Competition in this category turned out to be rather intense with no actress having a clear advantage throughout the two-week voting period. As such, the No.1 slot looked like a game of musical chairs as the person holding on to the slot kept changing almost every day. As you can see from the number of points gained by the top 5 mentioned here, the difference separating them is very small. What this probably also suggests is that the quality of the supporting actresses was very even across the field so there was nobody in particular who stood out above the rest.
What was a bit of a pity is that many voters did not specify the name of the drama which the actress appeared in so these votes had to be disqualified since it was not possible to ascertain which role the vote was for. For actors and actresses who had appeared in multiple dramas throughout 2016, this was a very big issue during the voting period which I repeatedly called upon everyone to take note of. Unfortunately, this problem persisted right till the end so it was really a waste to see those null votes which could have made a difference in the final results.
Without further ado, let's meet the five winners in the Best Supporting Actress category!
No.5: Koike Eiko - Sekai ichi muzukashii koi (34 points)
Koike played the capable secretary Muraoki Maiko who was like a mother and romance advisor to her boss played by Ohno Satoshi as he fumbled his way to winning the heart of his leading lady Haru. Her performance in this drama had also won her accolades such as the best supporting actress awards in the 20th Nikkansports Drama Grand Prix (Spring 2016) and 89th The Television Dorama Academy Award.
Koike used to be a top gravure idol until she started acting in 1997 with her first appearance in the 5th episode of drama "Odoru Daisousasen" starring Oda Yuji. Since then, she has been gradually moving up the ranks as a capable and versatile supporting actress in a variety of dramas such as serious-themed works like WOWOW's "Shokuzai" and "Gonin no Junko", comedies like "Yuusha Yoshihiko to Maou no Shiro" and "Legal High" or even NHK Taigas and morning dramas like "Massan" and "Yoshitsune".
No.4: Ishida Yuriko - Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu (35 points)
Given the popularity of NigeHaji, you might have expected Ishida Yuriko who plays the heroine's aunt in the drama to be ranked higher in this category. Actually, if you look at the votes she received, all of them placed her at No.1. However, as explained above, the voting pattern for this category was such that there was a wide pool of actresses to select throughout the entire year so the points were spread out quite thinly. As such, Ishida only had one point more than No.5's Koike.
As the various drama awards for the autumn season have not been announced yet, it remains to be seen if Ishida will be able to pick up some awards for her performance in this drama.
No.3: Kimura Yoshino - Boku no Yabai Tsuma (36 points)
She was my top pick for this category but unfortunately, she didn't manage to snatch the title in the end. I know many people were wondering why she would be classified as supporting actress when she practically hogged the limelight in the drama but that's the way it's done in Japan where there is usually just one lead actor or actress. In this drama's case, Ito Hideaki was the sole lead actor so Kimura would fit under the category of supporting actress.
Actually, when Kimura first started out as an actress, I didn't like her at all especially her performance in the drama "Overtime". Perhaps it had to do with the fact that her character in that drama was the type I hated to see i.e. the seemingly weak and clingy woman who stopped the lead couple from getting together. However, she got better as she built up her career and I've grown to like her more as the years go by.
If you haven't watched this drama yet, I strongly recommend this because Kimura's performance here is definitely worth checking out.
No.2: Ueno Juri - Kazoku no Katachi (43 points)
I haven't watched this drama yet so can't really comment much on Ueno's performance here. I'll probably have to rely on you guys to tell me how she did. Actually, Ueno had been in the top 3 for most of the voting period until she was overtaken on the very last day. As such, you can see that there is only a two-point difference between her and the eventual winner.
Ueno is one of my favourite actresses and I really enjoyed her performance in dramas like "Nodame Cantabile" and "Last Friends". It would be nice to see her be more active in the drama scene, even in supporting roles.
And the winner of this category is Eikura Nana for her performance in 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi!
Eikura got a mixed bag of results actually as the people who voted for her placed her in positions ranging from No.1 to No.3. As such, she did not really surge up the ranking right from the start and her eventual win was a bit of a surprise personally. I was thinking that Ishida Yuriko might have the advantage of her drama being shown more closer to the voting period. In the end, Eikura got a number of crucial No.1 votes which helped her grab the title eventually.
I haven't watched this drama yet so I can't really tell how she did. My experience with Eikura was somewhat similar to Kimura Yoshino because I didn't really like Eikura when she started out as an actress. To be honest, I thought she was rather awkward because she was trying to be cute at times but her tall and slim figure made her look somewhat out of place. However, I think age really helps an actress to become better and more mature in her way of portraying a character. In particular, I thought that her newfound maturity and ability to show the emotional progression of her character was finally noticeable in the drama "N no Tame Ni" so I've grown to like her a lot more than before.
And for those who may be interested in who I voted for, here is my choice:
No.1 Kimura Yoshino - Boku no Yabai Tsuma
No.2 Takahata Atsuko - Naomi to Kanako
No.3 Mizukawa Asami - Watashi wo hanasanaide
No.4 Matsushima Nanako - Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~
No.5 Shimizu Fumika - Kaseifu no Mitazono
As you can see, only Kimura from my list made it to the top 5. I was actually struggling between her and Takahata but eventually gave my top vote to Kimura. Takahata is a fine actress but I hope what happened with her son wouldn't keep her away from dramaland too long. Mizukawa had an important role but with limited airtime and yet she managed to make her character look really pitiable and detestable at the same time. Matsushima performed really well towards the end of the drama and was literally overpowering Kanno Miho in many ways. Last but not least, Shimizu who does look a lot like Aoi Yu from certain angles, impressed me with her versatile acting. Not long ago, I had just seen her in a serious role but she was really adorable and very good in "Kaseifu no Mitazono". Too bad I was the only one who voted for her. ^__^
So what do you think about the winners in this category? Please share your views with me through the comments section or via the Facebook fanpage!
