Winners of the 26th Nikkansports Dorama Grand Prix (Spring 2022 - Winter 2023)

The voting exercise was conducted online between 30 March and 6 April 2023 where respondents chose from dramas shown between April 2022 and March 2023 for the 5 categories. A total of 74,832 votes were received with the most voters in terms of age group (in descending order) were those in their 40s, 50s, 30s, 20s, more than 60 and teens.

The total number of votes received are represented in brackets as follows:

Best Drama

1) Kurosagi (39,549)

2) Suki suki wanwan! (11,182)

3) Reversal Orchestra (3,315)

4) Shin Shinchoukouki (3,310)

5) 100 mankai ieba yokatta (2,720)

6) Shoujiki Fudousan (2,399)

7) Kindaichi shonen no jinkenbo (2,174)

8) My Family (1,780)

9) silent (1,641)

10) Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (1,295)

Best Leading Actor

1) Hirano Sho - Kurosagi (39,968)

2) Kishi Yuuta - Suki suki wanwan (11,350)

3) Nagase Ren - Shin shinchoukouki (4,472)

4) Yamashita Tomohisa - Shoujiki Fudousan (2,634)

5) Oguri Shun - Kamakuradono no 13 nin (2,577)

6) Michieda Shunsuke - Kindaichi shonen no jikenbo (2,329)

7) Ninomiya Kazunari - My Family (2,268)

8) Hayashi Kento - Hatsukoi no akuma (1,649)

9) Yamada Ryosuke - Ore no kawaii wa mou sugu shouhikigen!? / Shinainaru boku e satsui wo komete (1,628)

10) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Wana no sensou (1,401)

Best Leading Actress

1) Ando Sakura - Brush up life (19,559)

2) Hirose Suzu - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (6,389)

3) Nagasawa Masami - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai - (6,289)

4) Inoue Mao - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (6,175)

5) Kadowaki Mugi - Reversal Orchestra (5,360)

6) Sugisaki Hana - Prism (4,128)

7) Kawaguchi Haruna - silent (3,871)

8) Yoshitaka Yuriko - Hoshi furu yoru ni (3,707)

9) Kuroshima Yuina - Chimudondon (2,799)

10) Arimura Kasumi - Ishiko to Haneo - sonna koto de utaemasuka? - (2,177)

Best Supporting Actor

1) Miura Tomokazu - Kurosagi (33,490)

2) Nagase Ren - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (8,958)

3) Ukisho Hidaka - Suki suki wanwan (8,041)

4) Tanaka Kei - Jisoku kanou na koi desuka? / Reversal Orchestra (5,021)

5) Sato Takeru - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (3,889)

6) Meguro Ren - Maiagare! / silent (2,562)

7) Ichihara Hayato - Shoujiki Fudousan (2,456)

8) Hamada Gaku - My Family / Shin shinchoukouki (2,210)

9) Oideyasu Oda - Suki suki wanwan (1,342)

10) Yamamoto Koji - Kamakuradono no 13 nin / Kurosagi (1,336)

Best Supporting Actress

1) Kuroshima Yuina - Kurosagi (32,367)

2) Nakamura Yuri - Kurosagi (6,172)

3) Tabe Mikako - My Family (3,863)

4) Koike Eiko - Kamakura dono no 13 nin / Kyousou no bannin (3,707)

5) Kaho - silent (3,174)

6) Fukuhara Haruka - Shoujiki Fudousan (2,937)

7) Matsumoto Wakana - Tantei Romance / Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (2,824)

8) Shim Eunkyung - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (2,454)

9) Takiuchi Kumi - Reversal Orchestra (2,309)

10) Hirate Yurina - Roppongi Class (2,307)

The 114th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2022) - Best Drama

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Kamakuradono no 13 nin
2) Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai - 
3) silent

Voters Ranking Top 5

1) Kurosagi

2) silent

3) Kimi no hana ni naru

4) Kamakuradono no 13 nin

5) Inori no karute Kenshui no nazotoki shinsatsu kiroku

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) silent
2) Kamakuradono no 13 nin
3) Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai - 
4) Atomu no ko

5) The Travel Nurse

PICU Shouni shuuchuu chiryoushitsu

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Kamakuradono no 13 nin

2) Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai - 

3) silent

4) Reibai tantei Jozuka Hisui / invert Jozuka Hisui Tojoushu

5) Yamikin Ushijima-kun gaiden Yamikin Saihara-san

Source: The Television

The 114th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2022) - Best Leading Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Kawaguchi Haruna - silent
2) Nagasawa Masami - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -
3) Nao - First Penguin

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Kawaguchi Haruna - silent
2) Nagasawa Masami - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -

3) Honda Tsubasa - Kimi no hana ni naru

4) Kiyohara Kaya - Reibai tantei Jozuka Hisui / invert Jozuka Hisui tojoshuu

5) Nao - First Penguin

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Kawaguchi Haruna - silent
2) Nagasawa Masami - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -
3) Nao - First Penguin

4) Takahashi Maryjun - Yamikin Ushijima-kun gaiden Yamikin Saihara-san

5) Takimoto Miori - Sister

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Nagasawa Masami - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -

2) Kawaguchi Haruna - silent

3) Takahashi Maryjun - Yamikin Ushijima-kun gaiden Yamikin Saihara-san

4) Nao - First Penguin

5) Kiyohara Kaya - Reibai tantei Jozuka Hisui / invert Jozuka Hisui tojoshuu

Source: The Television

The 114th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2022) - Best Supporting Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Meguro Ren - silent

2) Maeda Goudon - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -

3) Miura Tomokazu - Kurosagi

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Meguro Ren - silent
2) Miura Tomokazu - Kurosagi
3) Takahashi Fumiya - Kimi no hana ni naru
4) Maeda Goudon - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -
5) Suzuka Ouji - silent

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Meguro Ren - silent
2) Ooizumi Yo - Kamakuradono no 13 nin
3) Suzuka Ouji - silent
4) Maeda Goudon - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -
5) Suda Masaki - Kamakuradono no 13 nin

Nakagawa Taishi - Kamakuradono no 13 nin

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Maeda Goudon - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -
2) Meguro Ren - silent

3) Nakai Kiichi - The Travel Nurse

4) Ooizumi Yo - Kamakuradono no 13 nin

5) Suzuka Ouji - silent

Source: The Television

The 114th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2022) - Best Supporting Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Kaho - silent

2) Koike Eiko - Kamakuradono no 13 nin
3) Kuroshima Yuina - Kurosagi

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Kaho - silent
2) Kuroshima Yuina - Kurosagi
3) Koike Eiko - Kamakuradono no 13 nin
4) Sakurada Hiyori - silent
5) Aragaki Yui - Kamakuradono no 13 nin

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Kaho - silent
2) Koike Eiko - Kamakuradono no 13 nin
3) Miura Touko - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -
4) Kadowaki Mugi - Shinainaru boku e satsui wo komete
5) Aragaki Yui - Kamakuradono no 13 nin

Kawaei Rina - Shinainaru boku e satsui wo komete

Sakurada Hiyori - silent

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Koike Eiko - Kamakuradono no 13 nin
2) Kaho - silent

3) Ootake Shinobu - PICU Shouni shuuchuu chiryoushitsu

4) Uchida Rio - Jidenshayasan no Takahashi-kun

5) Aragaki Yui - Kamakuradono no 13 nin

Kikuchi Rinko - Kamakuradono no 13 nin

Source: The Television

The 114th Drama Academy Awards (Autumn 2022) - Best Theme Song

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Subtitle by Official Hige Dandism (silent)

2) Tsukiyomi by King & Prince (Kurosagi)

3) Forever or Never by 8LOOM (Kimi no hana ni naru)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Tsukiyomi by King & Prince (Kurosagi)
2) Subtitle by Official Hige Dandism (silent)
3) Forever or Never by 8LOOM (Kimi no hana ni naru)
4) Omoibana by Kis-My-Ft2 (Inori no karute Kenshui no nazotoki shinsatsu kiroku)
5) Futari by SixTONES (Tsukanoma no Ichika)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Subtitle by Official Hige Dandism (silent)

2) Tsukiyomi by King & Prince (Kurosagi)

3) Mirage - Collective ver. feat. Nagasawa Masami by Mirage Collection (Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -)
4) Forever or Never by 8LOOM (Kimi no hana ni naru)
5) Irodori by King & Prince (Boyfriend kourin)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Subtitle by Official Hige Dandism (silent)

2) Tsukiyomi by King & Prince (Kurosagi)

3) Mirage - Collective ver. feat. Nagasawa Masami by Mirage Collection (Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -)

4) Tomo ni by Nakajima Miyuki (PICU Shouni shuuchuu chiryoushitsu)

5) Michi wo yuke by Ryokuoushoku Shakai (First Penguin)

Chousaiaku by Jeniihai (Kanzen ni tsunda Ichiko wa mou charisma ni naru shikanai)

Answers by Da-iCE (Kiss x kiss x kiss ~ Melting night)

Source: The Television

Winners of the Nikkansports Drama Grand Prix - Autumn 2022

Here are the winners of the Nikkansports Drama Grand Prix for the Autumn 2022 season. Numbers in brackets indicate the number of votes received:

Best Drama

1) Kurosagi - TBS (852)

2) Kamakuradono no 13 nin - NHK (248)

3) Shinainaru boku e satsui wo komete - FujiTV (197)

4) silent - FujiTV (108)

5) Boyfriend kourin! - TV Asahi (31)

Best Leading Actor

1) Hirano Sho - Kurosagi (878)

2) Oguri Shun - Kamakuradono no 13 nin (276)

3) Yamada Ryosuke - Shinainaru boku e satsui wo komete (206)

4) Takahashi Kaito - Boyfriend kourin! (34)

5) Yoshizawa Ryo - PICU (33)

Best Leading Actress

1) Nagasawa Masami - Elpis (501)

2) Kawaguchi Haruna - silent (242)

3) Kiyohara Kaya - Reibai tantei Jozuka Hisui / invert Jozuka Hisui Tojoshu (189)

4) Nao - First Penguin! (149)

5) Fukuhara Haruka - Maiagare! (100)

Best Supporting Actor

1) Miura Tomokazu - Kurosagi (651)

2) Sakaguchi Kentaro - Kamakuradono no 13 nin (173)

3) Meguro Ren - Maiagare! / silent (105)

4) Yamamoto Koji - Kamakuradono no 13 nin / Kurosagi (96)

5) Endo Kenichi - Shinainaru boku e satsui wo komete (80)

Best Supporting Actress

1) Kuroshima Yuina - Kurosagi (506)

2) Koike Eiko - Kamakuradono no 13 nin (280)

3) Nakamura Yuri - Kurosagi (202)

4) Kadowaki Mugi - Shinainaru boku e satsui wo komete (130)

5) Kaho - silent (110)

Top 10 dramas in 2022 with the highest satisfaction scores (Oricon)

This ranking was derived from the following data collected by Oricon for dramas shown between 11 Jan and 15 Dec 2022:

* Survey of 690 Oricon monitors every week where they had to rate the dramas based on a 10-point scale for the aspects of story, leads, supporting cast, lines, visuals, music, artwork etc.

* Data based on viewership (broadcast ratings & number of views on online streaming portals), leads, supporting cast, content and Twitter posts were rated based on a 20-point scale

As such, the total score shown in brackets below are the figures based on a 100-point scale.

FujiTV is seeing a reversal of its fortune this year with its dramas dominating half of the ranking and the top 3 spots. TBS which saw 5 works in the ranking last year, only had 3 this year while NTV which had 2 spots last year, was left out of the ranking this time. This was especially significant considering that "Hakozume" was the No.1 in 2021's ranking. In addition, last year's ranking saw 6 dramas with a satisfaction score of above 90 but there were only the top 3 which achieved that this year. And there were 2 dramas which got full marks last year i.e. "Hakozume" and "Tengoku to Jigoku" from TBS but none this year.

Out of the top 10, the only ones which I did not watch were "Mystery to iu nakare", "Kodoku no gurume Season 10" (not because I wasn't interested but I didn't have the chance to watch anything after Season 1), Kurosagi, Nanba MG5 and Shoujiki Fudousan. I would probably want to watch "Mystery to iu nakare" if given the opportunity though. 

So how many of the top 10 have you watched and what do you think of the ranking results?

1) silent - FujiTV (97.7)

2) Elpis - Kibou, arui wa saiwai - FujiTV (93.6)

3) Mystery to iu nakare - FujiTV (91.2)

4) Kodoku no gurume Season 10 - TV Tokyo (89.8)

5) Kurosagi - TBS (89.4)

6) Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? - TBS (89.1)

7) My Family - TBS (85.9)

8) PICU Shoni shuuchuu chiryoushitsu - FujiTV (84.8)

9) Nanba MG5 - FujiTV (84.5)

10) Shoujiki Fudousan - NHK (83.7)

Source: Oricon

Quick Review #23: Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai - (Autumn 2022)

Title: Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai - エルピス―希望、あるいは災い―

Season: Autumn 2022

Broadcast by: Kansai TV

Rating: 6.5 / 10

Recommended for: those who likes to watch David vs. Goliath stories about social injustice and don't mind the lengthy and sometimes mind-boggling and preachy dialogue / fans of the three main cast members i.e. Nagasawa Masami, Maeda Goudon & Suzuki Ryohei

Liked:

- The three main actors. 

Nagasawa Masami showed the emotional changes in Ena very well throughout the whole drama, be it towards work or romance and was really convincing as a TV news announcer in her diction and delivery of her lines. Not to mention, her stylist deserves a commendation for making her look so beautiful even when she was supposedly in the doldrums while trying to be a minimalist.

It's my first time seeing Maeda Goudon and I have to say that I was really surprised at how he was able to maintain a good balance between pulling and pushing. There were times when Takuro came across as really overwhelming (seemed like he was over-acting) but when contrasted with the stage when he was struggling with his past and the frustration in the present, Maeda was able to show a more subdued side in his acting and the changes in Takuro's mind clearly.

Suzuki Ryohei was hot, not just for looking good in suits but also his chemistry with Nagasawa both in the work and romance sense. The two of them were able to deliver such intense scenes with precision and I would have loved to see them together even more.

- The build-up of the false charge case investigation up to Ep 6 looked really promising until...

Disliked: 

- The thing is, this story tried to achieve a lot but fell flat for a number of reasons.

First of all, it may have started as a false charge case investigation aimed at overturning a death sentence. Which actually, I found to be quite engaging at first and managed to write episodic reflections on that. However, it took a rather drastic turn and became more of a personal crusade to overthrow the people in power who were corrupt. Frankly speaking, this kind of story isn't anything new and there have been other works which handled this theme way better than this drama. That's why I got so bored and didn't want to continue writing anything from Ep 7 onwards.

Secondly, it felt that the so-called false charge case theme was just a cover-up for a more targeted criticism of the current legal & political scene in Japan. For example, there were several references in the portrayal of the vice prime minister Daimon in this drama which were mentioned in some articles that he seemed to be modeled after Asou Taro (current vice president of the ruling party and used to be a vice prime minister too). And that the use of Abe Shinzo's image just months after his assassination and the thinly-veiled sarcasm and criticism of the scandals or controversies that happened during his term as the prime minister - that certainly hadn't gone unnoticed. As such, it suggested the lofty aim of trying to help a wrongly-accused guy was merely to conceal the true intentions of the production crew especially the scriptwriter. And because it got really personal, the story seemed to lose its objectivity and became somewhat preachy about what's right towards the end.

Last but not least, because of this sudden change in direction, the false charge case became so redundant and forgotten in the last few episodes to the extent that it was an afterthought in the negotiation to get Ena to change her mind. I was definitely not convinced by Saito's argument made to Ena at the end and it was really illogical the way things ended even though the scriptwriter tried to make it look like there's still hope as long as you don't stop believing. Erm, I'm not sure I would believe that after seeing what happened.

- The under-development of Saito's character. Much as Suzuki Ryohei tried to make Saito as charming and interesting as possible, it felt like the viewers only got to see what's on the surface. What is his motivation for wanting to get power? To change the unfair world? To correct injustices? And how does he actually feel about Ena? Any hidden truths behind the revelation of their dating scandal years ago? Did he ever make use of Ena for his personal gains? So many questions but no answers.

- The under-utilisation of the supporting actors. Seriously, you get someone like Nagayama Eita to play the so-called murderer yet he only appeared once as some shady guy. Is that all he should be showing? And getting Miura Touko to play Cherry but her only intended purpose seems to be the catalyst in getting the main trio to restart the investigation. I thought that was really wasteful as well.

The background story behind the birth of Kansai TV Autumn 2022 drama "Elpis - Kibou, arui wa sawai -"

This article from FRIDAY gives a pretty detailed account on the background story leading to the birth of Kansai TV Autumn 2022 drama "Elpis - Kibou, arui wa sawai -" which has been attracting attention because of its daring take on taboos in TV stations and the head-on battle against the dark side of power. Although the story is set in a fictitious TV station, the drama incorporated elements like obvious references to those in power, past political scandals and claims which were later found to be untrue which was considered very surprising for a primetime drama shown on a private terrestrial TV network.

* It took a long 6 years before the drama could see the light of day because its production process from the planning stage was fraught with difficulties and setbacks.

* Everything started from the spring of 2016 when TV producer Sano Ayumi went to visit scriptwriter Watanabe Aya for a discussion on an upcoming project about a love comedy. However, the conversation was getting stale and heading nowhere until they suddenly talked about people falsely accused of crimes that they did not commit. It turned out that Sano who graduated from the law faculty, had developed the habit of going to trials opened to the public after she read the diary of a convict on death role while she was still in university. As they talked about how easy it was for people to be punished on false charges in Japan and that there were many people who still hadn't been released despite their cases having clear loopholes or there were some which had some degree of suspicion as to whether these people were indeed guilty, Watanabe was convinced that if they were to do something about a false charge case which was still unresolved, it would definitely be good material for a drama.

* However, such a project would mean making an enemy out of the police and the judiciary so it was deemed to be impossible for TBS where Sano was working at then. Unable to give up on the idea, she requested Watanabe to go ahead to create the script with her so they managed to produce up to 3 episodes' worth of content and offered the lead role of Ena to Nagasawa Masami who agreed to it readily after reading the script.

* At that time, Sano had a illustrious career and was also involved in the production of hit drama "Quartet". Despite so, being caught up in the office politics then and going against the tide caused Sano to be transferred to the overseas business department. As a result, Sano who insisted that she didn't want to leave the drama production department and wanted to press on with the production of "Elpis", decided to leave TBS.

* After going around to pitch the drama to various TV stations, it was Kansai TV which came to the rescue in the end and prevented the project from going down the drain. Sano herself also joined Kansai TV and managed to mark her revival in the drama production industry with "Oomameda Towako to sannin no motto otto" last year.

* The Mondays 10pm timeslot was newly-created in autumn 2021 with the intention of taking on challenging and controversial productions. Ayano Go's "Avalanche" got the ball rolling with its story about people who took on the evil who were unable to be punished by the law through publishing their crimes for all to see on the Internet. As such, "Elpis" was arranged to be shown during this timeslot in line and even had its world premiere in Cannes.

Preview of "Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai -" - Autumn 2022

Title: Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai - エルピス - 希望、あるいは災い -

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official Twitter: here

O.A. Start Date: 24 Oct 2022

Timeslot: Mondays at 10pm

Broadcast by: Kansai TV

Cast: Nagasawa Masami, Maeda Goudon, Miura Touko, Miura Takahiro, Kondo Kouen, Iketsu Shoko, Kajihara Zen, Kataoka Shojiro, Yamaji Kazuhiro, Okabe Takashi, Rokkaku Seiji, Tsutsui Mariko & Suzuki Ryohei