Today, let's meet the Best Leading Actress finalists and find out their rankings!
Similar to the situation in the Best Supporting Actor category, the No.1 here was on a solo journey to the top without any strong contenders for the title thanks to the strong support of the fans. Although No.2 and No.3 put up a good fight, it was simply not enough to turn the tables.
No.5 Yoshitaka Yuriko - Tokyo Tarareba Musume (16 points)
Due to the situation I outlined above, most of the points were given to the top 3 thus resulting in relatively lower scores for the rest of the field. Yoshitaka narrowly edged out the 6th placed actress by just 2 points so this reflects the razor-thin margin separating those outside the top 3.
I haven't watched this drama before but have a vague understanding of the storyline through covering it on this blog and viewing the trailers. To be honest, stories about single women and how they waver between the decisions of whether to choose work vs. love or singlehood vs. marriage are so common that it takes a lot for me to want to watch another drama of this nature. Perhaps those who voted for Yoshitaka can share with us what the charm of this drama is and why you chose her?
No. 4 Nakatani Miki - Kataomoi (20 points)
I've only finished one episode of Kataomoi to date so I can't really comment on Nakatani's acting in this drama. Nonetheless, she has always been rather consistent in her past performances so I have no doubt that she did a good enough job to make people want to vote for her. Considering the nature of her role here, I can imagine how difficult it was because just dressing as a guy is not enough to show the lead character's desire to live as a man even though she did get married to a man prior to this.
Generally, dramas from cable stations or online streaming platforms tend not to get as many votes compared to private network dramas in this voting exercise. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it can be harder to get access to such cable or online dramas so it inevitably leads to lesser fansubs for such dramas. Of course, with more licensed online platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video churning out more productions, we might see a change in this situation probably by the time I hold this voting activity again.
No.3 Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko (96 points)
As you can see, Takahata's score was close to 5 times more than Nakatani's. Similarly, like what I pointed out for Tokyo Tarareba Musume, this theme of a pampered/sheltered girl or boy breaking free of the shackles imposed by a protective parent and becoming a better person in the process is not very new. As such, there must be an interesting hook to get me started. I haven't been exposed to much of Takahata's works to date other than Tokyo Sentimental where she has a small role but Takeuchi Ryoma's performance in Rikuou impressed me well enough that I may just check out this drama one day to see why the two of them were chosen as best onscreen couple. As for the story, perhaps those who had voted for Takahata can share why you think she performed well?
No.2 Matsu Takako - Quartet (98 points)
I admit, I am biased towards Quartet so I was hoping that Matsu would win this category. Alas, it was not meant to be. Although she and Takahata both did quite well in terms of the number of points they got, it was still not enough to beat the eventual number even if their scores were combined.
Matsu's portrayal of Maki was so spot-on that it felt like she wasn't acting but was Maki herself. In particular, Eps 5 and 6 when the story of Maki and her husband played by Kudo Kankuro were especially engaging and very moving. She didn't have to resort to exaggerated acting to get her point across. Being plain, boring and ordinary is usually more difficult than playing someone who stands out in one way or another. In the past when she used to star in those romantic dramas with KimuTaku, I didn't really fancy her but she has matured a lot as an actress that my opinion of her has changed entirely for the better.
No.1 Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 5 (330 points)
Yonekura has done it again, this time almost doubling the number of points she received in 2016 for Doctor X 4. Thanks to the enthusiasm shown by fans of her and the drama, this pushed her to the top right from the start without anyone ever threatening her hold on the title.
I've mentioned in my earlier posts about my thoughts on Doctor X so you know that I am not a faithful viewer of this series. In the past, I probably would be the type to welcome sequels of my favourite series but over the years, I have developed a very strong resistance to the idea of sequels because a lot of these don't get done properly. It mars the reputation of the original and does not do any good in the end. Of course, there are exceptions but they are a dime in a dozen. Much as I love Quartet, I don't want to see a sequel unless they can show me that they can surpass the original.
Personally, I enjoyed Yonekura's performances when she was doing a string of bad women roles for a while. She was really charismatic on screen and showed off her improved acting which brought her to where she is now. The thing I find about Doctor X is, the story is too repetitive and rather unrealistic (making Daimon look like a god) and hardly gives her the room to show variation in her acting. That is why I look forward to seeing her in something different. However, going by how popular Doctor X is, it looks highly unlikely that the lazy TV Asahi will end this profitable franchise unless Yonekura herself stops playing Daimon. Just look at how many seasons of Aibou they have done to date.
In case you are wondering, Matsu was the only person I voted for in this category.
Similar to the situation in the Best Supporting Actor category, the No.1 here was on a solo journey to the top without any strong contenders for the title thanks to the strong support of the fans. Although No.2 and No.3 put up a good fight, it was simply not enough to turn the tables.
Due to the situation I outlined above, most of the points were given to the top 3 thus resulting in relatively lower scores for the rest of the field. Yoshitaka narrowly edged out the 6th placed actress by just 2 points so this reflects the razor-thin margin separating those outside the top 3.
I haven't watched this drama before but have a vague understanding of the storyline through covering it on this blog and viewing the trailers. To be honest, stories about single women and how they waver between the decisions of whether to choose work vs. love or singlehood vs. marriage are so common that it takes a lot for me to want to watch another drama of this nature. Perhaps those who voted for Yoshitaka can share with us what the charm of this drama is and why you chose her?
I've only finished one episode of Kataomoi to date so I can't really comment on Nakatani's acting in this drama. Nonetheless, she has always been rather consistent in her past performances so I have no doubt that she did a good enough job to make people want to vote for her. Considering the nature of her role here, I can imagine how difficult it was because just dressing as a guy is not enough to show the lead character's desire to live as a man even though she did get married to a man prior to this.
Generally, dramas from cable stations or online streaming platforms tend not to get as many votes compared to private network dramas in this voting exercise. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it can be harder to get access to such cable or online dramas so it inevitably leads to lesser fansubs for such dramas. Of course, with more licensed online platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video churning out more productions, we might see a change in this situation probably by the time I hold this voting activity again.
As you can see, Takahata's score was close to 5 times more than Nakatani's. Similarly, like what I pointed out for Tokyo Tarareba Musume, this theme of a pampered/sheltered girl or boy breaking free of the shackles imposed by a protective parent and becoming a better person in the process is not very new. As such, there must be an interesting hook to get me started. I haven't been exposed to much of Takahata's works to date other than Tokyo Sentimental where she has a small role but Takeuchi Ryoma's performance in Rikuou impressed me well enough that I may just check out this drama one day to see why the two of them were chosen as best onscreen couple. As for the story, perhaps those who had voted for Takahata can share why you think she performed well?
I admit, I am biased towards Quartet so I was hoping that Matsu would win this category. Alas, it was not meant to be. Although she and Takahata both did quite well in terms of the number of points they got, it was still not enough to beat the eventual number even if their scores were combined.
Matsu's portrayal of Maki was so spot-on that it felt like she wasn't acting but was Maki herself. In particular, Eps 5 and 6 when the story of Maki and her husband played by Kudo Kankuro were especially engaging and very moving. She didn't have to resort to exaggerated acting to get her point across. Being plain, boring and ordinary is usually more difficult than playing someone who stands out in one way or another. In the past when she used to star in those romantic dramas with KimuTaku, I didn't really fancy her but she has matured a lot as an actress that my opinion of her has changed entirely for the better.
Yonekura has done it again, this time almost doubling the number of points she received in 2016 for Doctor X 4. Thanks to the enthusiasm shown by fans of her and the drama, this pushed her to the top right from the start without anyone ever threatening her hold on the title.
I've mentioned in my earlier posts about my thoughts on Doctor X so you know that I am not a faithful viewer of this series. In the past, I probably would be the type to welcome sequels of my favourite series but over the years, I have developed a very strong resistance to the idea of sequels because a lot of these don't get done properly. It mars the reputation of the original and does not do any good in the end. Of course, there are exceptions but they are a dime in a dozen. Much as I love Quartet, I don't want to see a sequel unless they can show me that they can surpass the original.
Personally, I enjoyed Yonekura's performances when she was doing a string of bad women roles for a while. She was really charismatic on screen and showed off her improved acting which brought her to where she is now. The thing I find about Doctor X is, the story is too repetitive and rather unrealistic (making Daimon look like a god) and hardly gives her the room to show variation in her acting. That is why I look forward to seeing her in something different. However, going by how popular Doctor X is, it looks highly unlikely that the lazy TV Asahi will end this profitable franchise unless Yonekura herself stops playing Daimon. Just look at how many seasons of Aibou they have done to date.
In case you are wondering, Matsu was the only person I voted for in this category.
Kahogo no Kahoko is one of the best! A realistic and simple fairy-tale like show, without evil characters or love triangles. Character growth from ep 1 to ep 10 can be seen for almost all characters, including the supporting cast. Chemistry between Kahoko and Hajime was really excellent.
ReplyDeleteIA with anonymous above. Takahata Mitsuki was actually excellent as Kahoko. so funny and so touching. the role of Kahoko could have very easily turned into an annoyingly ~cute~ character but she managed to turn her very genuinely adorable and uniquely fun ! i believe that if it wasn't her playing Kahoko the drama would have been at least half less good.
ReplyDeleteTokyo Tarareba Musume could seem like the usual late20's/early30's-single-ladies drama, struggling with love and work (and maybe that's all it is) but i thought Yoshitaka Yuriko portrayed it pretty well. more than once i really could see myself in her and so that's why i voted for her too.
a bit sad that Sawajiri Erika and Ayase Haruka (in Seirei no Moribito !) didn't make it...
I was fully prepared Not to like Kahogo no Kahoko (it's the sort of storyline I don't generally care to see) but I decided to watch based only on the fact that I had enjoyed watching Takahata Mitsuki in the movie Evergreen Love (also known as Botany Books)--she was able to convey so much emotion with facial expression and body language. In spite of my trepidation, I was pleasantly surprised with Kahoko. The character of Kahoko could too-easily have been annoying but Takahata-san played her engagingly; it was simply impossible to dislike Kahoko, even when she was doing something that might otherwise be cringe-worthy and in spite of some slightly irritating plot devices. In fact, I couldn't resist cheering on Kahoko and Hajime--I even gave the drama a re-watch recently; it was just as good as I thought it was the first time. Kahoko's character grew and changed because of her relationship with Hajime. I only wish that Hajime had gotten a bit more screen time and that some of Kahoko's obnoxious relatives had gotten a bit less.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of sad that Takahata Mitsuki didn't get no. 1 but at least she's still within the Top 5.
ReplyDeleteI first noticed her in Mondai no Aru Restaurant. I was very annoyed by her character to be honest (though annoyed, I must admit the acting was good). But after that, I happened to watch Shokubutsu Zukan with her as the female lead. I didn't know initially that she was the female lead until I looked up the movie, because at that time I was really impressed by how she nailed some of the very subtle emotions. I was even more impressed when I found out she was the same person playing that annoying character in Mondai no Aru Restaurant. After that I picked up Kahogo no Kahoko. And needless to say, I'm once again blown away by how she portrayed Kahoko. Just reading from the show's plot summary, it may sound like Kaho will be a show about some airhead girl being overprotected - just as I initially assumed - like many high school romance shows. But it didn't end up like that. You really should watch Kaho and other shows with her starring and you will get what I mean. Kaho really brought back some Nodame feels :)