The 95th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2017) - Best Leading Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Ayase Haruka - Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui
2) Koizumi Kyoko - Kangoku no Ohimesama
3) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 5

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Ayase Haruka - Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui
2) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 5
3) Shibasaki Kou - Onna Joshu Naotora
4) Kuroshima Yuina - Ashi Girl
5) Koizumi Kyoko - Kangoku no Ohimesama

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Koizumi Kyoko - Kangoku no Ohimesama
2) Ayase Haruka - Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui
3) Inoue Mao - Ashita no Yakusoku
4) Shibasaki Kou - Onna Joshu Naotora
5) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 5

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 5
2) Koizumi Kyoko - Kangoku no Ohimesama
3) Shibasaki Kou - Onna Joshu Naotora / Ayase Haruka - Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui
5) Inoue Mao - Ashita no Yakusoku

Source: The Television

The 95th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2017) - Best Theme Song

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Doors ~ Yuuki no Kiseki ~ - Arashi (Saki ni umareta dake no boku)
2) Showtime - Amuro Namie (Kangoku no Ohimesama)
3) Jupiter - Little Glee Monster (Rikuou)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Doors ~ Yuuki no Kiseki ~ - Arashi (Saki ni umareta dake no boku)
2) Kiseki - Uru (Kounodori 2)
3) Iiwake - JUJU (Kono koe wo kimi ni)
4) Reboot - Tohoshinki (Ashita no Yakusoku)
5) Gyutto - Sexy Zone (Wagahai no heya de aru)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Showtime - Amuro Namie (Kangoku no Ohimesama)
2) Jupiter - Little Glee Monster (Rikuou)
3) Human - WANIMA (Keiji Yugami)
4) Tomoe Gakuen - Fukuyama Masaharu (Totto-chan!)
5) Iiwake - JUJU (Kono koe wo kimi ni)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Jupiter - Little Glee Monster (Rikuou)
2) Doors ~ Yuuki no Kiseki ~ - Arashi (Saki ni umareta dake no boku)
3) Showtime - Amuro Namie (Kangoku no Ohimesama)
4) Tomoe Gakuen - Fukuyama Masaharu (Totto-chan!)
5) Mikansei no Answer - Ueda Tatsuya (Shinjuku Seven)

Source: The Televison

Winners of the 10th Confidence Award Drama Prize (Autumn 2017)

Here are the winners of the 10th Confidence Award Drama Prize for the Autumn 2017 season:

Best Drama: Keiji Yugami

Best Leading Actor: Asano Tadanobu (Keiji Yugami)

Best Leading Actress: Ayase Haruka (Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui)

Best Supporting Actor: Kamiki Ryuunosuke (Keiji Yugami)

Best Supporting Actress: Tezuka Satomi (Ashita no Yakusoku)

Best Script: Fukuda Yasushi (Saki ni umareta dake no boku)

Best Newcomer: Sakuma Yui (Ashita no Yakusoku)

Source: Confidence Award Drama Prize

First episode satisfaction ranking for Autumn 2017 dramas (TV Watcher)

TV Watcher released a ranking where respondents were asked to give scores to the first episodes of Autumn 2017 dramas based on their satisfaction level after watching the first episodes. The full score is 5 while anything above 3.7 is considered high satisfaction. Note that only dramas shown in the 9pm and 10pm timeslots were considered in this ranking. Numbers in brackets indicate the score for the drama concerned:

Tohoshinki to sing the theme song for FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku"

Tohoshinki will be singing the theme song for FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku" starring Inoue Mao which will begin its run from 17 October in the Tuesdays 9pm timeslot. The song titled "Reboot" will be the duo's first single in two-and-a-half years since they entered military service and were discharged in April (Yunho) and August (Changmin) this year. The dance number is also meant to be a sign of Tohoshinki's return. The release date of the song is yet to be decided.

Production press conference of Kansai TV / FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku"

The production press conference of Kansai TV / FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku" was held on 11 October which was attended by cast members Inoue Mao, Nakama Yukie, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Kudo Asuka, Shirasu Jin, Shinkawa Yua, Sakuma Yui, Aoyagi Sho, Haba Yuichi and Tezuka Satomi. The drama begins its run from 17 October in the Tuesdays 9pm timeslot.

Sakuma Yui to appear in FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku"

Sakuma Yui will be appearing in the upcoming FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku" starring Inoue Mao which begins its run from 17 October in the Tuesdays 9pm timeslot. This original story features Inoue as the 29-year-old lead character Aizawa Hinata who works as a counsellor at Tsubakigaoka Senior High School and aims to be the last adult who the students can depend on other than their parents and teachers. However, while devoting herself to the pyschological care of her students who are struggling with problems in school or at home, she is troubled by her own relationship with her hysterical and emotional mother who intervenes too much into her life. Just then, Hinata gets a confession of love from a male student named Yoshioka Keigo who had been skipping school and was being counselled by her but is shocked to find out on the following day that he died under mysterious circumstances. While trying to find out the truth behind this case, she comes face-to-face with the darkness of human beings and discovers what is most important about living and how a parent-and-child relationship should really be like.

Sakuma plays the childhood friend of Keigo named Shirai Kasumi who quit the school he attended 2 years ago and is going to a dance school while working part-time at a supermarket. Even after quitting from high school, Kasumi has been in contact with Keigo and knows a secret of his that nobody else is aware of. As such, Kasumi is believed to have a clue as to why Keigo suddenly committed suicide. With regard to her character, Sakuma described Kasumi as someone who does not show her feelings easily and is very sensitive about various things. As such, she will try her best to play Kasumi with the advice of the staff members and hopes that everyone will support this drama.

Source: Oricon

Preview of "Ashita no Yakusoku" - Autumn 2017

Title: Ashita no Yakusoku 明日の約束 (Tomorrow's promise)
Official website: here
Official Facebook: here
Official LINE: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 17 October 2017
Timeslot: Tuesdays 9pm
Broadcast by: Kansai TV / FujiTV
Cast: Inoue Mao, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Kudo Asuka, Shirasu Jin, Shinkawa Yua, Sakuma Yui, Endo Kenshin, Aoyagi Sho, Kamio Yu, Mabuchi Erika, Nakabayashi Daiki, Omiya Taro, Haba Yuichi, Tezuka Satomi, Nakama Yukie etc.

Supporting cast line-up of Kansai TV / FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku" announced

The supporting cast line-up of Kansai TV / FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku" starring Inoue Mao had been announced. It will begin its run from 17 October 2017 in the Tuesdays 9pm timeslot.

This original story features Inoue as the 29-year-old lead character Aizawa Hinata who works as a counsellor at Tsubakigaoka Senior High School and aims to be the last adult who the students can depend on other than their parents and teachers. However, while devoting herself to the pyschological care of her students who are struggling with problems in school or at home, she is troubled by her own relationship with her hysterical and emotional mother who intervenes too much into her life. Just then, Hinata gets a confession of love from a male student who had been skipping school and was being counselled by her but is shocked to find out on the following day that he died under mysterious circumstances. While trying to find out the truth behind this case, she comes face-to-face with the darkness of human beings and discovers what is most important about living and how a parent-and-child relationship should really be like.

Hinata's student Yoshioka Keigo who commits suicide, will be played by Endo Kenshin while his mother Yoshioka Makiko will be played by Nakama Yukie. Being too much in love with her son, Makiko puts too much pressure on Keigo until he starts skipping school. When Hinata comes to their house to visit Keigo, Makiko treats Hinata with distrust while Hinata can see herself in Keigo as she is also suffering from her mother's over-intervention into her life. Following Keigo's death, Makiko uses all ways possible to attack the school and Hinata so as to seek revenge. Nakama commented that she hopes to show the loneliness, love and strength which a mother has to struggle with in order to raise her child through her acting. This will be the first time that Nakama is working with Inoue.

Oikawa Mitsuhiro will be playing Kirishima Naoki who is Keigo's form teacher and helps Hinata in investigating Keigo's death while Kudo Asuka will be playing Honjou Kazuhiko who is Hinata's boyfriend and works as a salaryman struggling with his own family problems. Shirasu Jin plays Kitami Yujiro who is the form teacher of Class 2A but doesn't know how to observe his surroundings and Shinkawa Yua plays Oomiya Nao who is a part-time teacher and constantly confides in Hinata about her problems in love. Tezuka Satomi will play Naoko who is Hinata's mother and has such serious mood swings that she gets hysterical and hurts her daughter with her autocratic ways. Last but not least, Aoyagi Sho will play Kojima Shuhei who is a journalist looking into Keigo's death.

Sources: Oricon / Sanspo 1 / Sanspo 2

Inoue Mao to star in new Kansai TV / FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku"

Inoue Mao will be starring in the new Kansai TV / FujiTV Autumn 2017 drama "Ashita no Yakusoku" (Tomorrow's Promise) which will begin its run from October 2017 in the Tuesdays 9pm timeslot. This will be her first appearance in a drama series since her 2015 NHK Taiga drama "Hana Moyu" and her transfer to a new agency at the end of last year.

The original story features Inoue as the 29-year-old lead character Aizawa Hinata who works as a counsellor at Tsubakigaoka Senior High School and aims to be the last adult who the students can depend on other than their parents and teachers. However, while devoting herself to the pyschological care of her students who are struggling with problems in school or at home, she is troubled by her own relationship with her hysterical and emotional mother who intervenes too much into her life. Just then, Hinata gets a confession of love from a male student who had been skipping school and was being counselled by her but is shocked to find out on the following day that he died under mysterious circumstances. While trying to find out the truth behind this case, she comes face-to-face with the darkness of human beings and discovers what is most important about living and how a parent-and-child relationship should really be like.

Inoue commented that the problems in the school are a reflection of the times and she hoped that this drama will be a source of support to those who have similar problems in their lives. As she had always wanted to act in something which depicts the relationship between a parent and a child, she was very glad to receive the offer for this drama and felt a strong sense of responsibility to tackle such a delicate and difficult theme. In particular, she found her character Hinata to be very difficult to play because she dishes out advice to the students as a counselor but cannot stand firm against her meddling mother in her private life.

Sources: Oricon / Sponichi / Sanspo