Next up are the top 5 finalists in the Best Onscreen Couple category and their rankings! Compared to last year where the votes were largely concentrated on the eventual winner i.e. Hoshino Gen and Aragaki Yui from "Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu", the votes for this time round were spread rather evenly for most of the nominees voted for. The final winner though had a clear advantage over the rest of the competition as seen by their overwhelming winning margin which was even larger (3 times more than No.2's total score) than last year's winner (double the number of points for No.2). Especially as the guy was a hot favourite last year, this probably helped in the couple's popularity as well.
Without further ado, let's meet the final 5!
No.5 Nishijima Hidetoshi & Ayase Haruka - Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui (18 points)
I have not watched this drama yet but when this was ongoing last autumn, there was a fair bit of talk in the media about Ayase's action scenes and the sweet onscreen interaction between the lead couple i.e. Nishijima and Ayase in this drama. Personally, I do think that they look pretty good together. However, as the story progressed, the relationship between them changed for some reason as their true identities are revealed and if you had seen photos of them in the last episode, you would have known that they were fighting each other for some reason. I don't know what happened in the end for this couple but the votes suggested that those who had watched this probably liked them a lot regardless of what happened between them.
No.4 Taiga & Gouriki Ayame - Rental no Koi (20 points)
Perhaps it was due to the fact that this was a late night drama so it didn't enjoy a lot of publicity compared to the primetime offerings. Interestingly, although this drama was never nominated in any of the other categories, the lead couple seemed to have gotten into the good books of those who watched this as seen from the support shown towards them and narrowly edging out the competition to grab the No.4 spot. I haven't watched this drama as well but if I remember correctly, there was quite a bit of media attention on the weekly cosplays which Gouriki was doing in this drama. Perhaps those who had watched this can share with us why you like this couple?
No.3 Kamenashi Kazuya & Kimura Fumino - Boku, unmei no hito desu (30 points)
To be honest, even though I thought that this drama was supposedly a romance story between Kamenashi's and Kimura's characters, the media coverage back then during the drama's run seemed to be more about Kamenashi and Yamashita Tomohisa such as about them working together for the first time ever since "Nobuta wo Produce" and singing the theme song together. As such, I sort of got the impression that Kimura was the "forgotten" heroine while Yamashita was the "hidden" heroine. However, it does seem like those who watched this drama like this couple well enough to vote for them and gave them a comfortable margin to grab the No.3 spot.
No.2 Abe Sadao & Fukada Kyoko - Gekokujou Juken (40 points)
Although the story's theme was mainly about a father's journey to help his daughter prepare for exams despite their poor academic abilities, it seemed like the interaction between the lead couple didn't go unnoticed and was well-liked by those who watched this drama. Usually for such categories where people choose best onscreen couples, it is common to see that the better-looking couples tend to have an advantage over the competition. In this sense, Abe and Fukada's combination was rather unconventional but I think they looked quite compatible together. In case you are wondering, this photo was from Gekokujou Juken's official Instagram account and taken by Kazama Shunsuke apparently. This "kabedon" pose was made famous some years ago by Fukushi Souta who did that on Ayase Haruka in "Kyouwa kaisha yasumimasu" so it is a popular parody done in many dramas and variety shows since then.
And now, the winning couple is....
No.1 Takeuchi Ryoma & Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko (126 points)
Looking at the huge margin between No.1 and No.2, it's clear that this couple is definitely the favourite in 2017. Even though the drama's ratings were not really high, it's unmistakable that Takeuchi's popularity did soar because of this and was pivotal in making him one of the hot names last year. Among those who voted, the majority put this couple as their No.1 thus boosting their total score to a level which was unreachable for the competition to beat. At the end of the drama, this couple got married so it's a happy ending for them after all.
In case you are wondering who I voted for, I chose two couples only. The first was Matsu Takako & Matsuda Ryuhei in Quartet. Although they were not in an "obvious" romantic relationship which went both ways (Matsuda's character was in love with Matsu's), there were some really great moments between them which sizzled onscreen even though there was hardly any intimacy or kissing. The most intimate they were was probably that scene where Matsuda held her hand in the living room of her apartment.The other couple I chose was Fujiwara Tatsuya and Toda Erika in Reverse. Call it karma if you like but Toda was chasing after Fujiwara all the time in Death Note and the tables were turned in Reverse which I found quite amusing to watch. What I liked about them was not so much about the lovey dovey-ness displayed in the first episode but how their relationship seemed very down-to-earth and reflective of daily life and how they coped with the revelation which could have driven them apart forever. Unfortunately, both couples did not make it as finalists in the end.
Without further ado, let's meet the final 5!
I have not watched this drama yet but when this was ongoing last autumn, there was a fair bit of talk in the media about Ayase's action scenes and the sweet onscreen interaction between the lead couple i.e. Nishijima and Ayase in this drama. Personally, I do think that they look pretty good together. However, as the story progressed, the relationship between them changed for some reason as their true identities are revealed and if you had seen photos of them in the last episode, you would have known that they were fighting each other for some reason. I don't know what happened in the end for this couple but the votes suggested that those who had watched this probably liked them a lot regardless of what happened between them.
Perhaps it was due to the fact that this was a late night drama so it didn't enjoy a lot of publicity compared to the primetime offerings. Interestingly, although this drama was never nominated in any of the other categories, the lead couple seemed to have gotten into the good books of those who watched this as seen from the support shown towards them and narrowly edging out the competition to grab the No.4 spot. I haven't watched this drama as well but if I remember correctly, there was quite a bit of media attention on the weekly cosplays which Gouriki was doing in this drama. Perhaps those who had watched this can share with us why you like this couple?
To be honest, even though I thought that this drama was supposedly a romance story between Kamenashi's and Kimura's characters, the media coverage back then during the drama's run seemed to be more about Kamenashi and Yamashita Tomohisa such as about them working together for the first time ever since "Nobuta wo Produce" and singing the theme song together. As such, I sort of got the impression that Kimura was the "forgotten" heroine while Yamashita was the "hidden" heroine. However, it does seem like those who watched this drama like this couple well enough to vote for them and gave them a comfortable margin to grab the No.3 spot.
Although the story's theme was mainly about a father's journey to help his daughter prepare for exams despite their poor academic abilities, it seemed like the interaction between the lead couple didn't go unnoticed and was well-liked by those who watched this drama. Usually for such categories where people choose best onscreen couples, it is common to see that the better-looking couples tend to have an advantage over the competition. In this sense, Abe and Fukada's combination was rather unconventional but I think they looked quite compatible together. In case you are wondering, this photo was from Gekokujou Juken's official Instagram account and taken by Kazama Shunsuke apparently. This "kabedon" pose was made famous some years ago by Fukushi Souta who did that on Ayase Haruka in "Kyouwa kaisha yasumimasu" so it is a popular parody done in many dramas and variety shows since then.
And now, the winning couple is....
Looking at the huge margin between No.1 and No.2, it's clear that this couple is definitely the favourite in 2017. Even though the drama's ratings were not really high, it's unmistakable that Takeuchi's popularity did soar because of this and was pivotal in making him one of the hot names last year. Among those who voted, the majority put this couple as their No.1 thus boosting their total score to a level which was unreachable for the competition to beat. At the end of the drama, this couple got married so it's a happy ending for them after all.
In case you are wondering who I voted for, I chose two couples only. The first was Matsu Takako & Matsuda Ryuhei in Quartet. Although they were not in an "obvious" romantic relationship which went both ways (Matsuda's character was in love with Matsu's), there were some really great moments between them which sizzled onscreen even though there was hardly any intimacy or kissing. The most intimate they were was probably that scene where Matsuda held her hand in the living room of her apartment.The other couple I chose was Fujiwara Tatsuya and Toda Erika in Reverse. Call it karma if you like but Toda was chasing after Fujiwara all the time in Death Note and the tables were turned in Reverse which I found quite amusing to watch. What I liked about them was not so much about the lovey dovey-ness displayed in the first episode but how their relationship seemed very down-to-earth and reflective of daily life and how they coped with the revelation which could have driven them apart forever. Unfortunately, both couples did not make it as finalists in the end.
