The 91st Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2016) - Best Theme Song

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Koi - Hoshino Gen (Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu)
2) Suna no Tou - THE YELLOW MONKEY (Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~)
3) Give Me Love - Hey! Say! JUMP (Cain to Abel)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Koi - Hoshino Gen (Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu)
2) Give Me Love - Hey! Say! JUMP (Cain to Abel)
3) one chance - Johnny's WEST (Rental Kyuuseishu)
4) Jukai no Ito - Cocco (Unmei ni, nita koi)
5) Suna no Tou - THE YELLOW MONKEY (Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Koi - Hoshino Gen (Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu)
2) Suna no Tou - THE YELLOW MONKEY (Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~)
3) Give Me Love - Hey! Say! JUMP (Cain to Abel)
4) Susume, tama ni nigetemo - Charan-Po-Rantan (Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu)
5) Heaven's Door ~ Hi no ataru basho ~ - Kanna Chise (Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko) / Jukai no Ito - Cocco (Unmei ni, nita koi) / 12gatsu no ame - chay (Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Koi - Hoshino Gen (Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu)
2) Smile for me - Matsutoya Yumi (Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~)
3) Heaven's Door ~ Hi no ataru basho ~ - Kanna Chise (Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko)
4) Ikiteitandayona - Aimyon (Kichijoji dake ga sumitai machi desuka?)
5) Suna no Tou - THE YELLOW MONKEY (Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~) / Give Me Love - Hey! Say! JUMP (Cain to Abel) / Susume, tama ni nigetemo - Charan-Po-Rantan (Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu)

Source: The Televison

The 91st Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2016) - Best Supporting Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Ishida Yuriko - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu
2) Nagasawa Masami - Sanadamaru
3) Matsushima Nanako - Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Ishida Yuriko - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu
2) Shida Mirai - Rental Kyuuseishu
3) Nagasawa Masami - Sanadamaru
4) Matsushima Nanako - Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~
5) Kurashina Kana - Cain to Abel

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Ishida Yuriko - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu
2) Matsushima Nanako - Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~
3) Nagasawa Masami - Sanadamaru
4) Takeuchi Yuko - Sanadamaru
5) Shida Mirai - Rental Kyuuseishu / Tsuchiya Tao - IQ246 ~ Karei naru Jikenbo ~

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Nagasawa Masami - Sanadamaru
2) Shimizu Fumika - Kaseifu no Mitazono
3) Matsushima Nanako - Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~ / Eguchi Noriko - Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko / Mizuno Miki - Kuroi Juunin no Onna

Source: The Televison

The 91st Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2016) - Best Leading Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Sakai Masato - Sanadamaru
2) Yamada Ryosuke - Cain to Abel
3) Matsuoka Masahiro - Kaseifu no Mitazono

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Sakai Masato - Sanadamaru
2) Yamada Ryosuke - Cain to Abel
3) Sawamura Ikki - Rental Kyuuseishu
4) Yamada Takayuki - Yuusha Yoshihiko to Michibikareshi Shichinin
5) Matsuoka Masahiro - Kaseifu no Mitazono

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Sakai Masato - Sanadamaru
2) Yamada Takayuki - Yuusha Yoshihiko to Michibikareshi Shichinin
3) Matsuoka Masahiro - Kaseifu no Mitazono
4) Yamada Ryosuke - Cain to Abel
5) Oda Yuji - IQ246 ~ Karei naru Jikenbo ~

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Sakai Masato - Sanadamaru
2) Abe Hiroshi - Sniffer Kyuukaku Sousakan
3) Matsuoka Masahiro - Kaseifu no Mitazono / Oda Yuji - IQ246 ~ Karei naru Jikenbo ~
5) Yamada Takayuki - Yuusha Yoshihiko to Michibikareshi Shichinin

Source: The Televison

The 91st Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2016) - Best Drama

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu (TBS)
2) Sanadamaru (NHK)
3) Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko (NTV)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu (TBS)
2) Rental Kyuuseishu (NTV)
3) Cain to Abel (FujiTV)
4) Sanadamaru (NHK)
5) THE LAST COP (NTV)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu (TBS)
2) Sanadamaru (NHK)
3) Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko (NTV) / Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~ (TBS)
5) Yuusha Yoshihiko to Michibikareshi Shichinin (TV Tokyo)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu (TBS)
2) Sanadamaru (NHK)
3) Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko (NTV)
4) Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~ (TV Asahi) / Kuroi Juunin no Onna (NTV)

Source: The Television

Takimoto Miori, Kawaguchi Haruna & Kurashina Kana participate in cross collaboration project for FujiTV Autumn 2016 dramas

FujiTV will be having a collaboration project for its Autumn 2016 dramas i.e. "Cain to Abel", "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~" and "Career ~ Okiteyaburi no Keisatsu Shochou" where Kurashina Kana, Kawaguchi Haruna and Takimoto Miori will be appearing in the dramas other than the ones which are currently appearing in.

Takimoto who plays the police detective Aikawa Misato, will start the relay by appearing in the 6th episode of "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~" shown on 17 November as a customer who eats with her friend at the French food stall operated by Hoshino Mitsuko (Amami Yuki). Takimoto who acted with Amami for the first time, praised the latter for being very considerate and tried to make her feel comfortable so she hopes to be able to work with Amami again.

Kawaguchi who plays Takayama Haruko in "Chef" will appear in the 6th episode of "Cain to Abel" on 21 November where she will deliver soup to the office where Takada Yu (Yamada Yosuke) works at when he orders takeaway for his project team members while working overtime. Kawaguchi commented that she felt nervous about appearing on the set of another drama and worried about how the scene would turn out. However, the filming went by faster than she thought and she enjoyed the experience because there were many staff members who she had worked together with before.

Last but not least, Kurashina who plays Yahagi Azusa in "Cain to Abel", will be appearing in the 8th episode of "Career" on 27 November where she helps a pair of twins who lose their way and meets Toyama Kinshiro (Tamaki Hiroshi) who happens to pass by. Kurashina and Tamaki last worked together in the 2015 FujiTV drama "Zannen na Otto" where they played a married couple and the child actors who play the twins also appeared in this drama as their children. During the filming, thw twins suddenly cried so both Kurashina and Tamaki had to attend to them. Kurashina remarked that it was a fresh and interesting experience and to be able to reunite with her "family".

In recent years, the last cross collaboration among FujiTV dramas was between 2014's "Gokuaku Ganbo" and "Zoku Saigo kara nibanme no koi" where Ono Machiko and Koizumi Kyoko appeared in each other's others. As such, this will be the first time when such collaborations involve three dramas. Each of the dramas' Twitter pages and homepages will have quizes where viewers can win signed original goods from the dramas.

Sources: Sanspo / Sponichi

Takenaka Naoto to appear from Ep 4 of FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel" as Minami Kaho's fiance

Takenaka Naoto will be appearing from the 4th episode of FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel" to be shown on 7 November as Minami Kaho's fiance. This will be his 7th appearance as a regular cast member in a FujiTV Monday 9pm drama which places him on par with Fukuyama Masaharu and Eguchi Yosuke. The record holder is Kimura Takuya who has 11 dramas under his belt. Takenaka is also the first actor to appear in the Getsu 9 dramas for three years in a row since Winter 2014's "Shitsuren Chocolatier" and Spring 2015's "Youkoso, Wagaya e". In response, Takenaka expressed his joy at being invited so many times and hopes that this can continue in future.

This time, Takenaka will be playing Kurosawa Kousuke who is a weirdo investor active in Asia who appears the fiance of Takada Momoko (Minami Kaho), the aunt of Ryuichi (Kiritani Kenta) and Yu (Yamada Ryosuke). As Takenaka is well-known for making his co-stars burst out laughing during filming, Yamada was bracing himself for that but unexpectedly, Takenaka was acting seriously this time. However, with his bright red clothes and somewhat weird behaviour, Takenaka's character will be worth keeping a lookout for as he will definitely become a key person in the story.

Sources: Sanspo / Oricon

Terao Akira to take over Hira Mikijirou's role in FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel"

Terao Akira will be taking over the late Hira Mikijirou's role in the FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel" which is currently being shown at 9pm on Mondays. Hira had passed away suddenly on 22nd October in his house and had only completed the filming up to episode 2 which was shown on 24th October. His next appearance as the grandfather of Yamada Ryosuke and Kiritani Kenta's characters was due to be in episode 4 to be shown on 7 November. As this character is to appear in the drama right till the last episode and that he has a huge influence on his grandsons, there was no way he could be written off from the story.

Due to the sudden development, the chief producer Hattori Kenichi approached Terao who he had worked with in the FujiTV Spring 2015 drama "Youkoso, Wagaya e". Although Terao was on vacation after completing the TBS Summer 2016 drama "Aogeba Totoshi" and had hardly worked with nor interacted with Hira, he accepted the last-minute offer due to Hattori and Minami Kaho who played his wife in "Youkoso, Wagaya e" and is acting as his daughter this time in "Cain to Abel". Terao is expected to participate in the filming from the later half of this week and due to appear from episode 4 onwards.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo

Hira Mikijirou passes away; found dead at home by family members (UPDATED)

Hira Mikijirou was found dead in the bathtub of his house at Setagaya Ward, Tokyo by his family members who had come to visit him around 6.30pm on 23rd October who then called for an ambulance. Hira had lived alone and was 82 years old. According to the police, there was nothing suspicious about Hira's death. Details of his funeral and the host have not been decided yet.

Hira was born in Hiroshima City in November 1933 and joined the 5th batch of the Gekidan Haiyuza in 1953 after graduating from senior high school. Three years later, he became a member of the theatre group and had participated in many dramas, movies and stage plays over the years. Hira was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal in 1998 and the Order of the Rising Sun in 2005. His most recent appearance was in the FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel" as the grandfather of the characters played by Yamada Ryosuke and Kiritani Kenta.

Hira got married to actress Sakuma Yoshiko in 1970 and had a son and daughter but the couple divorced in 1984. Their son Hira Takehiro is also an actor. Hira underwent surgery for lung cancer before and had made a full recovery.

UPDATE: Adding some new information from news reports today ~

- It was his son Hira Takehiro who discovered his father's body. Apparently, Hira Mikijirou's agency tried to contact him on 22nd Oct but to no avail so Takehiro went to his father's place on the following day's evening to check on him. His reason of death is unknown at the moment.

- Hira Takehiro has a twin sister. At the time of Hira Mikijirou's divorce, his reason given at that time was that he could not juggle work and family commitments at the same time.

- Hira had filmed up to Ep 2 for the FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel". The last time he participated in the filming was on 29 September but he didn't display any signs of illness or discomfort. His character is set to appear again in Ep 4 but there is no announcement yet on who might take over his role.
Hira's appearance in Ep 2 showing on 24 October will not be edited and there will be a telop run during the broadcast to mourn his passing.

- Hira was due to appear in a new stage play "Shi no Budou" from March next year at Theatre Cocoon. He had recently wrapped up the performances for the stage play "Cressida" which ran from September to 9th October and took on the lead role.

- Hira used to be good friends with the late Ninagawa Yukio who passed away in May this year. However, they fell out when Hira hid the fact that he underwent surgery for lung cancer in 1987 and quit a stage play without explaining the true reason. He even returned to work in just 40 days after the surgery. Nonetheless, the friends of 40 years reconciled much later and Hira even made a speech at Ninagawa's farewell ceremony where he said that they will meet again soon. His son Takehiro had just gotten married back in July this year.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo 1 / Yomiuri Hochi 1 / Sponichi 1 / Sanspo 2 / Yomiuri Hochi 2 / Sponichi 2

Preview of "Cain to Abel" - Autumn 2016

Title: Cain to Abel カインとアベル (Cain and Abel)
Official website: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 17 October 2016
Timeslot: Mondays 9pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Theme song: Title undecided by Hey! Say! JUMP
Cast: Yamada Ryosuke, Kiritani Kenta, Kurashina Kanna, Kinoshita Houka, Hino Yojin, Yamazaki Hirona, Nishimura Motoki, Tozuka Junki, Takashima Masanobu, Otsuka Nene, Minami Kaho, Hira Mikijiro

Further cast announcements for FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel"

The second round of cast announcements for FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel" was made recently where Hira Mikijiro, Minami Kaho, Otsuka Nene, Kinoshita Houka, Hino Yojin, Yamazaki Hirona, Nishimura Motoki and Tozuka Junki are revealed to be part of the cast lineup. The drama which begins its run from 17 October in the Mondays 9pm timeslot, features Hey! Say! JUMP's Yamada Ryosuke as the lead character Takada Yu who has to grapple with emotions of love when he falls for his elder brother's girlfriend (Kurashina Kana), rivalry with his elder brother (Kiritani Kenta) and vying for the affections from his father (Takashima Masanobu) who only has eyes for his elder son Ryuichi. Hira will be playing Soichiro, the grandfather of Yu and Ryuichi who is the founder and chairman of the family business Takada Sogo Jisho while Minami plays Soichiro's eldest daughter Serizawa Momoko. Otsuka plays Hirose Saki, the female manager of a small restaurant called HIROSE which is frequented by employees of Takada Sogo Jisho. As for Kinoshita, he plays Dan Mamoru, the director of the sales department who emphasizes teamwork over everything while Yu's superior Sasaki Hajime will be played by Hino. Yamazaki will play Yu's colleague Shibata Hikari who holds a torch for him while Nishimura and Tozuka will play Yu's colleagues Ando Mitsuru and Misawa Yota respectively.

Source: Oricon

Kiritani Kenta, Kurashina Kana & Takashima Masanobu to appear in FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel"

Kiritani Kenta, Kurashina Kana and Takashima Masanobu will be appearing in the upcoming FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Cain to Abel" which will begin its run from 17 October in the Mondays 9pm timeslot. The drama which is based on the fourth chapter Book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible where brothers Cain and Abel appeared in, features Hey! Say! JUMP's Yamada Ryosuke as the lead character Takada Yu whose father Takayuki (Takashima) is the president of property developer Takada Sougo Chisho and elder brother Ryuichi (Kiritani) is the vice president. Since young, Yu has been overlooked by his father who dotes on his elder son who is good at everything. Despite wanting to be recognised and liked by his father and elder brother, Yu is not successful in this regard so he's already more or less resigned to his fate. On the other hand, Ryuichi is fighting a battle of his own as he tries to cope with the pressure of being perfect. While working in the family business, Yu meets Yahagi Azusa (Kurashina) and gradually develops feelings for her. However, he realises later that Azusa is actually Ryuichi's girlfriend.

This will be Kiritani's first collaboration with Yamada in a drama series since they last worked together in the 2013 NTV drama SP "Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo Hong Kong Kowloon Zaihou Satsujin Jiken". Kiritani commented that the traditional impression of the Gekku timeslot is trendiness and romance but this time, there will be elements of family relationships, brotherhood and jealousy. As such, he is eagerly anticipating to see how the story develops and describes the complicated relationships among the characters. As for Takashima, this is his first appearance in a Gekku in 11 years so he wants to put in his all to play his character. Kurashina commented that she hopes to show the feminine charm and strength of her character in the drama.


Sources: Sanspo 1 / Sponichi / Oricon

Yamada Ryosuke to star in FujiTV Autumn 2016 Gekku drama "Cain to Abel"

Hey! Say! JUMP's Yamada Ryosuke will be starring in his first FujiTV Gekku drama (Mondays 9pm) when he appears in the upcoming Autumn 2016 "Cain to Abel" due to start in October. This will also be his first romance drama to date. The concept of the drama comes from the 4th chapter in the Book of Genesis from the Bible's Old Testament where Adam and Eve's elder son Cain enjoys the love of God which leads his younger brother Abel to feel jealous and desire his father's recognition.

In the drama, Yamada will play a salaryman named Takada Yu who works in a property development company. Since young, Yu's father has been showering love and attention on Yu's elder brother who was good in his studies and is not concerned about his younger son. Due to this, Yu is hungry for his father's love and hopes to gain the latter's approval and recognition while feeling jealous of his elder brother. One day, Yu happens to meet a woman and gradually falls for her. However, the ironic thing is that she happens to his elder brother's girlfriend.

Yamada commented that he is feeling the pressure since the Gekku timeslot is one which the viewers have high expectations of but he hopes to be able to act well and put up a good performance. There are a lot of firsts for him this time i.e. first time in a Gekku, first time being in a leading role for a FujiTV drama, first time wearing a business suit and first time in a romance drama so he can't really imagine how things will turn out. Nonetheless, he hopes to show a new side to himself through this drama.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Sponichi / Oricon