Thursday, March 22, 2018

The 2nd Dorama World Awards 2017 - Best Supporting Actor

Let's meet the top 5 finalists in the Best Supporting Actor category today!

Unlike the Best Supporting Actress category where the battle was between two candidates, the eventual winner of this category got extremely strong support from the fans thus making it impossible for anyone to overtake him right from the beginning of the voting exercise. As such, this resulted in a situation where the point differences between the rest of the top 5 were small while the No.1 sailed to a win easily without any competition.

No.5 Matsuda Ryuuhei - Quartet (28 points)

On the surface, Beppu-kun may seem like a really bland, quiet and ordinary guy just like how Matsuda appears to be in real life. However, when the need arises, Beppu-kun can do some unexpected things which is probably where his charm lies. For roles like this which may seem to be lacking in a highlight trait, they are difficult to stand out. However, Matsuda managed to play Beppu-kun in such a way that I saw him fitting into the latter's shoes so easily as if it was an effortless performance on his part. Although I would have hoped to see him get a higher position in this ranking, things didn't turn out exactly as I wished. Nonetheless, a No.5 spot is still better than none especially since the point difference between him and the sixth-placed actor was just 2 points.

No.4 Takeuchi Ryoma - Kahogo no Kahoko (32 points)

Takeuchi narrowly edged out Matsuda to grab the No.4 spot which was a bit surprising to me, considering the strong support he and Takahata Mitsuki got in the couple category. Nonetheless, you can't ignore the fact that Takeuchi had a brilliant 2017 with appearances in a number of hit dramas and movies. Another surprising thing to me was that he got a place in the ranking not due to his performance in Rikuou which was very eye-catching and comparatively more significant than his role in this drama. Then again, many people might not have watched Rikuou by the time the voting exercise was held so I guess that's why his performance in this drama earned him the points needed to be in the Top 5.

No.3 Takahashi Issei - Quartet (48 points)

Much as I am happy to see both guys from Quartet make it to this ranking, I have to admit that I would have wanted to see them get higher places. Takahashi was also hot property in 2017 just like Takeuchi which was partly due to his performance in this drama. Comparatively, he had a more eye-catching role as the somewhat eccentric Iemori who can be serious and funny at the same time because Beppu-kun was the exact opposite. Although there has been talk of late about the recent dating rumour with Morikawa Aoi being a strong factor which can derail his rising career, Takahashi can probably ride out the storm soon especially since he's been in the industry for so long and has seen his fair share of ups and downs.

No. 2 Endo Kenichi - Doctor X 5 (50 points)

I have no doubts about Endo Kenichi being a good actor so I wasn't that surprised about him making it to this ranking. Despite his "scary" looks, he actually seems to be more down-to-earth and goofy if his appearances on variety shows are to be believed. Like I mentioned before, I haven't watched any of the Doctor X dramas in full and only caught random episodes here and there while channel surfing. My impression of Endo's performance in the 5th season is somewhat hazy as I did not really see much of him in the episodes I watched. Nonetheless, it does appear that the fans of Doctor X do like his performance well enough to pick him out of the numerous supporting actors in the drama which helped him win the No.2 spot with just a 2 point difference over Takahashi. And it does seem that doctors seem to be very well-favoured in this year's ranking as we've seen a number of doctor roles in the top 5 rankings announced so far.

No.1 Kishibe Ittoku - Doctor X 5 (210 points)

Just looking at the score that Kishibe got, it's clear that nobody was a match for him. And the passion of the Doctor X fans was so evident as he led the ranking from start to finish. Judging from the guesses submitted, nobody expected him to win as well (except for one person who happened to have voted for him too).
Kishibe has been a permanent fixture in the Doctor X series and my strongest impression of him is always him bringing a very expensive melon to the hospital director's office to demand payment for Daimon's services AND the two of them celebrating when they get the money. As such, I always thought that his character was more on the comical side. However, I read before that there was a scene in the 5th season where he showed off some emotional acting which could have swung the votes to his favour in one way or another. Whatever it is, this is a resounding win for Kishibe.

In case you are wondering, besides voting for the Quartet duo, I also chose Kagawa Teruyuki from Chiisana Kyojin. This guy is always so eye-catching and easily overtakes the lead with his acting. Frankly speaking, there were some parts in Chiisana Kyojin which can come across as overly dramatic e.g. that 1 + 1 = 2 conversation but for some reason, Kagawa kept me glued to the screen even as I rolled eyes at how funny some lines were. In particular, I think his "battles" with Hasegawa Hiroki in this drama were such a joy to watch. Too bad he didn't get many votes this time.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Noooooo.... Ryoma nº 4 =(

Anonymous said...

i really really don't mean to be rude but, what's all that hype around Doctor X ?? (like, is it THAT great?)
IA with op, Kagawa Teruyuki was so so good in Chiisana Kyojin ! his last big scene with Hasegawa Hiroki shook me !
but i'm kinda sad and surprised to see that beside Takeuchi Ryoma none of the actors i voted for are mentioned here... Kamiki Ryunosuke, Yagira Yuya (he was the only good thing in Frankenstein no Koi imo), Asano Tadanobu (in A Life)... too bad~