Tsukamoto Takashi announces the birth of his 2nd child

Tsukamoto Takashi announced the birth of his 2nd child today via his official site. His son was born today at 4.53am which is about 10 days earlier than the original due date. Tsukamoto was present during the birth of his son. He commented that he is very happy that he has two children now (his eldest child is a daughter) and that he wants to work harder as an actor while balancing his family life.

Top 10 movies ranking (26 July 09)

1) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2) Gekijouban Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl

3) Amalfi Megami no Houshuu

4) Gokusen THE MOVIE

5) Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha

6) ROOKIES Sotsugyou

7) Knowing

8) Tsurugidake Ten no Ki

9) Monsters vs. Aliens

10) Ice Age 3

Top 10 movies ranking (19 July 09)

1) Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

2) Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl

3) Amalfi Megami no Houshuu

4) Gokusen THE MOVIE

5) Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha

6) Knowing

7) ROOKIES Sotsugyou

8) Tsurugidake Ten no Ki

9) Transformers: Revenge

10) Monsters vs. Aliens

Completion screening of "20th Century Boys Part 3"

The completion premiere screening of "20th Century Boys Saishusho ~ Bokura no Hata (Final Chapter ~ Our Flag)" was held on 28th July at Tokyo International Forum. Cast members including Karasawa Toshiaki, Toyokawa Etsushi, Tokiwa Takako, Taira Airi, Kagawa Teruyuki, Sano Shiro, Miyasago Hiroyuki, Ishizuka Hidehiko made their appearances along with the manga's author, Urasawa Naoki. 3000 fans came to the event which showed the final installment to the trilogy but the last 10 minutes of the movie were not shown so that the ending would only be made known to all when the film goes on roadshow in the cinemas. As the ending of the movie was designed by Urasawa to be different from the manga, that is why the ending has to be kept confidential till the last minute. The movie will be shown from 29 August in cinemas.

Preview of "Karei Naru Spy" 華麗なるスパイ - Summer 2009

Title: Karei Naru Spy (The Splendid Spy)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: NTV
Timeslot: Saturdays, 9pm
O.A. Start Date: 18 July 2009
Theme song: Taiyo to Sabaku no Bara (The rose of the sun and desert) by TOKIO

Cast:

Yoroi Kyousuke (Nagase Tomoya)
Dorothy (Fukada Kyoko)
Hirahara Miku (An)
Kurusu Kenichi (Sekai no Nabeatsu)
Osamu (Fujiwara Kazuhiro)
Josephine (KIKI)
Alice (Tomochika)
Hirahara Genichi (Takada Junji)
Hirahara Izumi (Itou Kazue)
Master Takumi (Enomoto Akira)
Kiriyama Seiichi (Terashima Susumu)
Yoshizawa Souichirou (Watari Tetsuya)

Nodame Orchestra to hold their 6th concert in conjunction with the launch of the movie

The Nodame Orchestra will be holding their 6th concert at The International Forum located in Tokyo on 31 October and 1 November. The orchestra was formed in 2006 when the drama adaptation was shown on TV and consists of musicians who were selected through a public audition. The upcoming concerts are held in conjunction with the impending release of the Nodame Cantabile movies as Part 1 is due to be screened from 19 December. Fans will get to hear the music pieces from the movie first through the concert. Tickets go on sale from 5 September.

Review of "Triangle" - Winter 2009

Please skip this review if you have not watched the drama and do not wish to know the ending.

I had very high hopes for this drama before it began its run. Firstly, the cast boasted of many actors who are capable of putting up a good performance albeit there are some of them whom I don't think deserves this title yet. Secondly, as this suspense story is not an adaptation, this increases the anticipation level since viewers would only get down to the truth when it ends. Last but not least, the story is based on an intricate web of relationships and an unsolved case which strengthens its appeal as a suspense thriller instead of a mere no-brainer where you can guess the culprit easily. As such, I expected a lot from this drama.

However, I was very disappointed by the time I finished watching this. And this drama made the same mistake as "Koori no Sekai" in 1999. Why doesn't FujiTV learn from its mistakes?! In a suspense story, it is taboo to come up with an ending where the culprit was never in the consideration as a suspect and there were no clues at all indicating involvement. In "Koori no Sekai", the detective's wife who was romantically linked to one of the victims was never potrayed as one of the suspects. Her identity was only revealed in the final episode and this was a bombshell to many viewers because they felt that they were taken on a ride to nowhere.

Likewise in "Triangle", although there was a slight indication that Maruyama was somewhat involved in Shimano's murder (the fact that his name was found in the Customs records of people going to Shanghai), there was no logical ground to suspect that Maruyama was responsible for everything especially when it came to Katsuragi Sachie's murder. And you know what, the ironical thing was that the scriptwriter came up with some last-minute excuse for Maruyama's actions in order to salvage the situation. Why did this revenge-for-the-sake-of-the-sister thing pop up right at the end without any inkling prior to the final episode? Are they trying to justify why Maruyama had to kill Sachie, Shimano, Sachi or even Ryouji's family? That is extremely ridiculous. Frankly speaking, there is no way I can stomach such an ending. It really ruined the whole story.

Actually, the story started off in a promising manner. Besides the beautiful scenery from Paris, the tempo of the story was swift and there were lots of questions in the first episode just to ignite the viewers' curiousity and keep them watching. However, things started to go downhill towards the middle of the season. I found that the drama was throwing up more questions instead of answering questions which were raised earlier on. As such, I was none the wiser about the truth and got really exasperated after episode 5 or so because I felt like I was taken on a wild goose chase. I really wondered if I was going to get anywhere even after finishing this drama. True enough, although I got the answers, it only made me hopping mad instead of being satisfied with the closure of things.

I don't know whether the producers had this agenda in their minds. Since they had a star-studded cast, they made it so that everyone was suspicious or appeared suspicious. However, it only adds to confusion because if these people were not the culprits in the first place, why would they want to behave as if they are up to no good in front of Ryoji? In real life, this is not natural at all. Why would people go out of their way just to arouse another person's suspicion? In order to get the viewers guessing, I guess the producers got too carried away and realized that they had to bend backwards to ensure that the story doesn't go awry. Too bad they didn't do anything to save the story and any last-minute attempts were too late.

Talking about the cast, Eguchi Yosuke's combination with Hirosue Ryoko was refreshing. Well, even though Katsuragi Sachie and Gouda Ryouji were supposed to be classmates, the first 2 episodes made me confused for a while because Hirosue's role, Sachi impersonated Sachie at first but it was so obvious that she was younger than the real Sachie if she was still alive. Luckily, the scriptwriter explained that issue quickly or else the age gap could have been a problem in the story. Nonetheless, even though there were clues hinting that Sachi and Ryouji had feelings for each other, it ended in a tragic fashion for them. As such, for people who were hoping to see some romantic sparks between Eguchi and Hirosue, you will be disappointed. Likewise, for people who were hoping for Kuroki and Yui i.e. Inagaki Goro and Aibu Saki to be together, your wish will not be granted too. It appeared that there were sparks between them at first but somehow they fizzled out. Not that I care though. Inagaki didn't impress nor irk me this time but Aibu's wide grin does get on my nerves at times. She should really work on her acting skills instead of flashing a megawatt smile all the time even when it's not necessary.

Despite the ensemble of stars, I felt that some of them did not get the attention they deserved. The worst was Sakai Masato who appeared here and there in a couple of episodes with a sly smile on his face all the time and then his character Shimano was dead all of a sudden. He can definitely do more than just snigger so I felt that his strengths were under-utilized. Likewise for people such as Oosugi Ren, Sasaki Kuranosuke or Tanihara Shosuke, they had too little airtime to develop their roles and ended up as really forgettable characters.

As for the theme song, I'm not too happy with it. Some of Oda Kazumasa's songs really made a strong impression on me but this time round, the ending song is kinda boring and plain. Maybe it's because of the slow melody which is in stark contrast with the BGM which stirs up a lot of tension and excitement most of the time.

In conclusion, I would not say that this is a must-see drama. Especially for those who like suspense stories, I'm sure you will be disappointed by it. If you are aiming to ogle at your favourite stars, other than Eguchi, Hirosue or Inagaki who appear on a pretty regular basis, you probably won't be able to see the supporting cast as much as you like. Sometimes they disappear for a couple of episodes and pop up again. Although the TV station spent lots of money doing location filming in Paris and Shanghai, I would rather have them spend more money on the story instead of wasting it on beautiful background shots. The story is what matters most. I believe Japan has enough nice places for filming. It doesn't have to be in a foreign country just to show that it is a cross-border story. Anyway, most of the action happens in Japan so there's no need to go anywhere else. At least, in my opinion.

And my ratings for this drama...
Story: 2 out of 10 (I am really tempted to give it one mark only considering how much criticism I have for it in my review.)
Acting: 5 out of 10 (The good actors are severly under-utilized while the leads are taken on a ride to nowhere. Nothing impressive to speak of.)
Theme song: 5 out of 10 (The theme song didn't get into my good books but the BGM was generally OK.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 7 out of 10 (Paris was potrayed nicely but Shanghai seemed lacklustre in comparison. Maybe it's because of the gangster scenes in Shanghai which gave me that impression.)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 4 out of 10 (There were some sparks between Eguchi and Hirosue's characters but they were too short-lived to have an impact. As for Eguchi and Inagaki, they didn't seem to blend well.)

Total: 23 out of 50

Top 10 herbivorous male celebrities ranking (Uwasa no Soushoku-kei Danshi)

草食系男子 (Soushoku-kei danshi) is a word used since 2008 to describe guys in their 20s and 30s who are easy-going, family-oriented, have a mild personality, can mix well with females but not too keen on romantic relationships. This ranking published in the book "Uwasa no Soushoku-kei Danshi" was conducted to find out which celebrities fitted this description according to the impressions of the respondents.

1) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi

2) Eita

3) Oshinari Shugo

4) Kaneko Takatoshi

5) Okamura Takashi

6) Wentz Eiji

7) Nakai Masahiro

8) Sakana-kun

9) Kase Ryou

10) Kusano Masamune (Spitz's vocalist)

Spring 2009 Drama Ratings Ranking

Here is the long overdue report on the ratings battle in Spring 2009! A key point as to the delay was because of the irregular start and end dates recently. In the past, the dramas would all start in the same month and end within days of one other. However, there are some dramas which deliberately start late for various reasons and end in the midst of another season or stretch for more than the usual 3 months. Unforseeen circumstances like what is happening to Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4 is something which cannot be averted though. This makes it really difficult to determine which season the drama belongs to and I always have to wait until the final OA of all dramas before I can start to write this analysis. Frankly speaking, I do not like this trend at all because the comparison doesn't seem fair given that the OA period is different. In addition, by continuing the broadcast while the new dramas are yet to begin, seems to give an invisible advantage to the drama which is still going on. And that is why I was really reluctant to include MR.BRAIN in the spring lineup.

For this season, we have Kimura Takuya's "MR.BRAIN" at the No.1 spot with an average rating of 20.48%. This is exactly what I was talking about. I was waiting for the final broadcast on 11 July before I could conclude the results when the rest of the competition were already finished with the OA by end of June. If this drama had the same number of episodes as per normal i.e. (10 or 11), this would have stretched to the end of July. My guess is that preparations for this drama took much longer (that futuristic set and equipment could take ages to assemble) as compared to the rest of the dramas so they had no choice but to delay the broadcast.

Even though this drama grabbed the No.1 spot with its average rating of 20.48%, I am not impressed at all and definitely do not accept this result. I actually had the thought of dropping this drama from this analysis because of the irregular OA period. I felt especially indignant as the 2nd placed drama was much better in terms of many areas and deserved this title more than "Mr.Brain". That last episode really made my blood boil to the extent that I do not know how I should write the review. I need a few more days to cool down before I can think logically.

To summarize, dumping lots of money and assembling big names doesn't mean that this is a good drama! For heaven's sake, those who get KimuTaku to appear in their dramas should get this into their heads! Although 4 episodes out of 8 got a rating of more than 20%, I do not know if there is anyone who feels the same way as me. Sometimes, the galore of guests turn out to have a negative effect on the ratings especially when their roles are full of loopholes or deliberately written in such a way to put KimuTaku's Tsukumo in the limelight.

At 2nd place with an average rating of 17.14%, we have BOSS which can be said to be a glitzy version of the usual police detective story. Most of the time, we see police detectives in dark suits, looking gruffy and tired, stubborn and unrelenting to find out the truth etc. BOSS doesn't take all these stereotypes and rehash into a drama. It revolutionizes the whole concept. As seen from their opening credits and the website's front page, they potray their police detectives as a group of street-savvy, glamourous, unique and unconventional people. This is in line with the story setting since the people who form the Special Crimes unit are supposedly the outcasts who cannot fit into the constraints of a rigid organization. This is an extremely refreshing look at the image of police detectives. In addition, the stories in most episodes are very engaging and intriguing. I would like to mention three of the most memorable cases i.e. the first episode with Takeda Tetsuya (the bomb specialist), Ep 6 where Shida Mirai plays a genius high school student who takes on the police with guts and the final episode which has a big twist that catches people unawares. If there is one problem I would like to point out from this episode, it would be consistency. Some episodes are of an extremely high quality but some of them are seriously lacking. For example, the Yamada Takayuki story which lasted 2 episodes, was kinda boring and predictable. As such, I would like to say that this drama is close to perfection but not quite matching up to the requirement of being a classic yet. Keep visiting this website for a detailed review of this drama soon!

At No.3 with a rating of 14.82%, we have Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou ~. I am surprised because this drama didn't enjoy much attention pre-season. For dramas like this on controversial social themes, it can go either way, in an extreme manner. Although this drama's average rating is not considered a hit yet (nowadays, anything above 15% is a hit), the production quality, acting and storyline were done very nicely. NTV is really good at handling such stories as seen from past hits like 14-sai no Haha and Hikaru to Tomo ni so that's probably why they dare to challenge such controversial themes time and again. For a detailed review of this drama, click on the tag for this drama.

And here's the rest of the ranking and some comments about these drams:

4) Rinjou 14.48% - Received lots of critical acclaim. I have only watched the first episode so far but the quality of the story and acting is pretty good. At least much better than what I saw in Voice last season.
5) Shiroi Haru 12.60% - I've not watched this yet but heard that this is a pretty good drama with a not-so-happy ending.
6) The Quiz Show 12.08% - Read my detailed review for the analysis
7) Hisatsu Shigotonin 2009 11.21% - Did not watch this
8) Atashinchi no Danshi 10.94% - I get the feel that this is a remake of HanaKimi i.e. the one-girl-many-ikemen formula so I'm not too keen. And after watching Innocent Love, I just don't feel the same way for Horikita Maki as before.
9) Konkatsu! 10.63% - One of the biggest flops this season and languishing in single-digit territory for most of the season. It made history, but not in a good way. Still undecided as to whether to watch this. / Yakou no Kaidan - A low-budget version of the usual classy and high quality Matsumoto Seicho dramas. I gave up after Ep 5 because things were not improving at all.
11) Hanchou 10.49% - Didn't watch this.
12) Smile 10.15% - I watched the first 10 minutes and is still undecided as to whether to carry on.
13) Meitantei no Okite 9.47% - Same reason as Smile but the likelihood of me continuing to watch this is higher.
14) God Hand Teru 8.72% - Didn't watch this.
15) 33pun Tantei 8.55% - I gave up this drama in the first season.
16) Boku no Imouto 8.01% - Although I like Odagiri Jo, I don't like Nagasawa Masami. And the story bored me to tears in just 10 minutes.
17) Fufudou 7.77% - I didn't watch this.
18) Majo Saiban 7.34% - Still watching this but I have lots of complaints about the storyline.
19) LOVE GAME 5.33% - Didn't watch this at all.

Top 10 female artistes who look best in swimwear (Oricon)

1) Hoshino Aki

2) Minami Akina

3) Ebihara Yuri

4) Kinoshita Yukina

5) Asao Miwa

6) Hamasaki Ayumi

7) Nagasawa Masami

8) Kumada Yoko

9) Ayase Haruka

10) Becky

Top 10 male artistes who look best in swimwear (Oricon)

1) Hayami Mokomichi

2) Sakaguchi Kenji

3) Kojima Yoshio

4) Ichihara Hayato

5) Mizushima Hiro

6) Kimura Takuya

7) Koike Teppei

8) Tamaki Hiroshi

9) Narimiya Hiroki

10) Yamashita Tomohisa

Top 10 summer love songs (Oricon)

1) Hanabi - aiko

2) Natsu Matsuri - Whiteberry

3) TSUNAMI - Southern All Stars

4) Manatsu no Kajitsu - Southern All Stars

5) CHE.R.RY - YUI

6) Music Hour - Porno Graffitti

7) Natsukoi - Shido

8) Natsuiro - Yuzu

9) Planetarium - Ootsuka Ai

10) SUMMER SONG - YUI

TBS Autumn 2009 drama, "JIN"

Oosawa Takao and Nakatani Miki will make their long-awaited return to the TV scene with their new drama "JIN" which begins in October via TBS. This is the first drama for Oosawa in 8 years and the first for Nakatani in 7 years. In addition, this is the first science-fiction drama shown in the timeslot of 9pm, Sundays since it began in Dec 1956.

The story is adapted from a manga titled "JIN" by Murakami Motoka which is currently being serialized in "Super Jump" where the main character played by Oosawa i.e. Minakata Jin is a neuro-surgeon in the current era. He accidentally goes back into the Bakumatsu era (1853 to 1869) and has to save people without adequate medical equipment and medicine. Jin will also meet historical characters like Sakamoto Ryoma (Uchino Masaaki), Katsu Kaishuu (Kohinata Fumio) and Ogata Kouan (Takeda Tetsuya).

Meanwhile, Nakatani plays Jin's girlfriend in the current era, Tomonaga Mirai as well as the top courtesan in Yoshihara, Nokaze. Ayase Haruka will play Tachibana Saki, a girl in Edo who becomes Jin's assistant. There will be a love triangle between the three of them. Other cast members include Koide Keisuke, Kiriya Kenta, Taguchi Hiromasa, Toda Naho, Sato Jirou and Asou Yumi.

Official website: here

Top 10 female artistes who look best in yukata (Oricon)

1) Aragaki Yui

2) Miyazaki Aoi

3) Horikita Maki

4) Ueto Aya

5) Nakama Yukie

6) Matsushima Nanako

7) Nagasawa Masami

8) Aoi Yu

9) Kinoshita Yukina

10) Toda Erika

Top 10 male artistes who look best in yukata (Oricon)

1) Tamaki Hiroshi

2) Fukuyama Masaharu

3) Mizushima Hiro

4) Eita

5) Sakurai Sho

6) Tsumabuki Satoshi

7) Doumoto Tsuyoshi

8) Sato Takeru

9) Mizobata Junpei

10) Okada Junichi

Top 20 under-30 male CM artistes (Nikkei Entertainment)

* This ranking reflects the number of CM deals which under-30 male artistes are holding onto now and was published in the June 09 issue of Nikkei Entertainment. Numbers in brackets refer to the number of deals each person holds.

1) Tamaki Hiroshi (7)

2) Oguri Shun / Sato Ryuuta / Yamashita Tomohisa (6)

5) Wentz Eiji / Okada Junichi / Sakurai Sho / Matsuyama Kenichi (5)

9) Koike Teppei / Nishikido Ryo / Hayami Mokomichi / Mizushima Hiro (4)

13) Eita / Kaname Jun / Ninomiya Kazunari / Matsuda Shota / Matsumoto Jun / Miura Haruma(3)

19) Ichihara Hayato / Hiraoka Yuuta (2)

Top 10 most sought-after CM male artistes among sponsors

* This ranking was published in the June 09 issue of Nikkei Entertainment and reflects the most sought-after male artistes by sponsors now.

1) Fukuyama Masaharu

2) Ichiro

3) Sato Koichi / Tsumabuki Satoshi

5) Kimura Takuya

6) Ishikawa Ryo / Oguri Shun

8) Miura Haruma

9) Eita

10) Yamaguchi Tomomitsu

Top 10 most popular female CM artistes whom sponsors want to hire

* This ranking was published in Nikkei Entertainment's June 09 issue as part of the 17th CM Grand Prix survey and reflects the most sought-after female CM artistes by sponsors now.

1) Miyazaki Aoi

2) Ueto Aya

3) Yoshinaga Sayuri / Aibu Saki

5) Aoi Yu

6) Becky

7) Shinohara Ryoko

8) Aragaki Yui / Ueno Juri / Kitagawa Keiko / Nagasawa Masami

Top 10 movies ranking (12 July 2009)

1) Gokusen THE MOVIE

2) Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha

3) Knowing

4) ROOKIES Sotsugyou

5) Transformers: Revenge

6) Tsurugidake Ten no Ki

7) Monsters vs. Aliens

8) Terminator

9) MW

10) Sore Ike! Anpanman Dadandan to Futago no Hoshi

Theme song of "Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4" to be sung by Dreams Come True

Dreams Come True will be singing the theme song, "Sono Saki e" for the summer drama "Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji" which begins its run from 11 August. This is the 4th theme song which the duo are singing for the drama series. In addition, this will be the first time which Dreams Come True will be working with a trio band named "Fuzzy Control". The single will be released on 9 September 09 and priced at 999 yen for the first press special edition as a form of appreciation to their fans. The normal press version is priced at 1260 yen. As for the coupling track, this will be a special medley of the live performance during Dreams Come True's 20th anniversary concert tour.

Top CM artistes with the most endorsement deals (Oricon)

(Numbers in brackets indicate the number of CM deals held)

Top male CM artistes

1) Kimura Takuya (11)

2) Ishikawa Ryo (9)

3) Katori Shingo / Ichiro (8)

5) Tamaki Hiroshi / Matsuoka Shuuzo / Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (7)

8) Sato Ryuuta / Nagase Tomoya / Abe Hiroshi / Tsuruno Takeshi / Tokui Yoshimi (6)

Top female CM artistes

1) Ueto Aya (11)

2) Nakama Yukie / Miyazaki Aoi / Aibu Saki (10)

5) Becky / Kanno Miho (9)

7) Horikita Maki / Amami Yuki / Ebihara Yuri / Fujiwara Norika / Shinohara Ryoko (7)

Review of 20 Seiki Shounen Part 2 二十世紀少年 第二章: Saigo no Kibou 最後の希望

Before you continue reading this review, here are the disclaimers once again:

If you have not watched this movie, do not read this unless you are OK with the spoilers which I'm going to mention. I do not take responsibility for spoilling the fun before you get the chance to see this for yourself.

The story continues 15 years after the Bloody New Year's Eve in 2000 and Japan is now under the control of Tomodachi who twisted the facts and made Kenji and Co. appear as the terrorists who tried to wipe out mankind. By projecting himself as the saviour of the world, Tomodachi has gained a strong following and earned "admiration" from people worldwide.

At the same time, Kanna has already grown up to be a senior high student while the gang of 7 who worked together to fight the Tomodachi at that time have either passed on, disappeared or lying low. Kenji's whereabouts are still unknown while Occho is behind bars. Even though the gang have been made to bear the blame for what happened 15 years ago, Kanna knows the truth and is still hoping to meet Kenji again. She also feels deep hatred for Tomodachi who is responsible for the current state of things.

Kanna starts to get closer to the identity of Tomodachi as childhood friends of Tomodachi like Sadakiyo and Yamane start popping up, claiming that Tomodachi misled them and betrayed their trust. She also gets picked to take part in a brainwash programme held at Tomodachi Land as she always behaves violently in school when people badmouth Kenji. However, the biggest revelation she discovers is the fact that she may be Tomodachi's daughter but none of her elders seem to be willing to talk about this.

A new book, "The new book of prophecies" (Shin Yogen no Sho) surfaces and Kanna & Co. realize that this is written by Tomodachi as a continuation from what Kenji & Co. had written when they were kids. At the beginning of this book, it is mentioned that a righteous saviour will be killed in a Shinjuku church. While Kanna & Co. try to decipher what this means, they fail to realize that this is part of a ploy for Tomodachi to grab full control of the situation and gain influence...

As this is the 2nd installment of the 3-part series, it would be best to manage your expectations. You wouldn't see any ending or major revelation here. This is just a connection point to the finale. As such, we are still none the wiser as to the identity of Tomodachi. Apparently, Kenji and Occho have the answer but I believe the production crew will save the big revelation till the very end. I was not too pleased with the first part of this movie. They had some developments which did not really fit into the story at first but they made sense at the end. It took a fair bit of time to get back into the pace of things. Thus, it takes a bit of patience to ease into the story and get used to the momentum of the developments. Things start to get more interesting after Kanna gets into Tomodachi Land. However, the lack of closure leaves me quite dissatisfied. On its own, this movie probably wouldn't do too well on my scoreboard because the beginning is abrupt and the ending leaves too many questions unanswered. Given the fact that this is a connecting installment, I'm prepared to look at this movie in a different manner.

Frankly speaking, I had an answer as to Tomodachi's identity at the end of Part 1. I was pretty sure that he would be the one. However, judging from Sadakiyo and Yamane's words, the revelation that Yoshitsune was actually wearing a similar mask which Sadakiyo wore when they were kids as well as the fact that Tomodachi was exchanging identities with Sadakiyo at one time, it has thrown my guesses off course. If Fukube is really Tomodachi, why did Yoshitsune wear the mask at that time? One clue given was that Tomodachi didn't get to go to the Osaka Expo at that time and exchanged identities with Sadakiyo so that nobody knew about this. As such, besides Kenji who went to Chiba for a holiday, Tomodachi must be the only one in the gang not to go to the Osaka Expo at that time. Another suspcious thing was that Yoshitsune disappeared halfway on the way to the church when he spotted No.13 on the rooftop of a building. Where did he go and what was he up to? As such, I'm now guessing between Yoshitsune and Fukube. Since Part 3 has an entirely different ending from the manga, the final identity of Tomodachi may not be Fukube after all. Yoshitsune seems more suspicious now as compared to the rest, at the least for the time being.

Although Karasawa Toshiaki is the lead, he only appears in one miserable scene (not counting those flashbacks when Kanna & Co were thinking of him) at the end where he's singing while riding a motorbike. As such, for fans of Karasawa, you will be sorely disappointed because you will not see much of him. You have to be patient and wait for Part 3 where Kenji gets back into the action. In exchange for Kenji's absence, Occho takes on a bigger role this time although he was behind bars for most of the beginning. Once he got out of prison, that's when the action begins. Although the character setting for these main cast members should be in their 50s, Toyokawa Etsushi certainly doesn't look like one. That long hair and well-built body just makes Occho very appealing! ^__^ On the other hand, Tokiwa Takako pales in comparison this time because her role was mainly projected as a guardian of Kanna. On the surface, she seems to have mellowed down and tried to stop Kanna from getting too involved with Tomodachi but I believe given her character, she's not the type to lie low without making any effort on her own to solve the problem. Hopefully, she will get more screen time in the final installment.

With regards to Taira Airi's performance as Kanna, I am judging her purely based on this movie since I've not seen her past performances. If you are talking about Kanna's headstrong side, Taira looks the part but somehow, her voice decreases the credibility of her role when she gets agitated. Her voice becomes too sharp and screechy when Kanna gets angry or frustrated so it was a bit unbearable for me. However, when she's supposed to show the softer and more mature side of Kanna, I think she did pretty well. As Kanna is a senior high school student in this installment, I am guessing that Taira's performance will improve in the final installment when Kanna becomes an adult. I think she looks better in casual clothes than in school uniform so that outfit does bring out the tomboyish and yet delicate character of Kanna in a better way.

As per the first installment, there is a galore of famous supporting cast members but the most eyecatching out of them would be Yusuke Santa Maria and Koike Eiko. Wow, Sadakiyo looks really horrifying, judging from Kanna and Koizumi's reaction when they saw his face in the brain wash simulator. He certainly doesn't look like he's the same age with Kenji & Co. Yusuke Santa Maria really went all out to potray Sadakiyo. His appearance time may be little but he left a strong impression on me. By the way, for those who know Urasawa Naoki's other famous work, "Monster", don't you feel that Sadakiyo's manga image looks very close to Lunge? Likewise, Koike Eiko's potrayal of Takasu was very eye-catching. Well, I felt like laughing whenever she appeared because her actions were so exaggerated and funny. Seems like she's going to continue the reprisal of her role in Part 3 as well. Oh, there's also a surprise addition from Taiwan i.e. Chen Zhaorong who played the Chinese mafia chief. Those who have seen those long Taiwanese soap dramas would know him very well. To think one of the top guys in Taiwan would come to Japan to play a small role. Nonetheless, he still did OK. At least it was quite memorable. He still had a name and some lines so this is better than playing a mere stranger on the road.

On the other hand, you have people like Fujiki Naohito appearing for so long and yet his character doesn't impress me that much. Chouno was rather irritating in my opinion. That wishy-washy behaviour and too trusting attitude put me off. Nonetheless, since he's the grandson of the police detective who detected that Tomodachi is up to no good, he would appear again in Part 3, most likely as a source of help for Kenji & Co since Tomodachi's subordinates have already infiltrated the government and police force.

At the end of the movie, do not be in a hurry to leave the cinema. I guess the producers realized that some people leave without seeing the trailer for the next part so they actually put a countdown timer at the end. When I was there, most of the people stayed. Be warned, the credits roll is more than 4 minutes long. And that is where you see the finale's trailer. And one final thing, do not be fooled by the roadshow date flashed on the screen. 29 Aug is the screening date for Part 3 in Japan, not in Singapore. So don't assume Part 3 is coming to our shores soon. Given the fact that it took almost a year for Part 2 to come here, I am expecting that the finale can only be seen next year. What a long wait! It had better turn out to be a worthwhile wait, hopefully.

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 7 out of 10 (Before the point when Kanna and Koizumi went to Tomodachi Land, I was quite bored with the story. The action in the 2nd part compensated for the lacking beginning.)
Acting: 7 out of 10 (Due to the huge number of characters, there is little room for development for most of the characters. Taira Airi is doing OK and Toyokawa Etsushi is doing great to fill the void left by Karasawa.)
Theme song: 7 out of 10 (Same groovy theme song as before)
Visual effects / Scenery: 7 out of 10 (The robots and weirdo machines are toned down this time. In fact, nothing fanciful this time. It's the scale of some of the events which are seeking to impress e.g. that street parade, the funeral service of Tomodachi. Boy, they really know how to spend all that money!)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 6 out of 10 (Compared to the first part, there isn't much of teamwork to speak of. When everyone gets together in the finale, that will probably be something to talk about.)

Total: 34 out of 50

Sato Ryuuta gets married and will be a father in autumn

Sato Ryuuta announced his marriage and impending arrival of his first child during the marriage announcement press conference on 14 April. His wife-to-be is 6 years younger than him i.e. 23 years old and their baby will be due in autumn. According to Sato, he started dating her at the end of 2005 and he had planned to propose to her on 30 May which was when the movie, "ROOKIES - Sotsugyou" would be screened in cinemas. However, before he could do that, his girlfriend told him in early spring that she is pregnant so he proposed to her immediately on that day. They will decide on when to register their marriage and the wedding will have to wait until the baby is born.

Top 10 most anticipated Summer 2009 dramas (Ori*Star)

1) Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4

2) Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kouen mae Hashutsujo

3) Buzzer Beat ~ Kakebbuchi no Hero

4) Otomen

5) Karei naru Spy

6) Akahana no Sensei

7) Orthros no Inu

8) Ninkyou Helper

9) Saru Lock

10) Kanryoutachi no Natsu

MR. BRAIN gets same rating for its final episode as BOSS

The final episode of MR.BRAIN shown on 11 July registered 20.7% which is exactly the same figure achieved by BOSS in its finale broadcast. As MR.BRAIN has 3 out of 8 episodes over 20%, its average rating of 20.1% makes it the No.1 drama in the spring season compared to second-placed BOSS at 17.1%.

Top 10 most competent comedian-actors (Tsutaya)

1) Miyasago Hiroyuki

2) Miyakawa Daisuke

3) Shitara Osamu

4) Gekidan Hitori

5) Tsukaji Muga

6) Harada Taizou

7) Tokui Yoshimi

8) Chihara Junior

9) Wakabayashi Masayasu

10) Horiuchi Ken

Esumi Makiko pregnant with her 2nd child

Esumi Makiko announced her 2nd pregnancy through her official website on 12 July 09. She is currently 5 months' pregnant and due to give birth in early December. Esumi commented that her pregnancy has been smooth-sailing so far just like when she was pregnant with her eldest daughter in 2005. She will be going for maternity leave from October this year and will wait till things are more settled down at home before returning to work.

BOSS Clear File

Title: BOSS Clear File
Price: 315 yen (inclusive of tax)
Dimension: A4-size
Product code: 122610
JAN Code: 4580179757364

BOSS necklace worn by Osawa Eriko (Crossfor New York)

Title: BOSS Necklace worn by Osawa Eriko
Made by: Crossfor New York
Price: 52,500 yen (inclusive of tax)
Availability from: Late July 09
Length of the chain: 40cm with a 5cm adjuster
Pendant sizes:: 2.5mm / 3mm / 4mm / 5mm

Ninkyou Helper's first episode rating

The first episode of "Ninkyou Helper" shown on 9 July achieved a rating of 17.5% in the Kantou region. This is the first drama which Kusanagi Tsuyoshi appears in after his one-month suspension from work. Co-stars include Kuroki Meisa, Matsudaira Ken and Natsukawa Yui.

Top 10 popular Japanese movies for the first half of 2009 (Nikkansports)

1) Yatterman (933)

2) ROOKIES - Sotsugyou - (338)

3) Crows ZERO 2 (311)

4) K-20 Kaijin Nijuumensou.Den (252)

5) Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome (163)

6) Heaven's Door (162)

7) General Rouge no Kaisen (143)

8) Oppai Volleyball (90)

9) Juuryoku Piero (77)

10) Drop (70)

Preview of "Kanryoutachi no Natsu" (The Bureaucrats' Summer) - Summer 2009

Title: Kanryoutachi no Natsu
Broadcast by: TBS
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 5 July 2009
Timeslot: Sundays, 9pm
Theme song: STAY by Kobukuro
Cast: Sato Koichi, Sakai Masato, Takahashi Katsumi, Sano Shiro, Nishimura Masahiko, Sugimoto Tetta, Fukuiishi Kazue, Tanaka Kei, Tokoshima Yoshiko, Murakawa Eri, Takahashi Katsunori, Funakoshi Eiichiro, Kitaooji Kinya

Preview of Orthros no Inu オルトロスの犬 (The Dog of Orthros) - Summer 2009

Title: Orthros no Inu
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 24 July 2009
Timeslot: Fridays, 10pm
Broadcast by: TBS
Cast: Takizawa Hideaki, Nishikido Ryo, Mizukawa Asami, Yaotome Hikaru, Yamamoto Ryuji, Harada Natsuki, Oshinari Shugo, Rokkaku Seiji, Shiba Toshio, Sasaki Kuranosuke, Takahata Atsuko

Nodame Cantabile movies' filming underway in Europe

"Nodame Cantabile", the hit manga which has released 21 volumes to date and boasts of a high sales figure of 29 million copies so far, will be made into a 2-part movie to be shown at the end of this year and next year. The author, Ninomiya Tomoko released her comments after the production press conference in Vienna, Austria on 27th and 28th June. She reminded the cast and staff to take good care of their health and wished them luck during the filming.

Ninomiya was on maternity leave for a while when she gave birth to her son. Shortly after she resumed the serialization of Nodame's manga, she was struck with acute appendicitis in June and had to be hospitalized. This led to a delay in the publication of Lesson 132 of the manga. As a result of her experience, she was very concerned that the tight schedule may take a toll on the production crew. She also expressed anticipation and excitement about seeing the classical concert scenes being brought to life in Europe's big and famous concert halls.

The movie, "Nodame Cantabile Saishu Gakusho Part 1" and "Part 2" are scheduled to be screened in cinemas from 19 Dec and next year's spring respectively. Currently, filming is going on in France, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria.

Eita caught dating actress Yamasaki Mami

In the latest issue of "Jousei Jishin" published on 7 July, Eita (26) was caught holding hands with actress Yamasaki Mami who is 3 years younger than him. They were seen on a date at a yakiniku restaurant near Eita's apartment early this month. After dinner, the two of them were photographed holding hands while walking back to Eita's apartment. Yamasaki won the 2004 Miss Magazine's readers special award and was popular as an idol. She switched to being an actress recently and has been seen mainly in movies. Both artistes' agencies claimed that they were just friends and Yamasaki did not spend the night at Eita's place. However, Eita himself did not comment on this issue directly and merely said that he was sorry for the fuss caused by this matter.

Preview of Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4 救命病棟２４時 - Summer 2009

Title: Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji 4
Official website: here
O.A. Date: To be decided (likely to be in early August)
Timeslot: Tuesdays, 9pm
Cast: Eguchi Yosuke, Matsushima Nanako, Kimura Tae, Kitano Kii, Yuusuke Santa Maria (more cast members to be announced at a later date)

Top 10 movies ranking (5 July 09)

1) Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha

2) ROOKIES Sotsugyou

3) Transformers: Revenge

4) Tsurugidake Ten no Ki

5) Terminator

6) MW

7) Sore Ike! Anpanman Dadandan to Futago no Hoshi

8) The Reader

9) Angels & Demons

10) Dear Doctor

Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4 to start from 11 Aug

The O.A. date for "Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4" has been set on 11 August, which is one month later than the original date of 7 July. In the meantime for the four weeks of timeslot from 14 July to 4 August, there will be a series of 4 SPs titled "Kinkyuu SP Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji ~ Kyuumei I Kojima Kaede" (Emergency SP Emergency Room 24 Hours ER doctor Kojima Kaede) which features Matsushima Nanako's character, Kojima Kaede and 4 guests who appeared in previous installments of the drama. The first part will feature her fellow intern played by Yajima Tomohito in part 1 followed by Sudo Risa who played a nurse in Part 1 and 2, Miyasago Hiroyuki from Part 2 who played a plastic surgeon and Inoue Mao who appeared in Part 3 as a girl who attempted suicide. The story will focus on what happens to these characters after their involvement in the drama ended and feature the relationships between them and Kaede in the past and present. Meanwhile, Eguchi Yosuke is scheduled to resume filming in the middle of this month.

Preview of Ninkyou Helper 任侠ヘルパー - Summer 2009

Title: Ninkyou Helper (Chivalrous Helper)
Broadcast via: FujiTV
O.A. Start Date: 9 July 09
Timeslot: Wednesdays 10pm
Official website: here
Theme song: Sotto Gyutto by SMAP
Cast: Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, Kuroki Meisa, Yamamoto Yuusuke, Yabu Kouta, Naka Riisa, Yasuda Misako, Tachibana Yukiko, Yamada Shintarou, Mukai Osamu, Matsudaira Ken, Ukaji Takashi, Oosugi Ren and Natsukawa Yui

Romaji lyrics of "Aishiteru" by Monkey Majik (Theme song for Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou ~)

Title: Aishiteru
Artiste: Monkey Majik
Lyrics: Maynard / Blaise / tax
Melody: Maynard / Blaise
Theme song for: Aishiteru ~Kaiyou~
Total running time: 4 minutes 31 seconds

doushite? itsukara?
nagai yume demo miteiru you na
owari no hajimari nano?
kurakute fukakute
kanashimi ni michita sekai no
hateni mai konda no
shiawase sugita no
anata nokoshita kioku subete ga
watashi kore kara
hotsureta kokoro
ai de tsumuide

itsu made mo

[aishiteru] no
kotoba no imi wo oshiete kureta
anata sono mama
hitomi no oku ni
egao nokoshite
towa ni shizuka ni

naze nano? ano toki?
honno wazuka na sure chigai
ano hi ni modorenai no?
tsurakute kurushikute
todoku koto no nai kanashimi
konna ni setsunai no?

[aishiteru] no
kotoba no imi wo oshiete kureta
anata sono mama
hitomi no oku ni
egao nokoshite
towa ni yasashiku

'Cause I don't have clue what to say.
Thinking about the world and how I changed

mukai au koto de
marude toke au you ni
All alone, who am I?
Hit a wall, won't stop me!
yagate hitotsu ni naru no dakara zutto

wasurenai yo shinjita hibi wo
donna ni toki ga meguri megutte mo
yagate itsuka nagai yume kara...

[aishiteru]

Oh! wish that I was strong

Yeah I wish that I was strong
You got it! You got it! Don't lose it!
The walls are caving in.
I'll try to keep you strong.
Cause the world is moving on...

Top 10 fresh stars for the first half of 2009 (Oricon)

Top 10 male fresh stars

1) Mizushima Hiro

2) Oodorii (comedian duo)

3) Sato Takeru

4) Hanya (comedian duo)

5) Ichihara Hayato

6) Yuusuke / Mukai Osamu / Eita

9) Sakamoto Hiroto

10) Ishikawa Ryou (golfer)

Top 10 female fresh stars

1) Yoshitaka Yuriko

2) Ayase Haruka

3) Eikura Nana

4) Toda Erika

5) JUJU

6) Aragaki Yui

7) Horikita Maki

8) Miyazaki Aoi

9) Ueto Aya / misono / ayaka

Review of "Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou ~" - Spring 2009

Title: Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou ~
Produced by: NTV
O.A. Start Date: 15 April 09
O.A. End Date: 17 June 09
Original manga by: Ito Minoru
Theme song: Aishiteru by Monkey Majik
Insert song: Utsushie by Aragaki Yui
Average rating: 14.82%
Cast: Inamori Izumi, Itaya Yuka, Yamamoto Tarou, Kawashima Umika, Kakazu Issei, Satou Shion, Tabata Tomoko, Sano Shiro and Tanaka Misako

Review:

Be warned, this is an emotionally heavy drama. As the theme deals with a seemingly unthinkable case of a kid murdering another kid, the atmosphere throughout the whole drama deviates towards the sadness spectre most of the time. It is only until the very end where you see glimmers of hope here and there. Otherwise, be prepared to feel sad and sympathetic towards the characters who have to go through such a gruelling experience. As usual, beware of spoilers from this point onwards.

In summary, we have two ordinary families who can be said to be mirror images of each other. On one end, we have the Noguchi family where the father Kazuhiko is a workaholic and passes on his parenting duties of his only son, Tomoya to his homemaker wife, Satsuki. On the other end, we have the Ozawa family where the father Hideaki and mother Seiko dote on their youngest and only son, Kiyotaka thus leading their eldest daughter Mihoko to feel neglected. However, their lives are overturned when Tomoya is arrested for the murder of Kiyotaka. The case becomes the talk of town as it is revealed that Tomoya is only 10 while Kiyotaka is only 7. As both families try to grapple with the reality of this sudden incident, they have to contend with feelings of guilt, anger, sadness and regret. The central theme is forgiving out of love but you will see different degrees of how this is being adapted.

Satsuki seeks Tomoya's forgiveness for not extending a helping hand when he needed it most. Conversely, Tomoya seeks Satsuki's forgiveness for breaking her heart and going back on his promise. Kazuhiko also feels sorry for putting Tomoya second to his work. Hideaki and Seiko are apologetic towards hurting Mihoko's feelings unwittingly while the latter is sorry towards her brother as she wished that he should disappear from the family so that her life can improve. Seiko wishes that she had been home earlier or else Kiyotaka would not have met Tomoya. Of course, the Noguchi family seeks the Ozawas' forgiveness but this is not something which will come readily. As you can see, everyone in the cast has to forgive and be forgiven in one way or another. This makes everyone equal in the sense that nobody is without fault.

The story's pace is rather slow so as to allow the development of emotions for the characters. A murder case does not end when the investigation or trial is concluded. This drama shows what happens after that. The murderer's family has to live with the stigma of the crime for a very long time and be pricked by their consciences. The victim's family has to cope with the loss of a loved one and come to terms with reality. As such, this is a long process which could take ages. As such, whether this drama is your cup of tea depends very much on your ability to stomach the "slowness". I watched this drama at one go (well, over 3 days as a matter of fact) but if I had to watch this on a weekly basis, I may not stand the slow developments. Even so, there were times where I had the urge to fast-forward the drama. Pacing is a subjective area in this sense.

With regards to the acting, this is one of the few dramas where the lead is outshone by the supporting cast. I'm not saying Inamori Izumi did not do well. She surprised me in the sense that as a single woman, she did show the motherly feelings of Satsuki pretty well. However, there were times when I felt that she went a bit over the edge. All that crying and that haggard face were too much at times. True, I understand that Satsuki is supposed to be very upset and remorseful about what has happened. However, it doesn't always have to be an outpour of emotions. If you look at Itaya Yuka's potrayal of Seiko, I think she managed to balance the emotions of a mother whose son was murdered. At the beginning, Seiko was hysterical because she blamed herself for going out to lunch and not being home for Kiyotaka. However, as emotions gradually simmered down, she didn't cry in an exaggerated manner. Tears rolling down her cheeks without any sound made is even more powerful than sobbing loudly. Seiko is sad but she tries to keep it lowkey so as to be strong for her husband and daughter. That strength exhibited in Itaya's acting impressed me very much. Maybe it has to do with her being a mother in real life. That is probably why she finds it easier to imagine the feelings of Seiko and potray how someone in her shoes is likely to behave. Although Itaya had relatively lesser airtime as compared to Inamori, the former left a much stronger impression on me.

The child actors are also worth mentioning. Kakazu Issei who plays Tomoya is quite good at displaying the conflict of emotions with this character. Shaking when he's terrified, releasing his anger by throwing tantrums as well as feeling sorry for what he has done to his parents and Kiyotaka. He's only 10 and should have a long way to go if he gets more beefy roles in future. Somehow, he reminds me a lot of Kamiki Ryuunosuke when he was a child.

There's also Kawashima Umika who plays Mihoko. She did pretty well in this drama and I think she has a slight edge over competitors in the same age group. Although she can look tough on the surface, she is able to show the insecurity and softer side in her role. I have this feeling that Kawashima is quite similar to Narumi Riko in the past but the latter appears too strong and mature at times. As such, Kawashima feels like a softer version of Narumi, at least for the time being. However, I do not wish to see Kawashima become a shadow of Narumi. She should try to carve a niche for herself if she wants to go further in showbiz.

The theme song by Monkey Majik fitted the theme of the drama very closely so I'm guessing that they tailormade it for this drama. On the other hand, Aragaki Yui's song always comes in at a weird point in the drama and it is barely audible because of the lack of richness and depth in her voice. The sound director must have thought that we all have great hearing to pick out what she's singing but they should have made an effort to turn up the volume. As such, I'm not very impressed with the use of this song in the drama.

And my ratings for this drama...
Story: 7 out of 10 (Description of the emotions and story development was good but the pacing is a problem area which could kill interest)
Acting: 8.5 out of 10 (Especially for Itaya Yuka and Inamori Izumi's efforts. Kudos to the young actors too.)
Theme song: 7 out of 10 (For the sake of Monkey Majik's song. If the insert song had been handled in a better way, the score would have gone higher.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 5 out of 10 (Nothing particularly impressive or worth picking on)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 5.5 out of 10 (The funny thing is that Seiko and Satsuki met only once throughout the whole drama so there isn't chemistry to speak of. However, that scene was very intense. As for teamwork, it's largely isolated within each family. On the whole, I think the Ozawa family showed a more close-knitted bond among themselves.)

Total: 33 out of 50

Top 10 movies ranking (28 June 09)

1) Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha

2) ROOKIES Sotsugyou

3) Transformers: Revenge

4) Tsurugidake Ten no Ki

5) Terminator 4

6) The Reader

7) Angels & Demons

8) Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome

9) Manatsu no Orion

10) Hagetaka

The Quiz Show DVD Box

Title: The Quiz Show DVD Box
Price: 18,060 yen (inclusive of tax)
Date of release: 21 August 2009
Number of discs: 7
Produced by: VAP
Total running time: 480 minutes
Special footage: Making-of, cast interviews, PR compilation, press conference, CM compilation, Spin-off video "Ichimon Ittou" (One Question One Answer)
Freebies: Specially-made plastic poker cards (1st press only), Replica of the invitation card