The 89th Drama Academy Awards (Spring 2016) - Best Leading Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Ohno Satoshi - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi
2) Matsumoto Jun - 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi
3) Okada Masaki - Yutori desu ga nani ka

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Matsumoto Jun - 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi
2) Ohno Satoshi - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi
3) Okada Masaki - Yutori desu ga nani ka
4) Ito Hideaki - Boku no Yabai Tsuma
5) Takenouchi Yutaka - Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Ohno Satoshi - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi
2) Matsumoto Jun - 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi / Okada Masaki - Yutori desu ga nani ka
4) Takenouchi Yutaka - Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi
5) Ito Hideaki - Boku no Yabai Tsuma / Totsugi Shigeyuki - Hiru no Sentozake

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Matsumoto Jun - 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi
2) Ohno Satoshi - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi
3) Ito Hideaki - Boku no Yabai Tsuma
4) Takenouchi Yutaka - Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi / Yusuke Santa Maria - Hi no Ko

Source: The Televison

Satisfaction ranking for Spring 2016 dramas (TV Watcher)

TV Watcher conducts a daily survey on at least 3,000 respondents per day on each episode of the dramas shown within a full season. In this ranking, it takes the average score tabulated from the scores for each episode. The maximum score a drama can get is 5.

In the Spring 2016 drama, a record number of 7 dramas achieved an average score of more than 3.7. However, only the No.1 drama i.e. Boku no Yabai Tsuma got an average score of above 4 as it achieved an above-4 score for 7 out of its 9 episodes. On a per episode basis, Juuhan Shuttai's Ep 9 got the highest satisfaction score of 4.23. No.2's 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi and No.3's Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi were caught in a tight race with a difference of just 0.014 separating them in the end. The number of dramas with a high satisfaction rating seems to suggest that viewers were quite happy with the Spring 2016 offerings on a whole.

Numbers in brackets indicate the average satisfaction score for each drama:

1) Boku no Yabai Tsuma - FujiTV (4.036)
2) 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi - TBS (3.953)
3) Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi - NTV (3.939)
4) Juuhan Shuttai - TBS (3.932)
5) Watashi kekkon dekinain janakute, shinain desu - TBS (3.882)
6) Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi - TV Asahi (3.842)
7) Yutori desu ga nani ka - NTV (3.841)
8) Fukigen na Kajitsu - TV Asahi (3.800)
9) Totto Terebi - NHK (3.781)
10) Omukae desu - NTV (3.670)
11) Keishicho Sousa Ikka Kyukakari - TV Asahi (3.664)
12) Contrail - Tsumi to Koi - NHK (3.663)
13) Doctor Sousahan - TV Tokyo (3.650)
14) Keishicho Sousa Ikkacho - TV Asahi (3.564)
15) Love Song - FujiTV (3.356)
16) OUR HOUSE - FujiTV (3.322)
17) Hayako-sensei, Kekkon surutte hontou desuka? - FujiTV (3.277)

Source: TV Watcher

Winners of the 20th Nikkansports Dorama Grand Prix (Spring 2016)

Numbers in brackets indicate the number of votes received:

Best Drama
1) Sekai ichi muzukashii koi - NTV (1,578)
2) 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi - TBS (739)
3) Yutori desu ga nani ka - NTV (181)
4) Sanadamaru - NHK (154)
5) Watashi kekkon dekinainjanakute, shinain desu - TBS (121)

Best Leading Actor
1) Ohno Satoshi - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi (1,638)
2) Matsumoto Jun - 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi (771)
3) Sakai Masato - Sanadamaru (244)
4) Okada Masaki - Yutori desu ga nani ka (188)
5) Takenouchi Yutaka - Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi (104)

Best Leading Actress
1) Kuroki Haru - Juuhan Shuttai! (927)
2) Nakatani Miki - Watashi kekkon dekinainjanakute, shinain desu (820)
3) Takahata Mitsuki - Toto Neechan (470)
4) Mitsushima Hikari - Totto Terebi (414)
5) Maeda Atsuko - Busujima Yuriko no Sekirara Nikki (156)

Best Supporting Actor
1) Sugimoto Tetta - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi (649)
2) Kagawa Teruyuki - 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi (600)
3) Kotaki Nozomu - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi (457)
4) Kitamura Kazuki - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi (195)
5) Kusakari Masao - Sanadamaru (184)

Best Supporting Actress
1) Koike Eiko - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi (1,212)
2) Eikura Nana - 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi (578)
3) Haru - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi (443)
4) Shimazaki Haruka - Yutori desu ga nani ka (153)
5) Kimura Yoshino - Boku no Yabai Tsuma (122)

Source: Nikkansports

First-episode satisfaction survey for Spring 2016 dramas (Data News)

This survey was conducted in 7 prefectures in Kanto involving 3,000 people from the ages of 20 to 79 with half of them male and the other half female. The satisfaction score in brackets is given on the basis of the first episode only:

1) Watashi kekkon dekinain janakute, shinain desu (3.90)

2) Keishicho Sousa Ikka 9 Kakari (3.83)

3) Boku no Yabai Tsuma (3.76)

4) 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi / Good Partner (3.72)

6) Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi (3.59)

7) Juuhan Shuttai! (3.57)

8) Omukae desu (3.53)

9) Contrail ~ Tsumi to Koi ~ (3.47)

10) Doctor Chousahan ~ Iryo Jiko no Yami wo Abake ~ (3.45)

11) Love Song (3.34)

12) Yutori desuga nani ka (3.18)

13) OUR HOUSE (3.13)

14) Hayako-sensei, Kekkon surutte hontou desuka? (2.83)

Source: PR Times

Hirai Ken to sing the theme song for TV Asahi Spring 2016 drama "Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi"

Hirai Ken will be singing a drama theme song for the first time in 15.5 years for TV Asahi's Spring 2016 drama "Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi" starring Takenouchi Yutaka and Matsuyuki Yasuko. The song titled "Plus One" will be released as Hirai's 39th single on 25 May which will also include the official support song for the upcoming Ise Shima Summit. The last time when Hirai sang a theme song for a drama was "Ring" for 2002's NTV drama "Psycho Doctor".

Hirai commented that after reading the script and hearing the title of the drama, the nature of the relationship between Takenouchi's and Matsuyuki's characters was what inspired the song. Despite being at odds with each other, they both need each other in their lives.

Source: Oricon

Preview of "Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi" - Spring 2016

Title: Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi グッドパートナー無敵の弁護士 (Good Partner The Invincible Lawyer)
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 21 April 2016
Timeslot: Thursdays 9pm
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Fukuda Yasushi
Theme Song: Plus One by Hirai Ken
Cast: Takenouchi Yutaka, Matsuyuki Yasuko, Kaku Kento, Yamazaki Ikusaburo, Babazono Azusa, Okamoto Azusa, Miyazaki Karen, Uechi Haruna, Matsukaze Risaki, Sugimoto Tetta, Goda Masashi, Miyaji Masako, Okura Koji, Kunimura Jun

Newcomer Matsukaze Risaki to make her debut in a drama through TV Asahi Spring 2016 drama "Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi"

Newcomer actress Matsukaze Risaki who has just entered senior high school in April this year and is from the agency Sweet Power which also manages actresses such as Horikita Maki and Kiritani Mirei, will be making her debut in a drama through TV Asahi Spring 2016 drama "Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi" which will be shown on Thursdays at 9pm. The drama features Takenouchi Yutaka as a corporate lawyer who is at loggerheads with his ex-wife played by Matsuyuki Yasuko who's also a lawyer. Matsukaze will play their 12-year-old daughter Mizuki who chose to stay with her father when they divorced since she can live with her mother later on when she gets older but it won't be that convenient with her father by then.

Despite the gap between her role and her actual age, Matsukaze says that she will try to recall how she was at that age in order to play Mizuki. She also expressed her anxiety and excitement about her first drama appearance but will try to learn from her seniors who she had only seen on TV in the past. In particular, she was honoured to be able to play the daughter of Takenouchi and Matsuyuki and that they have been very nice towards her since they first met.

Source: Oricon

Takenouchi Yutaka & Matsuyuki Yasuko to work together in TV Asahi Spring 2016 drama "Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi"

Takenouchi Yutaka and Matsuyuki Yasuko will be working together in the TV Asahi Spring 2016 drama "Good Partner Muteki no Bengoshi" (Good Partner The Invincible Lawyer)  which begins its run from April in the Thursdays 9pm timeslot. This will be Takenouchi's first appearance in a TV Asahi drama in nine and a half years since he starred in the autumn 2006 drama "Kazoku ~ Tsuma no Fuzai Otto no Fuzai ~". Takenouchi and Matsuyuki are playing a married couple again since they worked in the movie "at home" screened last year. The script will be written by Fukuda Yasushi who also wrote dramas such as "DOCTORS ~ Saikyou no Meii", "Umizaru" and "HERO".

The drama is set in Jinguji Law Firm which specialises in dealing with corporate law cases. Takenouchi plays a lawyer named Sakisaka Kento who is handsome, capable, passionate about his work and regarded as the ace in the law firm. Despite his success in his career, the same cannot be said for his family life as he is a single father raising his only daughter Mizuki following his divorce from his ex-wife Natsume Yoshie played by Matsuyuki who is a rival lawyer in the same law firm. They can usually work well together but when it comes to their family issues, they end up arguing and calling each other "Papa" and "Mama" as if they were still married. Their colleagues are played by Sugimoto Tetta, Kaku Kento, Yamazaki Ikusaburo, Babazono Azusa, Okura Koji, Okamoto Azusa while the boss will be played by Kunimura Jun.

Source: Oricon / Sanspo