Amami Yuki to be the guest star in the final episode of TV Tokyo Winter 2017 drama "Byplayers"

Amami Yuki will appear as the guest star in the final episode of TV Tokyo Winter 2017 drama "Byplayers" which will be shown on 31 March at 12.12am. This will be her first appearance in a TV Tokyo programme. The drama which stars six famous supporting actors i.e. Endo Kenichi, Oosugi Ren, Taguchi Tomorowo, Terajima Susumu, Matsushige Yutaka and Mitsuishi Ken, will reveal the secret behind the blockbuster drama which they are supposed to film and the story behind the movie "Byplayers" which they shot 10 years ago. To date, many actors have appeared as guest stars in every episode of this drama including Yakusho Koji, Oomori Nao, Ikematsu Sousuke and Okada Masaki thus sparking concerns if the TV station would have enough budget to get a guest star for the drama's finale.

According  to the producer Hamatani Koichi, he was suddenly told by Endo on the day when they did the costume fitting that Amami was interested to appear in this drama. For a while, Hamatani didn't realise that Endo was referring to Amami and even thought that it was a prank on them until the day of the filming. As Amami had never appeared on TV Tokyo before and that theirs was a late-night drama, he thought that it was a miracle that she actually took the initiative to appear in their drama. Apparently, Amami and Endo had become good friends after appearing in the FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku" so she made her intention to participate known to Endo who passed on the message to contact Amami's agency.

Amami commented that she had been enjoying the drama since it aired and was very happy to be able to take part and act with the six actors who are her seniors in this industry. Seeing the six of them together was a sight to behold for her as she had worked with all except Taguchi before.

Sources: Oricon / Sponichi

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

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Aragaki Yui - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu
2) Ishihara Satomi - Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko
3) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Aragaki Yui - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu
2) Ishihara Satomi - Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko
3) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~
4) Amami Yuki - Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~
5) Kuriyama Chiaki - Copyface Kesareta Watashi

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Aragaki Yui - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu
2) Ishihara Satomi - Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko
3) Kanno Miho - Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~
4) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~
5) Yoshida Yo - Lady Da Vinci no Shindan

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Aragaki Yui - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu
2) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~
3) Ishihara Satomi - Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko
4) Harada Tomoyo - Unmei ni, nita koi
5) Amami Yuki - Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~ / Kanno Miho - Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~ / Shimazaki Haruka - Keishicho Nashigorenka

Source: The Televison

Romaji lyrics of "Smile for me" by Matsutoya Yumi (Theme song of FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~")

Title: Smile for me
Artist: Matsutoya Yumi
Lyrics & Melody: Matsutoya Yumi
Theme song of FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~"

waratte, waratte, shibaraku jitto shite
shizen ni toru kara fuzakenaide kocchi muite

hikari ga kirei yo tenshi ga utsuruyo
anata ni mienai watashi kara dake shika
ima made dare ni mo misenai hyoujou
sore wa renzu no kochiragawa
watashi ga iru kara ne

utatte, utatte, anata no suki na uta
shizen ni koboreru omoide wo kikasete
namida wo gomakashi chisaku seki shita
sore wa isshoni kuchizusamu
watashi ga iru kara ne

Woo Smile for me.
Woo Smile for me. Ha...

toki ni wa asette pinto ga buretemo
anata wa watashi no eien

waratte, waratte, shibaraku jitto shite
anata wa shiranai dorekurai suteki ka
ima made takusan shitekita yasashisa
itsumo watashi no kokoro ni wa anata ga iru kara ne

Woo Smile for me.
Woo Smile for me.
Woo Smile for me.
Woo Smile for me.

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

Amami Yuki & Matsutoya Yumi sing duet version of theme song for FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~"

Amami Yuki and Matsutoya Yumi finished recording of their duet version of the theme song for FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku" which is currently being shown at 10pm on Thursdays. The theme song "Smile for me" was originally sung by Matsutoya alone but after completing the recording of her solo version, she came up with the idea of singing it as a duet with Amami who used to be a top Takarazuka star. As such, the ladies got together in late October for the recording of the duet version with the title "Smile for me Matsutoya Yumi with Amami Yuki" and the song will be played in the drama from episode 4 onwards showing on 3 November.

Matsutoya praised Amami for her superb vocals just as what you would expect from a Takarazuka star while Amami who has been a fan of Matsutoya since she was in junior high, commented that it was a dream come true for her to sing alongside with her idol.

The footage of their recording session is available for viewing on YouTube until 15 December which is when the last episode of the drama will be shown.

Source: Oricon

Preview of "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~" - Autumn 2016

Title: Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~ Chef ~ 三ツ星の給食 (Chef ~ Three-star school lunches)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 13 October 2016
Timeslot: Thursdays 10pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Cast: Amami Yuki, Koizumi Kotaro, Kawaguchi Haruna, Arakawa Yoshiyoshi, Ikeda Narushi, Ichikawa Shinpei, Ito Shuko, Toyohara Kousuke, Tomochika, Endo Kenichi

Completion screening event of FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~"

The completion screening event of FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku" was held on 7 October which was attended by cast members Amami Yuki, Koizumi Kotaro, Endo Kenichi, Tomochika and Kawaguchi Haruna. The movie which will begin its run from 13 October in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot, features Amami as a world-class chef Hoshino Mitsuko who works in a three-star restaurant but becomes the cook for primary school lunches whereby she comes face to face with various difficulties.

During the event, the teacher who had coached Amami for her first role as a chef was due to comment on her cooking skills which made the latter flustered as she had not known about the arrangement beforehand. Amami revealed that although she cooks at home, the dishes she makes aren't grand ones or requires little effort. Nonetheless, the teacher praised Amami for being good at cooking but is weak at arranging the food on the plates even though she tried to copy what the teacher did.

When the host asked Amami if she might be able to grab hold of a man's heart through his stomach, Amami replied with a weak smile that it might be the case but since she is single, she has no idea if that will work. However, Endo revealed that Amami looks very feminine and sexy when she is tasting the food while cooking which led her to tell the reporters jokingly that they should report Endo's comments in bold when they write their articles.

At the time when the event was held, it coincided with the parade held in Tokyo for the Rio Olympics and Paralympics medalists. In response to this, Amami thanked the audience for choosing them over the parade and commented that the parade had medals to show for but their event featured her who is a three-star chef.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sponichi

Matsutoya Yumi to sing the theme song of FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~"

Matsutoya Yumi will be singing the theme song of FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku" starring Amami Yuki which begins its run from October in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot. The song titled "Smile for me" was specially writen for the drama and will be included in her album "Uchuu Toshokan" due to be released on 2 November. This is Matsutoya's first drama song in 15 years since 2001's "Mukodono" which featured her song "7TRUTHS 7LIES ~ Virgin Road no Kanata de" as the theme. In order to fit in with the theme of how a woman lives in the current era, the song's message is less about being aggressive, more about being accommodating as well as how she is strong enough to seize the moment. With the power of a "handsome woman" like Amami, Matsutoya hopes that the song will bring courage to those who hear it and look upon your relationships with the people you treasure with newfound gentleness.

Sources: Oricon / Nikkansports

Koizumi Kotaro to play Amami Yuki's rival in FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~"

Koizumi Kotaro will be playing the rival of Amami Yuki in the upcoming FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~" which begins its run from October in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot. He plays the character named Shinoda Shogo who is the owner of a famous French restaurant in Ginza, has a MBA and is known for his shrewd business ways which prioritise profits over everything. Shinoda dislikes how his chef Hoshino Mitsuko (Amami) at his restaurant La Cuisine de La reine, ignores his orders and keeps making dishes without a care for the bottomline and fires her from his restaurant. Due to Shinoda's obstruction tactics, Hoshino finds it difficult to find her next job and is approached to take part in a variety programme by Yaguchi Saki (Tomochika) where she has to cook meals for primary school students. At first, she thought that school meals are a breeze to cook but upon suffering bad reviews from the children, she resolves to cook these meals well and suffers setbacks in the process.

Koizumi who used to play a lot of good guy roles in the past, took on the first baddie role in TBS Autumn 2015's "Shitamachi Rocket" for the first time in his then 14-year career as an actor. This time, he will play another cool business owner who sees the lead character as an enemy. Koizumi and Amami last worked together in the FujiTV April 2012 drama "Kaeru no Oujosama" but this is the first time that they are playing rivals. Koizumi hopes to be able to show the sparks between their characters and is preparing for his role by talking to friends who are both chefs and owners of their restaurants so as to see how he can portray Shinoda's struggles and hard work in keeping the business afloat.

Co-stars include Endo Kenichi who plays Araki Heisuke, the nutritionist at Mitsuba Primary School who is serious and stubborn thus he has a lot of clashes with Hoshino. This will be his third time working with Amami after the 2009 drama "Fumou Chitai" and drama SP "Watashi to iu na no hensoukyoku". Kawaguchi Haruna will play the role of Takayama Haruko who is the assistant cook at Mitsuba while Arakawa Yoshiyoshi plays Komatsu Minoru who regards Hoshino as a rival. Okudera Kenji, the sous chef who is able to replicate Hoshino's dishes, will be played by Toyohara Kosuke.

Sources: Yomiuri Hochi / Oricon

Amami Yuki to star in FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~"

Amami Yuki will be starring in the FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~" (Chef ~ The 3-starred school lunch) which will begin its run from October in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot. The drama is based on an original script written by Hamada Hideya whose last work was "Naomi to Kanako" shown in winter this year.

Amami will play the role of Hoshino Mitsuko who is the executive chef of a Michelin three-starred French restaurant in Ginza and creates many ingenious dishes with her creativity and sensitive taste buds. However, due to a clash with the restaurant owner, she is fired from her job and has difficulty finding another position due to her pride as a celebrated chef. When Hoshino gets invited to prepare a school lunch for a primary school during a TV show, she fails miserably at impressing the children and this ends up being broadcast nationwide. Despite so, Hoshino decides to regain the stars she had lost by attempting to create delicious school lunches while coping with obstacles such as nutrition concerns, cost and taste bud differences between adults and children.

As Amami has to film many cooking scenes in this drama, she revealed that she plans to do as many of these scenes herself. This happens to be her first role as a chef where she had to wear a 34-cm tall cook's hat while shooting the poster for this drama. Amami said that when she was a kid, she already helped her parents with the cooking and cooked her own meals when she was in the Takarazuka. Even while she was busy with the filming of dramas, she would cook curries or soup-based dishes which could be heated up easily and makes pickles and umeboshi which she would store in tupperware boxes. Amami joked that although she is not great at cooking, she has to do it since she lives alone. However, she has never cooked French cuisine before so the reporters suggested that she should ask her junior from the same agency i.e. Hayami Mokomichi for help to which she said that she might resort to doing so. In preparation for the filming which begins in early September, Amami has been visiting some high-class restaurants and going for cooking class at Tsuji Chef Specialist School.

Sources: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi