Ryuhei Matsuda takes on first lead drama role in "Douki"
Sun, December 19, 2010 (7:57am EST)
Ryuhei Matsuda (27) has finally been given a lead role in a television drama, after having starred in more than a dozen films during his 12-year careeer. He will play a policeman in WOWOW's drama special "Douki," adapted from a novel by popular writer Bin Konno (55).

Matsuda plays a cop searching for a former colleague (Hirofumi Arai), who joined the police force at the same time but was suddenly given a disciplinary dismissal and is now suspected of being a serial killer.

The screenplay is being written by Yuichi Fukuda ("Tokyo DOGS," "33-pun Tantei") and directed by Yu Irie ("SR: Saitama Rappers"). The supporting cast includes Naoto Takenaka and Chiaki Kuriyama.

"Douki" is scheduled for broadcast on February 20, 2011.
Source: Sports Hochi

Eiji Okuda, Kengo Kora star in drama special "Beat"
Mon, December 20, 2010 (8:37pm EST)
Actor and filmmaker Eiji Okuda (60) will direct and star in a drama special called "Beat" next year. He has previously directed four films, including the award-winning 2006 movie "A Long Walk" ("Nagai Sanpo"), but this will be his first time in charge of a television drama.

"Beat" is based on a novel of the same name by author Bin Konno, first published in 2000. Okuda plays a police detective investigating a bank accounting fraud and a subsequent murder. When his own rebellious son, played by Kengo Kora (23), emerges as a suspect, the case threatens to tear apart their family's bonds.

Naoto Ogata (43) and Erina Mizuno (17) have also been cast.

WOWOW will broadcast the drama on February 13, 2011.
Source: Sports Hochi

Hiroshi Tamaki stars in new adaptation of Seicho Matsumoto's "Suna no Utsuwa"
Mon, December 20, 2010 (8:11pm EST)
Seicho Matsumoto's suspenseful masterpiece "Suna no Utsuwa" ("Castle of Sand") is being adapted as a television drama again, this time starring actor Hiroshi Tamaki (30). The novel was adapted to film in 1974 (starring Tetsuro Tamba) and has been dramatized for television four times already, but this will be the first one told from the perspective of the character Hiroshi Yoshimura.

"Suna no Utsuwa" is the story of a veteran detective named Eitaro Imanishi and a tenacious young detective named Hiroshi Yoshimura, who are assigned to solve a murder case. While the previous adaptations have primarily focused on Imanishi, this new version will have Yoshimura as the central character, played by Tamaki.

The drama is planned to be broadcast on TV Asahi as a two-episode mini-series, airing on consecutive nights next spring.
Source: Sports Hochi

Wakana Sakai, Seiran Kobayashi play mother and daughter in "Inu no Merry"
Wed, December 22, 2010 (10:44pm EST)
Actress Wakana Sakai (30) is starring in a BeeTV mobile drama series called "Inu no Merry ~ Shiawase wo Hakobu Denshoken." Her co-star is child actress Seiran Kobayashi (6), who recently played Yuko Takeuchi's daughter in the TV series "Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku."

Sakai plays Machiko, a single mother who is unable to live with her daughter Yuki (Kobayashi) due to financial reasons. Yuki, who is staying in a child welfare institution, rescues a stray dog (a Shiba Inu) and gives it a home with her and the other children at the institution. As a way of repaying her, the dog takes on the task of carrying a letter from Yuki to her mother.

The supporting cast includes Hideko Hara (51), Reina Asami (27), and Hana Kino (62).

BeeTV will begin distributing the series on February 20, with new episodes planned every Tuesday. The series will last a total of 12 episodes, each about 10 minutes in length.
Source: Mantan Web

Hiroki Narimiya portrays Yutaka Ozaki in biographical drama
Thu, January 6, 2011 (6:52pm EST)
The life of singer-songwriter Yutaka Ozaki is being dramatized for television for the first time. Hiroki Narimiya (28) will play the role of Ozaki as part of a special drama and documentary project by digital broadcasting station BS Japan.

To commemorate BS Japan's 10th anniversary, the station is producing a mini-drama, tentatively titled "Kaze no Shonen ~ Ozaki Yutaka Eien no Densetsu." The show will be a portrayal of Ozaki's life, using an original screenplay based on a book by Akira Sudo, who was Ozaki's producer.

Ozaki made his debut as a singer in 1983 and became one of Japan's most popular artists, responsible for hits such as "I LOVE YOU," "Sotsugyou," and the posthumous "OH MY LITTLE GIRL." In 1992, the nation was shocked when Ozaki was found dead, at the young age of 26.

The drama will cover Ozaki's life from the age of 16, when he first met Sudo through an artist audition. The show is expected to air on TV Tokyo in late March.

In addition to the drama, BS Japan is producing a documentary program, which will include some footage of Ozaki that has never been released to the public before. That documentary will air on BS Japan on February 12.
Source: Oricon

Hidetaka Yoshioka handles transplants in medical miniseries
Sat, January 8, 2011 (10:11pm EST)
Actor Hidetaka Yoshioka (40) is set to star in a drama series for the first time since "Dr. Koto Shinryojo" in 2006. He will lead a 5-episode series titled "CO: Ishoku Coordinator," starting on March 27 on WOWOW (Sundays, 10:00pm).

The show is a medical drama about an organ transplant coordinator, dealing with the heart transplant of a 6-year-old boy. The subject of transplants garnered widespread attention last July when Japan revised its organ donation laws, allowing organs of a brain-dead person, regardless of age, to be donated with the consent of family members even without the person's prior consent.

Other cast members include Yusuke Santamaria, Yoshino Kimura, Yumi Aso, Go Riju, Kisuke Iida, Akiko Yada, Machiko Ono, Takeo Nakahara, Haruka Kinami, Yuka Itaya, Kosuke Toyohara, Mitsuru Hirata, and Isao Hashizume.

Takehiko Hata ("Dragon Zakura," "Tentai Kansoku") wrote the screenplay. Jiro Shono is directing, and Naoki Sato is in charge of the soundtrack. Filming has already finished.
Source: Sports Hochi

Oh Hidetaka Yoshioka! Hasn't seen him in anything for quite some time. I'll look forward to this!
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Katsumi Takahashi, Masami Nagasawa star in drama special
Thu, January 13, 2011 (6:33pm EST)
Katsumi Takahashi (49) and Masami Nagasawa (23) will co-star as father and daughter in a Fuji TV drama special this April. The show is tentatively titled "Tare Yori mo Kimi wo Aisu."

Set in Shizuoka, the show is a comedy about the owner of an unagi shop (Takahashi) whose daughter (Nagasawa) comes back home with her child, and their attempt to rebuild their bond as family. The screenplay was written by Yuki Fujimoto ("Chiritotechin"), based on a classic rakugo story.

Takahashi and Nagasawa have actually played father and daughter before in commercials, but this will be their first time doing so in a drama. Their supporting cast includes Shota Shunputei (51), a rakugo storyteller from Shizuoka.
Source: Sankei Sports

NHK's 85th Asadora to be based on life of fashion designer Ayako Koshino
Thu, January 13, 2011
On Thursday, NHK announced the subject and title of its 85th Asadora (morning drama) series, scheduled to begin airing this fall. The show will be titled "Carnation," based on the life of fashion designer Ayako Koshino.

Koshino was born in 1913 during the Taisho era and passed away in 2006 at the age of 92. During her lifetime, she was a successful fashion designer in Japan, and she single-handedly raised three daughters who became internationally famous designers: Hiroko, Junko, and Michiko.

The drama's heroine, based on Koshino, will be named Itoko Ohara. Auditions for the role will take place this month and next month, and the results will be revealed shortly after that.

The screenplay is being written by Aya Watanabe ("Joze to Tora to Sakanatachi," "Tennen Kokekko").

Filming is expected to start in mid-May. A total of 157 episodes are planned, running from September 26, 2011, to March 31, 2012.

Maki Horikita stars in drama based on Masashi Sada song
Sun, January 16, 2011 (6:55pm EST)
Maki Horikita (22) has been chosen to star in an upcoming Fuji TV drama special, tentatively titled "Kakashi." The drama is based on the 1977 song of the same name by Masashi Sada.

This is the third time in recent years that one of Sada's works has been adapted to television. In 2008, his novel "Bizan" was made into a drama starring Takako Tokiwa (after already being made into a movie with Nanako Matsushima). In 2009, his song "Oyaji no Ichiban Nagai Hi" also became a drama, starring Masami Nagasawa.

The original song "Kakashi" tells of a family whose daughter has left home to live far away in the city. For the drama, producers decided to model the characters after a family of udon makers from the Goto Islands, who were the subject of a documentary program that previously aired on Fuji TV.

Horikita plays the role of Chizuru Saeki, the second daughter of the family. After graduating from high school, she leaves the family's home in the Goto Islands to pursue a career as a photographer in Tokyo. While working as an assistant, she ends up involved in some trouble, and after becoming tired of life in Tokyo she returns home after three years.

The parents of the family will be played by Ken Matsudaira and Jun Fubuki. Sousuke Takaoka and Shuga Nakamura will play Chizuru's brothers, while Noriko Nakagoshi and Karen Miyama will play her sisters. Sada himself will make a guest appearance as the manager of a small bookshop.

"Kakashi" was filmed in early October last year. Fuji TV plans to broadcast the special sometime this March.
Source: Oricon

Takuya Kimura to star in TBS's "Nankyoku Tairiku"
Tue, January 18, 2011 (7:45pm EST)
Broadcaster TBS has announced that SMAP's Takuya Kimura (38) will star in a new drama series next fall, tentatively titled "Nankyoku Tairiku ~Kami no Ryouiki ni Idonda Otoko to Inu no Monogatari~." The show is being produced in commemoration of TBS's 60th anniversary, and it is said that it will have the biggest budget of any TBS drama series in history.

The series will focus on Japan's first Antarctic research expedition team, which consisted of 11 members and 19 Sakhalin Huskies. The team stayed at the Showa Base in Antarctica for over a year until 1958 when a second team came to take over, but extreme weather conditions forced the teams to completely retreat from the base, unfortunately leaving behind 15 of the Huskies. When one of the dog handlers returned in 1959 with a third team, it was discovered that two of the dogs, Taro and Jiro, had somehow managed to survive.

That expedition team was also the subject of the 1983 film "Nankyoku Monogatari," starring Ken Takakura (79). That movie earned approximately 11 billion yen, making it the second highest grossing live-action Japanese film in history after "Odoru Daisousasen: The Movie 2."

The drama will not be a remake of the film. Instead, it will be an original script inspired by the book "Nankyoku Ettoutai Taro Jiro no Shinjitsu" by Taiichi Kitamura.

Kimura plays the researcher Takeshi Kuramochi, the vice-leader of the team. His rival, the head weather observer Himuro, will be played by Masato Sakai (37). Teruyuki Kagawa (45) is playing the team leader, while Kyohei Shibata (59) is playing the overall person in charge of the expedition. Other team members will be played by Yusuke Yamamoto (23), Susumu Terajima (47), and Naoto Ogata (43).

Filming will start in February and last more than half a year. Scenes will be shot in Hokkaido, though TBS is also considering doing some filming in Antarctica. The series will begin airing in October in the Sunday 9:00pm time slot.
Source: Sankei Sports

^ How will Kimutaku keep his hair perfectly coiffed in those sub-zero temperatures?

Mana Ashida becomes youngest drama star ever in "Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien"
Sun, January 30, 2011 (6:49pm EST)
Child actress Mana Ashida (6) will star in an NTV drama special titled "Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien" this March, making her the youngest lead ever in Japanese television drama history. The show will reunite the staff behind last year's series "Mother" that made Ashida famous.

Directed by Nobuo Mizuta and written by Yuji Sakamoto, "Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien" revolves around five young children who attend the same kindergarten. One day, they decide on their own to embark on a trip to an unfamiliar place, in order to achieve a specific goal.

The drama's title is taken from a school graduation song that has become common throughout Japan in the last several years. The song will be used in the show's final climactic scene.

The drama will be aired in a 2-hour, 15-minute time slot around the end of March.
Source: Oricon

Michiko Kichise returns for second season of "Hagane no Onna"
Sun, January 30, 2011 (7:19pm EST)
The 2010 drama series "Hagane no Onna" is getting a sequel this spring. Michiko Kichise (35) will reprise her role as the "steely woman" Ineko Haga, who became the teacher of a particularly troublesome fourth-grade class, following a string of teachers who were unable to handle the job.

The original series, based on a manga by Kahoru Fukaya, was Kichise's first starring role in a television series. The show aired from May to July last year in TV Asahi's Friday 11:15pm time slot and averaged ratings of 10.3%. This time, the show is being moved into prime time, on Thursday nights at 9:00pm, starting in April. With only 9 months separating the two seasons, this is the fastest sequel ever for a TV Asahi drama.

The new series will apparently focus on a theme of discrimination, starting with the issue of nationality in the first episode. Problems arise in the classroom when a young girl transfers into the class, but she becomes the target of hostility because her parents are illegal immigrants from the Philippines. Some of the scenes for the episode are being shot in that country.

Nozomi Ohashi (11) and the other students will return in their roles from the first season. Katsumi Takahashi (49) is joining the cast as the school's new principal, while Takumi Saito (29) plays a problematic teacher and Ainosuke Kataoka (38) plays a psychiatric counselor.
Source: Sankei Sports

Takashi Sorimachi plays loving father in "Good Life"
Tue, February 1, 2011 (5:46pm EST)
Actor Takashi Sorimachi (37) is starring in his first drama series in three years. This time, he will take on the role of a father in "Good Life ~Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara~," based on a successful South Korean novel. Nana Eikura (22), Haruka Igawa (34), and Tsuyoshi Ihara (47) have also been cast.

The basis for the drama is the novel "Kashikogi" by author Cho Chang-in, which has sold 2 million copies in Korea since its publication in 2000. It has already been adapted as a television drama and a stage play in that country. On February 4, Shogakukan is publishing the book in Japan under the title "Good Life."

Sorimachi plays the part of Daichi Sawamoto, a newspaper reporter who has always prioritized his work over his family. When his wife suddenly leaves him, he finally notices the love he has been receiving from his son. Just as he decides to answer back, it is discovered that his son has leukemia.

Igawa plays Sawamoto's wife, Eikura plays a pediatrics specialist, and Ihara plays a doctor. The part of the son is currently in the final stages of casting.

Kansai TV and Fuji TV are producing the drama. On Fuji TV's network, the show will be aired on Tuesdays at 10:00pm, beginning this April.
Source: Oricon

Takanori Nishikawa stars in "Okusama wa 18-sai" live-action remake
Sat, February 5, 2011 (12:54am EST)
The shoujo manga series "Okusama wa 18-sai" is getting another television drama adaptation, this time starring 40-year-old musician and actor Takanori Nishikawa (also known as T.M.Revolution). His co-star will be young actress Natsuna Watanabe (21).

The original manga was written by Miyoko Motomura in 1969-1970, and it was turned into a successful drama series from September 1970 to September 1971 with Tetsuo Ishidate and Yuko Okazaki as the leads. The comedic story tells of a Japanese language teacher who is secretly married to one of his high school students.

The new remake is Nishikawa's first time starring in a television series. His co-star Watanabe, who shortened her stage name to just Natsuna a couple years ago, recently gained some attention for her nude role in the first live-action "GANTZ" movie.

A total of four episodes are planned. The first half-hour episode will air on satellite channel Fuji TV TWO on March 27 at 10:00pm. The remaining episodes have not yet been scheduled for broadcast.
Source: Natalie

Emi Takei stars in "Asukou March!" live-action series
Mon, February 7, 2011 (7:49pm EST)
Fashion model and actress Emi Takei (17) has been given her first starring role in a television drama series, with a show tentatively titled "Asukou March!" The drama is a live-action adaptation of Kaori Akiyama's manga "Asukou March! ~Kenritsu Asuka Kougyou Koukou Koushinkyoku~," which currently runs in Shueisha's magazine YOU.

Takei plays Nao Yoshino, a girl who fails the entrance exams of her target high school. She winds up enrolling in a technical high school called Kenritsu Asuka Kougyou Koukou, also known by the nickname "Asukou." Out of the 148 entering freshmen, only three are girls, and Nao is the only one in her class.

The supporting cast for the show has not yet been revealed. The series will start in April, in TV Asahi's Sunday 11:00pm time slot.

Takei has been a model for SEVENTEEN since 2006. As an actress, she has appeared in a handful of dramas, including the currently airing "Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta" on Fuji TV.
Source: Mantan Web





Yutaka Mizutani and Ran Ito's daughter makes acting debut
Mon, February 7, 2011 (8:14pm EST)
The daughter of actor Yutaka Mizutani (58) and actress Ran Ito (56) will be making her debut in show business with a couple of dramas. The 20-year-old Shuri has been cast in "3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei Final" (TBS) and "Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien" (NTV), both set to air in late March.

"3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei Final" is the last episode of the long-lasting "3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei" series, starring Tetsuya Takeda (61) as a junior high school teacher. It was just announced last week that Hey! Say! JUMP member Keito Okamoto (17) will be playing one of the main students. Shuri has also been cast as one of the students, having passed the audition despite being five years older than the character she plays.

"Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien" is a drama special that was revealed in January, which has child actress Mana Ashida (6) as the youngest lead ever in a Japanese drama. Shuri will play a nurse, affectionately loved by the students at the kindergarten where the story takes place.

Shuri grew up learning classical ballet from a young age. During her time as a student at an international school in Tokyo, she also went abroad to study ballet in England. She had originally aimed to become an internationally active ballerina, but an injury led her to give up that dream. She said that she developed an interest in acting as a result of watching her parents' dramas and television appearances when she was younger.
Source: Sankei Sports

Shingo Katori to star in next "Getsu 9" drama with Meisa Kuroki, Naohito Fujiki
Tue, February 8, 2011 (5:41pm EST)
SMAP's Shingo Katori (34) will star in Fuji TV's next Monday night drama series, it has been learned. The currently untitled series will have Katori playing a marriage agency advisor who prides himself on bringing together countless couples, with his motto of "the man who sells happiness." Meisa Kuroki (22) and Naohito Fujiki (38) have also been cast.

The screenplay is said to be an original love story. Kuroki plays one of Katori's clients, though she is "too beautiful" - the agency's advisors are not used to finding a match for someone like her. Although Katori begins to fall for her, he puts his effort into trying to set her up with the rich and handsome lawyer played by Fujiki.

This is Katori's fourth time starring in one of Fuji TV's "Getsu 9" dramas (Mondays 9:00pm). For Kuroki, this will be her first appearance in that time slot.

The series is scheduled to premiere in April.
Source: Sankei Sports

"Gene Waltz" sequel "Madonna Verde" gets drama adaptation
Sat, February 12, 2011 (11:58pm EST)
Takeru Kaido's novel "Madonna Verde" is being turned into a drama series this spring on NHK, starring Keiko Matsuzaka (58) and Ryoko Kuninaka (31). Kaido is well known for several other medical-themed novels that have received live-action adaptations, including "Team Batista no Eikou" and "Gene Waltz."

Kaido published "Madonna Verde" in 2008 as a sequel to "Gene Waltz," continuing the story around the controversial issue of surrogate pregnancy in Japan. Kuninaka plays the doctor Rie Sonezaki, known as the "Cool Witch" by her colleagues in the obstetrics department. The character was previously played by Miho Kanno (33) in the movie version of "Gene Waltz."

In "Madonna Verde," Rie and her husband (played by comedian Jin Katagiri) want to have a child, but Rie lost her uterus due to an earlier illness. She decides to ask her own mother Midori (Matsuzaka) to be the surrogate mother, and the three of them proceed with their plan in secret. However, a man named Maruyama (Kyozo Nagatsuka), who is in love with Midori, finds out about their plan. Later, a professor at Rie's university hospital (Hirotaro Honda) receives an accusatory letter, and Midori and Rie are desperately forced to pretend that the child in Midori's womb is her own.

NHK plans to premiere the drama this April.
Source: Mantan Web

Yui Ichikawa stars in drama "Muscle Girl!" with FTIsland vocalist Lee Hong Ki
Sun, February 13, 2011 (7:04pm EST)
Actress Yui Ichikawa (25) has been chosen to star in the TBS drama series "Muscle Girl!" this spring. Her co-star will be FTIsland vocalist Lee Hong Ki (20), making his first appearance in a Japanese drama.

Ichikawa plays the part of Azusa, the only child of the owner of a small female pro wrestling organization. After her father dies of illness, she has to take over the business, which is already losing money and is on the verge of shutting down. To make things worse, their referee suddenly disappears on the day of one of their shows, leaving behind only a resignation letter. The desperate Azusa then runs into a young Korean man (Lee). She persuades him to serve as a referee just for that day, though she doesn't realize he is actually a popular star in Korea.

While the show will be about Azusa's struggle to turn the organization around, it is said that there will also be an element of romance between the two leads.

The wrestling scenes will be done with the help of two female pro wrestling groups, JWP and Ice Ribbon.

FTIsland will be providing the show's theme song, though the title is currently unknown. The show will run for 10 episodes in a late-night time slot, starting in April.
Source: Mantan Web