Fukushi Sota & Honda Tsubasa to star in FujiTV Summer 2015 Gekku "Koinaka"

Fukushi Sota and Honda Tsubasa will be working together in the FujiTV Summer 2015 Gekku "Koinaka" which will begin its run from July in the Mondays 9pm timeslot.

The drama features Fukushi in the lead role of Miura Aoi who comes from Toyama and hates summer out of all seasons. He used to be the star swimmer in his senior high school's swimming team and went to Tokyo after graduation. However, he is leading an uneventful life now as an assistant in an architect company and aims to become an architect in the future. One day, he happens to reunite with his first love cum childhood friend Serizawa Akari (Honda) who he was with almost every day during their days as students. However, Akari disappeared without a word on the night of the summer fireworks festival when they were in the last year of senior high which left Aoi wondering what had happened. Even though Aoi is elated at meeting Akari again, he is taken aback by the presence of another man also named Aoi beside Akari.

Source: Sponichi

Fujigaya Taisuke and Takimoto Miori reportedly dating?

Kis-My-Ft2 member Fujigaya Taisuke and Takimoto Miori are said to be dating, according to a Sponichi article dated 2 June. The two of them last worked together in the TBS Summer 2011 drama "Ikemen desu ne" and are said to have started dating since then. It was reported that they had frequently met up at Fujigaya's apartment and were sighted at events such as a music event at Enoshima and wearing identical rings thus fueling rumours that they are an item. News of their relationship were also reported in the 4 June issue of Shukan Bunshun where Takimoto was caught wearing a mask and heading into Fujigaya's apartment.

When interviewed about this, both Fujigaya's and Takimoto's agencies stated that this is a private matter and would not comment on the news.

Source: Sponichi / Daily Sports

Ichikawa Somegoro & Domoto Koichi to work together in the TV Asahi drama SP "Onmyouji"

Ichikawa Somegoro and KinKi Kids' Domoto Koichi will be working together in the TV Asahi drama "Onmyouji" which is based on the novel by Yumemakura Baku and due to be shown in summer this year. Ichikawa will play the lead Abe no Seimei while Domoto will play Abe's buddy Minamoto no Hiromasa. The same novel had been made into a NHK drama starring SMAP's Inagaki Goro and two movies starring Nomura Mansai in the past. This will be Domoto's first appearance in a period drama while Ichikawa last played Abe in the opening kabuki production "Onmyouji" in 2013 when the Kabukiza was reopened after renovations. As compared to the previous editions, this drama SP will make use of latest computer graphics to portray the world of the onmyouji, the monsters and magic. Filming was done primarily in Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture over a month from early May.

Domoto admitted that it was difficult for him to get used to wearing a wig and the Heian period clothes but said that it was a precious opportunity for him to take part in this drama and learn from Ichikawa who seemed fully at ease about being Abe. In addition, as Minamoto was supposed to be a famous flute player, Domoto had to spend a lot of time practising especially since he knew little about Gagaku.

Co-stars also include Kawahara Kazuhisa who is also Ichikawa's brother-in-law in real life, Wada Masato, Musaka Naomasa, Shigaki Taro, Uesugi Shozo, Hinagata Akiko, Wada Toshihiro, Jinbo Satoshi, Kunimura Jun.

Source: Oricon

Moriyama Mirai & Takahata Mitsuki to star in new WOWOW drama "Enka Gold Rush"

Moriyama Mirai and Takahata Mitsuki will be starring in the new WOWOW drama "Enka" which consists of 4 episodes and will be beginning its run from 18 July in the Saturdays 10pm timeslot. The drama which is based on Osaka-based Naoki Award winner Kurokawa Hiroyuki, is an action suspense thriller and will feature a cast and crew entirely made up of people whose hometowns are in the Kansai region.

Moriyama will play the role of an arts teacher who works at a private girls' school in Osaka where the director manages the school as if it is his own property and gives his staff salaries which are 30 percent lesser than the market rate. One day, he and his fellow colleague who is a music teacher (Takahata) decide to look for the director at his lover's apartment in order to seek better working conditions. However, they find that the director and his lover had been kidnapped by someone with the nickname of "education consultant" and later becomes embroiled into a scheme to steal the director's hidden assets consisting of a huge amount of gold bars.

Source: Eiga.com

Sano Hinako to play the role of Amane Misa in the NTV Summer 2015 drama "Death Note"

Sano Hinako will take on the role of Amane Misa in the upcoming NTV Summer 2015 drama "Death Note" which begins its run from July in the Sundays 10.30pm timeslot. Misa whose nickname is Misa Misa, is deeply in love with Yagami Light played by Kubota Masataka as he tries to use the Death Note to eliminate the evil and bad guys from the world. Co-stars of this drama were also announced: Light's younger sister Sayu will be played by Fujiwara Reiko, Seki Megumi will play Himura Shoko while Matsuda Tota will be played by Maeda Koki. The roles of Aizawa Shuichi and Mogi Kanzo will be taken on by Yuge Tomohisa and Sato Jiro respectively. Hankai Kazuaki will play Watari and Matsushige Yutaka will be Yagami Soichiro.

Source: Oricon

Takeuchi Yuko, Maki Yoko & Mizukawa Asami to star in Baka Rhythm's drama SP "Kamoshirenai Joyutachi"

Takeuchi Yuko, Maki Yoko and Mizukawa Asami will be starring in the FujiTV drama SP "Kamoshirenai Joyutachi" (Perhaps Actresses) which is written by comedian Baka Rhythm and due to be shown on 23 June from 10pm to 11.24pm. The story is based on Baka Rhythm's interviews with the three actresses about their life experiences before and after being actresses and addresses the hypothetical question of what would have happened to them if they did not become actresses. The three actresses play themselves in their respective stories about their possible life journeys if they did not embark on their acting careers. Their stories would cross paths with one another at times before they all meet together.

Takeuchi was full of praise for Baka Rhythm's talent and remarked that he is not as simple as he looks since he was able to come up with this story from one question. Maki was happy about living her childhood dream of being a manga artist through this SP while Mizukawa relished the idea of playing herself in this half factual and half fiction tale. Baka Rhythm commented that he was glad to be able to bring his imagination about these three actresses into real-life and hopes that everyone will enjoy seeing their "what if" stories.

Source: Oricon

SMAP's Inagaki Goro to act in new FujiTV Summer 2015 drama "HEAT"

SMAP's Inagaki Goro will be joining the cast of new FujiTV Summer 2015 drama "HEAT" featuring EXILE's AKIRA as the lead. Inagaki will play the role of Hibino Jin, the president of a real estate company named "Global Toshi Kaihatsu" where Ikegami Tatsuya (AKIRA) works at. On the surface, Hibino is a man who talks gently and grows roses in his office but he is ruthless to those who don't perform well thus resulting in the rapid growth of his business. With regard to his character, Inagaki commented that although he had played many unique and somewhat oddball roles or company presidents in the past, he hopes to show a new side of him this time so that viewers will find it entertaining. As for how to prepare for his role, Inagaki revealed that he has many friends around his age who are either directors or presidents of companies so he can pick up useful tips from them. With regard to his collaboration with AKIRA, Inagaki revealed that they had met many times during music programmes so it will be interesting to see how things turn out between them as they work together as actors this time.

Source: Eiga.com

Suzuki Ryohei to star in the movie adaptation of "Ore Monogatari!!"

Suzuki Ryohei will be playing the lead character in the movie adaptation of the popular manga "Ore Monogatari" by Kawahara Kazune and Aruko which has sold more than 3.5 million copies to date. The love comedy features a high school student named Goda Takeo who hardly looks his age due to him being 2m tall, weighing 120kg and his fierce face but he is in actual fact a gentle and innocent guy. One day, he happens to meet Yamato Rinko, a female student from another school and falls for her at first sight thus beginning his journey to win her heart. The manga won the "Kono manga ga sugoi!" award in the 2013 female category and won the shoujo manga award from Kodansha and is currently being shown as an anime since April this year.

In order to look like Goda in the movie, Suzuki started to engage in physical training and controlling his diet which led to him increasing his weight by 30kg. Despite having played a variety of roles in the past, Suzuki revealed that he had always wanted to act in a love comedy so as to challenge himself and is looking forward to do well in the movie so as not to disappoint the manga fans. However, for a 32-year-old man like him to play a 15-year-old, Suzuki admitted that there was a huge age gap between him and his co-stars i.e. 17 years older than Nagano Mei who plays the role of Rinko and 8 years older than Sakaguchi Kentaro who plays Goda's best friend Sunakawa Makoto but the trio got along very well since the filming began on 20 May so he thinks that the age gap wouldn't be an issue after all.

Filming is expected to be completed by the end of June and the movie is due to be shown nationwide from 31 October.

Source: Eiga.com

Mizushima Hiro & ayaka welcome the arrival of their first daughter

Ayaka announced the arrival of her first daughter with Mizushima Hiro through her blog on 19 June. In the statement released under the couple's names, ayaka mentioned that they are filled with joy whenever they see their child sleeping peacefully. When the baby was born, it felt as if God had given them a wink and they are extremely grateful for the happiness bestowed to them. Reflecting on her pregnancy and childbirth, ayaka said that she had experienced many things for the first time and they will both raise their child without forgetting that she is God's gift to them.

According to insiders, Mizushima was also present at the hospital at the time of their daughter's birth. He also released a photo on his Instagram account featuring the hands of his family and wrote a message "I'm a dad" along with it.

Mizushima and ayaka got married in February 2009 and announced her pregnancy last December. Ayaka is expected to return to work in November when she starts her "Ayaka Rainbow Road TOUR 2015-2016 ~ Michi wa tsuzuku yo ~".

Source: Oricon

Top 10 CM celebrities popularity ranking for 2014 (CM Databank)

Top 10 Male Celebrities
1) Matsuda Shota
2) Hamada Gaku
3) Kiritani Kenta
4) Sakai Masato
5) Dante Carver
6) Matsuoka Shuzo
7) Ohno Satoshi
8) Sakurai Sho
9) Ninomiya Kazunari
10) Tsumabuki Satoshi

Top 10 Female Celebrities
1) Ueto Aya
2) Higuchi Kanako
3) Hirose Suzu
4) Yanagihara Kanako
5) Sugisaki Hana
6) Ishihara Satomi
7) Yonekura Ryoko
8) Aragaki Yui
9) Rola
10) Arimura Kasumi

Source: Oricon

"Minami-kun no Koibito" 2015 remake to feature Nakagawa Taishi and Yamamoto Maika

FujiTV will be producing a remake of "Minami-kun no Koibito ~ my little lover" (Minami-kun's Lover) which will be shown this summer. The new drama features Nakagawa Taishi as the lead character Minami Shunichi while his childhood friend Horikiri Chiyomi will be played by Yamamoto Maika. The story which is based on the manga by Uchida Shungiku that was serialised between 1986 and 1987, describes how Minami-kun and Chiyomi fall in love and start living together after her height suddenly shrinks to just 16cm. In the new drama version, there is a slight change in Minami's character setting where he is a smart and handsome student. In addition, the ending of the drama is set to be different from the manga.

The drama will begin with Minami and Chiyomi being neighbours and each other's first love since they were kids. However, their relationship has somewhat changed since the disappearance of Minami's father some years ago. One day, Chiyomi runs out of her house after an argument with her parents about her plans after senior high school. While out in the thunderstorm, Chiyomi makes a wish to return to her childhood days and finds herself shrunk to just 16cm after a sudden gust of wind and thunder strikes. Minami happens to find Chiyomi and brings her home to live with him which causes them to become closer to each other.

There were three drama adaptations in the past i.e. 1990's version featured Kudo Masaki and Ishida Hikari, 1994's version starred Takeda Shinji and Takahashi Yumiko while 2004's version showcased Ninomiya Kazunari and Fukada Kyoko.

Source: Eiga.com

Maeda Atsuko to be the heroine in NTV Summer 2015 drama "Do Konjo Gaeru"

Maeda Atsuko will play the role of Kyoko, the heroine in the upcoming NTV Summer 2015 drama "Do Konjo Gaeru" which stars Matsuyama Kenichi. She commented that she had prior knowledge of the manga and her mother was very happy when Maeda told her about the offer. In the drama which is set 16 years after the manga, the lead character Hiroshi will be 30 years old while Kyoko who is his only love, will be 29 years old. Upon reuniting with Kyoko after a long time, Hiroshi realises that her old self is nowhere to be found and hopes to do something about it.

Co-stars also include Katsuji Ryo who plays Goro, Mitsuishi Ken who plays the owner of "Takarazushi", Denden who plays Hiroshi's former form teacher Machida, Shirahane Yuri who plays Yoshiko-sensei, Arai Hirofumi who plays Gorilla Imo and Yakushimaru Hiroko who plays Hiroshi's mother. An original character i.e. Kyoko's grandmother will be played by Shiraishi Kayoko.

Source: Eiga.com

Nagase Tomoya & Kamiki Ryunosuke to star in Kudo Kankuro's new movie "TOO YOUNG TO DIE! Wakakushite Shinu"

Nagase Tomoya and Kamiki Ryunosuke will be starring in the new movie "TOO YOUNG TO DIE! Wakakushite Shinu" which is the 4th movie directed and written by Kudo Kankuro and due to be shown in cinemas from Feb 2016. To date, Nagase has worked with Kudo multiple times in dramas such as "Ikebukuro West Gate Park", "Tiger & Dragon" and "Unubore Deka" and movie "Mayonaka no Yaji-san Kita-san". The two of them had talked about doing a movie with a music theme so Nagase expressed his joy about their plan finally materialising in this movie. As for Kamiki, he last worked in a Kudo drama in "11nin mo iru". Nagase and Kamiki last worked together in the drama "Mukodono" 15 years ago.

The movie features Kamiki as Daisuke, a student who loses his life due to an accident while he is on a school trip. However, he is bent to get out of hell so as to confess his love for his classmate who he has been holding a torch for. In hell, Daisuke meets Killer K (Nagase), the adviser to the school band named Hells at Jigoku Agriculture High School who helps him with his dream.

Kamiki revealed that as part of the preparation for this movie, he had to learn how to play the guitar and sing. Although he had played the guitar occasionally during his junior and senior high school days, Kamiki said that it was more pressuring this time since he was not playing it for leisure. When asked about their feelings about working with each other after such a long period of time, Nagase praised Kamiki for becoming such a fabulous actor and looks forward to the chemistry arising from their interaction. As for Kamiki, he said that he was just a Primary 3 student when he met Nagase and he still sees the latter as a gentle elder brother and looks forward to working with him now that he is also an adult.

Filming began in the middle of May and is expected to wrap up in summer.

Source: Eiga.com