As compared to the supporting actress category, the top 2 actors in this category were literally playing musical chairs among themselves during the two-week period while the rest of the competition hardly had a chance of overtaking them. The point difference among most of those being for was very small so the ranking results were rather volatile on a day-to-day basis. Despite so, the top 2 maintained a healthy lead from the start and never looked back.
However, the results could have changed drastically if the disqualified votes were included. The same issue happened here where voters simply put the names of the actors and did not specify which drama's role they were voting for so it was not possible to ascertain what they were voting for.
Although some of my favourite actors are in the top 5, it just so happened that I have not watched the dramas that they appeared in so that was why I did not vote for them. As for those I voted for, they were all not in the top 5.
Let's meet the winners of this category then!
No.5 Yamazaki Kento - Suki na hito ga iru koto (24 points)
Among the top 5 in this category, Yamazaki is the youngest and has the least experience in acting. Despite so, he's been doing pretty well as an upcoming actor and taking on lead roles in a number of significant projects. Although I watched this drama, it was more so for the Shonan Coast scenery rather than the story and cast. Perhaps it was the predictable script that made Yamazaki's acting appear equally predictable and bland to me but going by the votes he received, his supporters liked him well enough to place him as No.1 on their lists.
No.4 Otani Ryohei - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu (25 points)
Otani narrowly edged out Yamazaki to grab the No.4 spot which was pretty surprising, considering that his name had not surfaced as one of the key contenders for the top 5 until the second week.
Otani is being touted as the next Dean Fujioka i.e.a reverse import actor who made it big outside of Japan before returning to their home country. There have also been comparisons between him and Takenouchi Yutaka as people say that they look rather alike.
To be honest, I don't watch that many Korean dramas and coincidentally, I've not watched any of his Korean dramas before. He did appear as a guest on 1n2d too but I simply cannot recall when that was or what he did. I haven't watched NigeHaji yet so I can't really comment on how he fared in that but his character did come across as a suave and polished suitor for the heroine's affections and give the male lead a run for his money.
No.3 Odagiri Jo - Juuhan Shuttai! (33 points)
Odagiri got off to a pretty good start during the first two days of the voting until he was overtaken by No.1 and No.2. Likewise, I haven't watched this drama yet so I can't assess his performance. For those who voted for him, perhaps you can share with me why you chose to support him?
Although Odagiri had been the lead for a number of dramas in the past, it seems like he's been taking on quite a number of supporting roles as well in recent years. Personally, I don't mind whether he's in a leading or supporting role since I will be content with seeing him in dramas from time to time.
No.2 Kagawa Teruyuki - 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi (54 points)
Compared to No.1 getting off to a good start very quickly, Kagawa's votes grew at a comparatively gradual pace and was on top for a few days until it conceded the lead. Nonetheless, I'm sure that many would agree that he is a versatile actor and can handle both serious and comedic roles very well. Although I've not watched this drama yet, I've read many media reports praising his performance in this drama.
Unfortunately, Kagawa lost a few votes along the way as there were people who voted for him but did not specify the drama. Since he was in this drama and "Sniffer" in 2016, it was not possible to tell which role was being voted for. If those votes were valid, it might have turned the tables and helped Kagawa secure the win since the point difference between him and No.1 was not that big anyway.
And here is the winner of this category: Hoshino Gen - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu who got 72 points!
I think that most people would agree that Hoshino enjoyed a huge surge in name awareness and popularity last autumn thanks to this drama and his theme song. From the beginning, he got a significant share of the votes which helped him stay in the top ranks throughout the voting period. At one point though, Kagawa Teruyuki looked like he was about to snatch the No.1 spot from Hoshino but the latter managed to sweep up some late votes to win the title.
Unfortunately, Hoshino also lost some votes along the way because some voters did not specify if they were voting for his role here or in "Sanadamaru". As such, there was a likelihood that he could have won this more easily and with a larger margin.
In case you are wondering who I voted for, I only chose three actors:
No.1 Hayashi Kento (ON Ijou Hanzai Sousakan Toudou Hinako)
No.2 Sato Ryuta (Naomi to Kanako)
No.3 Endo Kenichi (Chef Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku)
Personally, I thought that ON had a pretty good story with a solid cast but there was this nagging feeling in my mind that the characters in the drama were weird in their own ways. As a friend puts it, it's like a gathering of "psychos"! ^__^ Hayashi's character may seem like a mild-mannered and demure man on the surface but his raging emotions within were conveyed in such a way that it sort of made me shudder at certain points. In that sense, I thought he was great in showing the gap between his character's external image and internal mind.
Likewise for Sato who usually appears as good-natured or goofy characters, his transformation into this abusive husband who gets "eliminated" very early in the story was simply mind-blowing. He did come across as really detestable and frightening at the same time. Unfortunately, the other character he played in the drama was somewhat bland which I attribute partly to the story's setting.
Last but not least, Endo's fierce looks make him look like a mismatch with his character who designs and cooks school lunches in a primary school. Although there was no romantic link between him and Amami Yuki in the drama, I liked the progression of their relationship from that of disdain and distrust to belief in each other's abilities and appreciating each other for who they are. The display of their chemistry on screen towards the end of the drama also contributed to my liking of Endo's acting here.
So how do you feel about the winners in this category? Please share your thoughts with me through the comments section or via the Facebook fanpage!
