The 110th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2021) - Best Drama

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Saiai
2) Kieta Hatsukoi
3) Seiten wo tsuke

Voters Ranking Top 5

1) Kieta Hatsukoi

2) Saiai

3) SUPER RICH

4) Seiten wo tsuke

5) Rinko-san wa shitemitai

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Saiai
2) Seiten wo tsuke
3) Nihon Chinbotsu - Kibou no hito -
4) Kieta Hatsukoi

5) Koi desu! ~ Yankii-kun to hakujou garu ~

Judges Ranking Top 5

1) Saiai

2) Seiten wo tsuke

3) Doctor X 7 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~

4) Okaeri Mone

Komi-san wa, komyusho desu.

Koi desu! ~ Yankii-kun to hakujou garu ~

Wadake no otokotachi

Source: The Television

The 110th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2021) - Best Leading Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Yoshitaka Yuriko - Saiai
2) Sugisaki Hana - Koi desu! ~ Yankii-kun to hakujou garu ~
3) Kiyohara Kaya - Okaeri Mone

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Yoshitaka Yuriko - Saiai
2) Eguchi Noriko - SUPER RICH
3) Sugisaki Hana - Koi desu! ~ Yankii-kun to hakujou garu ~
4) Kiyohara Kaya - Okaeri Mone

5) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 7 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Yoshitaka Yuriko - Saiai
2) Kiyohara Kaya - Okaeri Mone
3) Sugisaki Hana - Koi desu! ~ Yankii-kun to hakujou garu ~

4) Eguchi Noriko - SUPER RICH

5) Kimura Tae - Asagaya shimai no nohohon futarigurashi

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Yoshitaka Yuriko - Saiai

2) Sugisaki Hana - Koi desu! ~ Yankii-kun to hakujou garu ~

3) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 7 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~

Eguchi Noriko - SUPER RICH

5) Shim Eun-kyung - Gunjou Ryouiki 

Source: The Television

The 110th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2021) - Best Supporting Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Seiten wo tsuke

2) Akaso Eiji - SUPER RICH

3) Matsushita Kouhei - Saiai

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Akaso Eiji - SUPER RICH
2) Suzuki Jin - Kieta Hatsukoi
3) Nagase Ren - Okaeri Mone
4) Matsushita Kouhei - Saiai
5) Tanabe Seiichi - Konin todoke ni han wo oshitadake desuga

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Matsushita Kouhei - Saiai
2) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Seiten wo tsuke
Nagase Ren - Okaeri Mone
4) Sakaguchi Kentaro - Konin todoke ni han wo oshitadake desuga
5) Akaso Eiji - SUPER RICH

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Seiten wo tsuke
2) Tsutsumi Shinichi - Seiten wo tsuke
3) Nomura Mansai - Doctor X 7 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~

Sasaki Kuranosuke - Wadake no otokotachi

Danta Yasunori - Wadake no otokotachi

Matsushita Kouhei - Saiai

Source: The Television

Preview of "Doctor X 7 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~ " - Autumn 2021

Title: Doctor X 7 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~  ドクターX 7～外科医・大門未知子～

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official Twitter: here

O.A. Start Date: 14 October 2021

Timeslot: Thursdays 9pm

Broadcast by: TV Asahi

Theme Song: "Ashura-chan" by Ado

Cast: Yonekura Ryoko, Nomura Mansai, Uchida Yuki, Katsumura Masanobu, Imada Mio, Koyabu Kazutoyo, Sugita Kaoru, Ichinose Hayate, Miyamoto Mayu, Kamikawa Shusaku, Nagano Munemori, Yuki Moe, Kishibe Ittoku, Kaname Jun, Endo Kenichi & Nishida Toshiyuki

The 103rd Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2019) - Best Leading Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Takahata Mitsuki - Douki no Sakura
2) Haru - G Senjou no Anata to Watashi
3) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 6 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Takahata Mitsuki - Douki no Sakura
2) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 6 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~
3) Haru - G Senjou no Anata to Watashi
4) Inoue Mao - Shounen Torajiro
5) Araki Yuuko - Motokare Mania
TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Takahata Mitsuki - Douki no Sakura
2) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 6 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~
3) Haru - G Senjou no Anata to Watashi
4) Araki Yuuko - Motokare Mania
5) Inoue Mao - Shounen Torajiro

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Takahata Mitsuki - Douki no Sakura
2) Haru - G Senjou no Anata to Watashi
3) Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 6 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~
4) Takakoka Saki - Rika
5) Matsuyuki Yasuko - Miss Jikocho ~ Tensai Amano Kyouju no Chousa File ~

Source: The Television

Preview of "Doctor X 6 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~" - Autumn 2019

Title: Doctor X 6 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~ ドクターX 6 ~ 外科医大門未知子 ~
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start DateL 17 Oct 2019
Timeslot: Thursdays 9pm
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Theme Song: "So What" by P!NK
Cast: Yonekura Ryoko, Yusuke Santa Maria, Uchida Yuki, Endo Kenichi, Katsumura Masanobu, Suzuki Kosuke, Takeda Shinji, Shimizu Michiko, Fujimori Shingo, Imada Mio, Tozuka Junki, Kawakita Mayuko, Kawase Riko, Kishibe Iitoku, Ichimura Masachika & Nishida Toshiyuki

The 2nd Dorama World Awards 2017 - Best Drama

Finally, here is the last category to be announced - Best Drama!

Although three of my favourites are in the top 5, I have to admit that I am disappointed with the way the ranking has turned out because it is yet another one-sided race. Although No.2 put up a valiant fight, it was still way insufficient to turn the tables.

No.5 Chiisana Kyojin - 26 points

To be honest, when I first started watching Chiisana Kyojin, I thought that it was just a police version of Hanzawa Naoki. The similarities between both dramas were aplenty and the way the story was structured i.e. two arcs seemed too identical. However, when placed in a different environment i.e. police force vs. bank, the story became quite unique and was more engaging than I expected. Of course, there were some dramatic and seemingly unrealistic moments but they were at least entertaining. Coupled with the strong acting from the cast (sometimes a bit too forceful especially Hasegawa Hiroki, Okada Masaki and Kagawa Teruyuki who I thought might get a stroke any minute because they were so engrossed and agitated), this turned out to be a better-than-expected piece of work. I guess having no expectations in the beginning helped me to enjoy this drama more and I did vote for this drama.

No.4 Rikuou - 44 points

As I pointed out previously, the only thing which I didn't really like about Rikuou was its overly-idealistic developments at times. Of course, there were setbacks for the characters most of the time but still, it's an all-ends-well conclusion for the characters (well, most of them except the baddies). In terms of the acting, it was a mixed situation with some doing extremely well e.g. Yakusho Koji, Takeuchi Ryoma and Matsuoka Shuzo while some others seemed unusually weak e.g. Pierre Taki who I think his baddie character was too one-dimensional. Yamazaki Kento was somewhat overshadowed by Takeuchi although I thought that he improved from the last time I saw him in Death Note. Overall, I could see the amount of dedication and effort put into the production of this drama so in the end, I could overlook the issues I had with the story and voted for this drama.

No.3 Kahogo no Kahoko - 46 points

This drama beat Rikuou by just 2 points to secure the No.3 position. Judging from the highly positive comments left by you guys about this drama, it seems like it is something worth checking out as there is more than what I initially expected.
One interesting trend which I've noticed was that the people who voted for Takeuchi Ryoma and Takahata Mitsuki in the individual acting awards also chose the drama in this category. It seems to suggest that they liked both the acting and the story unlike for some dramas where their cast members were not voted for at all.

No.2 Quartet - 128 points

Quartet did its best but it was just no match for the eventual No.1 which enjoyed overwhelming support from the beginning. Nonetheless, this was my No.1 for 2017.
Sakamoto Yuji's script was fantastic and the cast really brought it to life with their strong acting. The thing is, such dramas which have a lot of dialogue and dry humour, appeal to a niche audience so it may not be palatable to those who seek a faster paced story without so many conversations. On the other hand, people who like this genre will be "dissecting" each and every line for their meaning which usually resonates with us. If I watched this when I was much younger, I might not have appreciated it as much as I do now. Much as I loved this drama, I don't like the idea of a sequel because it might just kill off the magic that was created in the original series.

No.1 Doctor X Season 5 - 380 points

Doctor X has done it again this year. I think the fans must be rejoicing now as the drama and its cast performed rather well. I have said enough about how I feel about this drama and that I hope to see Yonekura ditching this role soon to do something different. I have nothing against Doctor X or it winning this category but that lazy TV Asahi should really stop taking the easy way out and milk the Doctor X series to the limit.
The voting process this year was marred by some overzealous fans who tried to skew the one-sided results even further with lots of duplicated votes for Doctor X and its cast. It was a pity that something like this happened because this deviates from the purpose of holding these awards in the first place. Ultimately, what I want to do is for everyone to get a rough idea which dramas are worth checking out within the year and to have some fun in voting and guessing the winners. Unfortunately, those fans who resorted to the mass voting seemed too obsessed with securing a win even though these winning dramas and actors get nothing from me. If you look at it from another perspective, I guess this shows how much they love this drama and want it to win at all costs. After discounting these errant voters, you can see that the fan base of Doctor X is still very significant as seen from the huge point difference compared to Quartet.

In case you are wondering, I also voted for Reverse which failed to make it to the Top 5. Although I think Minato Kanae's stories tend to have the problem of ending weakly i.e. extremely anti-climatic, the overall quality of Reverse and its cast made me support the drama in the end.

Now that all the results are out, I will be contacting the winners in the Guess the Winners game individually for you to choose your prize within the next two weeks.

What are your thoughts about the winners list in this year's awards?

The 2nd Dorama World Awards 2017 - Best Leading Actress

Today, let's meet the Best Leading Actress finalists and find out their rankings!

Similar to the situation in the Best Supporting Actor category, the No.1 here was on a solo journey to the top without any strong contenders for the title thanks to the strong support of the fans. Although No.2 and No.3 put up a good fight, it was simply not enough to turn the tables.

No.5 Yoshitaka Yuriko - Tokyo Tarareba Musume (16 points)

Due to the situation I outlined above, most of the points were given to the top 3 thus resulting in relatively lower scores for the rest of the field. Yoshitaka narrowly edged out the 6th placed actress by just 2 points so this reflects the razor-thin margin separating those outside the top 3.
I haven't watched this drama before but have a vague understanding of the storyline through covering it on this blog and viewing the trailers. To be honest, stories about single women and how they waver between the decisions of whether to choose work vs. love or singlehood vs. marriage are so common that it takes a lot for me to want to watch another drama of this nature. Perhaps those who voted for Yoshitaka can share with us what the charm of this drama is and why you chose her?

No. 4 Nakatani Miki - Kataomoi (20 points)

I've only finished one episode of Kataomoi to date so I can't really comment on Nakatani's acting in this drama. Nonetheless, she has always been rather consistent in her past performances so I have no doubt that she did a good enough job to make people want to vote for her. Considering the nature of her role here, I can imagine how difficult it was because just dressing as a guy is not enough to show the lead character's desire to live as a man even though she did get married to a man prior to this.
Generally, dramas from cable stations or online streaming platforms tend not to get as many votes compared to private network dramas in this voting exercise. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it can be harder to get access to such cable or online dramas so it inevitably leads to lesser fansubs for such dramas. Of course, with more licensed online platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video churning out more productions, we might see a change in this situation probably by the time I hold this voting activity again.

No.3 Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko (96 points)

As you can see, Takahata's score was close to 5 times more than Nakatani's. Similarly, like what I pointed out for Tokyo Tarareba Musume, this theme of a pampered/sheltered girl or boy breaking free of the shackles imposed by a protective parent and becoming a better person in the process is not very new. As such, there must be an interesting hook to get me started. I haven't been exposed to much of Takahata's works to date other than Tokyo Sentimental where she has a small role but Takeuchi Ryoma's performance in Rikuou impressed me well enough that I may just check out this drama one day to see why the two of them were chosen as best onscreen couple. As for the story, perhaps those who had voted for Takahata can share why you think she performed well?

No.2 Matsu Takako - Quartet (98 points)

I admit, I am biased towards Quartet so I was hoping that Matsu would win this category. Alas, it was not meant to be. Although she and Takahata both did quite well in terms of the number of points they got, it was still not enough to beat the eventual number even if their scores were combined.
Matsu's portrayal of Maki was so spot-on that it felt like she wasn't acting but was Maki herself. In particular, Eps 5 and 6 when the story of Maki and her husband played by Kudo Kankuro were especially engaging and very moving. She didn't have to resort to exaggerated acting to get her point across. Being plain, boring and ordinary is usually more difficult than playing someone who stands out in one way or another. In the past when she used to star in those romantic dramas with KimuTaku, I didn't really fancy her but she has matured a lot as an actress that my opinion of her has changed entirely for the better.

No.1 Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 5 (330 points)

Yonekura has done it again, this time almost doubling the number of points she received in 2016 for Doctor X 4. Thanks to the enthusiasm shown by fans of her and the drama, this pushed her to the top right from the start without anyone ever threatening her hold on the title.
I've mentioned in my earlier posts about my thoughts on Doctor X so you know that I am not a faithful viewer of this series. In the past, I probably would be the type to welcome sequels of my favourite series but over the years, I have developed a very strong resistance to the idea of sequels because a lot of these don't get done properly. It mars the reputation of the original and does not do any good in the end. Of course, there are exceptions but they are a dime in a dozen. Much as I love Quartet, I don't want to see a sequel unless they can show me that they can surpass the original.
Personally, I enjoyed Yonekura's performances when she was doing a string of bad women roles for a while. She was really charismatic on screen and showed off her improved acting which brought her to where she is now. The thing I find about Doctor X is, the story is too repetitive and rather unrealistic (making Daimon look like a god) and hardly gives her the room to show variation in her acting. That is why I look forward to seeing her in something different. However, going by how popular Doctor X is, it looks highly unlikely that the lazy TV Asahi will end this profitable franchise unless Yonekura herself stops playing Daimon. Just look at how many seasons of Aibou they have done to date.

In case you are wondering, Matsu was the only person I voted for in this category.

The 2nd Dorama World Awards 2017 - Best Supporting Actor

Let's meet the top 5 finalists in the Best Supporting Actor category today!

Unlike the Best Supporting Actress category where the battle was between two candidates, the eventual winner of this category got extremely strong support from the fans thus making it impossible for anyone to overtake him right from the beginning of the voting exercise. As such, this resulted in a situation where the point differences between the rest of the top 5 were small while the No.1 sailed to a win easily without any competition.

No.5 Matsuda Ryuuhei - Quartet (28 points)

On the surface, Beppu-kun may seem like a really bland, quiet and ordinary guy just like how Matsuda appears to be in real life. However, when the need arises, Beppu-kun can do some unexpected things which is probably where his charm lies. For roles like this which may seem to be lacking in a highlight trait, they are difficult to stand out. However, Matsuda managed to play Beppu-kun in such a way that I saw him fitting into the latter's shoes so easily as if it was an effortless performance on his part. Although I would have hoped to see him get a higher position in this ranking, things didn't turn out exactly as I wished. Nonetheless, a No.5 spot is still better than none especially since the point difference between him and the sixth-placed actor was just 2 points.

No.4 Takeuchi Ryoma - Kahogo no Kahoko (32 points)

Takeuchi narrowly edged out Matsuda to grab the No.4 spot which was a bit surprising to me, considering the strong support he and Takahata Mitsuki got in the couple category. Nonetheless, you can't ignore the fact that Takeuchi had a brilliant 2017 with appearances in a number of hit dramas and movies. Another surprising thing to me was that he got a place in the ranking not due to his performance in Rikuou which was very eye-catching and comparatively more significant than his role in this drama. Then again, many people might not have watched Rikuou by the time the voting exercise was held so I guess that's why his performance in this drama earned him the points needed to be in the Top 5.

No.3 Takahashi Issei - Quartet (48 points)

Much as I am happy to see both guys from Quartet make it to this ranking, I have to admit that I would have wanted to see them get higher places. Takahashi was also hot property in 2017 just like Takeuchi which was partly due to his performance in this drama. Comparatively, he had a more eye-catching role as the somewhat eccentric Iemori who can be serious and funny at the same time because Beppu-kun was the exact opposite. Although there has been talk of late about the recent dating rumour with Morikawa Aoi being a strong factor which can derail his rising career, Takahashi can probably ride out the storm soon especially since he's been in the industry for so long and has seen his fair share of ups and downs.

No. 2 Endo Kenichi - Doctor X 5 (50 points)

I have no doubts about Endo Kenichi being a good actor so I wasn't that surprised about him making it to this ranking. Despite his "scary" looks, he actually seems to be more down-to-earth and goofy if his appearances on variety shows are to be believed. Like I mentioned before, I haven't watched any of the Doctor X dramas in full and only caught random episodes here and there while channel surfing. My impression of Endo's performance in the 5th season is somewhat hazy as I did not really see much of him in the episodes I watched. Nonetheless, it does appear that the fans of Doctor X do like his performance well enough to pick him out of the numerous supporting actors in the drama which helped him win the No.2 spot with just a 2 point difference over Takahashi. And it does seem that doctors seem to be very well-favoured in this year's ranking as we've seen a number of doctor roles in the top 5 rankings announced so far.

No.1 Kishibe Ittoku - Doctor X 5 (210 points)

Just looking at the score that Kishibe got, it's clear that nobody was a match for him. And the passion of the Doctor X fans was so evident as he led the ranking from start to finish. Judging from the guesses submitted, nobody expected him to win as well (except for one person who happened to have voted for him too).
Kishibe has been a permanent fixture in the Doctor X series and my strongest impression of him is always him bringing a very expensive melon to the hospital director's office to demand payment for Daimon's services AND the two of them celebrating when they get the money. As such, I always thought that his character was more on the comical side. However, I read before that there was a scene in the 5th season where he showed off some emotional acting which could have swung the votes to his favour in one way or another. Whatever it is, this is a resounding win for Kishibe.

In case you are wondering, besides voting for the Quartet duo, I also chose Kagawa Teruyuki from Chiisana Kyojin. This guy is always so eye-catching and easily overtakes the lead with his acting. Frankly speaking, there were some parts in Chiisana Kyojin which can come across as overly dramatic e.g. that 1 + 1 = 2 conversation but for some reason, Kagawa kept me glued to the screen even as I rolled eyes at how funny some lines were. In particular, I think his "battles" with Hasegawa Hiroki in this drama were such a joy to watch. Too bad he didn't get many votes this time.

The 2nd Dorama World Awards 2017 - Best Supporting Actress

Today, let's meet the top 5 finalists in the Best Supporting Actress category and find out their rankings!

In this year's ranking, it felt like the top 2 were playing musical chairs because they were taking turns to hog the No.1 spot. However, the eventual No.1 won thanks to a last-minute surge of votes while the No.2's votes were concentrated in the earlier part of the voting period. Compared to last year's results where the top 5's scores were not too far from one another, the top 2 this year were way ahead of the competition so the remaining slots were left for contention by other nominees.

No.5 Toda Erika - Reverse (25 points)

Honestly speaking, even though I enjoyed Reverse a lot, Toda's character didn't really stand out in the first half of the drama other than being the lead character's (Fujiwara Tatsuya) love interest. It was only when more revelations came out towards the end that the significance of her role was more evident. This was inevitable because Reverse is one of the few Minato Kanae stories focusing on male characters so it's no wonder that the ladies were somewhat neglected in this drama. Personally, I felt that Toda's performance was a lot more subdued than what I had seen from her to date. To make a seemingly bland and unimportant character stand out requires more than screen presence so I think her acting skills did see a great improvement from before. In case you are wondering, I voted for Toda as well.

No.4 Yoshioka Riho - Quartet (28 points)

2017 was unmistakably Yoshioka Riho's year starting with Quartet which thrust her into the spotlight and got her a leading role in "Gomen, Aishiteru". Until this drama, I had never heard of Yoshioka. To be frank, although I thought that Yoshioka's portrayal of Arisu was interesting and eye-catching, I kept wondering why the media became so obsessed with her and was heaping so much praise on her. This somehow made me think if I had missed something along the way or whether my view of her was so vastly different from the "norm". Nonetheless, despite the limitations, she managed to leave a deep and favourable impression on those who voted for her thus narrowly edging out Toda to get the No.4 spot. As to whether she can continue her winning streak, that will depend on the types of roles she takes on from now on and how she performs.

No.3 Aragaki Yui - Code Blue Season 3 (47 points)

Aragaki grabbed the No.3 spot with a comfortable margin of close to 20 points over No.4's Yoshioka. From the voting pattern, it appears as that the long-running series has garnered a number of loyal fans who were supporting this drama and its cast members during the voting exercise, albeit the number of voters was not as overwhelming as that for Doctor X 5. I can't really comment on Aragaki's performance in this drama since I've not watched any of the dramas in this series. Despite the bad press about the less-than-ideal storyline, Aragaki's performance probably was good enough to make people want to vote for her.

No.2 Uchida Yuki - Doctor X 5 (140 points)

Looking at the point difference between Uchida and Aragaki, it's obvious that Uchida enjoyed a significantly higher level of support thanks to the Doctor X fans. Coincidentally, many of the top 5 finalists in the individual acting categories happen to be those who had played doctors or medical personnel. Could it be that medical dramas are favourites among the readers here?
Similarly, my exposure to Doctor X has been rather limited as I've watched random episodes from the 5 seasons to date but never had the desire to watch the entire drama. Perhaps it is the fatigue of seeing "genius doctors" everywhere that is deterring me from doing so. From my limited experience with this drama, what caught my eye about Uchida's performance was the chemistry she had with Yonekura Ryoko which I guess could have been a contributing factor to making her stand out among the competition.

And here is the No.1 for 2017!

No.1 Mitsushima Hikari - Quartet (160 points)

I have to admit, I was secretly rooting for Mitsushima to win this category because I really liked her performance in Quartet. I was quite worried when I saw her lagging behind for a while and it was such a relief when the last few voters turned the tables in her favour.
If you had watched Mitsushima's dramas to date, you might have had the same impression as I did i.e. she's really good at playing tragic heroine roles. As such, Suzume was a very refreshing change for Mitsushima because the character was bubbly, cute and very expressive. Despite her small frame, she was playing the largest instrument in the quartet which made her stand out in her own way. Even when she was showing the sad background story of Suzume, it was well-managed and not overly tear-jerking. I have to say, this was my No.1 favourite supporting actress role in 2017.

Other than Mitsushima and Toda who I voted for, there was one other actress I picked i.e. Saito Yuki from Okaasan, Musume wo yamete ii desuka? Saito's portrayal of that overly obsessive and possessive mother was so eye-catching and memorable that she literally overwhelmed Haru who was the lead in the drama. Unfortunately, her career was slightly derailed for a while due to her affair scandal so it might take her a bit of time to regain her momentum.

Guess the winners of the 2nd Dorama World Awards 2017!

This year's results took a long time to be tabulated, no thanks to the influx of votes which were clearly intended to sway the results in a certain direction. As such, it took me much longer to remove those problematic votes before counting the scores. To those who had participated in the voting, thank you very much for taking the time to do so. And another thank you to those who have asked about the results as well and apologies for taking this long.

Before I introduce the 5 finalists for each category, I would like to explain the rules in the game to guess the winners for each category.
- Choose the drama/actor/actress/theme song which you think has won the title
- Send your guesses to me via the Twitter or Facebook private message functions before 17 March 11.59pm SG time (GMT +8).

If you are one of the top 3 who gets the most answers correct, I will be sending you a small prize of your choice. As I don't wish to have our email addresses subjected to any risk of exposure, that is why I am choosing to use the private message functions to communicate with you in case you are one of the winners. For those who haven't followed the official Twitter and Facebook pages, please do so soon if you wish to participate in this game. Otherwise, you can still offer your guesses through the comments section of this post just for fun.

All finalists presented here are in alphabetical order.

Without ado, here are the top 5 finalists in the 7 categories:

Best Drama

- Chiisana Kyojin (TBS / Spring 2017)

- Doctor X 5 (TV Asahi / Autumn 2017)

- Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV / Summer 2017)

- Quartet (TBS / Winter 2017)

- Rikuou (TBS / Autumn 2017)

Best Leading Actor

- Asano Tadanobu - Keiji Yugami (FujiTV / Autumn 2017)

- Fujiwara Tatsuya - Reverse (TBS / Spring 2017)

- Kimura Takuya - A LIFE (TBS / Winter 2017)

- Nakayama Yuuma - Hokuto (WOWOW / Winter 2017)

- Yakusho Koji - Rikuou (TBS / Autumn 2017)

Best Leading Actress

- Matsu Takako - Quartet (TBS / Winter 2017)

- Nakatani Miki - Kataomoi (WOWOW / Autumn 2017)

- Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV / Summer 2017)

- Yonekura Ryoko - Doctor X 5 (TV Asahi / Autumn 2017)

- Yoshitaka Yuriko - Tokyo Tarareba Musume (NTV / Winter 2017)

Best Supporting Actor

- Endo Kenichi - Doctor X 5 (TV Asahi / Autumn 2017)

- Kishibe Ittoku - Doctor X 5 (TV Asahi / Autumn 2017)

- Matsuda Ryuhei - Quartet (TBS / Winter 2017)

- Takahashi Issei - Quartet (TBS / Winter 2017)

- Takeuchi Ryoma - Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV / Summer 2017)

Best Supporting Actress

- Aragaki Yui - Code Blue 3 (FujiTV / Summer 2017)

- Mitsushima Hikari - Quartet (TBS / Winter 2017)

- Toda Erika - Reverse (TBS / Spring 2017)

- Uchida Yuki - Doctor X 5 (TV Asahi / Autumn 2017)

- Yoshioka Riho - Quartet (TBS / Winter 2017)

Best Onscreen Couple
- Abe Sadao & Fukada Kyoko - Gekokujou Juken (TBS / Winter 2017)
- Kamenashi Kazuya & Kimura Fumino - Boku, Unmei no hito desu (NTV / Spring 2017)
- Nishijima Hidetoshi & Ayase Haruka - Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui (NTV / Autumn 2017)
- Taiga & Gouriki Ayame - Rental no Koi (TBS / Winter 2017)
- Takeuchi Ryoma & Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV / Summer 2017)

Best Theme Song
- Bouningen by RADWIMPS - Frankenstein no Koi (NTV / Spring 2017)
- Family Song by Hoshino Gen - Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV / Summer 2017)
- Force by Superfly - Doctor X 5 (TV Asahi / Autumn 2017)
- Non-Fiction by Hirai Ken - Chiisana Kyojin (TBS / Spring 2017)
- Otona no Okite by Doughnuts Hole - Quartet (TBS / Winter 2017)

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

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Rikuou (TBS)
2) Saki ni umaretadake no boku (NTV)
3) Kangoku no Ohimesama (TBS)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Saki ni umaretadake no boku (NTV)
2) Kounodori 2 (TBS)
3) Ashi Girl (NHK)
4) Rikuou (TBS)
5) Onna Joshu Naotora (NHK)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Rikuou (TBS)
2) Kangoku no Ohimesama (TBS) / Keiji Yugami (FujiTV)
4) Onna Joshu Naotora (NHK) / Black Revenge (NTV)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Rikuou (TBS)
2) Kangoku no Ohimesama (TBS)
3) Kounodori 2 (TBS)
4) Keiji Yugami (FujiTV)
5) Doctor X 5 (TV Asahi)

Source: The Television

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

Winners of Nikkansports Dorama Grand Prix (Autumn 2017)

There were 1,055 valid responses for this round of voting and the numbers in brackets indicate the number of votes received for the drama or actor/actress:

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:

New dramas showing on Waku Waku Japan from October 2017

Sorry for posting this rather late but here are the new dramas showing on Waku Waku Japan from this month including some in-season offerings. Note that all dates and times are based on Singapore's timezone so please check the Waku Waku Japan website for the other regions where the TV channel is also shown in:

Production press conference of TV Asahi Autumn 2017 drama "Doctor X 5 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~"

The production press conference of TV Asahi Autumn 2017 drama "Doctor X 5 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~" was held at its HQ in Roppongi on 3 October which was attended by cast members Yonekura Ryoko, Nishida Toshiyuki, Kishibe Ittoku, Endo Kenichi, Nagayama Kento, Uchida Yuki, Suzuki Kosuke, Tanaka Kei, Korenaga Hitomi, Kusumi Koharu, Jinnai Takanori, Danta Yasunori and Kusakari Masao. The drama begins its run from 12 October in the Thursdays 9pm timeslot.

"Doctor X" began in October 2012 and has accumulated a total of 4 full-length series (39 episodes) and 1 SP where Yonekura had spoken the signature line of Daimon Michiko i.e. "watashi, shippai shinai no de" for 70 times to date. In line with this, the cast were given a quiz to guess how many times Yonekura had said this line where they would get a sirloin steak from the teppan restaurant Ukaitei in Ginza frequently featured in the drama (it has already been featured twice to date in the filming for Season 5). Yonekura guessed 81 times but Nishida was closest to the answer with his guess of 69 times and got to feast on the two slices of wagyu steak worth JPY 180,000.  He was full of praise for the steak and even fed a small piece to Yonekura. Endo who was second closest with his guess of 72 times, was teased by Yonekura for missing out on the steak before Nishida also cut a piece for him to try. Kishibe then asked for the same and was fed by Nishida on the spot.

Yonekura revealed that she never imagined herself to be playing Daimon for so long and was especially happy with the response from everyone. As such, she remarked that she must be closer to the image of Daimon than what she thinks. However, when she saw footage from the first season, Yonekura poked fun at herself and said that she had aged a lot since then. During the press conference, Yonekura was presented with flowers from national soccer team player Sawa Homare who expressed her anticipation at seeing the new drama.

The new season will be shown in more than 200 countries and territories thus making it the first among TV Asahi's dramas to date.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Oricon

Oricon's most anticipated Autumn 2017 dramas ranking

Oricon conducted a survey on 1,364 people from their teens to 50s between 11 September and 19 September whereby they chose which Autumn 2017 they are looking forward to watch. Dramas which were not announced by the TV stations before 5 September were not included in this survey and only dramas from the private networks and NHK were considered as candidates in this list.

There are two rankings here i.e. the primetime (7pm to 10pm) and midnight categories (shown after 11pm). Numbers in brackets indicate the overall weighted score in terms of anticipated ratings, leading actor/actress, supporting cast and content which account for 20 marks each. As such, the maximum score a drama can get is 80. The asterisk indicates dramas which are based on novels/manga so those without have original scripts.

Surprisingly, this is the first time that two dramas tied for the top spot with the maximum score of 80 marks. Although they are both medical-themed dramas, they have very different storylines. "Doctor X" features many difficult surgery scenes amid the underlying storyline of the internal power and money struggles within the university hospital while "Kounodori" focuses on the gynecology department where the doctors strive to provide the best obstetric care to their patients amid various challenges. Also worth noting is that TV Asahi and TBS hogged the top 5 spots in this ranking while NTV, FujiTV and TV Tokyo accounted for the rest of the slots.

Primetime Category
1) Doctor X 5 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~ / Kounodori 2 * (80)
3) Aibou season 16 (75)
4) Kangoku no Ohimesama (70)
5) Rikuou * (67)
6) Minshuu no Teki ~ Yo no naka, okashikunai desuka!? ~ (66)
7) Kasouken no Onna SEASON 17 (65)
8) Keiji Yugami * (60)
9) Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui (58)
10) Saki ni umaretadake no boku (50)
11) Ashita no Yakusoku (49)
12) Ima kara anata wo kyohaku shimasu * (39)
13) Universal Koukokusha ~ Anata no jinsei, urikomimasu * (34)

Midnight Category
1) Black Revenge (56)
2) Re:Mind * (39)
3) Wakakozake Season 3 * / Juuyou Sankounin Tantei * (37)
5) Otona Koukou (29)
6) Rabuho no Ueno-san Season 2 * (28)
7) Shinjuku Seven * (27)
8) Setoutsumi * (25)
9) Fringeman ~ Aijin no tsukirikata wo oshiemasu ~ * (23)
10) Boku wa Mari no naka * (22)
11) Sakura no oyakodon * (18)

Source: Oricon

Preview of "Doctor X 5 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~" - Autumn 2017

Title: Doctor X 5 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~ ドクターX 5 ～外科医・大門未知子～ (Doctor X 5 ~ Surgeon Daimon Michiko ~)
Official website: here
Official blog: here
Official Instagram: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 12 October 2017
Timeslot: Thursdays 9pm
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Theme Song: "Force - Orchestra Ver. -" & "Unison" by Superfly
Cast: Yonekura Ryoko, Nagayama Kento, Uchida Yuki, Endo Kenichi, Suzuki Kosuke, Tanaka Kei, Nomura Shuhei, Nakabayashi Taiki, Uesugi Shuhei, Daichi Mao, Jinnai Takanori, Kishibe Ittoku, Danta Yasunori, Kusakari Masao, Nishida Toshiyuki 

Nomura Shuhei to appear in TV Asahi Autumn 2017 drama "Doctor X 5 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko ~"

Nomura Shuhei will be appearing in the upcoming TV Asahi Autumn 2017 drama "Doctor X 5 ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko" starring Yonekura Ryoko which begins its run from 12 October in the Thursdays 9pm timeslot. He will be playing a newbie surgeon named Ito Ryoji from the yutori generation i.e. those educated under the pressure-free system who is very skillful and looks down on his peers while being unafraid to stand up to his seniors. He sees Daimon as someone who is at the same level as him despite the fact that she is much more senior and experienced than he is.

Nomura commented on his character that Ito is someone who is a bit detestable and talks in a really sarcastic manner. As such, Nomura will try his best to tap on the dark side of his character and exemplify it so as to play Ito. He also had to study a lot in order to look convincing as the very smart and knowledgeable Ito. With regard to working with his seniors, Nomura said that he's still afraid of Nishida Toshiyuki and doesn't dare to get close to the latter but he's excited about Nishida's ad-libs and will try his best to react accordingly.

As it had been 4 years since he last worked with Yonekura (their last drama together was the 2013 NTV drama "35-sai no Koukousei", Yonekura commented that Nomura had changed a lot from the last time they met because he used to be so quiet and observed his surroundings without a word but he takes the initiative to lighten the atmosphere on the set and has matured a lot. On the other hand, Nomura was worried at first whether Yonekura would remember him but was relieved and happy that she did. He also praised her for being very cool and beautiful that he went into a daze while looking at her. However, their characters in the drama can hardly be said to be on good terms despite their good relationship offscreen.

Sources: My Navi News / Oricon