^ I dunno I think this is a bad idea but I wasn't that big a fan of the original 'Hero' to begin with. Only two of the original cast back. No Abe, No Matsu. I guess Japanese writers are as devoid of original ideas as American ones.

gaijinmark wrote:

^ I dunno I think this is a bad idea but I wasn't that big a fan of the original 'Hero' to begin with. Only two of the original cast back. No Abe, No Matsu.

Shows what I know:

'HERO 2' first episode gets 26.5% rating

The first episode of "HERO 2" got off to a good start with a high average rating of 26.5% for its first episode in the Kanto region. The sequel is the highest-rated drama this season so far among those which have already begun its run. The highest moment rating was at 10.08pm when Kuryu Kohei (Kimura Takuya) was confronting Onishi Yuji (Moriyama Naotaro) about the truth and getting him to confess to his crime.

The second and third episodes to be shown on 21st and 28th July will be extended by 15 minutes each.

Source: Sanspo

One of the originals back for one episode:

Nene Otuska to guest in episode 4 of 'HERO 2'

Otsuka Nene who was one of the original cast members in the original HERO series, will be making a guest appearance in the 4th episode of "HERO 2" which is due to be shown on 4 August. This is the second original cast member to appear in the new series as a guest star following Katsumura Masanobu who played Egami and was shown as having moved to the prestigious special investigation department in the opening moments of episode 1. Otsuka will reprise her role as prosecutor Nakamura Misuzu who is now working at Kyoto Prosecutors Office and returns to her previous office to work with her ex-colleagues because the fraud case suspect she is in-charge of happened to have committed the same crimes in the area governed by Josai Prosecutors Branch Office. Especially happy to see Misuzu back is Suetsugu (Kohinata Fumio) who had been holding a torch for her in the past but is aghast to find that her new administrative officer Koganezawa Katsuo (Nukumizu Yoichi) is also a rival for her affection. Besides this, episode 4 will also show a surprising link between Misuzu and Baba (Yoshida Yo) and a new fact about Asagi Chika's past (Kitagawa Keiko).

Source: Sanspo

I find the sequel more appealing than the original .

I had serious doubts before the sequel because the previous sequels were Taku one man shows -- bland to say the least. The movie was.....laughable effort to revive 'Hero'. The guest appearance of Lee Byung Hun was too hot to handle and the entire movie became a hunky Lee Byung Hun's showcase. It has been too long ago. I can no longer remember the plots apart from what I have mentioned.

The 2014 version is at ep.9 and thankfully it's no longer a Taku one man show and no distraction from a Taku romance with a leading actress while the rest of the cast stayed on the sideline. I see a lot of synergy in the supporting cast, so the comedic moments were well executed or overdone. Yutaka Matsushige as the section head is more entertaining than his pill-popping predecessor. I am glad the scriptwriter paid more attention to the supporting cast this time.

'HERO' to get first film adaptation in 8 years

Popular drama series "HERO" starring SMAP's Kimura Takuya, will be getting a film adaptation once again.

The drama started back in 2001, and received a special drama in 2006. There was also a film adaptation in 2007, and this year, the second series aired while receiving an average rating of 21.3%.

In the second film adaptation, the protagonist Kuryu will be facing "the barrier of the extraterritorial rights." Kuryu will be in charge of a case that an embassy of a certain country holds the key to resolve, however, the extraterritorial rights get in his way to investigate the case.

The regular cast from the second series will appear in the movie, such as Kitagawa Keiko, and it was revealed that Matsu Takako who played the heroine "Amemiya Maiko" in the first season, will be making a comeback. It will be the first time in 8 years for Matsu to appear in the series as she last appeared in its first film adaptation.

Also, as Kuryu's opponent, Sato Koichi will be in the movie. Sato's role will be the Director-General for European Affairs Bureau in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The second film adaptation of "HERO" will be directed by Suzuki Masayuki who has been the director for the whole series, and it is set for release on July 18 of 2015.

Source: Cinematoday