JapaneseeDrama » Blog/News

Kenji Sakaguchi saves Tokyo in drama special

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Kenji Sakaguchi (34) will star in a drama special on Fuji TV, tentatively titled “Keiji Narusawa Ryo ~Shuu~.” The show is based on a popular series of police novels by author Shunichi Doba (46).

“Shuu” is the title of the sixth novel in the series, and it is said to be the best one. Altogether, the books have sold more than 1.5 million copies.

Described by the media as a Japanese “Die Hard,” the drama is a mixture of action and suspense. Sakaguchi plays police detective Ryo Narusawa, fighting a series of terrorist bomb plots, racing against time to stop a mysterious criminal threatening to blow up the entire city of Tokyo.

Sakaguchi’s partner is a female cop played by Akiko Yada (31). Also appearing in the drama are Kenichi Endo (48), comedian Gori (37), YOU (45), Susumu Terajima (46), and Naoto Takenaka (53).

Filming starts early next month. The broadcast date has not been decided yet, but Fuji TV plans to air it sometime this year.

Not one of my favorite actors but this role fits him a little better as the acting range is limited.

Misaki Ito headed for motherhood

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:02:47 +0000

Actress and model Misaki Ito (32) is going to be a mother soon. It was learned on Monday that she is currently six months pregnant and is expected to give birth to her first child this summer.

Ito has been married since November to Yoshinori Enomoto (41), the head of pachinko machine maker Kyoraku Sangyo. They had been dating for about a year before that. They held their wedding in Hawaii, where they first met in November 2008 at the wedding of a friend.

Ito’s last work before going on maternity leave was a commercial for Shiseido that was shot last month. The commercial begins airing on television on April 9. Commenting on her plans after the baby is born, she indicated that she wants to continue acting, but she will make her decision based on factors such as her health.

Congratulations!! Always loved her smile and commitment to act well.

Kumi Koda and Masahiro Nakai have split up?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:59:42 +0000

Back in 2007, pop star Kumi Koda (26) and SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai (37) were widely reported to be dating, though their agencies never officially commented on the rumor. Now, the magazine Josei Seven says that the two have broken up.

The magazine’s article included some comments by a friend of Koda, who explained that the couple separated before the start of this summer. The friend said that Koda had been worried because she and Nakai had not been seeing each other much. Also around that time, Koda suddenly replaced her mobile phone.

Naturally, Koda’s and Nakai’s agencies have not commented on the matter.

Not good, they have been together for a while now. Hope both are alright and moving on.

Live-action “Yamato” details revealed

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:55:12 +0000

The live-action “Space Battleship Yamato” movie had its cast publicly revealed on Friday, along with other new details about the project. The film is being directed by Takashi Yamazaki with a projected release date in December 2010.

As previously announced, SMAP member Takuya Kimura (36) will star as the protagonist Susumu Kodai, while Meisa Kuroki (21) has been confirmed as the replacement for Erika Sawajiri (23) in the role of Yuki Mori.

Two characters have been modified for the movie. Crew members Aihara and Dr. Sado have been changed into females, played by Maiko (24) and Reiko Takashima (45), respectively.

The other cast members revealed so far are Toshiro Yanagiba (as Shiro Sanada), Naoto Ogata (as Daisuke Shima), Hiroyuki Ikeuchi (as Hajime Saito), Shinichi Tsutsumi (as Mamoru Kodai), Isao Hashizume (as Heikuro Todo), Toshiyuki Nishida (as Hikozaemon Tokugawa), and Tsutomu Yamazaki (as Juzo Okita). The actor playing the antagonist Desslar has not yet been announced.

The CG-heavy film has an estimated budget of more than 2 billion yen. Filming will start later this month.

Look forward to it after the fiasco of recasting. My girl Meisa will do well in this film.

Oricon: best-looking in glasses

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 08:24:34 +0000

For the fourth year in a row, Oricon conducted a survey about celebrities who look best in glasses. A thousand men and women participated in the survey, which was completed last month. Comedy duo Ogiyahagi recaptured the #1 spot on the men’s list, pushing Masaharu Fukuyama back to #2. Korean actor Bae Yong Joon was #3. On the women’s list, comedienne Yasuko Mitsuura (of Oasiz) ranked #1, followed by Angela Aki and Rie Shibata.

Men: 1. Ogiyahagi 2. Masaharu Fukuyama 3. Bae Yong Joon 4. Shingo Fujimori (Oriental Radio) 5. Norito Yashima 6. Daisuke Miyagawa 7. Tamori 8. Yusuke Kamiji 9. Shohei Shofukutei 10. Kazuki Otake (Summers)

Women: 1. Yasuko Mitsuura (Oasiz) 2. Angela Aki 3. Rie Shibata 4. Yukie Nakama 5. Miho Takagi 6. Ami Tokito 7. Kaori Manabe 8. Keiko Kitagawa 9. Rie Kuwabata (Kuwabata Ohara) 10. Haruna Kondo (Harisenbon)

My picks- Men (Masaharu Fukuyama), Women: (Yukie Nakama)

Shido Nakamura, Meisa Kuroki dating?

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:40:58 +0000

Sports Hochi reports that kabuki actor Shido Nakamura (37) and actress Meisa Kuroki (21) recently started dating. The unexpected couple met when they worked together in the play “Akai Shiro, Kuroi Suna” this past April.

Sources say that Nakamura began approaching Kuroki shortly after it was decided that they would be acting together. However, they reportedly started dating barely a month ago.

Since his divorce from Yuko Takeuchi (29) in February 2008, the media has reported rumors of Nakamura dating various women, including Sawa Suzuki (37) and a rekindled romance with Tomoe Shinohara (30). Nakamura remained silent about each of those rumors, but this time it seems that he has been openly telling his friends about Kuroki. They were also seen at a party looking happy while getting very close to each other.

In May 2008, Kuroki was reported to be dating a musician named KEN, but they appear to have broken up around July of this year.

Interesting pairing, my sweet Meisa looks way beyond her age but Shido? Hmm…personally don’t think it will go far, she is just but 21!

Yamapi dating model Kagami?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:05:45 +0000

NEWS member Tomohisa Yamashita (24) is rumored to be in a relationship with fashion model Seira Kagami (22). They are said to have been dating for about three months.

Born to a Canadian father and Japanese mother, Kagami made her modeling debut at the age of 12. In 2001, she gained attention on television for her appearance in a Zexy commercial. Kagami also debuted as a singer in 2007 and has had five consecutive songs on top of the iTunes dance charts.

The couple reportedly were introduced to each other by a friend earlier this year, and it developed into romance before the summer. In July, Yamashita was seen attending a live performance by Kagami. Witnesses apparently saw the two of them together, looking happy.

Neither side has commented yet on the rumor.

Cute girl. He has a unique taste, good for him.

Kou Shibasaki leads star-studded cast in Koki Mitani drama

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:55:20 +0000

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Fuji TV has announced a major television drama special titled “Wagaya no Rekishi.” Playwright and director Koki Mitani provided the script for the drama, which will star Kou Shibasaki along with many other big names.

The story takes place between 1945 and 1964, chronicling the lives of the seven members of the fictional Yame family. Shibasaki plays one of five siblings, along with Jun Matsumoto (Arashi), Ryuta Sato, Maki Horikita, and Nana Eikura. Their parents are being played by Toshiyuki Nishida and Sumiko Fuji, while the rest of the cast includes Masami Nagasawa, Yo Oizumi, Yuki Amami, Tetsuji Tamayama, Koji Yamamoto, Sawa Suzuki, and Junji Takada.

“Wagaya no Rekishi” will air on three consecutive nights during spring 2010.

Looks like a solid epic Fuji drama.

Oricon: tanned beauties

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:38:37 +0000

Oricon has collected the results of its regular “tanned beauties ranking,” focusing on the women who have garnered attention for their suntanned skin. Beach volleyball player Miwa Asao grabbed the top spot again for a third consecutive year.Ranked behind Asao is pop star Namie Amuro, followed by talento Rikako Murakami. Along with Kumi Koda (ranked 7th), they have placed in the top ten during the last four years.

One unexpected name on the list was actress Masako Natsume, who died of leukemia in 1985 at the age of 27. Natsume was best known for playing the role of Tripitaka in the 1970s drama series “Saiyuki.”

Miwa Asao

Namie Amuro

Rikako Murakami

Anna Tsuchiya

Meisa Kuroki

Masako Natsume

Kumi Koda

Yukina Kinoshita

Chinatsu Wakatsuki

Kimiko Date

Well she is cute, but Namie still the best in my opinion.

“Liar Game” sequel dated for November

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:28:02 +0000

On Thursday, a press conference was held to announce details about the planned “LIAR GAME” sequel. It was first mentioned in April that the popular drama series was getting a second season and feature-length film.

Based on a manga by Shinobu Kaitani, “LIAR GAME” originally aired in 2007. Erika Toda starred as an honest young woman who gets involved in a high-stakes game of deception, aided by an expert swindler (Shota Matsuda).

The sequel will continue from the first season, with the main cast returning, including Michiko Kichise, Kosuke Suzuki, and Ikkei Watanabe. In the drama, the players will face off in four games and a semifinal round, while the final game will take place in the movie, titled “LIAR GAME: The Final Stage.”

Yasutaka Nakata (of capsule) will once again be handling the show’s music.

This drama was excellent, lets hope they have enough material and time to pull off season two with an even better product, look forward to it and my Erika san.