The drama series "Team Batista 2: General Rouge no Gaisen" is coming back to television for a special episode at the start of next year. Atsushi Ito (26) and Toru Nakamura (45) will once again play the leads as a doctor and a ministry official investigating a hospital incident.

The "Team Batista" drama franchise stems from a series of novels by medical mystery author Takeru Kaido, which were also adapted into two films starring Yuko Takeuchi and Hiroshi Abe. The television version began with the series "Team Batista no Eikou" in 2008, followed by a special episode in 2009 based on "Nightingale no Chinmoku." The second series "Team Batista 2: General Rouge no Gaisen" aired from April to June of this year.

The new special episode will be a sequel to the second series. Fuji TV plans to air it on January 2.
Source: Oricon

Kana Uemura's "Toilet no Kamisama" being turned into drama
Sun, November 28, 2010 (7:19pm EST)
Kana Uemura's song "Toilet no Kamisama" will be turned into a 2-hour drama special on TBS, it has been learned. The song, which is nearly 10 minutes in length, tells of Uemura's relationship with her grandmother, from her childhood to her grandmother's death. The song has been a major hit this year, earning Uemura multiple awards, as well as invitations to several year-end music shows, including NHK's upcoming Kohaku Uta Gassen.

Kie Kitano (19) has been chosen to play the part of the protagonist Kana, and Shima Iwashita (69) will play the grandmother. Mana Ashida (6) will play the childhood version of Kana. Also appearing in the drama are Yui Natsukawa as Kana's mother and Nenji Kobayashi as Kana's grandfather.

The "Toilet no Kamisama" will air across the country on TBS and MBS's network on January 5.
Source: Mantan Web

The song's truly everywhere now!
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"Necchu Jidai" returns 30 years later, starring Ryuta Sato
Thu, December 2, 2010 (7:38pm EST)
The 1970s drama series "Necchu Jidai" is being revived, this time as a special episode. The show, planned for broadcast in 2011, will star Ryuta Sato (30) and Nao Matsushita (25).

The original "Necchu Jidai" was a school drama starring a much younger Yutaka Mizutani (58) as a humble, passionate teacher named Kodai Kitano, who became one of the most popular teacher characters of that generation. The first season aired for 26 episodes from October 1978 to March 1979, and the finale achieved ratings of 46.7%.

The new special episode will be set 30 years after that series. Sato plays Daichi Nagumo, a selfless former student of Kodai Kitano who followed in his footsteps and became a teacher of a 3rd-grade class. His character is described as being slightly different from the teacher role he played in the popular series "ROOKIES." Matsushita will also be playing a teacher in the drama.

NTV has not set a broadcast date for the episode yet. Still, the network is already considering the possibility of turning it into a full-length series, depending on the audience response to the special episode.
Source: Sports Hochi

Life of artist Taro Okamoto turned into TV drama
Sun, December 5, 2010 (8:04pm EST)
The life of the late avant-garde artist Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) will be dramatized on television for the first time. Actor Suzuki Matsuo (47) will play the part of Okamoto, with Takako Tokiwa (38) co-starring as his adopted daughter Toshiko.

NHK will broadcast the drama next year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Okamoto's birth. The show will be titled "TARO no Tou," a reference to one of his most famous works, the Taiyou no Tou (Tower of the Sun), used as the symbol of the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka.

During the '80s, Okamoto became known for popularizing phrases such as "Art is explosion!" and "Art is magic!" After passing away in 1996 at the age of 84, his hometown of Kawasaki built the memorial Taro Okamoto Museum of Art.

The "TARO no Tou" drama will consist of 4 episodes airing on Saturdays, starting on February 26, which would have been Okamoto's 100th birthday. The screenplay is written by Sumio Omori ("Fuurinkazan"). Shooting will begin soon, with plans to film in Paris for about a week.
Source: Oricon





Satoshi Tokushige gets starring role in "Dr. Irabu Ichiro"
Thu, December 9, 2010 (7:20pm EST)
Actor Satoshi Tokushige (32) has been given his first starring role in a drama series. The show is titled "Dr. Irabu Ichiro" and will be aired on TV Asahi starting next month.

The series will focus on Ichiro Irabu, a character who appears in Hideo Okuda's Naoki Prize-winning novel "Kuchu Buranko." Irabu is an eccentric psychiatrist with a penchant for giving injections and unusual treatments for his patients' problems. In a 2005 drama special based on "Kuchu Buranko," the character was played by Hiroshi Abe.

Tokushige's supporting cast will feature Kimiko Yo (54) as a nurse, and gravure idol Mikie Hara (23) as Irabu's ex-wife who married him for money.

Although he is relatively unknown, Tokushige has been in show business for ten years. In 2000, he won an audition that was searching for the "21st century's Yujiro Ishihara," topping a field of 52,000 applicants.

"Dr. Irabu Ichiro" will air on Sundays at 11:00pm, starting on January 30.
Source: Sankei Sports