gaijinmark wrote:

'Legal High' special to air in April On January 31, Fuji TV announced that the lawyer comedy drama �eLegal High�e – starring Sakai Masato – will be returning with a special episode on April 13.

I watched 'Legal High' and it was okay but I didn't think it was all that great. Anyway, so more info about the special:

Ryoko Hirosue and Nana Eikura to appear in 'Legal High' special

Actresses Eikura Nana and Hirosue Ryoko will make a guest appearance on Fuji TV�fs special episode of �gLegal High,�h which will be broadcast on April 13.

Broadcast as a serial drama last April, this special episode of the comedic law drama will reunite actor Sakai Masato, who plays the role of a genius lawyer protagonist, and Aragaki Yui, who plays the hot-blooded and stubborn rookie lawyer heroine.

The theme of the special episode will be bullying in middle school. It will focus on the proceedings between the protagonist, who will represent a bullied student, and the school�fs lawyer (played by Kitaouji Kinya), who will try to protect the school�fs reputation. Eikura will play the hot-blooded teacher who holds the important key to the bullying problem, while Hirosue will play the cool presiding judge who hands down the verdict during the climax of the episode.

Source: Sanspo

Takashi Tsukamoto to star in new drama


It was announced that actor Tsukamoto Takashi will star in a new WOWOW drama �gHaitatsu Saretai Watashitachi.�h

The drama is written by scenario writer Isshiki Nobuyuki (�gWatashi wo Ski ni Tsuretette�h), based on his personal experience in overcoming depression. It will be a human comedy that depicts meeting, parting, and revival with love and humor.

Tsukamoto will play the protagonist, a 32-year-old man �hSawano�h, who loses his job while suffering from depression, and his relationship with his wife and 6-year-old son is not going smoothly either. One day, at a ruin he visits in order to commit suicide, he finds 7 letters which were abandoned 7 years ago. He decides to deliver those letters, making it as the countdown of his life, and gradually, he starts discovering the importance of lives.

His co-stars will include Kuriyama Chiaki and Hasegawa Kyoko. Kuriyama will play a hairdresser who was abandoned by her mother when she was little. She will be the one who Sawano first delivers one of the letters to. Reportedly, there will be a love scene between Kuriyama and Tsukamoto. Meanwhile, Hasegawa will play Sawano�fs wife.

This will mark Tsukamoto�fs first starring serial drama in about 5 years since his last one, �gKansa Hojin�h (NHK: June, 2008).

WOWOW drama �gHaitatsu Saretai Watashitachi�h will start airing on May 12th (total 5 episodes).

Source: Sanspo

'Legal High' to return for a second season

A special episode of Fuji TV�fs lawyer comedy drama �eLegal High�e – starring Sakai Masato – aired this past weekend. At the end of the special, the producers revealed that the drama would return for a full second season this fall.

In the drama, Sakai portrays an eccentric lawyer named �eKomikado Kensuke�f who has never lost a lawsuit in his career and boasts that justice can be bought by money. However, during the first season he gradually realized that this kind of justice isn�ft what he really wants. He remembered what it feels like to fight for real justice and to never give up.

The overly serious rookie lawyer �eMayuzumi Machiko�f (Aragaki Yui), who ended up working as Komikado�fs assistant despite his despicable personality, was the person who helped him remember those feelings. She learned a lot about what it takes to win lawsuits while dealing with his antics.

Both actors will be back to reprise their roles in the second season. There will be plenty of guest stars for each of the new cases similar to the first season.

Fuji TV is going to start airing �eLegal High 2�� in October of this year.

Source: Mantan-Web

"Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji" to be back with 5th installment this summer

The 5th installment under the hit "Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji" series will be shown from July onwards in the Tuesdays 9pm timeslot on FujiTV where Matsushima Nanako will be the sole lead and play her role of emergency doctor Kojima Kaede again. Besides showing the issues facing doctors, the drama will also feature Kojima's problems as a 39-year-old woman.

In the latest installment, Kojima sets up a new team under her after she becomes the director of the Minato National University's affiliated hospital's emergency room department. Her team will come face-to-face with new types of problems such as juvenile crime, organ transplant and crimes in the city which are common in the society of today. Joining her will be Tokito Saburo who plays the role of Natsume Mamoru who is an expert in organ transplants and Sasaki Kuranosuke who plays Honjou Masaharu, a ER doctor who keeps clashing with Kojima on everything.

The theme song will be sung by DREAMS COME TRUE just like the previous four seasons and is written specially for the new drama.

Source: Sanspo

http://doramaworld.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/kyuumei-byoutou-24-ji-to-be-back-with.html

Mitani Koki to film another single-cut drama starring Takeuchi Yuko
by HPriest on April 19, 2013 at 12:39 am


On April 14th, WOWOW announced that famed director Mitani Koki is working on another drama that will be filmed in one scene without a single cut titled �eDaikuko 2013 (tentative)�f (lit. �eMajor Airport�f).

�eDaikuko 2013�� is written by Mitani himself and is going to be a comedy about a family that gets stuck at an airport due to bad weather and the multiple problems they face there. WOWOW already aired a similar drama project of Mitani titled �fshort cut�f in 2011. It was a very short scale project with a main cast of only three actors, but this time the story is set an airport and will feature an ensemble of 12 actors, including actress Takeuchi Yuko as the protagonist.

Mitani commented about this project, �gI wanted to do something even more difficult than last time. This time we are indoors and we�fll get to film at an actual airport, which means more space we can make use of. Furthermore there will be twelve people instead of three this time as well. As for the story, I�fm aiming for much more depth and more complex, intertwining relationships between the characters. I think this could make a great drama.�h

Takeuchi is playing a member of the groundcrew who gets dragged into the problems of the family. Other characters include Namase Katsuhisa as a reportage writer with money problems, Toda Erika as a mysterious woman, Odagiri Joe as a fake pilot, and Kagawa Teruyuki as the father of the family who holds a big secret. They will be supported by more actors such as Ikematsu Sosuke, Kajihara Zen, Aoki Sayaka, Ishibashi Anna, Ayata Toshiki, Komoto Masahiro, and Kanno Misuzu. All twelve of them will have to show great teamwork and professionalism in order to film the whole drama without having to stop the camera even once.

Mitani expressed about his lead actress Takeuchi, �gFrom the time we already had together before I can tell that Takeuchi has an amazing power of concentration. I think she is an incredible actress who can seamlessly cover up various accidents and make her role even more interesting by doing so.�h He continued, �gHer character will be present all the time, which makes it the most difficult role of this drama. I thought that there would be no one else than Takeuchi who could play such a role. It sure will be a tough challenge, but I already know the more I corner her, the more she would shine, so I will try to drive her into a corner as much as I can.�h

Takeuchi herself commented about starring in one of Mitani�fs works, �gIt feels like the encounters of unfamiliarity (laughs). Right now I�fm feeling like I�fm going up a roller coaster. You�fre gradually reaching the top and�c you wonder what kind of scene is going to open up in front of you.�h She confessed, �gI can�ft really imagine how this is going to work out yet. (laughs) I�fve never participated in something similar, so I don�ft know how he is going to film it. However, I do know that I will try my hardest to keep up with him.�h She added, �gMitani said that he is going to drive me into a corner. I wonder what I�fm like when I�fm driven into a corner, so I�fm really looking forward to this.�h

WOWOW has yet to reveal an exact date for the broadcast of �eDaikuko 2013��, but it�fs going to be sometime this year.

Source: Mantan-Web
Image: MyNaviNews

Hirosue Ryoko to star in summer 2013 "Star Man ~ Kono Hoshi no Koi"

Hirosue Ryoko will take on her first drama leading role in 17 years through her appearance in the FujiTV summer 2013 drama "Star Man ~ Kono Hoshi no Koi" which begins its run in July in the Tuesdays 10pm timeslot. She plays the role of a 32-year-old single mother by the name of Sawako who has to raise three sons and falls in love at first sight with a 25-year-old man played by Fukushi Souta, who Sawako finds lying on the roadside and on the verge of death. The drama will be directed by Tsutsumi Yukihiko who is known for his famous dramas such as "Keizoku" and "TRICK" while the script will be written by Okada Yoshikazu who is famous for his dramas such as "Saigo kara nibanme no koi" and "Nakuna, Hara-chan".

As Hirosue is also a mother of two boys who are 9 years old and 2 years old, she can identify with the struggles Sawako face especially when the latter try to get her kids ready for school in the morning. She also praised her co-star Fukushi for being good-looking enough for her to fall for at first sight. As for Fukushi, he commented that he saw Hirosue on TV when he was a kid so he feels amazed that he can actually work with her this time. Co-stars of this drama include Koike Eiko and Kansai Johnny Jrs Onishi Ryusei who plays Sawako's eldest son.

Source: Sanspo

http://doramaworld.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/hirosue-ryoko-to-star-in-summer-2013.html

Nakama Yukie to star in drama adaptation of "Jinsei ga tokimeku Katazuke no Mahou"

Nakama Yukie will be starring in the drama SP adaptation of bestseller book "Jinsei ga tokimeku Katazuke no Mahou" (The magic of tidying up which makes your life prosper) which is due to be shown this autumn via NTV. The book written by Kondo Marie and shows the how-tos of tidying up in various aspects of life, has sold 1.35m copies to date and was the No.2 bestseller book in the first half of 2012. The second installment which was released in October last year has also sold 250,000 copies so far.

Nakama will play the role of Norita Makiko who is a lecturer on how to tidy up and has the signature line of "anata no jinsei ni kata wo tsukemashou" (let's clean up your life). Although Norita always has a nice smile on her face, she's actually someone who doesn't mince her words and would always provide ways to help her clients tidy up their lives. Co-stars include Natsuna who plays a OL facing problems with work and her love life and this is the second time they are working together.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi

http://doramaworld.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/nakama-yukie-to-star-in-drama.html

Higashiyama Noriyuki to star in new NHK drama "Nanatsu no Kaigi"

Shonentai's Higashiyama Noriyuki will be starring in the new HK drama "Nanatsu no Kaigi" (Seven Meetings) which will begin its run from 13 July at 9pm on Saturdays. The drama which will consist of four episodes, is based on the novel by Naoki Award winner Ikeido Jun and features Higashiyama as an ordinary section chief in a small-and-middle-enterprise which is a subcontractor of a major electronics manufacturer. When he accidentally discovers that something is not quite right with a series of manpower changes, he ends up being caught in the middle of a fight against greater evil. Filming of the drama will begin on 20 May and this will be Higashiyama's first leading role in a NHK drama since 1993's Taiga "Ryukyu no Kaze".

Source: Sanspo


Oda Yuji to play a single father in FujiTV's summer 2013 drama

Oda Yuji will be taking the role of a hopeless single father in FujiTV's yet-untitled summer 2013 drama which will be shown from July in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot. This will be his first time playing the role of a father in his 26-year career. Oda plays the character Genichi, a 42-year-old man who used to enjoy success as a budding scientist during his school days but gets too caught up with his past and keeps chasing his dream unsuccessfully for the past 18 years. As a result, his wife walks out of him, he loses his apartment due to unpaid rent and struggles to make a living while supporting his only son Kouta who is 5 years old and played by child actor Tanaka Kanau.

Source: Sanspo

Higashiyama Noriyuki to be co-leads with Vietnamese actor in TBS drama SP "Partner"

Higashiyama Noriyuki and Vietnamese actor Pham Huynh Dong will be co-leads in the upcoming TBS drama SP "Partner" due to be shown in September this year. The actors attended the production press conference held on 13 May for the drama which is meant to be the commemorative work to mark 40 years of diplomatic ties between Japan and Vietnam.This will be a joint production with Vietnam's national broadcaster VTN and features the friendship between Vietnamese independence activist Phan Boi Chau and Japanese doctor Asaba Sakitaro 100 years ago. Higashiyama who will be playing two roles i.e. Asaba in the Meiji era and a salaryman in the current era, admitted that he did not know about Phan and Asaba prior to taking on this drama but hopes to be able to convey the depth of their friendship through his acting. Co-stars also include Nguyen Lan Phuong, Takei Emi and Ashida Mana.

Source: Sanspo


Ishihara Satomi, Iura Arata & Tanaka Rena starring in TBS drama SP "Koi"

Ishihara Satomi, Iura Arata and Tanaka Rena will be starring in the TBS drama SP "Koi" which will be shown during this autumn and is based on the 1996 Naoki Award novel by Koike Mariko which has sold 900,000 copies to date. Straight after the novel won the award, there were many offers to make it into a drama or movie which Koike did not accept as it was felt that nobody could portray the lead character Fumiko. Scriptwriter Minamoto Takashi then started to prepare the script 5 years ago which finally made Koike decide to give the go-ahead.

The story is set in the 70s where Ishihara plays Fumiko, an university student, who gets involved romantically with her assistant professor Katase Shintaro (Iura) and his wife Hinako (Tanaka). However, on 28 February 1972, the police finds Shintaro seriously injured and a young man working in a electronics store (Saito Takumi) dead in a bungalow at Karuizawa while Fumiko and Hinako are also present at the scene. The truth behind the case is not known and the case is quickly classified as a crime of passion which leads to Fumiko being sent to prison. 40 years later, a report writer Torigai Mitsuhiko (Watabe Atsuro) comes to know about this case and goes to interview the elderly Fumiko (Harada Mieko) in prison which leads him to find out what really happened at the bungalow.

Filming has begun in the beginning of April primarily in Karuizawa and will also be shot at various places in Nagano, Tochigi and Chiba in order to show the passing of the seasons.

Source: Nikkansports

http://doramaworld.blogspot.com.au/

Sakai Masato & Ueto Aya to co-star in new TBS drama �eHanzawa Naoki�f
by HPriest on May 15, 2013 at 5:50 pm


On May 15, TBS announced that for the upcoming season they will be adapting Ikeido Jun�fs much-discussed novels about the economic bubble into a TV drama titled �eHanzawa Naoki�e (tentative), starring actor Sakai Masato as the protagonist.

The drama is based on Ikeido�fs novels �eOretachi Bubble Nyuukou-gumi�e and �eOretachi Hana no Bubble-gumi�e. Sakai plays an unconventional and charming banker named �eHanzawa Naoki�f who gets employed by a major bank during the period of an economic bubble in Japan. The story portrays his ups and downs as a banker and vividly depicts the difficult lives full of trouble and suffering of the generation that entered this line of work during the economic bubble.

Hanzawa can drive all of his enemies inside and outside the bank into a corner. He also doesn�ft care in to his superiors and is bold enough to fight the system. However, in front of his subordinates and his family he is a very kind man. Actress Ueto Aya plays Naoki�fs bright and eloquent wife �eHana�f. It�fs the first time for Sakai and Ueto to co-star in a drama in 10 years.

Actor Kagawa Teruyuki is going to play the director of the bank, the youngest they ever had. Other main characters will be played by Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Dan Mitsu, Nakajima Yuto (Hey! Say! JUMP), and Kitaouji Kinya.

TBS will be airing �eHanzawa Naoki�f every Sunday at 9:00 pm starting on July 7.

Source(s): Mantan-Web, TBS

^ The last two dramas I've seen Aya in were "Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de" and "Zettai Reido" and somewhere along the line she's turned into a pretty good actress!

Looking back at her early stuff like "My Little Chef" or "Attention Please" and there's no comparison. Well done, Aya!!

On May 16th, it was announced that Kis-My-Ft2 member Tamamori Yuta will star in TBS�f upcoming drama �gPintokona�h as the son of a noble Kabuki family. This will mark the first serial drama to feature the world of Kabuki, a Japanese traditional performing art.

�gPintokona�h is a live-action drama adaptation of Shimaki Ako�fs ongoing manga, which is being serialized on monthly Shoujo manga magazine �gCheese!�h (Shogakukan).

Tamamori will play the protagonist named �gKawamura Kyonosuke�h, who is born into a noble Kabuki family Kijima-ya. Tamamori said, �gIt�fs such an honor to be able to play the world of Kabuki that has a long history of 400 years, in a drama.�h After actually viewing a Kabuki play, he left the comment, �gThey had the power and presence beyond description. Now I�fm even more interested in Kabuki, and I want to challenge on all kinds of things.�h

Reportedly, Tamamori has begun practicing to play the role of a Kabuki actor. �gI realized in person that it cannot be mastered in a day, as I have to use the muscle I usually don�ft use, and have to be concerned about each of my actions,�h he said.



One of the main cast members is NYC�fs Nakayama Yuma. He will play �gSawayama Ichiya�h. Though Ichiya is from a family with no relation to Kabuki, he still tries hard to aim high in the world of Kabuki using his own ability. Nakayama commented, �gBy learning about Kabuki, I hope I can come to know more about Japanese traditional performing art, as well as the pride of Japan.�h As Nakayama is currently practicing for �gOyama�h (male actor playing female roles in Kabuki), he jokingly said, �gSince I�fm consciously acting womanly in the way I walk or sit, I�fm worried if I will be able to return to how I used to be after the filming ends.�h

The heroine of the drama �gChiba Ayame�h will be taken on by Kawashima Umika. She will be involved in the love triangle between those Kabuki actors. �gI was amazed at Tamamori-san and Nakayama-san when they dressed in the costume with the Kabuki make-up. I can�ft wait to see their Kabuki scenes in the drama,�h Kawashima said.

Other cast members include Johnny�fs Jr�f Matsumura Hokuto (as �gSawayama Shohei�h who burns with jealousy toward Ichiya), and Jesse (as �gSakamoto Haruhiko�h, the best friend of Kyonosuke), as well as Yamamoto Koji, Takashima Masahiro, Enoki Takaaki, Enami Kyoko, and Kishitani Goro. There is also a plan for real Kabuki actors to appear in the drama.

�gPintokona�h is scheduled to begin airing in July.

Source & Image: Oricon

'Saito-san' to have a sequel

The drama �gSaito-san�h which was aired in 2008 starring Mizuki Alisa, will be having a sequel titled �gSaito-san 2�h staring in July.

The protagonist �gSaito-san�h (Mizuki), a mother of a son, hates to do wrong, and carries out justice. Her straight talk isolates her from other mothers, but the show itself received much support from the viewers as its average viewer rating was 15.6%, and reached 19.6% for the final episode.

The previous drama was set at a kindergarten, but the sequel will be set at an elementary school. In the sequel, Saito-san will move to a new town, and meet new people and also face various �genemies�h.

This will mark Mizuki�fs 26th starring drama. She commented, �gI�fm very happy to be able to play as Saito-san, whom I love so much, once again. I hope to show an even more powerful Saito-san.�h

�gSaito-san 2�� will begin airing on NTV (every Saturday at 9:00 pm).

Source: Oricon

Kaho to play nurse in upcoming horror drama


TBS announced that they will air an original late-night horror drama titled �eAkuryo Byoto�e starring actress Kaho this coming summer season.

Kaho plays a nurse with psychic abilities named �eOgami Runa�f, which is her first role in a horror project. She commented, �gI�fve always wanted to challenge the horror genre, so I was really happy when I received the offer. I�fll work hard for this role.�h

�eAkuryo Byoto�f is based on an original draft by the famed haunted house producer Gomi Hirofumi, who teamed up with horror director/writer Tsuruta Norio (�eOrochi�f, �eHontoni Atta Kowai Hanashi�f) for this project. The drama will be set at an suburban hospital and follows a nurse with psychic abilities who experiences various bizarre phenomena happening around her. She is being suspected by other nurses that she is the main cause for all those calamities.

The drama will be a part of Gomi�fs new project �eKuroi Ha�e, and it will be linked to the haunted house which is going to operate at the same time during summer in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Moreover, it will spawn a short novel and the drama will be distributed digitally for people who missed the episode after each broadcast has finished. This will be the first time that a haunted house is spawning a drama and a novel at the same time.

Gomi commented, �gYou are going to feel a cold shiver running down your back after watching the drama, reading the novel and then experiencing the horror yourself in the haunted house. I�fll make sure to give you a refreshing summer experience.�h

Kaho expressed, �gTo be honest, I don�ft like scary stuff and I�fve never watched any horror movie so far. However, the script was so fascinating that I couldn�ft put it down. I want the drama to give the viewers same excitement. All the people involved are extremely creative, so it�fs definitely going to become an very intriguing and scary drama.�h She continued, �gI�fd like to watch and study various horror movies before the filming, starting with all the projects done by director Tsuruta.�h

�eAkuryo Byoto�f will have a total of ten episodes, which TBS/MBS are going to air every Thursday night at 01:00 am starting in July.

Source: Mantan-Web, Sports Hochi

Yamashita Tomohisa, Karina and Toda Erika to be in love triangle in summer gekku "Summer Nude"

Yamashita Tomohisa, Karina and Toda Erika will be embroiled in a love triangle in the upcoming FujiTV gekku "Summer Nude" which is due to begin its run in July. This is the fourth gekku drama for Yamashita and he also has prior working experience with his leading ladies i.e. 3rd time working with Karina since 2002's "Long Love Letter ~ Hyoryu Kyoshitsu" and 4th time working with Toda since the "Code Blue" series.

Yamashita plays Mikuri Asahi, a cameraman struggling to make ends meet, who happens to take a photo of when chef Chiyohara Natsuki (Karina) is dumped by her boyfriend even though they are about to get married. Being still affected by the sudden departure of his girlfriend three years ago, Asahi and Natsuki start to get closer to each other due to their similar problems but the appearance of Taniyama Nanae (Toda), a junior of Asahi since senior high school who has been holding a torch for him, makes things become complicated between the three of them.

There will be an open set constructed at a beach in the Kanto region which serves as the seaside restaurant where Natsuki works in. At the same time, Yamashita is also going through training in order to look the part of a cameraman.

Source: Sanspo



Matsushita Nao to star in TV Asahi drama SP "Nijuuyon no Hitomi"

Matsushita Nao will be starring in the upcoming TV Asahi drama SP "Nijuuyon no Hitomi" which is based on the novel by Tsuboi Sakae. This is the first time in 8 years since the novel was made into a drama again (starring Kuroki Hitomi in 2005) and marks the 100th birthday of late director Kinoshita Keisuke who had been the first to make the story into a movie in 1954.

The story is set 28 years after WWII at Shodoshima in Kagawa Prefecture. Matsushita plays the role of Ooishi Hisako, also known as Onago-sensei, who teaches 12 Primary 1 students on the island as a 22-year-old newbie teacher at the beginning of the story until the end when she becomes a widow at the age of 40 after losing her husband and daughter due to the war and tries to resume her teaching career.

Filming will begin in June and feature famous tourist spots on Shodoshima.

Source: Sanspo



Shibasaki Kou to be back as Utsumi Kaoru in "Galileo" spinoff drama SP

Shibasaki Kou who played the heroine in the first "Galileo" drama series and movie, will be back to reprise her role in a spinoff drama SP of the series titled "Galileo XX" (read as double X) due to be shown via FujiTV on 22 June at 9pm. The story in this SP will be an original one and is said to the final case which Utsumi handled as a police detective. Although Shibasaki only appeared in the first episode of the second "Galileo" series, there were many viewers who sent in requests to the TV station asking for Utsumi to appear more so the decision was made for her to return in an once-off SP.

The story takes place before Utsumi is to set off to Oklahoma in the US for training where she arrests a murder suspect (Yusuke Santa Maria) who insists that he's innocent. Faced with the prospect of making a wrong arrest, Utsumi works together with her colleague Toma (Yagira Yuuya) to launch a re-investigation. Although this is a spinoff, the main cast members in the second series i.e. Fukuyama Masaharu, Yoshitaka Yuriko, Kitamura Kazuki and Shinagawa Hiroshi will all appear in the SP.

Source: Sanspo

Tachi Hiroshi & Asano Atsuko to star in TBS summer 2013 drama "Naru you ni Naru sa"

Tachi Hiroshi and Asano Atsuko will co-star in the TBS summer 2013 drama "Naru you ni Naru sa" which begins its run from July in the Fridays 10pm timeslot. This is the first time in 8 years since Tachi and Asano last worked together in the 2005 movie "Mada mada abunai deka" and they play a married couple in this drama written by Hashida Sugako who feels a sense of loss after their children grow up and leave the family home. As such, they start a restaurant at their house and becomes a family of sorts with the three young people who work at their restaurant.

Tachi's character is a salaryman who went to various countries for work and raises the idea of opening a restaurant at home to his wife (Asano) when he's about to retire. With this move, they end up "attracting" three problematic young people i.e. Shida Mirai who plays a girl that just left a girls' rehabilitation centre and is living with the couple while working at the restaurant, Yasuda Shota who coops himself up at home and Konno Mahiru who plays a a divorced woman trying to escape from her husband who had abused her physically. Izumi Pinko will round up the cast as the elder sister of Asano's character who operates the ryotei owned by the sisters' family.

Source: Sanspo


Koizumi Kotaro to star in TBS summer drama "Namonaki Doku"

Koizumi Kotaro will take on the leading role in the upcoming TBS summer 2013 drama "Namonaki Doku" which is based on a novel series by Miyabe Miyuki that has three volumes released to date, accumulated sales of 2 million copies and won the Yoshikawa Eiji award in 2007. Miyabe was said to have agreed to the dramatic adaptation of her work on the sole condition that Koizumi will play the lead character which the latter commented that he was very honoured but worried at the same time about the pressure of being the lead. This is the first time in 4 years that Koizumi will take on a leading role since his first attempt in TV Asahi's 2009 drama "Call Centre no Koibito". The drama is expected to cover the story in "Namonaki Doku" and the novel before it "Dare ka Somebody".

Koizumi plays the role of Sugimura Saburo, who is the son of a bigwig in the political and financial worlds and marries the daughter of Imata Conglomerate's chairman. He works in the PR department of the company and is a careful and mild-mannered man who starts to investigate a case which he's embroiled in unwittingly.

Filming will begin in early June.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi

Domoto Tsuyoshi to star in TBS summer 2013 drama "Tenma-san ga yuku"

KinKi Kids' Domoto Tsuyoshi will be starring in the TBS summer 2013 drama "Tenma-san ga yuku" which begins its run from July in the Mondays 12.28am timeslot. He plays the president of a exorcism company who is a scaredy-cat but has to resort to persuasion rather than force to convince the spirits to go to heaven instead of lingering around. Kawaguchi Haruna will play the tenma (demon of the sixth heaven in the realm of desire who tries to prevent people from doing good) while Minagawa Sarutoki will play Domoto's employee.

Actually, the reason why Domoto was selected to play this role is due to his ability to see spirits. Fukuda Yuichi, the scriptwriter of "Tenma-san ga yuku" who last worked with Domoto in the 2008 FujiTV drama "33-pun Tantei", revealed that while they were on location shooting near Mount Fuji, Domoto claimed to have seen spirits at the hotel they were staying at so he spent the night in the car rather than his room. As a result, Fukuda decided that Domoto is the best fit for this role of a exorcist who is rather meek.

The drama will consist of 10 episodes and the theme song will also be sung by Domoto (title undecided).

Source: Sanspo / Nikkansports

'Kodoku no Gourmet' to return for a 3rd season

TV Tokyo has announced that the food gourmet drama 'Kodoku no Gourmet', based on Kusumi Masayuki and Taniguchi Jiro's manga of the same name, is going to return for a third season this summer.

Actor Matsushige Yutaka is once again going to play the protagonist 'Inogashira Goro'. The rest of the drama will continue in the exact same style as the previous two seasons and feature more sweets and light meals that made the second season so popular. Kusumi himself will also be appearing in a short segment at the end of the drama to give viewers more information.

It's already known that the food exploration crew will head to Hinodecho in Yokohama, Kanagawa and Akabane in Kita, and Tokyo among many other places.

Source: MyNavi

Which reminds me, I haven't even watched season 2 yet.

Hikari Mitsushima to star in new drama 'Woman'

NTV has announced a new summer drama about a single mother with two children, titled 'Woman' (tentative), starring actress Mitsushima Hikari.

The drama is another original story written by Sakamoto Yuji, the creator of popular dramas such as 'Mother' and 'Saikou no Rikon'. 'Aoyagi Koharu' (Mitsushima) loses her husband in an unforeseen accident and is left with their two children and not much money. Her beloved children give her the strength to keep on living and to challenge all difficulties head-on.

Koharu's own mother will be played by actress Tanaka Yuko, and actor Kobayashi Kaoru will play her father. Moreover, the supporting cast is going to feature the two actresses Nikaido Fumi andTanimura Mitsuki.

Child actress Suzuki Rio was cast in the role of Koharu's oldest daughter. She already impressed as the young 'Yae' in the current NHK taiga drama 'Yae no Sakura'. The child actor for the role of her younger brother has yet to be decided.

NTV is going to air 'Woman' every Wednesday at 10:00 pm starting in July.

Source: Mantan-Web


But wait, there's more:

Actor Oguri Shun will be appearing in the upcoming NTV drama 'Woman' starring Mitsushima Hikari.

It's the first time for Mitsushima and Oguri to work together.

Oguri's character, Shin, used to be a venturesome mountain climber and traveled the world to find new challenges. He settled down after meeting Koharu and got married, having two children and leading to Shin's decision to stop mountain climbing. He found himself a more mundane and less dangerous job - only to fall victim to a whim of fate and losing his life in an unexpected accident.

The first episode of 'Woman' will air on July 3.

Source: Mainichi

That's the one I'm looking forward to! Great to have Mitsushima Hikari and Sakamoto Yuji working together again!