Arashi�fs Ohno Satoshi to star in drama special �gMou Yuukai Nante Shinai�h

November 14, 2011

Arashi member Ohno Satoshi will star in a New Year�fs drama special on Fuji TV, titled �gMou Yuukai Nante Shinai.�h The drama is based on a popular novel by Higashigawa Tokuya, the same author who wrote the �gNazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de�h novel that was adapted as a drama series (currently airing) starring fellow Arashi member Sakurai Sho.

Like �gNazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de,�h the story combines comedy and mystery. Ohno plays the role of Tarui Shotaro, an ordinary guy who dreamed of becoming a hero when he was a child, but now gets by as a part-time worker. The unexpected story unfolds when one day, the daughter of a yakuza boss asks him to plan a make-believe kidnapping.

Sato Ryuta plays Shotaro�fs co-worker who helps him with the kidnapping. Kanjiya Shihori plays Satsuki, the eldest daughter of the Hanazono yakuza clan, while Narimiya Hiroki plays Satsuki�fs college senpai who joined the Hanazono clan after graduation. Takahashi Katsumi plays the head of a rival organization who has fallen in love with Satsuki. Kitaoji Kinya plays Satsuki�fs father and the head of the Hanazono clan.

Filming will start at the end of this month. The drama will be aired during the New Year period, but a specific time and date have not been announced.

Sources:
Oricon
Sports Hochi

�gEkiben Hitoritabi�h manga goes live-action

November 14, 2011

Hayase Jun�fs manga �gEkiben Hitoritabi�h is being turned into a live-action drama series, starring actor Okada Yoshinori. Okada plays the train-loving protagonist Nakahara Daisuke, who embarks on a journey across Japan to try all kinds of ekiben (special bentou lunchboxes exclusively sold at train stations or inside trains for long-distance trips).

�gEkiben Hitoritabi�h is serialized in Futabasha�fs Manga Action magazine and has been collected into 14 tankoubon volumes so far. The magazine�fs latest issue, which goes on sale on Tuesday, November 15, marks the completion of the main character�fs trip around Japan, so the story will be taking a brief break before resuming with the issue that goes on sale on December 20.

The next story arc has Nakahara taking a trip to support the ekiben of the Tohoku region, which is still recovering from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The television drama will also focus on the same trip.

It has not yet been announced which station will broadcast the drama series nor when the series will be aired.

Source:
Comic Natalie

Kinami Haruka to star in new �gKazoku Hakkei�h drama series
Posted on November 19, 2011 by tokyograph

Image from: Sports Hochi

This winter, actress Kinami Haruka (26) will take on her first starring role in a drama series. The drama is based on �gKazoku Hakkei,�h a 1972 novel by sci-fi author Tsutsui Yasutaka (�gToki wo Kakeru Shoujo�h) that was already adapted as a television drama in 1979 and 1986.

Kinami has been cast as Hita Nanase, a housekeeper with the psychic ability to read people�fs minds, leading her to uncover the secrets of the households where she works. The character was previously played by Takigawa Yumi and Hori Chiemi.

Kinami entered show business in 2001 when she won Horipro�fs New Star Audition. She appeared in the �g20th Century Boys�h movie series and was the female lead in the movie �gKimi ga Odoru, Natsu.�h She has also played supporting roles in various television dramas, including �gYuusha Yoshihiko to Maou no Shiro�h this past summer.

The new �gKazoku Hakkei�h will be aired in a late night time slot on TBS starting in January. The series will be directed by �g20th Century Boys�h director Tsutsumi Yukihiko.

Source:
Sports Hochi



Kamikawa Takaya to star in �gStepfather Step�h drama series
Posted on November 19, 2011 by tokyograph

Image from: Mantan Web

Actor Kamikawa Takaya (46) has been chosen to star in a new drama series titled �gStepfather Step,�h based on the novel of the same name by popular author Miyabe Miyuki.

�gStepfather Step�h is about a solitary thief who winds up becoming the �gfather�h of two twins, and as a result, he is forced to give up his life of thievery. But the two children become involved in various troubles in their neighborhood, and the thief also faces suspicion from the twins�f teacher. The story combines mystery and domestic drama, centering on the relationship between the thief and the children.

In the original novel, the children are junior high students, but in the drama series they will be elementary school students played by child actors Shibuya Tatsuki and Shibuya Itsuki. Konishi Manami will play their teacher. Other cast members include Ito Shiro, Hirayama Aya, Sudo Risa, and Watanabe Ikkei.

�gStepfather Step�h was first serialized in 1991-1992 in the magazine Shosetsu Gendai before being released as a collected volume in 1993. The novel has sold over 1 million copies total during its 20-year history.

The drama will take over the Monday 8:00pm time slot on TBS, after the historical series �gMitokomon�h ends its run. The first episode will be a two-hour special on January 9, 2012.

Source:
Mantan Web




Higashino Keigo�fs �gBunshin�h gets drama adaptation
Posted on November 19, 2011 by tokyograph

Image from: Cinema Today

�gBunshin,�h a medical suspense novel by bestselling author Higashino Keigo, is being turned into a drama series that starts next month on WOWOW. The story revolves around two identical-looking women uncovering their mysterious past.

The story�fs main character Mariko is a woman studying child welfare in Hokkaido. She grew up always doubtful about the love from her mother, who looked nothing like her and who passed away 9 nine years ago. One day, she finds some of her mother�fs belongings at a relative�fs house, and she heads to Tokyo to seek out the truth behind her birth.

Meanwhile, Futaba is a college student living in Tokyo who is focused on her band. She gets an opportunity to appear on television, though her mother is strongly opposed to it. Naturally, Mariko is shocked when she happens to see Futaba on television, since the two of them look completely alike.

�gBunshin�h will be broadcast as a 5-episode series on WOWOW, starting on December 2. The cast has not yet been revealed.

Source:
Mantan Web

Koizumi Kyoko, Nakai Kiichi star in romance drama �gSaigo Kara Nibanme no Koi�h

November 21, 2011

Actress Koizumi Kyoko is back in the starring role of a drama series on commercial television for the first time in 11 years. She and Nakai Kiichi will play the leads of Fuji TV�fs love story �gSaigo Kara Nibanme no Koi,�h scheduled to premiere in January 2012.

Koizumi�fs last lead role in a drama series was in 2001 in TBS�fs �gKoi wo Nannen Yasundemasu ka.�h This time, she will play a 45-year-old single woman who works as a TV drama producer. Starting to feel anxious about her health and her future, she visits an old house in Kamakura where she intends to live with her friend when they reach old age.

Nakai plays a 50-year-old government worker at Kamakura�fs city hall whose wife has passed away. With both of them at a crossroads in their lives, their fateful encounter leads to romance.

The screenplay is being written by Okada Yoshikazu, who last worked with Koizumi and Nakai in the 1995 series �gMada Koi wa Hajimaranai.�h

The supporting cast features Iijima Naoko, Sakaguchi Kenji, and Uchida Yuki as Nakai�fs younger siblings.

�gSaigo Kara Nibanme no Koi�h is scheduled for Thursdays at 10:00pm.

Sources:
Sankei Sports

Itao Itsuji, Tanabe Seiichi, Tanaka Kei play detectives in �gDeka Kurokawa Suzuki�h
Posted on November 21, 2011 by tokyograph



Comedian/actor Itao Itsuji (48) will be the star of an NTV drama series next season, titled �gDeka Kurokawa Suzuki.�h He will play the part of a police detective in a small countryside town, along with Tanabe Seiichi (42) and Tanaka Kei (27) as his subordinates.

Kurokawa Suzuki (Itao) is described as a detective with top-notch reasoning skills, but he also has a very sensitive heart when it comes to his subordinate�fs gossip or his wife�fs black humor. One of his subordinates is Shiraishi (Tanabe), a detective whose overly positive thinking blinds himself to his own incompetence. The other is Akagi (Tanaka), the only �gnormal�h officer at the police station. Despite having zero teamwork among them, the three of them must solve the brutal cases they encounter in their town.

Actress Tsuruta Mayu has been cast as Kurokawa�fs sharp-tongued wife.

The drama is based on Takita Michio�fs mystery novels �gInaka no Keiji no Shumi to Oshigoto�h and �gInaka no Keiji no Doubutsuki.�h Filmmaker Honda Ryuichi will serve as one of the show�fs directors, and Omiya Ellie is handling the screenplay.

NTV will air the series on Thursdays at 11:58pm, beginning January 5, 2012.

Source:
Mantan Web




Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina star in �gmath battle�h drama series with other Hello! Project members
Posted on November 21, 2011 by tokyograph



Morning Musume members Michishige Sayumi (22) and Tanaka Reina (22) will co-star in a �gmath battle�h drama series this winter, titled �gSuugaku♥Joshi Gakuen.�h This is the first time that either of them has starred in a television series.

The story, developed with the cooperation of the International Mathematical Olympiad in Japan, is set at a specialized math school, where Michishige and Tanaka both take on the roles of �gsuugaku joshi�h (�gmath girls�h). Naturally, the show will incorporate various mathematical functions and formulas into the story and dialogue.

Sakurada Dori (19) has been cast as the only boy in the entire school.

Besides Michishige and Tanaka, other Hello! Project members will appear on the show as rivals. Specifically, the girls will mainly be chosen from Mobekimasu, the combined group that brings together Morning Musume, Berryz Kobo, ��Cute, Mano Erina, and S/mileage.

So far, the announced guest stars include Tsugunaga Momoko, Sudo Maasa, Yajima Maimi, Nakajima Saki, Suzuki Airi, Mano Erina, Wada Ayaka, Fukuda Kanon and Tamura Meimi.

NTV will broadcast the series on Wednesday nights at 12:59am, starting on January 11.

Sources:
Oricon
NTV

Mukai Osamu�fs new drama adds Inagaki Goro, Kuninaka Ryoko, Takimoto Miori, Miura Shohei, Tsukamoto Takashi
Posted on November 22, 2011 by tokyograph



Mukai Osamu�fs upcoming drama series, first announced last month, now has an official title and supporting cast. �gHungry!�h will feature actresses Kuninako Ryoko and Takimoto Miori as the two heroines, while Inagaki Goro (SMAP), Miura Shohei, and Tsukamoto Takashi play the other main male characters.

It was previously revealed that Mukai is taking on the role of Eisuke, a former bassist of a rock band who gave up his music dreams to carry on the tradition of his family�fs French restaurant. The show will involve a love triangle as Kuninaka and Takimoto play rivals for Eisuke�fs heart.

Kuninaka has been cast as Eisuke�fs older girlfriend Maria, who works at a bank. She is shocked to learn that Mukai has abandoned his music to devote himself to the restaurant, leading her to uncertainty about their relationship. Takimoto�fs character is a 20-year-old college student named Chie who comes from a farming family. Although she initially had a bad impression of Eisuke, she begins to develop feelings for him after tasting his cooking.

SMAP�fs Inagaki will play Tokio, the owner of a competing French restaurant. In the past, he was fond of the restaurant that Eisuke�fs mother ran, but after she passed away, he deceived Eisuke�fs father and bought out the restaurant�fs chefs and staff. Knowing of Eisuke�fs ability as a chef, Tokio views him as a rival.

Eisuke�fs friends, who were part of his band ROCKHEAD, are being played by Tsukamoto (guitarist) and Miura (vocalist). Both of them help Eisuke with his restaurant.

�gHungry!�h will air on Fuji TV on Tuesday nights at 10:00pm. The series premieres in January.

Sources:
Mantan Web
Mantan Web




Nakama Yukie to lead romantic comedy series �gRenai Neet�h
Posted on November 22, 2011 by tokyograph



Nakama Yukie (32) will star in a new romantic comedy on television this winter, titled �gRenai Neet ~Wasureta Koi no Hajimekata~.�h This will be her first modern romance story since �gArifureta Kiseki�h in 2009.

The title uses the commonly used term �gneet,�h an abbreviation that refers to people who are currently �gnot in education, employment, or training.�h In the series, Nakama plays the beautiful 32-year-old Kinoshita Rin, who is a �gneet�h with regard to love, as she has not had a boyfriend in 8 years.

Rin works in the sales promotion department at a publisher, though she is treated as unreliable by both her superiors and her subordinates. One day, she and her friend Nanako go their friend Miho�fs �gdivorce ceremony,�h where they meet three men: a dentist named Naoya, a flavorist at a major food company named Kota, and a handsome young man named Shunpei. The story focuses on the relationships between these 6 characters.

Nakama�fs supporting cast has not yet been named. The series will be broadcast by TBS on Fridays at 10:00pm, starting this January.

Source:
Mantan Web

^ Ah, a new drama with Nakama Yukie...

Hope she has a good supporting cast/romantic interest... Abe Hiroshi?

xploring wrote:

Mukai Osamu�fs new drama adds Inagaki Goro, Kuninaka Ryoko, Takimoto Miori, Miura Shohei, Tsukamoto Takashi

Ugh, why has Goro not been banned from acting?
_________________

玉木宏、藤木直人、佐藤健

blog

A new Drama for Nakama Yukie? Great! Hopefully, it'll get subbed!

junny wrote:

Ugh, why has Goro not been banned from acting?

LOL.

Four letters: S-M-A-P.

Suzuki Kyoka, Yamada Ryosuke co-star as mother and son in �gRisou no Musuko�h
November 24, 2011

Actress Suzuki Kyoka and Hey! Say! JUMP member Yamada Ryosuke will co-star in a new NTV comedy series titled �gRisou no Musuko.�h As the title suggests, Suzuki and Yamada will be playing the roles of a mother and son.

The story revolves around a beautiful single mother named Umi (Suzuki) who has worked hard to raise her son Daichi (Yamada) by herself. Daichi has been raised as the perfect obedient son who loves his mother, though his character is described as having a �gneo mother complex.�h He is always aiming to achieve top results in school to please his mother, and whenever a man tries to approach her, Daichi quickly rejects them.

When Umi starts a new job at a cafeteria of a all-boys high school that is notorious for troublemakers, Daichi decides to leave his prestigious prep school and enter the all-boys school in order to be able to protect Umi.

The show�fs cast includes Kis-My-Ft2 member Fujigaya Taisuke as an upperclassman and Hey! Say! JUMP member Nakajima Yuto as one of Daichi�fs classmates.

�gRisou no Musuko�h will air on Saturdays at 9:00pm, beginning this January.

Source:
Mantan Web

Okada Masaki to play surgeon in drama series �gSeinaru Kaibutsutachi�h
Posted on November 27, 2011 by tokyograph

Image from: Mantan Web

Okada Masaki (22) will star in a new drama series next season titled �gSeinaru Kaibutsutachi,�h playing the role of a rookie surgeon. Nakatani Miki (35) will play the female lead as a head nurse at his hospital.

�gSeinaru Kaibutsutachi�h was originally a suspense novel by author Kawahara Len. The drama has Okada playing the part of Shiba Kengo, a pure-hearted young surgeon who is dedicated to his work. He gets transferred from a prestigious university hospital to a financially troubled hospital, but there he meets a capable and cool-headed chief nurse named Kasugai Yuka (Nakatani), who teaches him the reality of the medical world. The pure Kengo must face various obstacles and challenges as he tears off the �gmasks�h of respected professionals – doctors, nurses, and educators – and uncovers their true natures.

Actor Hasegawa Hiroki plays the manager of a major group that operates schools, while Kato Ai plays his wife and the sister of Yuka. Other cast members include Suzuki Anne, Omasa Aya, Katsumura Masanobu, Hirata Mitsuru, Kohinata Fumiyo, and Watanabe Ikkei.

TV Asahi will broadcast �gSeinaru Kaibutsutachi�h on Thursday nights at 9:00pm, starting in January.

Source:
Mantan Web

^ The return of Miki Nakatani!!

^ A male version of Kira Kira Kenshui?

Aragaki Yui to be kidnapped by Ohno Satoshi in drama special
Posted on November 28, 2011 by tokyograph



Earlier this month, it was revealed that Arashi member Ohno Satoshi (31) will star in a drama special titled �gMou Yuukai Nante Shinai,�h based on a novel by �gNazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de�h author Higashigawa Tokuya. Today, it was announced that Aragaki Yui (23) will play the heroine of the story, who asks Ohno�fs character to pretend to kidnap her.

As previously described, the drama combines comedy and mystery as it tells the story of a part-time worker named Shotaro who dreamed of becoming a superhero when he was younger. One day, he gets approached by a �grich female college student�h named Erika who asks for help because she is being �gchased by bad people.�h Shotaro sees this as his opportunity to become a hero and agrees to fake her kidnapping.

The cast includes Sato Ryuta as Shotaro�fs co-worker, Kanjiya Shihori as Erika�fs sister Satsuki, Narimiya Hiroki as Satsuki�fs college senpai, Kaname Jun, Takahashi Katsumi, and Kitaoji Kinya.

Fuji TV will broadcast the special on January 3, 2012, at 9:00pm.

Source:
Mantan Web

Nagasaku Hiromi to star in drama series �gDirty Mama!�h

November 28, 2011

Actress Nagasaku Hiromi will star in a new NTV comedic drama series titled �gDirty Mama!�h This will be her first lead role in a television series since becoming a mother last year.

Nagasaku will play the part of Takako, a police detective and a single mother of a child who will soon turn 1 year old. She is described as �gdirty�h because she doesn�ft mind taking bribes or leaking information if it is to her own advantage. The series depicts her battles with the child�fs irresponsible father, her police colleagues who only think of protecting themselves, and the criminals in the cases she handles.

Karina will play a trainee detective whom Takako partners with.

�gDirty Mama!�h will run in the Wednesday 10:00pm time slot, beginning in January.

Source:
Mantan Web

Matsuoka Masahiro, Yokoyama Yu, Kiritani Mirei in drama series �g13-sai no Hello Work�h

December 5, 2011


�g13-sai no Hello Work,�h a bestselling children�fs book by author Murakami Ryu, is getting a live-action drama series adaptation this winter. TOKIO member Matsuoka Masahiro will star, accompanied by Kanjani8 member Yokoyama Yu and actress Kiritani Mirei.

Published in 2003, �g13-sai no Hello Work�h is a guidebook aimed at junior high school students that introduces more than 500 jobs and occupations. The book has sold approximately 1.48 million copies since its release. An updated version titled �gShin 13-sai no Hello Work�h was released last year and will serve as the basis for the drama series.

Matsuoka plays the role of Ogure Teppei, a 35-year-old policeman who dreams of being promoted to the First Investigation Division. One day, he suddenly slips back in time to 22 years earlier, at the height of Japan�fs economic bubble. There, he meets his optimistic 13-year-old self (played by Tanaka Taketo). In order to help himself find the job and life that he hoped for, he has his younger self try out different kinds of work. It is said that more than 15 jobs will be presented in the drama.

Yokoyama plays a Tokyo University graduate who looks up to Teppei as an older brother. Kiritani plays a college student who works as a special teacher for prep school. Other cast members include Fubuki Jun and Furuta Arata.

The series will be aired on TV Asahi this winter, starting in January, in the Friday 11:15pm time slot.

Source:
Sports Hochi

gaijinmark wrote:

�gDirty Mama!�h

Wasn't that a 1970's B-movie?

bmwracer wrote:

Wasn't that a 1970's B-movie?

Nope, that was "Big Bad Mama": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bad_Mama

The nude scene between William Shatner and Angie Dickinson

gaijinmark wrote:

The nude scene between William Shatner and Angie Dickinson

Really?

Talk about strange bedfellows.