Official website: here
O.A. Dates: (Part 1) 26 March 2026 at 10pm / (Part 2) 27 March 2026 at 10pm
Broadcast by: NHK
Cast: Ashida Mana, Okayama Amane, Takeda Rena, Yashiba Toshihiro, Hada Michiko & Shiraishi Kayoko etc.
Showing posts with label Kataomoi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kataomoi. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Friday, March 23, 2018
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 07, 2018
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)
- 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)
Monday, October 09, 2017
Preview of "Kataomoi" - Autumn 2017
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 21 October 2017
Timeslot: Saturdays 10pm
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Original novel by: Higashino Keigo
Cast: Nakatani Miki, Kiritani Kenta, Kuninaka Ryoko, Otani Ryohei, Suzuki Kosuke, Wada Masato, Nakamura An, Takatsuki Sara, Mashima Hidekazu, Akahori Masaaki, Sakai Miki, Oka Mitsuko, Tanaka Yoji, Akiyoshi Kumiko, Tanaka Min, Hashizume Isao
Screening event & press conference of new WOWOW drama "Kataomoi"
The drama which consists of 6 episodes, is based on the same-titled novel by Higashino Keigo. Nakatani plays the lead character Hiura Mizuki who is a woman with gender identity disorder. After a reunion dinner in the summer of 2017 with her friends in the American football team which she used to be the team manager for, Mizuki admits to her teammates that she had murdered someone and that she is living as a man named Kanzaki Mitsuru now and works at a club in Ginza. Faced with such a shocking revelation, Mizuki's friends try to find out the truth behind her revelation in a bid to protect her. However, as they gradually unravel the truth, they are faced with the harsh truth and how to decide what's best for everyone. The meaning of "one-sided love" in the title will also be explained as the story progresses. Kiritani plays Nishiwaki Tetsuro who is a sports instructor and had married Risako (Kuninaka) who used to be the team's manager along with Mizuki and is working as a freelance cameraman now. Otani Ryohei plays Hayada Yukihiro who is working as a news reporter while Mizuki's former boyfriend Nakao Kousuke will be played by Suzuki Kousuke.
In order to look convincing as a woman who lives like a man, Nakatani revealed that she tried to build up her body by doing muscle training, eating 2 to 3 slices of fillet steaks, 2 to 3 eggs and drinking protein drinks. Kiritani said that even though there is a scene showing the difference in strength between Mizuki and a typical man, he was surprised by the extent she went to in order to build up her well-toned arms.
Mentally, as her character's "love interest" will be Risako (Kuninaka), Nakatani joked that she tried her best to make Kuninaka fall for her but it was just too bad that she lost to Mukai Osamu (Kuninaka's real-life husband). Nakatani then described Kiritani as a handsome guy who looks cool if he keeps quiet but ends up being a funny person once he speaks. She also expressed her "jealousy" upon seeing how Kuninaka would smile in front of Kiritani when they had scenes together. In response, Kuninaka said that it was fun to play a strong-headed and opinionated woman who was having issues with her husband in this drama.
As there is a kissing scene between Nakatani and Kuninaka in the drama, the latter admitted that even though she was supposed to be on the receiving end, she was very nervous about it but it turned out to be a gentle kiss. As for Nakatani, she commented that she didn't want to get "disliked" by Kuninaka and went to great lengths to make sure that her breath didn't smell bad such as brushing her teeth, chewing mint and spraying fragrances. Nakatani also "complained" that she had done kissing scenes with other actresses many times to date and wondered why this always happened. However, she did reveal that the kissing scene this time was the longest and most romantic she did so far with another actress.
As the day of the event happened to be Otani's 37-year-old birthday, Nakatani presented a bouquet of flowers to him. Otani revealed that although they only had one scene together, Nakatani was very kind to remember him when she provided refreshments for the staff and cast and even gave him a handwritten letter. As such, he felt that she was such a wonderful senior and was surprised by her unexpected gesture.
In line with the theme of the drama, the cast were asked about what they were holding a torch for. Nakatani said that although she loves carbohydrates and sweet things, her body can't take such things like white rice and udon. As such, in order to replace these in her diet, she has to eat quinoa and soba instead.
Since this was the first public appearance of Kuninaka after she announced her second pregnancy, the media offered their congratulations to her at the end of the event which she thanked them for. However, when asked about her condition, she did not answer and simply smiled at them while leaving the venue.
Sources: Nikkansports 1 / Nikkansports 2 / Eiga.com
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Supporting cast line-up of new WOWOW drama "Kataomoi" announced
Kiritani Kenta will be playing Nishiwaki Tetsuro who is a sports instructor and had married Risako (Kuninaka Ryoko) who used to be the team's manager along with Mizuki and is working as a freelance cameraman now. Otani Ryohei plays Hayada Yukihiro who is working as a news reporter while Mizuki's former boyfriend Nakao Kousuke will be played by Suzuki Kousuke. The four of them were all Mizuki's friends back in university and met through the American football team.
Source: Oricon
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Nakatani Miki to star in new WOWOW drama "Kataomoi" as a woman with gender identity disorder
Nakatani plays the lead character Hiura Mizuki who is a woman with gender identity disorder. After a reunion dinner in the summer of 2017 with her friends in the American football team which she used to be the team manager for, Mizuki admits to her teammates that she had murdered someone and that she is living as a man named Kanzaki Mitsuru now and works at a club in Ginza. Faced with such a shocking revelation, Mizuki's friends try to find the truth behind her revelation in a bid to protect her. However, as they gradually unravel the truth, they are faced with the harsh truth and how to decide what's best for everyone. The meaning of "one-sided love" in the title will also be explained as the story progresses.
Nakatani commented although this is the first time she is acting in a Higashino work, the pressure is great because rather than volunteering to take on this role, she was given this heavy responsibility to play this difficult character. In order to look convincing as a man, Nakatani cut her hair by 15cm and even went through physical training for 2 months but she will also have to show the sadness of how Mizuki's efforts may end up in naught as she cannot become a man completely.
Higashino who has 5 works adapted by WOWOW to date i.e. "Shukumei", "Genya", "Bunshin", "Henshin" and "Kakkou no tamago wa dare no mono", said that he was surprised that there was finally someone who dared to take on this difficult topic featured in "Kataomoi" as it is something which the current society has yet to find answers to. As such, he hoped that the drama will bring more attention to this issue. He also praised Nakatani for having the courage to take on such a role and expressed his joy in seeing how she will play Mizuki.
Filming began from 6 May.
Sources: Eiga.com / Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Oricon
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