Nikkansports Dorama Grand Prix - Spring 2014

Numbers in brackets indicate the number of votes received:

Best Drama
1) Shinigami-kun (853)
2) Roosevelt Game (144)
3) Gunshi Kanbee (132)
4) Hanasaki Mai ga damatte inai (129)
5) BORDER (116)


Best Leading Actor
1) Ohno Satoshi - Shinigami-kun (873)
2) Okada Junichi - Gunshi Kanbee (209)
3) Oguri Shun - BORDER (167)
4) Nishijima Hidetoshi - MOZU (161)
5) Karasawa Toshiaki - Roosevelt Game (152)

Best Leading Actress
1) An - Hanasaki Mai ga damatte inai (487)
2) Ueno Juri - Arisu no Toge (351)
3) Yoshitaka Yuriko - Hanako to Anne (307)
4) Koizumi Kyoko - Zoku Saigo kara nibanme no Koi (256)
5) Nakatani Miki - Gunshi Kanbee (214)

Best Supporting Actor
1) Suda Masaki - Shinigami-kun (576)
2) Kamikawa Takaya - Hanasaki Mai ga damatte inai (206)
3) Shibata Kyohei - Gunshi Kanbee (126)
4) Eguchi Yosuke - Roosevelt Game (85)
5) Miura Tomokazu - Gokuaku Ganbo (72)

Best Supporting Actress
1) Kiritani Mirei - Shinigami-kun (609)
2) Nakama Yukie - Hanako to Anne (205)
3) Kiritani Mirei - Gunshi Kanbee (134)
4) Maki Yoko - MOZU (121)
5) Dan Rei - Roosevelt Game (85)

Source: Nikkansports

Production press conference of FujiTV Spring 2014 drama "Gokuaku Ganbo"

The production press conference of FujiTV Spring 2014 Gekku "Gokuaku Ganbo" was held on 8 April at Odaiba, Tokyo, which was attended by the cast members Ono Machiko, Shiina Kippei, Miura Tomokazu, Miura Shohei, Naka Riisa and Takeuchi Riki. The drama which will begin its run from 14 April at 9pm on Mondays, is Ono's first leading role in a Gekku and she plays a heroine who enters the underworld due to being saddled with debts. However, Ono commented that this drama is not typical of the usual Gekku as she finds herself having to behave and speak roughly.

Miura Tomokazu who plays Ono's boss in the drama, dyed his hair blonde for the first time because he found that it was too troublesome to wear a wig for four months. Although he got shocked by how he looked when he woke up one morning, his wife Yamaguchi Momoe got used to his new look in just three days.

Co-star Shiina exposed Ono also behaved roughly off set just like the character she plays as she sits with her legs apart and would proclaim loudly that she's hungry. Miura Tomokazu also revealed that once they finish a scene, Ono would head into the smoking room immediately. Not to be outdone, Ono said that her co-stars are mostly old men so their favourite topics in the waiting room would be things like presbyopia.

After the press conference, the cast got on a promotional car and set out on a promotion campaign on the streets where Ono spoke using a mike to introduce herself like a politician running for election.

Source: Sanspo

Natsuna to appear as guest star in the first episode of FujiTV Spring 2014 drama "Gokuaku Ganbo"

Natsuna will be appearing as the guest star in the first episode of FujiTV Spring 2014 drama "Gokuaku Ganbo" which begins its run from 14 April in the Mondays 9pm timeslot. She will play the role of Yashiki Satomi, a young woman who filed for voluntary bankruptcy before but finds herself saddled with a fresh debt of JPY 2m from the loansharks again.

Natsuna commented that it is like a dream come true for her to appear in a Gekku and to make things better, she got to work with Ono Machiko who is the lead of this drama. Natsuna revealed that the atmosphere on set was always quite relaxed but she was particularly impressed with Ono who managed to put on a serious face once it was time to start filming even though she had been joking around just seconds earlier. On the day she participated in the filming, it happened to be the first day of the drama's filming too and she had to dive into the night sea despite a low temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. However, once she got into the water, it didn't feel so cold after a while so she was slightly reluctant to get out after that.

Source: Sanspo

Preview of "Gokuaku Ganbo" - Spring 2014

Title: Gokuaku Ganbo 極悪がんぼ
Official website: here
Broadcast by: FujiTV
O.A. Start Date: 14 April 2014
Timeslot: Mondays 9pm
Original manga by: Tajima Takashi and Kochi Takahiro
Theme song: Kenka Joutou by Kishidan
Cast: Ono Machiko, Shiina Kippei, Miura Shohei, Naka Riisa, Takeuchi Riki, Itao Itsuji, Ukaji Takashi, Kobayashi Kaoru, Kudo Kankuro, Odagiri Jo, Miura Tomokazu

Kudo Kankuro to return as an actor for the first time in 12 years

Scriptwriter cum actor Kudo Kankuro will be making his return to acting for the first time in 12 years when he takes on the role of a lawyer lacking in morals in the upcoming FujiTV Gekku "Gokuaku Ganbo" starring Ono Machiko which begins its run from 14 April. Kudo last appeared in a Gekku drama 14 years ago when he acted in the Winter 2000 drama "Nisennen no Koi".

Kudo will take on the role of Toyotomi Kentaro, a lawyer who is willing to stoop low to win his clients' cases and believes that justice can be bought with money. Outside of work, he is besotted with Mayakashi Kiriko (Naka Riisa), the owner of a snack bar, even though she keeps rejecting his advances with violence.

Kudo expressed his apprehension about taking on the role since it's been such a long time from his last drama appearance and this is his first role as a lawyer. However, with an experienced cast and crew, he thinks that he should be able to pull things off with their support.

Source: Sponichi

Kishidan to sing the theme song for FujiTV Spring 2014 Gekku "Gokuaku Ganbo"

Kishidan will be singing the theme song for FujiTV's new Spring 2014 Gekku "Gokuaku Ganbo" which stars Ono Machiko. The song titled "Kenka Joutou" (Bring It On) is Kishidan's first theme song for a terrestrial station's drama and will be released on 21 May. The vocalist of the band DJ Ozma commented that it had always been his dream to sing the theme song of a gekku drama so he is extremely happy about it.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi

Ono Machiko to star in FujiTV Spring 2014 Gekku "Gokuaku Ganbo"

Ono Machiko will be taking on her first leading role in a FujiTV Gekku when she appears in the Spring 2014 drama "Gokuaku Ganbo" which begins its run from April. The drama which is based on the comic by Tajima Takashi and Kochi Takahiro who are known for their works such as "Kabachitare!", will be set in a fictitious town named Kanekure (sounds the same as give me money in Japanese) located in Hiroshima Prefecture, where the male lead character Kanzaki Mamoru will be changed to a woman named Kanzaki Kaoru for Ono's sake. The word "ganbo" in the title means gangster in the Hiroshima dialect.

Kanzaki came from a family which had operated an okonomiyaki restaurant but it went bust and caused her family to slip into poverty. After junior high school graduation and having switched many jobs, she was deceived by her colleague which led to her being straddled with a huge debt. As a result, she decides to join the "black business" named Koshimizu Management Consultant where she solves problems which the police nor lawyers would not want to dabble in. The people also working in this company will be played by actors such as Shiina Kippei, Kobayashi Kaoru and Miura Tomokazu.

Source: Sanspo