TBS to do a rerun of "Watashi wo hanasanaide" to commemorate Kazuo Ishiguro's Nobel Prize win

TBS will be doing a rerun of Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasanaide" starring Ayase Haruka, Miura Haruma and Mizukawa Asami in order to commemorate the winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature by Kazuo Ishiguro who wrote the novel "Never Let Me Go" which the drama was based on. This also happened to be first drama adaptation of Ishiguro's novels.

The 88th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2016) - Best Leading Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Haru - Asa ga kita
2) Fukada Kyoko - Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai
3) Hirosue Ryoko - Naomi to Kanako

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Haru - Asa ga kita
2) Fukada Kyoko - Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai
3) Hirosue Ryoko - Naomi to Kanako
4) Horikita Maki - Higanbana ~ Keishicho Sousa Nanaka
5) Ayase Haruka - Watashi wo hanasanai de

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Haru - Asa ga kita
2) Fukada Kyoko - Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai
3) Arimura Kasumi - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
4) Hirosue Ryoko - Naomi to Kanako
5) Ayase Haruka - Watashi wo hanasanai de

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Haru - Asa ga kita
2) Hirosue Ryoko - Naomi to Kanako
3) Fukada Kyoko - Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai
4) Arimura Kasumi - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
5) Kiritani Mirei - Sumi ka Sumire

Source: The Televison

Otomo Kohei to be guest star in episode 5 of TBS Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasanai de"

 Otomo Kohei will be making a guest appearance in the 5th episode of TBS Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasanai de" which is to be shown on 12 February. He will play a former rockabilly singer who is the owner of a second-hand clothes shop and the first person to treat Kyoko (Ayase Haruka) and Tomohiko (Miura Haruma) kindly since they left Youkou Gakuen to live at the Cottage. This will be Otomo's first drama appearance since he turned 60 this year.

When asked to describe his character, Otomo said that the identity of being a rockabilly singer was meant to reflect his character's inability to fit in with the norms of society and he was regarded as somewhat like an outcast which in turn enabled him to view others with no prejudice. Upon knowing that Kyoko and Tomohiko are different from him, he is able to regain his composure and treat them in a normal way.

As for his impression of the two actors, Otomo who had not met Miura before, said that the latter is a very serious person so he wanted to liven up the atmosphere by cracking jokes. He was thankful for the fact that Miura responded quite favourably to the jokes. As for Ayase, he had met her before by chance in the past and was particularly struck by how innocent she could be. During that encounter, Otomo had told her about him being of the same age as her mother and revealed that he used to be part of a band named Hotdog. To his surprise, Ayase called her mother immediately in front of him and asked the latter if she knew about Otomo's band which surprised him greatly.

Source: Cinema Cafe

Insert song of "Watashi wo hanasanai de" to be released via online streaming

The insert song "Never Let Me Go" featured in the ongoing TBS Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasanai de" has been released via online streaming portals as of 29 January. The song sung by Julie Shortreed, is an original composition with lyrics written by Shortreed herself and was featured in the first episode where the child actors of Kyoko (Ayase Haruka) and Tomohiko (Miura Haruma) were dancing to the music in an empty classroom. Following the broadcast, the TV station was swarmed with queries about the song thus leading to the release via online streaming.

Shortreed is a singer who has a Canadian father and Japanese mother and has been a model, composer and singer ever since she came to Tokyo to work. She began her music career officially from 2010 and has been heard in various CM songs. Her most recent works were her songs in the movie "Umimachi diary" and the anime "Tokyo Ghoul".

Source: Oricon

Most Anticipated Winter 2016 drama ranking (Confidence)

This survey was done via the Internet and involved 1,364 respondents nationwide. The total scores in brackets are tabulated based on anticipation levels in four areas i.e. ratings, the leads, the supporting cast and the story. Dramas with original novels/manga are indicated in blue. If you would like to see the breakdown of the scores, please visit here which are presented in the same order as I outlined above. There are two categories i.e. the primetime and late night dramas.

Interestingly, although "Watashi wo Hanasanai de" and "Specialist 4" are tied for 1st place in terms of total score, the latter scored lower for the ratings, leads and supporting cast aspects but got a better score for the story despite the fact that the former has a bestselling novel to back it up. Seems like the viewers are quite confident about the story in the "Specialist" series.

As for the late night dramas, Kiritani Mirei's "Sumi ka Sumire" got the top spot. It was mentioned in the article that this drama got a higher proportion of men looking forward to this drama compared to the others and cited the expectation of wanting to see if Kiritani can pull off the role of a woman who becomes 45 years younger than her actual age as a key factor.

Primetime dramas (from 8pm to before 11pm)
1) Watashi wo Hanasanai de - TBS / Specialist 4 - TV Asahi (65)
3) Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau - FujiTV (58)
4) Fragile - FujiTV (50)
5) Higanbana ~ Keishicho Sousa Nanaka ~ - NTV / Rinshou Hanzai Gakusha  Himura Hideo no Suiri - NTV (49)
7) Kazoku no Katachi - TBS / Otousan to yobasete - FujiTV / Naomi to Kanako - FujiTV (47)
10) Kaitou Yamaneko - NTV (46)
11) Keishicho Zero Kakari ~ Seikatsu Anzenka Nandemo Soudanshitsu ~ - TV Tokyo (36)
12) Dame na watashi ni  koishite kudasai - TBS (34)
13) Chikaemon - NHK (26)
14) Nigeru Onna - NHK (23)
15) Itooshikute - NHK (20)

Late night dramas (from 11pm onwards)
1) Sumi ka Sumire - TV Asahi (46)
2) Akutotachi wa Senri wo hashiru - TBS (39)
3) Tokyo Sentimental - TV Tokyo (34)
4) Kasa wo motanai aritachi - FujiTV (25)
5) Money no Tenshi - NTV (10)

Press conference and special screening event of "Watashi wo hanasanai de"

The press conference and special screening event of TBS Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasanai de" was held on 11 January which was attended by the cast members Ayase Haruka, Miura Haruma and Mizukawa Asami. The drama which is based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel "Never Let Me Go", will be set in Japan where the three of them will play young adults raised in a welfare facility named Youkou Gakuen isolated from the rest of the world for a designated purpose. When they come to realise what their fates are, they try to find the meaning of what is to live.

During the press conference, the host asked the cast who among them does things at his/her own pace and they all cited Ayase even though she herself didn't seem to realise this. Mizukawa commented that even when they are all busy filming, whenever Ayase appears on the set, she makes the whole atmosphere more enjoyable and less tense. Miura also praised Ayase for having a good effect on the mood on set. When the producer commented that Ayase has done a lot as the lead to pull everyone along, she commented innocently that she doesn't feel that she has done anything to which Mizukawa said smilingly that their lead's charm is that because she doesn't do things knowingly or on purpose.

Source: Oricon

Preview of "Watashi wo hanasanai de" - Winter 2016

Title: Watashi wo hanasanai de わたしを離さないで (Never Let Me Go)
Official website: here
Official Facebook page: here
Official Twitter page: here
Official blog: here
Filming report: here
O.A. Start Date: 15 January 2016
Timeslot: Fridays 10pm
Broadcast by: TBS
Original novel by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Cast: Ayase Haruka, Miura Haruma, Mizukawa Asami, Suzuki Rio, Nakagawa Tsubasa, Mizuki Sakura, Matobu Sei, Ito Ayumi, Komoto Masahiro, Aso Yumi

Ayase Haruka meets Kazuo Ishiguro in UK for Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasanai de"

Ayase Haruka who is starring in the upcoming TBS Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasani de", met Kazuo Ishiguro, the author of the original novel "Never Let Me Go" in UK earlier this month where they spent about 4 hours talking about the novel and drama adaptation. The drama which is due to be shown from 15 January in the Fridays 10pm timeslot, also features Miura Haruma and Mizukawa Asami as the main cast members.

In a bid to understand more about the novel ahead of the filming, Ayase went on a short trip for 4 days and 2 nights in order to meet Ishiguro who is based in London. During their discussion, Ishiguro explained that he wanted to explore the theme of life being very short and everyone will face death one day. However, how people deal with death in their faces and what they feel is most important to them was a key motivating factor which spurred him to write the novel. He also explained the relationships between the key characters and how he felt about the lead Kyoko (Kathy H. in the novel in response to questions from Ayase.

Ishiguro who moved to the UK at the age of 5, is a bestselling author who had won the Man Booker Prize which is the highest ranking literature award in the UK. As he didn't know about Ayase prior to their meeting, Ishiguro watched her 2009 drama "JIN" in order to know her better. After watching it, he praised Ayase for using her facial expressions and body language to convey the love which couldn't be put into words and commented that she is a great actress. In response, Ayase thanked him in English. As Ishiguro advised Ayase to play Kyoko in her own way rather than be restricted by the novel, she pledged to do her best to convey the essence of her character to the best of her ability.

Source: Sponichi Annex

Ayase Haruka, Miura Haruma & Mizukawa Asami to star in TBS Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasanai de"

Ayase Haruka will be the lead in the upcoming TBS Winter 2016 drama "Watashi wo hanasanai de" (Never Let Me Go) which will be shown in the Fridays 10pm timeslot from January 2016. The drama which is based on the novel by Japanese-British writer Ishiguro Kazuo who moved to the UK when he was 5 years old, will be made into a drama in Japan for the first time and the setting of the story will be shifted from the UK to Japan. The novel has sold more than 1 million copies in the UK and was made into a movie by the UK and US in 2010.

Ayase will play the role of Hoshina Kyoko, a 30-year-old woman who works in a hospital and feels despondent about her life. She has been in love with her childhood friend Doi Tomohiko to be played by Miura Haruma but will have to contend with competition for his affection from another childhood friend Sakai Miwa played by Mizukawa Asami. The trio all grew up in the same orphanage which was isolated from the outside world and had been told when they were 10 years old that due to some yet-to-be-disclosed reason, they will all die around the age of 30. While Kyoko and Tomohiko try hard to find hope in their lives, they are hit with the tough reality and their relationship is hampered by Miwa who has a tendency to control other people with her strong personality and is hungry for love. As such, they will all be striving to find meaning within their limited lifespans while trying to resolve their love triangle. Co-stars include Ito Ayumi who plays a teacher working in the orphanage and knows about the truth facing the children staying there, Matobu Sei who is a mysterious frequent visitor to the orphanage, Komoto Masahiro who is passionate about upholding the orphanage's values and Aso Yumi who is the principal there.

Ayase commented that in recent years, she has been playing a lot of comedic roles so she is looking forward to her first "serious" role in 10 years since 2006's TBS drama "Byakuyakou". She also revealed that she had read the novel and was very impressed and touched by the story which allowed her to do some self-reflection. Ishiguro and Ayase met up in June and she was praised by him for being a perfect match with the character. As for Miura, he recounted that after reading the book, he felt that living was an ongoing desire and that it was a cruel and beautiful thing to experience. Thus, he hoped that this drama will be able to convey the same message to the viewers. As for Mizukawa, she revealed that her heart was heavy after reading the script and the glimmer of hope amid the cruelty was described in a beautiful way. However, this story contains such an important theme about the meaning of living today for the sake of the future so she hopes that the drama can deliver this to the viewers and move them in the same way.

Filming will begin in the beginning of December.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi / Sponichi / Modelpress