Winners of the Tokyo Drama Award 2018

Drama Series Category
Grand Prix: Ossans Love (TV Asahi)

Excellence Awards:
Hiyokko (NHK)
Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV)
Unnatural (TBS)
Confidence Man JP (FujiTV)
Ishitsubute ~ Gaimusho kimitsuhi wo abaita sousa nika no otokotachi ~ (WOWOW)

Drama SP Category
Grand Prix: Kurara ~ Hokusai no Musume ~ (NHK)

Excellence Awards:
Aniimouto (TBS)
Kohaku (TV Tokyo)
Kuroidogoroshi (FujiTV)

Satellite / Streaming Drama Category
Excellence Awards:
Chiisana hashi de (Sky Perfect JSAT)
Miss Sherlock (Hulu)

Local Drama Category
You May Dream (NHK Fukuoka)
Mothers 2017 Nojuku no Ninpu (Chukyo TV)

Individual Awards
Best Leading Actor: Tanaka Kei - Ossans Love

Best Leading Actress: Ishihara Satomi - Unnatural

Best Supporting Actor: Yoshida Kotaro - Ossans Love

Best Supporting Actress: Agawa Sawako - Rikuou

Best Scriptwriter: Nogi Akiko - Unnatural

Best Director: Tsukahara Ayuko - Unnatural

Special Award: The production team of "Unnatural"

Best Theme Song: "Lemon" by Yonezu Kenshi (Unnatural)

Source: Natalie

Preview of "Kahogo no Kahoko 2018 Love & Dream" (Drama SP)

Title: Kahogo no Kahoko 2018 Love & Dream 過保護のカホコ 2018 ラブ& ドリーム (The Over-Protected Kahoko 2018 Love & Dream)
Official website: here
O.A. Date: 9pm on 19 Sep 2018
Broadcast by: NTV
Theme Song: " Family Song" by Hoshino Gen
Cast: Takahata Mitsuki, Takeuchi Ryoma, Kuroki Hitomi, Tokito Saburo, Nakajima Hiroko, Sato Jiro, Nishio Mari, Shukugawa Atomu, Kubota Sayu, Umezawa Masayo, Hamada Mari, Hiraizumi Sei, Mita Yoshiko, Nishioka Tokuma, Emi Kurara, Yokoyama Ayumu

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 Onscreen Couple

Next up are the top 5 finalists in the Best Onscreen Couple category and their rankings! Compared to last year where the votes were largely concentrated on the eventual winner i.e. Hoshino Gen and Aragaki Yui from "Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu", the votes for this time round were spread rather evenly for most of the nominees voted for. The final winner though had a clear advantage over the rest of the competition as seen by their overwhelming winning margin which was even larger (3 times more than No.2's total score) than last year's winner (double the number of points for No.2). Especially as the guy was a hot favourite last year, this probably helped in the couple's popularity as well.

Without further ado, let's meet the final 5!

No.5 Nishijima Hidetoshi & Ayase Haruka - Okusama wa, toriatsukai chuui (18 points)

I have not watched this drama yet but when this was ongoing last autumn, there was a fair bit of talk in the media about Ayase's action scenes and the sweet onscreen interaction between the lead couple i.e. Nishijima and Ayase in this drama. Personally, I do think that they look pretty good together. However, as the story progressed, the relationship between them changed for some reason as their true identities are revealed and if you had seen photos of them in the last episode, you would have known that they were fighting each other for some reason. I don't know what happened in the end for this couple but the votes suggested that those who had watched this probably liked them a lot regardless of what happened between them.

No.4 Taiga & Gouriki Ayame - Rental no Koi (20 points)

Perhaps it was due to the fact that this was a late night drama so it didn't enjoy a lot of publicity compared to the primetime offerings. Interestingly, although this drama was never nominated in any of the other categories, the lead couple seemed to have gotten into the good books of those who watched this as seen from the support shown towards them and narrowly edging out the competition to grab the No.4 spot. I haven't watched this drama as well but if I remember correctly, there was quite a bit of media attention on the weekly cosplays which Gouriki was doing in this drama. Perhaps those who had watched this can share with us why you like this couple?

No.3 Kamenashi Kazuya & Kimura Fumino - Boku, unmei no hito desu (30 points)

To be honest, even though I thought that this drama was supposedly a romance story between Kamenashi's and Kimura's characters, the media coverage back then during the drama's run seemed to be more about Kamenashi and Yamashita Tomohisa such as about them working together for the first time ever since "Nobuta wo Produce" and singing the theme song together. As such, I sort of got the impression that Kimura was the "forgotten" heroine while Yamashita was the "hidden" heroine. However, it does seem like those who watched this drama like this couple well enough to vote for them and gave them a comfortable margin to grab the No.3 spot.

No.2 Abe Sadao & Fukada Kyoko - Gekokujou Juken (40 points)

Although the story's theme was mainly about a father's journey to help his daughter prepare for exams despite their poor academic abilities, it seemed like the interaction between the lead couple didn't go unnoticed and was well-liked by those who watched this drama. Usually for such categories where people choose best onscreen couples, it is common to see that the better-looking couples tend to have an advantage over the competition. In this sense, Abe and Fukada's combination was rather unconventional but I think they looked quite compatible together. In case you are wondering, this photo was from Gekokujou Juken's official Instagram account and taken by Kazama Shunsuke apparently. This "kabedon" pose was made famous some years ago by Fukushi Souta who did that on Ayase Haruka in "Kyouwa kaisha yasumimasu" so it is a popular parody done in many dramas and variety shows since then.

And now, the winning couple is....

No.1 Takeuchi Ryoma & Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko (126 points)

Looking at the huge margin between No.1 and No.2, it's clear that this couple is definitely the favourite in 2017. Even though the drama's ratings were not really high, it's unmistakable that Takeuchi's popularity did soar because of this and was pivotal in making him one of the hot names last year. Among those who voted, the majority put this couple as their No.1 thus boosting their total score to a level which was unreachable for the competition to beat. At the end of the drama, this couple got married so it's a happy ending for them after all.

In case you are wondering who I voted for, I chose two couples only. The first was Matsu Takako & Matsuda Ryuhei in Quartet. Although they were not in an "obvious" romantic relationship which went both ways (Matsuda's character was in love with Matsu's), there were some really great moments between them which sizzled onscreen even though there was hardly any intimacy or kissing. The most intimate they were was probably that scene where Matsuda held her hand in the living room of her apartment.The other couple I chose was Fujiwara Tatsuya and Toda Erika in Reverse. Call it karma if you like but Toda was chasing after Fujiwara all the time in Death Note and the tables were turned in Reverse which I found quite amusing to watch. What I liked about them was not so much about the lovey dovey-ness displayed in the first episode but how their relationship seemed very down-to-earth and reflective of daily life and how they coped with the revelation which could have driven them apart forever. Unfortunately, both couples did not make it as finalists in the end.

The 2nd Dorama World Awards 2017 - Best Theme Song

From today onwards, I will be announcing the winners in the 7 categories of the 2nd Dorama World Awards 2017. To start the ball rolling, here are the final 5 of the Best Theme Song category and their rankings. Are your favourites in this list? How do you feel about the results? Feel free to leave your comments here!

No. 5 Family Song by Hoshino Gen (Kahogo no Kahoko) - 20 points

At No.5 is the theme song of "Kahogo no Kahoko" starring Takahata Mitsuki i.e. "Family Song" sung by Hoshino Gen. From the voting results, it appears that the voters of this song tended to choose the drama as their best drama and the lead couple in the various individual categories as well. Comparatively, this song from Hoshino might not have made such a huge impact as compared to "Koi" from the previous year thanks to the popularity of "Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu" but its music video is definitely worth checking out for Hoshino's "new image" in a very pastel pink-themed background.

No. 4 Bouningen by RADWIMPS (Frankenstein no Koi) - 21 points

This song from RADWIMPS narrowly edged out Hoshino's song to grab the No.4 spot with just a point different. In terms of its results in other categories, the drama hardly made an impact other than a small number of votes in the Best Drama and Best Leading Actor categories which seemed to suggest that it was probably not as watched or as popular as the other offerings in 2017. Despite so, this theme song seemed to have captured some fans along the way perhaps partly due to RADWIMPS thus explaining why it still managed to grab a place in the top 5.

No.3 Nonfiction by Hirai Ken (Chiisana Kyojin) - 26 points

Personally, this is one of my favourites from last year. A good theme song can help to enhance the atmosphere of the drama and in this case, I really liked it when this song started playing towards the end of each episode. Not only the melody suits the mood of the drama, the lyrics are also very fitting for the story. If you are interested, I have the romaji lyrics posted here.
Judging from the results of this drama, it seems like a mixed bag because the drama did pretty well in some categories like Best Drama while hardly making an impression in others. Despite my initial reservations about this drama being a police version of "Hanzawa Naoki", it turned out to be better than I thought although I admit that there were some exaggerated parts. As such, it could be like the situation with the RADWIMPS song i.e. Hirai Ken's personal pull being a key factor in the song's popularity. Here is the music video of the song as hosted on Sony Music Taiwan's YouTube channel so it comes with Chinese subtitles.

No.2 Force by Superfly (Doctor X 5) - 80 points

The fight between No.1 and No.2 was very close especially if you consider the huge point difference between these two and the others in the top 5. Just like what happened in the 1st Dorama World Awards, it seemed like Doctor X fans were out in full force again to support this drama and all related personnel in the other categories. I am not sure if there is an open call somewhere online asking for fans to rally together but if you look at the pattern of voting, the passion that the fans have for this drama is very obvious. As such, this may not come as a huge surprise to those who had actively supported this theme song. In fact, this song looked like it was about to seize the crown again this year (the theme song for Doctor X 4 also sung by Superfly won this category in 2016) if not for a last-minute surge by the eventual No.1. For those who are interested in this song, check out its official music video here.


No.1 Otona no Okite by Doughnuts Hole (Quartet) - 87 points

I have to admit, I am very happy about this song winning this title considering how much I love this drama. However, I didn't think it would win especially when I saw the influx of votes for Doctor X so this turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me (at least). If you look at the voting pattern, the number of votes for Doctor X was higher but most of the voters for this song placed it as their No.1 thus pushing up its total score as a result.
Although the four main actors i.e. Matsu Takako, Matsuda Ryuhei, Takahashi Issei and Mitsushima Hikari were supposed to have sung this song, the guys' vocals didn't really stand out so it sounded more like a duet between Matsu and Mitsushima. I guess this was probably a better arrangement on the whole since the two of them are singers in the first place and have the vocals to hold up this song written by Shiina Ringo. Nonetheless, I would have loved to hear the guys sing distinct solo parts.
If you would like to read the romaji lyrics, you can see them here. There is a clip of the drama's ending credits featuring this song and you can download it from major online music platforms like iTunes and Amazon Play Music.

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)

USEN's Top 30 Hit J-pop Ranking for 2017

The following ranking compiles the number of times which a song is played on commercial music broadcasting channels under USEN and requests from listeners between the period of 6 January 2017 and 30 November 2017. USEN released the rankings for 8 categories i.e. J-pop, Western music, Enka, Indies, K-POP, Anime, JPOP + Western music and Classic Rock so if you are interested to see the results for the other categories, please visit here.

Without further ado, here is the top 30 for this year in USEN's ranking. Titles in bold indicate songs which are used in dramas as theme or insert songs and the title of the dramas are indicated within the brackets. Please let me know if I have missed anything or made an error:

The 94th Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2017) - Best Drama

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON (FujiTV)
2) Hiyokko (NHK)
3) Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON (FujiTV)
2) Koshoku no Robot (NTV)
3) Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV)
4) Bokutachi ga yarimashita (FujiTV)
5) Uchi no otto wa shigoto ga dekinai (NTV)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Hiyokko (NHK)
2) Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON (FujiTV) / Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV)
4) Hello Harinezumi (TBS)
5) Shimokitazawa Diehard (TV Tokyo)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Hiyokko (NHK)
2) Yasuragi no Sato (TV Asahi)
3) Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON (FujiTV)
4) Kahogo no Kahoko (NTV)
5) Shimokitazawa Diehard (TV Tokyo)

Source: The Television

The 94th Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2017) - Best Leading Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Arimura Kasumi - Hiyokko
2) Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko
3) Takei Emi - Kurokawa no Techou

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko
2) Arimura Kasumi - Hiyokko
3) Takei Emi - Kurokawa no Techou
4) Watanabe Naomi - Kanna-san!
5) Shida Mirai - Utsubokazura no Yume

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Arimura Kasumi - Hiyokko
2) Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko
3) Takei Emi - Kurokawa no Techou
4) Watanabe Naomi - Kanna-san!
5) Shida Mirai - Utsubokazura no Yume

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Arimura Kasumi - Hiyokko
2) Takei Emi - Kurokawa no Techou
3) Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko
4) Watanabe Naomi - Kanna-san!
5) Hirao Nanaka - Ecchan

Source: The Television

The 94th Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2017) - Best Supporting Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Takeuchi Ryoma - Kahogo no Kahoko
2) Morita Go - Hello Harinezumi
3) Asari Yosuke - Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Asari Yosuke - Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON
2) Arioka Daiki - Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON
3) Takeuchi Ryoma - Kahogo no Kahoko
4) Konno Hiroki - Bokutachi ga yarimashita
5) Yabu Kota - Uchi no otto wa shigoto ga dekinai

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Takeuchi Ryoma - Kahogo no Kahoko
2) Morita Go - Hello Harinezumi
3) Sawamura Ikki - Hiyokko
4) Narita Ryo - Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON
5) Konno Hiroki - Bokutachi ga yarimashita

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Takeuchi Ryoma - Kahogo no Kahoko
2) Morita Go - Hello Harinezumi
3) Konno Hiroki - Bokutachi ga yarimashita
4) Narita Ryo - Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON / Sawamura Ikki - Hiyokko / Eguchi Yosuke - Kurokawa no Techou / Okuda Eiji - Kurokawa no Techou

Source: The Televison

The 94th Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2017) - Best Theme Song

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Wakai Hiroba - Kuwata Keisuke (Hiyokko)
2) HANABI - Mr.Children (Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON)
3) Family Song - Hoshino Gen (Kahogo no Kahoko)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) HANABI - Mr.Children (Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON)
2) Are You There? - A.Y.T. (Koshoku Robot)
3) Family Song - Hoshino Gen (Kahogo no Kahoko)
4) Kiseki no Hito - Kanjani 8 (Uchi no otto wa shigoto ga dekinai)
5) Bokutachi ga yarimashita - DISH// (Bokutachi ga yarimashita)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Family Song - Hoshino Gen (Kahogo no Kahoko)
2) Wakai Hiroba - Kuwata Keisuke (Hiyokko)
3) Forevermore - Utada Hikaru (Gomen, Aishiteru)
4) HANABI - Mr.Children (Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON)
5) Yumemakase - "SOIL&""PIMP""SESSIONS feat. Yojiro Noda (Hello Harinezumi) / Bokutachi ga yarimashita - DISH// (Bokutachi ga yarimashita)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Wakai Hiroba - Kuwata Keisuke (Hiyokko)
2) Bojou - Nakajima Miyuki (Yasuragi no Sato)
3) Yumemakase - "SOIL&""PIMP""SESSIONS feat. Yojiro Noda (Hello Harinezumi)
4) Family Song - Hoshino Gen (Kahogo no Kahoko) / Forevermore - Utada Hikaru (Gomen, Aishiteru)
6) HANABI - Mr.Children (Code Blue THE THIRD SEASON) / Papa Mama Song - Yusuke Santa Maria, Hirao Nanaka, Kadowaki Mugi, Ishida Nicole, Ando Tamae & Okamoto Kenichi (Ecchan) / TAKE MY HAND - Yoru no honki dansu (Seshiru no Mokuromi)

Source: The Televison

Winners of the 9th Confidence Award Dorama Prize (Summer 2017)

Here are the winners of the 9th Confidence Award Drama Prize for the Summer 2017 season:

Best Drama: Hiyokko

Best Leading Actor: Ishizaka Koji (Yasuragi no Sato)

Best Leading Actress: Takahata Mitsuki (Kahogo no Kahoko)

Best Supporting Actor: Takeuchi Ryoma (Kahogo no Kahoko)

Best Supporting Actress: Wakui Emi (Hiyokko)

Best Script: Okada Yoshikazu (Hiyokko)

Best Newcomer: Nagano Mei (Bokutachi ga yarimashita)

Source: Confidence Award Drama Prize

Winners of Nikkansports Sports Drama Grand Prix (Summer 2017)

There were 1,846 valid responses for this voting and numbers in brackets indicate the number of votes received for the drama or actor/actress:

Best Drama
1) Code Blue 3 (1,069)
2) Hiyokko (161)
3) Onna Joshu Naotora (92)
4) Gomen, Aishiteru (78)
5) Uchi no otto wa shigoto ga dekinai (69)

Best Leading Actor
1) Yamashita Tomohisa - Code Blue 3 (1,086)
2) Nagase Tomoya - Gomen, Aishiteru (136)
3) Nishikido Ryo - Uchi no otto wa shigoto ga dekinai (90)
4) Kamikawa Takaya - Iryu Sousa 4 (68)
5) Higashiyama Noriyuki - Keiji Shichinin 3 (62)

Best Leading Actress
1) Arimura Kasumi - Hiyokko (426)
2) Takahata Mitsuki - Kahogo no Kahoko (355)
3) Takei Emi - Kurokawa no Techou (309)
4) Shibasaki Kou - Onna Joshu Naotora (251)
5) Watanabe Naomi - Kanna-san! (152)

Best Supporting Actor
1) Asari Yousuke - Code Blue 3 (797)
2) Takahashi Issei - Onna Joshu Naotora (150)
3) Takeuchi Ryoma - Kahogo no Kahoko (101)
4) Sawamura Ikki - Hiyokko (84)
5) Shiina Kippei - Code Blue 3 (61)

Best Supporting Actress
1) Aragaki Yui - Code Blue 3 (650)
2) Toda Erika - Code Blue 3 (303)
3) Higa Manami - Code Blue 3 (97)
4) Kimura Yoshino - Hiyokko (91)
5) Miyamoto Nobuko - Hiyokko (72)

Source: Nikkansports

Preview of "Kahogo no Kahoko" - Summer 2017

Title: Kahogo no Kahoko 過保護のカホコ (The overly-protected Kahoko)
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official Twitter: here
O.A. Start Date: 12 July 2017
Timeslot: Wednesdays 10pm
Broadcast by: NTV
Theme Song: "Family Song" by Hoshino Gen
Cast: Takahata Mitsuki, Kuroki Hitomi, Takeuchi Ryoma, Sato Jiro, Nakajima Hiroko, Umezawa Masayo, Hamada Mari, Shukugawa Atom, Nishio Mari, Kubota Sayu, Mita Yoshiko, Nishioka Tokuma, Hiraizumi Sei, Tokito Saburo

Hoshino Gen to sing the theme song for NTV Summer 2017 drama "Kahogo no Kahoko"

Hoshino Gen will be singing the theme song for NTV Summer 2017 drama "Kahogo no Kahoko" starring Takahata Mitsuki which will begin its run from 12 July in the Wednesdays 10pm timeslot. The drama which is written by Yukawa Kazuhiko, features Takahata as the 21-year-old university student Nemoto Kahoko who is overly protected by the people around her that she has never spent the night outside her house, driven a car, done any housework nor even left alone at home before. She doesn't even have a wallet since everything will be paid for by her father. Every day, she is woken up by her mother Izumi (Kuroki Hitomi) and wears the clothes the latter chooses. Even though her father Masataka (Tokito Saburo) is concerned about Kahoko's future, he can't bring himself to discipline his daughter and allows his wife to intervene too much into Kahoko's life. When Kahoko meets a young man who comes from an entirely different background from hers, she gradually undergoes changes in her personality and life.

The theme song titled "Family Song" which was specially written for this drama, is Hoshino's 10th single and will be released on 16 August. With regard to this song, Hoshino said that when he read the drama's script, he thought of using soul music to illustrate the theme of what it means to be family. In order to make fine adjustments to the song, he even had his band members stay up all night with him in the recording studio. As he had recently worked with Takahata in the NHK music variety show "Ogen-san to issho", he also expressed excitement at being able to sing the theme song for her drama and is eagerly awaiting the day when the song is finally ready to be heard by everyone during the drama's broadcast.

Source: Nikkansports

Takahata Mitsuki to star in NTV Summer 2017 drama "Kahogo no Kahoko"

Takahata Mitsuki will be starring in the upcoming NTV Summer 2017 drama "Kahogo no Kahoko" (The overly-protected Kahoko) which will begin its run from July in the Wednesdays 10pm timeslot. The drama which is written by Yukawa Kazuhiko, features Takahata as the 21-year-old university student Nemoto Kahoko who is overly protected by the people around her that she has never spent the night outside her house, driven a car, done any housework nor even left alone at home before. She doesn't even have a wallet since everything will be paid for by her father. Every day, she is woken up by her mother Izumi (Kuroki Hitomi) and wears the clothes the latter chooses. Even though her father Masataka (Tokito Saburo) is concerned about Kahoko's future, he can't bring himself to discipline his daughter and allows his wife to intervene too much into Kahoko's life. When Kahoko meets a young man who comes from an entirely different background from hers, she gradually undergoes changes in her personality and life.

Takahata who is taking on her first leading role in a private network drama this time, expressed her excitement about the filming and hopes to be able to cope with the pressure and enjoy the process. As for playing someone who is very unlike her, Takahata commented that there should be a lot of new things she will discover in the process of playing Kahoko who behaves like an angel but actually needs the help of the people around her in order to survive. As for working with Kuroki and Tokito, Takahata said that she is on close terms with Kuroki since they had worked together before while it will be the first time collaborating with Tokito.

Filming is set to begin this weekend.

Sources: Sponichi / Yomiuri Hochi / Oricon