Shaku Yumiko announces the birth of her first son

Shaku Yumiko announced through her blog that she had given birth to her first son on 12 June which also happens to be her birthday. In her statement, she revealed that her son weighed 2,890g at birth and it felt like it was a double birthday celebration for her as she was also celebrating her 38th birthday that day. She was having a checkup the previous day when the doctor suggested that she should be warded immediately that evening as she was showing signs of labour. Despite this being her first time, the delivery process was very smooth and didn't take a long time.

Shaku got married to her husband who is of the same age to her in October last year.

Source: Sanspo

Ihara Tsuyoshi to star in TV Tokyo Summer 2016 drama "Yassan ~ Tsukiji Hatsu! Oishii Jikenbo ~"

Ihara Tsuyoshi will be starring in the upcoming TV Tokyo Summer 2016 drama "Yassan ~ Tsukiji Hatsu! Oishii Jikenbo ~" (Yassan - the delicious case files from Tsukiji) which will be shown from July in the Fridays 8pm timeslot. This will be the last drama series to be shot on location at the 80-year-old Tsukiji Market before it moves to Toyosu in November and is Ihara's first primetime drama where he has a leading role.

Ihara plays the role of a mysterious man known as Yassan who has no money and a place to live in. However, he has a lot of knowledge about food and is discerning about food. Yassan's talents are deeply appreciated by many people at Tsukiji Market including the brokers and chefs at high-class restaurants in hotels and he ends up helping the people at the market solve various problems related to food with his buddy Takao who is also homeless like him. There will also be a "Madonna" appearing in each episode as Yassan's potential love interest.

Ihara commented that he found the drama's proposal very interesting and likens it to "Kodoku no Gurume" which also has a food theme and is very excited about being offered this role. As he owns a restaurant in real life and is good at cooking, he can identify with the storyline and its developments. In order to prepare for his role, Ihara started running and weight training to reduce his weight from 84.5kg to 76kg. He also tried to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor for three nights to experience what it felt like to be homeless.

Source: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Oricon

Aso Kumiko announces her second pregnancy; due to give birth in autumn

Aso Kumiko announced in a fax statement sent by her agency to the media on 9 June that she is currently pregnant with her second child and due to give birth in autumn. She commented that both her husband Iga Daisuke and her are very happy about the impending birth of their new family member and that she is currently doing well. Aso expressed her hope for a smooth delivery and will take good care of herself. She ended the statement by asking for the kind support of everyone around them. According to Aso's agency, she will continue with her acting career after her maternity leave.

Aso and Iga got married on 28 December 2007 and their first daughter was born in May 2012.

Source: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi

Ichikawa Ebizo reveals that his wife Kobayashi Mao is suffering from breast cancer

Ichikawa Ebizo announced through a last-minute press conference at 3pm on 9 June that his wife Kobayashi Mao is currently suffering from breast cancer. The announcement was in response to reports surfacing in some media outlets that Mao is very ill due to an advanced stage of cancer so the move was meant to stop speculation about Mao's condition and prevent the reporters who were outside his house from causing disturbance and inconveniences to his family and neighbours and avoid disrupting his children's lives.

Ichikawa confirmed that they found out about Mao's condition one year and eight months ago when they went for a body checkup together. Since then, Mao has been under treatment but the progression of the illness was much faster than expected. She is in the midst of chemotherapy which doesn't seem to be working effectively so there is a likelihood that she has to go for surgery. Mao was apparently hospitalised for a while and was only allowed to go home recently. Ichikawa said that surgery was not an option initially since it was difficult to reach the affected spot so chemotherapy was selected as the first treatment method.

Ichikawa recounted that when he first heard of Mao's diagnosis, he was at his wits' end and didn't know what to say. However, he thinks that she is having it worse than him because Mao is battling to get well and feels sorry for not being around to be with her children. His sister-in-law Kobayashi Maya who has also recently announced a break from work due to health issues, also helped in keeping Mao's situation under wraps and has been supportive of their family during this period.

The first sign of Mao's condition came through a blog entry by Ichikawa on 2 May after he appeared on SMAPxSMAP with his son Kangen. In his blog, he commented that Mao was very happy about the TV appearance and that she was unwell then. Although his daughter Reika and Kangen are both important to him, Mao is still his No.1.

Ichikawa also revealed that during Kangen's kabuki debut in November 2015, Mao decided to show up in public and go to the Kabukiza during the 25-day performance period despite her illness. The couple had talked about this extensively before she decided to go ahead and help Kangen on this special occasion. He admitted that he was quite worried especially since the performance run was so long but decided to respect her wishes. When the children asked him why their mother was not coming home during her hospitalisation, Ichikawa explained to them that she was stung by a bug so had to be in the hospital to recuperate before she could return home to play with them.

Ichikawa and Mao got to know each other through an interview she conducted while working as a newscaster for NTV's "NEWS ZERO" in 2006 and they got married in March 2010. Reika was born in July 2011 while Kangen was born in March 2013.

Source: Sponichi Annex / Daily Sports / Sanspo

New cast announcements for FujiTV Summer 2016 drama "HOPE ~ Kitai Zero no Shinnyu Shain ~"

FujiTV announced the cast lineup for their Summer 2016 drama "HOPE ~ Kitai Zero no Shinnyu Shain ~" starring Hey! Say! JUMP's Nakajima Yuto on 2 June. Endo Kenichi will be playing the lead character Ichinose Ayumu's superior at work who looks scary but is like the sun to his subordinates. Seto Koji and Johnny's WEST Kiriyama Akito will be Ichinose's colleagues and rivals where Seto's character is an elite who is proud and confident about his abilities while Kiriyama's character is cheerful and the moodmaker in the tean. Yamauchi Takaya will be Ichinose's senior who is not viewed as someone with strong capabilities but is a nice person to everyone. Last but not least, Yamamoto Mizuki will be the only female employee in their department who tries to survive in the harsh department while coping with discrimination, sexual and power harassment.

Source: Nikkansports / Oricon

Matsuyama Kenichi & Saotome Taichi to be back in WOWOW drama "Futagashira 2"

Matsuyama Kenichi and Saotome Taichi will be back in the WOWOW drama "Futagashira 2" which will begin its run from September. The duo were the leads in the first series which spanned 5 episodes from June to July last year and are back in the sequel to reprise their roles as Benzo and Soji respectively who try to make it to the top of Edo this time.

Matsuyama commented that he is looking forward to acting in the new sequel which allows him to experience things unique to period dramas. He also said that the drama will showcase the cool charm of men and the womanly charm of women so it will be a must-see for viewers. As for Saotome, he is looking forward to do things that he couldn't show in the last series and wants to challenge himself in the sequel.

Source: Oricon

Gouriki Ayame to star in TV Asahi Summer 2016 drama "Gurame! ~ Souri no Ryoriban ~"

Gouriki Ayame will be playing a chef for the first time in the upcoming TV Asahi Summer 2016 drama "Gurame! ~ Souri no Ryoriban ~" (Gurame! The Prime Minister's Cook) which will begin its run from July in the Fridays 11.15pm timeslot. The drama which is based on the popular manga titled "Gurame! ~ Daisaishou no Ryorinin ~" by Nishimura Mitsuru and Ozaki Mitsuru, features Gouriki as an aloof and talented chef who is the designated cook for the Prime Minister and showcases her culinary talent when the latter holds banquets for politicians and important individuals.

As Gouriki has to cook a wide range of dishes from French cuisine to B-kyuu gourmet, she is undergoing intensive training at a cooking school so as to look convincing for the part. She commented that it was great that she can also improve her own cooking skills through this training.

Co-stars include Matsuo Yukimi, the 2013 Japanese repsresentative for Miss Universe who is making her debut as an actress and plays an employee at the Prime Minister's office, Shinkawa Yua who plays a political reporter and Naito Lisa who plays the Prime Minister's daughter. Kohinata Fumio will be playing the prime minister while Takito Kenichi will be playing the Prime Minister's secretary who scouts Gouriki's character after meeting her at a ryotei.

Sources: Sanspo / Oricon

Taira Airi & Nagatomo Yuto go public with their relationship

Japanese national soccer team player Nagatomo Yuto and Taira Airi admitted on 2 June that they are an item after reports of them dating surfaced in the 3 June issue of "FRIDAY". Nagatomo was asked by the media about this after the practice session for the upcoming Kirin Cup match against Bulgaria the following day and referred to Taira as his amore. Nagatomo revealed that the reason for his admission was because he wanted to talk about the relationship personally rather than leave it to the media to speculate and debunked FRIDAY's report that he and Taira are going to have a shotgun marriage. When asked about marriage plans, Nagatomo said that he wants to get married soon but there are no concrete plans as yet. Taira had also informed her agency's management about their relationship which was met with positive response from her president. On the same day of Nagatomo's announcement, Taira also updated her blog and denied that she is pregnant.

According to media reports, Nagatomo and Taira got to know each other through comedian Sanpei two and a half years ago and started dating one year ago. Taira had been to Italy to visit Nagatomo during his off-season vacation as he has been based there since he joined Inter Milan in January 2011. Taira started out as an actress, had a leading role in the "20th Century Boys) movies trilogy and can be seen on variety shows these days.

Source: Sponichi

Matsuda Ryuhei to appear in FujiTV Summer 2016 drama "Eigyou Buchou Kira Natsuko"

Matsuda Ryuhei will be appearing in the FujiTV Summer 2016 drama "Eigyou Buchou Kira Natsuko" starring Matsushima Nanako which will begin its run from July in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot. This will be Matsuda's first time working with Matsushima and his first drama in three years since 2013's "Ama-chan".

Matsuda plays the role of Takagi Keisuke, a creative director who used to work under the heroine Kira Natsuko (Matsushima) when he was first starting out in this line. At that time, Kira used to treat Takagi very harshly and gave him a very hard time. Just before Kira turned 40, she got married and took a maternity break of three years before returning to work as the sales director. Upon her return, Takagi finds himself clashing with his former boss especially as he finds her attitude of trying to deal with things in her old ways extremely old-fashioned and annoying. On the other hand, as Takagi is already a popular and well-known creative director now, he also wants to show Kira how he has improved over the years and is no longer the fumbling newbie he used to be. Matsuda commented that he's looking forward to the start of the filming and will ensure that he eats and sleeps well during this period so as to stay in tip-top condition.

Source: Oricon

Harada Natsuki announces her marriage

Harada Natsuki announced her marriage through a fax statement released by her agency on 2 June. In the statement, she revealed that she had married her boyfriend who is of the same age as her and works as a doctor. The couple met through friends two years ago and became an item in January this year. Harada praised her husband for being a gentle and mature person who always makes her laugh and marriage became a natural progression for them even though they've only dated for five months. Harada also recounted that when they met his family, she was impressed by his honesty and sincerity which made her feel that he is her ideal partner to form a family with. She ended the statement by saying that she will continue to work hard as an actress.

According to Harada's agency, she is not pregnant at the moment and there are no plans yet for the wedding. However, she has indicated to them that she hopes to hold the ceremony within the year.

Source: Nikkansports 1 / Nikkansports 2

Watabe Gota announces his marriage

Watabe Gota announced through his agency on 1 June that he has married his girlfriend who is four years older than him. In the statement, it was revealed that the marriage application was filed in the morning of the same day at a ward office in Tokyo. The couple were introduced to each other three years ago by a mutual friend and started dating soon after. His wife is not pregnant at the moment and there are no plans at the moment for a wedding.

Watabe commented in his statement that he hopes to build a happy family with his wife and improve as an actor at the same time. He called for the support of everyone around them as they strive toward this goal.

Watabe is due to appear in the upcoming stage play "Hi no Moto Ichi no Daiakutou" between 9 June and 19 June directed by Koizumi Kyoko.

Sources: Sanspo / Sponichi

Top 10 scriptwriters who viewers are most satisfied with

There is this survey conducted by Data News on 3,000 people from the age of 20 to 79 on which scriptwriters' works they are most satisfied with. Note that the dramas selected are based on those screened between April 2012 and March 2016. Scores in brackets indicate the average satisfaction index for that scriptwriter and the key dramas by the scriptwriter during that period are listed with the year of broadcast with the dramas' scores in brackets:

1) Kosawa Ryota (3.967)
Legal High - 2012 (3.98)
Legal High - 2013 (4.06)
Date ~ Koi to wa donna mono kashira ~ (3.87)

2) Kudo Kankuro (3.956)
Ama-chan - 2013 (4.05)
Gomen ne, Seishun - 2014 (3.86)

3) Fukuda Yasushi (3.921)
DOCTORS 2 - 2013 (3.99)
HERO - 2014 (3.89)
DOCTORS 3 - 2015 (3.98)

4) Morishita Yoshiko (3.918)
Tonbi - 2013 (4.10)
Gochisousan - 2013 (3.84)
Tennou no Ryoriban - 2015 (4.15)
Watashi wo hanasanai de - 2016 (3.58)

5) Tabuchi Kumiko (3.878)
Dousousei Hito wa sando koi wo suru - 2014 (3.71)
Bijo to Danshi - 2015 (4.05)

6) Nakazono Miho (3.876)
Hatsukoi - 2012 (3.85)
Doctor X - 2012 (3.99)
Hanako to Anne - 2014 (3.85)
Dr. Rintaro - 2015 (3.77)

7) Sakamoto Yuji (3.853)
Makete, Katsu - 2012 (3.88)
Saikou no Rikon - 2013 (3.87)
Woman - 2013 (4.11)
Mondai no aru Resutoran - 2015 (3.72)
Itsuka kono koi wo omodashite kitto naite shimau - 2016 (3.69)

8) Hashibe Atsuko (3.848)
Osozaki no Himawari - 2012 (3.73)
Boku no ita jikan - 2014 (4.03)
Ghost Writer - 2015 (3.78)
Fragile - 2016 (3.86)

9) Goto Noriko (3.840)
Team Batista 4  - 2014 (3.74)
Zeni no Sensou - 2015 (4.03)
Kazoku no Katachi - 2016 (3.74)

10) Muto Shogo (3.828)
Kazoku Game - 2013 (3.98)
Wakamonotachi 2014 - 2014 (3.80)
Kaitou Yamaneko - 2016 (3.67)

Source: Sponichi

Ohno Satoshi to star in new period movie "Shinobi no Kuni"

Arashi's Ohno Satoshi will be starring in his first period movie "Shinobi no Kuni" (The Land of Ninjas) directed by Nakamura Yoshihiro which will be shown in cinemas next summer. In this movie based on the novel by Wada Ryu who will also be the scriptwriter, Ohno plays the role of the No.1 ninja in Iga during the Warring States era named Mumon who seems to have something missing in him that makes him appear less perfect as he should be. He appears lazy and is disinterested in the battle between the samurai led by Oda Nobunaga's second son Nobukatsu and his Iga clan. To make things worse, his wife constantly nags him for not earning enough money. However, when the time comes for the battle modeled against the Tensho Iga no Ran in 1578 and 1581, Mumon is drawn into it against his own will. As his fictional character is said to be the strongest ninja in history, Ohno has to take on many action and fighting scenes in the movie so has to be juggling preparations with the filming of his ongoing drama "Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi".

As for why he was chosen to play the role of Mumon, Nakamura commented that when he last worked with Ohno on the "Kaibutsu-kun" movie in 2011, he was struck by how carefree and unconventional he was which coincided with Mumon's character. There will be no CG used and no stand-ins wherever possible.

Filming is expected to start in July and end in October.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Sponichi

Ono Machiko & Eguchi Yosuke to play a married couple in TV Asahi Summer 2016 drama "Hajimemashite, Aishiteimasu"

Ono Machiko and Eguchi Yosuke will be playing a married couple in the TV Asahi Summer 2016 drama "Hajimemashite, Aishiteimasu" (First time meeting you, I love you) which will begin its run from July in the Thursdays 9pm timeslot. The drama which is written by Yukawa Kazuhiko, is based on the theme of plenary adoption where a married couple welcomes a 5-year-old boy into their family after the boy is abandoned by his parents who he had never seen before. Even though they aren't related by blood, the law allows them to be recognised as a family unit under the special adoption scheme. The drama depicts the six months when they first begin living together as a family.

Yukawa commented that despite working with Ono for the first time, he thinks of her as a genius and wants to bring out her talent by writing difficult scenes for her to act in. With response to this, Ono revealed that she is raring to go and happy to take on the challenge. In addition, as she has to play a pianist who has an internationally-renowned conductor father, Ono has been learning how to play the piano since early May. As for her first-time collaboration with Eguchi, Ono expressed excitement at working with such a respected actor she has been seeing on TV before she made her debut.

On the other hand, Eguchi who is also appearing in a Yukawa drama for the first time and has two teenage daughters with his wife Moritaka Chisato, commented that he has come to realise that a married couple's relationship gradually changes as the children grow up. As such, the family dynamics will probably change in a very different way by adopting a child who is not related by blood.

Sources: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi

Mikami Hiroshi to star in NTV Summer 2016 drama "Isan Sozoku Bengoshi Kakizaki Shinichi"

Mikami Hiroshi will be starring in the NTV Summer 2016 drama "Isan Sozoku Bengoshi Kakizaki Shinichi" (Inheritance lawyer Kakizaki Shinichi) which will begin its run from 7 July in the Thursdays 11.59pm timeslot. This will be his first appearance in a late night drama and he plays the role of Kakizaki, an unconventional lawyer specialising in inheritance cases featured in each episode. Mikami commented that his character is someone who doesn't quite fit in with the world and does things without caring about logic, morals or rules as long as everything is done with the wishes of his dead clients in mind.

Co-stars include Morikawa Aoi who plays a newbie lawyer and Kakizaki's junior, Sakai Wakana and Toyohara Kosuke. Filming begins in early June.

Sources: Yomiuri Hochi / Sponichi

Takei Emi & Takizawa Hideaki to star in TBS Summer 2016 drama "Seiseisuru hodo, Aishiteru"

Takei Emi and Takizawa Hideaki will be working together for the first time in the upcoming TBS Summer 2016 drama "Seiseisuru hodo, Aishiteru" (Loving you without reservations) which will begin its run from July in the Tuesdays 10pm timeslot. The drama which is based on the same-titled manga by Kitagawa Miyuki, features Takei as the heroine Kurihara Mia who works in the PR department of a company and meets the vice-president of her company Miyoshi Kairi unknowingly when he helps her during a business trip. Later, when Kairi is sent to Mia's department for training, she is assigned to be his mentor. Despite the fact that Kairi is already married, the two of them come to fall for each other as they work together. Co-stars include Nakamura Aoi who plays Miyazawa Ryo, Kairi's rival in love and a capable salesperson from a competitor, Mizusawa Erena who plays Mia's housemate Masaki Akari and an employee of a publisher, Triendl Reina who is also Mia's housemate and a model named Miyama Chiaki who has a possessive streak when it comes to love and Takahashi Mitsuomi who plays Mia's ex-boyfriend.

Sources: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Sponichi / Oricon

Higashiyama Noriyuki to be back in the sequel of "Keiji Shichinin" this summer

Higashiyama Noriyuki will be back in the sequel of TV Asahi drama "Keiji Shichinin" (7 Police Detectives) this summer in the Wednesdays 9pm timeslot. His co-stars including Kitaoji Kinya, Takashima Masahiro, Kataoka Ainosuke, Suzuki Kosuke, Kurashina Kana and Yoshida Kotaro will be back as well in the new installment.

"Keiji Shichinin" was first aired in summer 2015 featuring the 7 actors who play 6 detectives and 1 pathology professor belonging to the 12th section of the Metropolitan Police Department's 1st department which is jokingly known as the graveyard for police detectives. They work together to solve various difficult cases using their expertise in different areas. In the sequel though, the key characters have been transferred to different departments to work in but are grouped together in a new unit to handle some unique cases.

Filming will begin in early June.

Source: Oricon

Nanao to act in FujiTV Summer 2016 Gekku "Suki na hito ga iru koto"

Nanao will be acting in the upcoming FujiTV Summer 2016 Gekku "Suki na hito ga iru koto" which will begin its run from July in the Mondays 9pm timeslot. This will be her first appearance in a Gekku drama.

In the drama, Kiritani Mirei plays the heroine Sakurai Misaki who is a patissier working part-time at a seaside restaurant managed by three brothers played by Miura Shohei, Yamazaki Kento and Nomura Shuhei. Nanao plays the role of Takatsuki Kaede, a pianist returning from boston who used to be a classmate of Misaki and will be her rival in love. Despite having played various evil or bad woman roles in dramas such as "First Class" and "Siren", this will be her first time playing a gentle and ideal type of woman.

Source: Oricon

Cast announcement press conference of 2017 NHK Taiga drama "Onna Joushu Naotora"

The cast announcement press conference of 2017 NHK Taiga drama "Onna Joushu Naotora" (The female castle lord Naotora) was held on 26 May which was attended by the lead Shibasaki Kou, Sugimoto Tetta, Zaizen Naomi, Maeda Gin, Kobayashi Kaoru, Miura Haruma, Takahashi Issei, Yagira Yuya, Kanjiya Shihori and Muro Tsuyoshi. The drama will be written by Morishita Yoshiko who was responsible for the NHK morning drama "Gochisousan" while the narrator will be Nakamura Baijaku.

The drama features Shibasaki as the only daughter of the Ii family in the present-day Shizuoka Prefecture during the Warring States era who was given a male name Naotora despite her gender. Naotora's parents will be played by Sugimoto and Zaizen while her fiance will be played by Miura who appeared as a child actor in the 2006 Taiga "MUSASHI" in 2003 and "Komyo ga Tsuji" in 2006. Yagira who makes his first appearance in a Taiga drama, will be playing the head of a bandit group who is a newly-created character that didn't exist in history. As for Takahashi, he had been seen in four previous Taiga dramas i.e. "Genroku Ryouran" in 1999, "Shinsengumi!" in 2004, "Fuurin Kazan" in 2007 and "Gunshi Kanbee" in 2014.

Other actors in the cast include Ukaji Takashi, Fukikoshi Mitsuru, Kariya Shunsuke, Denden and Kakei Toshio.

Sources: NHK / Oricon / My Navi

Real-life adaptation movie of "Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi" to be made

There will be a real-life adaptation movie of "Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi" (Fullmetal Alchemist) to be made which features Hey! Say! JUMP's Yamada Ryosuke as the lead character Edward Elric. The movie which is based on Arakawa Hiromu's bestselling same-titled manga serialised since 2001 and had sold more than 70m copies to date, features the Elric brothers Edward (Ed) and Alphonse (Al) who embark on a journey to find the Philosopher's Stone so as to regain their bodies lost when performing a forbidden alchemy ritual to bring their mother back to life. As a result, Ed has mechanical limbs to replace his lost right arm and left leg. As for Al, his soul is attached to a huge metal armour since he has lost his entire body. The movie which is directed by Sori Fumihiko, will be shot in Italy from June before continuing in Japan and is expected to be wrapped up at the end of August.

The list of the cast is as follows:

Edward Elric - Yamada Ryosuke
Winry Rockbell - Honda Tsubasa
Roy Mustang - Dean Fujioka
Lust - Matsuyuki Yasuko
Maes Hughes - Sato Ryuta
Riza Hawkeye - Renbutsu Misako
Maria Ross - Natsuna
Shou Tucker - Oizumi Yo
Tim Marcoh - Kunimura Jun
General Hakuro - Kohinata Fumio
Envy - Hongo Kanata
Gluttony - Uchiyama Shinji
Cornello - Ishimaru Kenjiro

Source: Oricon

Comments: Frankly speaking, I'm not very thrilled at seeing a Hagaren adaptation especially considering the action scenes and the amount of CG needed. It brings to mind the bad memories I had with "Shingeki no Kyojin". In fact, it seems like there is this belief among critics that adaptations set primarily in Japan and features Japanese characters tend to do better overall e.g. Death Note. On the other hand, if the source material is based on another country and features non-Japanese characters, it is generally more difficult to replicate the feel and atmosphere. In Shingeki's case, the European feel of the story's setting and the deliberate changing of the characters' names from German-sounding to Japanese Katakana ones were pointed out as some of the major reasons why the films did not do well.

With every real-life adaptation, there is bound to be disagreement over who plays which character. By the looks of this lineup, it seems more like a selection of the more popular actors rather than those who may look more like the actual characters. For example, in the case of Mustang who is one of my favourite characters, I thought that Oikawa Mitsuhiro would be more suited to show the narcissistic side of the character. In fact, the author of the manga had actually mentioned before that he had Oikawa in mind when designing Mustang. Not that I have anything against Dean Fujioka though. As for Yamada, his image of Kindaichi Hajime sticks too much in my mind that I have trouble visualising him as Ed. Winry is supposed to have a long ponytail but Honda who has been sporting short hair all this while? Sato Ryuta as Hughes? Natsuna as Ross? I'm quite baffled by why they were chosen but anyway, hopefully they will prove me wrong. The only person who I'm quite confident of is Matsuyuki Yasuko who plays Lust.

There are some very obvious omissions in the cast list i.e. Al and Sloth. I know Al appears in an armour most of the time so they will probably take care of that via CG but surely there must be someone who plays Al before he lost his body. Sloth is also important due to her significance to the Elric brothers but there's no mention of this character. Too many questions to be answered so I'm quite apprehensive as to how this will work out.

Jinnai Takanori to be director for new movie "Kofuku no Alibi ~ Picture ~"

Jinnai Takanori's first directorial attempt in 9 years will be the upcoming film "Kofuku no Alibi ~ Picture ~" (The Alibi of Happiness ~ Picture ~) which is due to be shown from this April. His last two films as director were "Rockers" in 2003 which talks about his own band and 2007's "Smile Seiya no Kiseki" which has an ice hockey theme.

The new film which is about the key ceremonial occasions of one's life such as birth, marriage and death, was first conceptualised by Jinnai five years ago and he approached Kiyasu Kohei, who is known for his works such as "Kirishima, Bukatsu yamerutte yo", to write the script. Many of his actor friends were roped in to join the cast including Nakai Kiichi, Yanagiba Toshiro, Daichi Yasuo, Sato Jiro, Yamazaki Shigenori, Kinami Haruka, Asari Yosuke, Watanabe Dai, Kimura Tae and Seino Nana.

Sources: Yomiuri Hochi / Nikkansports

Winners of the 25th Japan Movie Critics Award (2015)

Best Movie: Bakuman

Best Director: Ohne Hitoshi (Bakuman)

Best Leading Actor: Asano Tadanobu (Kishibe no Tabi)

Best Leading Actress: Tabe Mikako (Piece of Cake)

Best Supporting Actor: Ito Atsushi (Biri Girl)

Best Supporting Actress: Mitsushima Hikari (Kakekomi Onna to Kakedashi Otoko)

Best Newcomer (Komori Kazuko Award): Fujino Ryoko (Solomon no Gishou)

Best Newcomer (Minami Toshiko Award): Yamada Ryosuke (Grasshopper) / Itagaki Mizuki (Solomon no Gishou)

Best New Director: Matsunaga Daishi (Toire no Pieta)

Selection Committee Special Award: Hamaguchi Ryusuke (Happy Hour)

Golden Glory Award (Mizuno Haruo Award): Kusamura Reiko, Nishina Akiko and Hamada Mitsuo

Diamond Award (Yodogawa Nagaharu Award): Yamada Yoji & Yoshinaga Sayuri

Best Editing: Ito Nobuyuki (Tenkuu no Hachi)

Best Script: Manabe Katsuhiko (Solomon no Gishou)

Best Movie Music: Ikenaga Shoji (Misono Universe)

Best Cinematography: Machida Hiroshi (FOUJITA)

Source: Oricon

Haru to star in FujiTV Summer 2016 drama "ON Ijou Hanzai Sousakan Toudou Hinako"

Haru will be starring in her first leading role in a private network drama when she appears in the FujiTV Summer 2016 drama "ON Ijou Hanzai Sousakan Toudou Hinako" (ON Abnormal crimes investigator Toudou Hinako) which will be shown from July in the Tuesdays 10pm timeslot. The drama which is based on the novel series "ON Ryouki Hanzai Sousahan Toudou Hinako" by Naito Ryo, features Haru as a newbie police detective Toudou Hinako who has an amazing memory that allows her to draw the crime scenes in great detail and tries to solve some bizarre cases that come her way. She is seen as a weirdo by others because she eats everything with shichimi and shows an extraordinary amount of interest in murderers while trying to hide her emotional trauma with a cheerful facade. Unknown to others, the shichimi bottle is a memento left behind by her late mother which has the words "Susume, Hina-chan" (go ahead Hina-chan). Through working on the cases, it also causes some changes to her life.

Filming begins in the beginning of June.

Haru has been busy since she finished her morning drama "Asa ga kita" and can be seen in "Sekai ichi muzukashii koi" now. She will also embark on a national tour with Uchino Seiyo as they are the leads in a stage play. With regard to her tight schedule, Haru commented that she will try her best in her first leading role and first attempt at playing a police detective and thinks that it will be a tough but fun experience.

Sources: Sanspo / Sponichi

Sasaki Nozomi to appear in the upcoming drama SP "Yo ni mo Kimyou na Monogatari Spring 2016"

Sasaki Nozomi will be appearing in one of the segments in the upcoming drama SP "Yo ni mo Kimyou na Monogatari Spring 2016" which is due to be shown on 28 May. The story titled "Bijinzei" (Beauty Tax) is set in a fictional world where beautiful people are to pay the 20% beauty tax for the advantages they get through their looks. Sasaki plays a beautiful woman who does not want to pay the tax yet enjoys the "honour" of being a certified beauty recognised by the government.

Sasaki had been ranked in the top 100 beautiful faces of the world ranking by TC Candler for six years in a row thus was chosen to play this character. When offered the role, Sasaki commented that she found the script very interesting but she is not too keen on the idea of being taxed for being beautiful.

Sources: Sanspo / Sponichi

Nagano Mei to star in TV Tokyo Summer 2016 drama "Koe Koi"

Nagano Mei will be starring in her first leading role in a drama when she appears in the upcoming TV Tokyo Summer 2016 drama "Koe Koi" (Voice Love) which begins its run from July in the Fridays 12.52am timeslot. The drama is based on the same-titled popular manga which has been downloaded 12 million times via the app "comico".

Nagano plays the heroine Yoshioka Yuiko who receives a call from her class committee chairman Matsubara-kun as she is down with flu early in the new school semester. Through the phone, Nagano is attracted to Matsubara-kun's voice despite not having met him yet. However, the next day when she goes to school, she is shocked to see him wearing a paper bag and wonders why while being increasingly drawn to him.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi

Ueno Juri & TRICERATOPS' Wada Sho announce their marriage

Ueno Juri and rock band TRICERATOPS' vocalist Wada Sho announced their marriage on 26 May through a fax statement released by their agencies. In the statement, they revealed that marriage was a natural progression in their relationship and they are very happy. The couple pledged to support each other and progress together in life. It was also mentioned that the couple started dating in the autumn of 2015 but have yet to move in together. Plans for a wedding are not confirmed yet and there will be no marriage announcement press conference.

On the same day, Ueno also uploaded a photo of her and her husband on her Instagram account. She revealed that the people around her were concerned about her relationship status and expressed her joy at being able to make the announcement at long last. Ueno commented that she was glad to be able to find a good partner and hoped that everyone will keep supporting them.

Ueno and Wada were first reported to be dating in April this year which the couple did not not deny. It was said that Ueno who had made it known that she is a big fan of TRICERATOPS, met Wada when she attended the band's concerts and was introduced by a mutual friend. Wada's father Wada Makoto is an illustrator while his mother Hirano Remi is a culinary expert.

Source: Sponichi Annex / Oricon

Matsushima Nanako to star in FujiTV Summer 2016 drama "Eigyou Buchou Kira Natsuko"

Matsushima Nanako will be starring in the FujiTV Summer 2016 drama "Eigyou Buchou Kira Natsuko" (Sales Director Kira Natsuko) which will be shown from July in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot. This is her first drama series since 2013's "Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Series 5". The script will be written by Inoue Yumiko who is known for dramas such as "Hirugao" and "Lucky Seven SP".

Matsushima plays the role of Kira Natsuko who got married and gave birth to her child just before she turned 40 years old and used to be a popular creative director at an advertising agency. After taking a three-year break from the workplace, she returns to work as the director of the sales department and has to struggle with juggling work and family commitments while coping with subordinates who she can't get along with. As a result of hiring a babysitter to take care of her child, her relationship with her husband suffers as a result.

In reality, Matsushima has 2 daughters who are 12 and 8 years old respectively and is also balancing work with family. With regard to her character, Matsushima commented that this drama has come at a timely juncture since it reflects the current social situation where many woman return to work after giving birth. She hopes that her character will be an encouragement to all women especially the working mothers.

Filming will begin in early June.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Sponichi

Tsumabuki Satoshi & Mizuhara Kiko to star in new movie "Okuda Tamio ni naritai Boy to Deau otoko subete kuruwaseru Girl"

Tsumabuki Satoshi and Mizuhara Kiko will be starring in the new movie "Okuda Tamio ni naritai Boy to Deau otoko subete kuruwaseru Girl" (The Boy who wants to become Okuda Tamio and the Girl who drives all the men she meets crazy) which is currently being filmed and due to be wrapped up next month. The movie which is due to be shown in cinemas next year and directed by Ohne Hitoshi, is based on the same-titled manga by Shibuya Chokkaku which was serialised in "Shukan SPA!".

Tsumabuki plays the role of a magazine Kooroki who aspires to live like singer-songwriter Okuda Tamio while Mizuhara plays Akari who works at an apparel maker's promotions department. After Kooroki falls in love with Akari at first sight and they start dating, she starts to show the bewitching side of her and messes up the lives of the men around her. In reality, Tsumabuki and Okuda have become close friends since they appeared in the Sapporo Black Label CM together. In addition, as he has read the manga before, he had hoped to act in the adaptation. Okuda also allowed his songs to be used in the movie when the director happened to bump into him while drinking. On the other hand, Mizuhara commented that although her character has a dangerous feel, she also hopes to show the charming side. She also revealed that she had been on a simulated date with the director to take about 300 photos for the editorial project in the movie.

Co-stars include Matsuo Suzuki, Arai Hirofumi, Ando Sakura and Lily Frankie.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sponichi

Koizumi Kotaro & Kawaguchi Haruna to star in new NHK drama "Juken no Cinderella"

Koizumi Kotaro will be starring in his first leading role in a NHK drama when he appears in the upcoming "Juken no Cinderella" starting from 10 July in the Sundays 10pm timeslot. His co-star Kawaguchi Haruna is also making her first appearance in a NHK drama.

Koizumi plays Igarashi, a charismatic private tutor who used to be No.1 in Japan but lost his job. He is diagnosed with a terminal illness and said to have just one year left to live. Igarashi meets a senior high school girl Maki (Kawaguchi) who is struggling to make ends meet by taking on multiple part-time jobs and comes to him for help in her supplementary exam so that she can graduate from high school successfully. Igarashi who has lost his passion for teaching, decides then to prove everyone wrong by promising to turn Maki's grades around to the extent that she can qualify for University of Tokyo.

Co-stars include Tomita Yasuko who plays Maki's mother Chieko who can't seem to express her love for her daughter, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Yamada Yuki, Matsuo Satoru, Kawahara Kazuma, Endo Nina, Harada Kana, Kojima Kazuya and Hakamada Yoshihiko.

Sources: Yomiuri Hochi / Oricon

Tokushige Satoshi announces the birth of his first daughter

Tokushige Satoshi announced the birth of his first daughter through a fax statement released by his agency Ishihara Promotion on 20 May. Although he did not mention when she was born, it was mentioned that the baby girl weighed 3,500 grams. Tokushige revealed that he was away in Kyoto for the filming of a period drama but was glad and touched to be able to make it in time to witness the birth of his daughter. He pledged to work even harder in his acting career from now on as a father of one.

Tokushige announced on 3 February last year that he had married his senior high school classmate in December 2014.

Source: Daily Sports / Sponichi Annex

"Yo ni mo Kimyou na Monogatari" Spring SP to make its return in late May

FujiTV will be showing "Yo ni mo Kimyou na Monogatari" Spring SP on 28 May at 9pm which will feature Nishijima Hidetoshi, Kubotaka Masataka, Matsushige Yutaka and Takahashi Issei in its cast lineup.

Nishijima will be starring in the story "Kayoi no Guntai" (Commuting Army) which is based on the same-titled novel by Tsutsui Yasutaka. This is his first leading role in a drama since his first son was born at the end of April and his first appearance in the "Yo ni mo Kimyou na Monogatari" series in 12 years. Nishijima plays the role of a company employee who is told to commute to the army instead of to the office and take part in battles between 9am and 5pm. He gradually starts to enjoy this arrangement but a shocking thing happens in the end. Filming of the battle scenes were done in Susono City, Shizuoka, which Nishijma felt were quite elaborate even though they only took up a small portion of the airtime.

As for Kubotaka, he is acting in the series for the first time. He will appear in the story "Yume miru kikai" (The dreaming machine) based on the same-titled manga by Morohoshi Daijiro where he plays a young man who aspires to become a manga artist but with limited success. When his mother collapses suddenly, he comes to realise that she was a machine. Along with his girlfriend played by Ishibashi Anna, he discovers more shocking truths.

Matsushige and Takahashi will be joint-leads in the story "Quiz no Ossan" (The Quiz Middle-aged Man) where the latter plays a man who wins a prize of answering quiz questions for one whole year after taking part in a TV quiz show. As such, he ends up living with a mysterious middle-aged man (Matsushige) who would bombard him with quiz questions every day.

Source: Sanspo / Modelpress

Higashiyama Noriyuki & Matsu Takaako to star in TBS drama SP "Futsuu ga Ichiban Sakka Fujisawa Shuhei Chichi no Hitogoto"

Higashiyama Noriyuki and Matsu Takako will be playing a married couple in the upcoming TBS drama SP "Futsuu ga Ichiban Sakka Fujisawa Shuhei Chichi no Hitogoto" (Being ordinary is the best - Writer Fujisawa Shuhei - A word from Father) which is due to be shown in early July this year. The drama SP is a human drama based on the books titled "Fujisawa Shuhei Chichi no Shuuhen" (Fujisawa Shuhei Father's surroundings) and "Chichi Fujisawa Shuhei to no Gurashi" (Life with my father Fujisawa Shuhei) which were written by Endo Nobuko who is the daughter of the late Naoki Award-winning writer Fujisawa Shuhei. This will be the first time that Higashiyama and Matsu are working together where Higashiyama will play Fujisawa while Matsu will play his wife Kosuge Kazuko. The producer Ishii Fukuko revealed that it took a long wait of 3 years before she could get both Higashiyama and Matsu to act in this production.

The drama SP talks about Fujisawa's dream of becoming a writer using his real name Kosuge Tomeji and began working as a reporter from 1963. However, with the passing of his wife, he lived with his daughter Nobuko and his mother Takie. Later, he married Kosuge Kazuko and became a Naoki Award winner in 1973. The story is written from his daughter Nobuko's perspective.

Higashiyama commented that he had always wanted to act in something based on Fujisawa's works and is very honoured to play the writer himself. He would have wanted the respected director Ninagawa Yukio to watch his performance in this drama SP but it is a pity that this would not be possible. Nonetheless, he will bear in mind the words of advice Ninagawa had for him in the past and work hard with his co-star.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi / Sanspo / Oricon

Cast announcement press conference for NHK morning drama "Beppin-san"

The cast announcement press conference for NHK morning drama "Beppin-san" starring Yoshine Kyoko due to start its run from October was held on 16 May at NHK Osaka. It was revealed then that Kanno Miho will be playing the heroine's mother while Namase Katsuhisa will be the father. This is Kanno's first appearance in a drama series as a regular cast member since she gave birth to her first son with Sakai Masato last August.

During the press conference, a reporter wanted to ask about how Kanno felt about appearing in a NHK drama like her husband who is starring in the current Taiga "Sanadamaru". However, as there was already a ban on questions about private life matters, the host tried to block the question but Kanno responded smilingly with a witty reply by quoting a signature line from the Taiga drama i.e. "Damare, Kowappa!" (Shut up, kid!).

When asked about her role as the heroine's mother, Kanno revealed that her character will pass away quite early in the drama i.e. when the heroine is 9 years old. However, as she will also be the narrator for the morning drama, she will still be able to stay with the viewers throughout the entire duration of the drama. Kanno is not new to NHK morning dramas as she was one of the leads in the 1995 drama "Hashiranka!". She had also appeared in the 2001 drama "Chura-san". As such, she feels that time has passed by so quickly since "Hashiranka!" was already from 20 years ago.

Nakamura Tamao will be playing the heroine Bando Sumire's grandmother while Renbutsu Misako plays her elder sister. Koura Kengo will play Sumire's childhood friend, Nakura Jun will be the head clerk of Sumire's father's company. Her buddy will be played by Momota Kanako from Momoiro Clover Z.

However, the actor playing Sumire's husband will only be announced at the end of the month before filming commences.

Source: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Sponichi

Ninagawa Yukio passes away due to multiple organ failure caused by pneumonia

Director Ninagawa Yukio passed away on 12 May at the age of 80 due to multiple organ failure caused by organ failure. His funeral hosted by his daughter photographer Ninagawa Mika, was held at Aoyama Funeral Hall on 16 May which was attended by a total of 1,344 people including fans. Celebrities who attended the funeral included Suzuki An, Aoi Yu, Matsumoto Jun, Ninomiya Kazunari, Kagawa Teruyuki, Hasegawa Hiroki, Takahata Mitsuki, Matsuzaka Tori, Asaoka Ruriko, Miyamoto Amon, Mori Shinichi, Fujiki Naohito, Ikuta Toma, Okamoto Kenichi, Ichimura Masachika, Shinohara Ryoko, Tsuruta Mayu, Onoue Matsuya, Yamamoto Kansai, Watanabe Ken, Yokota Eiji, Katsura Yumi, Harada Mieko, Kamikawa Takaya, Tabe Mikako, Ishibashi Renji, Kitamura Kazuki, Natsuki Mari, Iura Arata, Saito Takumi, Abe Hiroshi, Uchino Seiyo, Kimura Takuya, Miyazawa Rie, Kimura Yoshino, Nishioka Tokuma, Mizobata Junpei and Maeda Atsuko.

5 actors who were especially close to Ninagawa i.e. Hira Mikijiro, Otake Shinobu, Yoshida Kotaro, Fujiwara Tatsuya and Oguri Shun took turns to read their condolence messages. Hira said that he was thankful to Ninagawa for helping him to lead a fruitful life on stage and he had worked hard to earn words of praise from the latter. He commented that he won't say goodbye to Ninagawa as they will meet someday soon. As for Otake, she revealed her gratitude and thanks to Ninagawa and remembered fondly his smiling face whenever she did well in her acting. Yoshida commented that Ninagawa had a peaceful and beautiful face as if he was sleeping. Fujiwara and Oguri who were the favourite disciples of Ninagawa, took turns to reveal their thoughts about their beloved mentor. Oguri said that he was happy to be part of the Ninagawa Theatre Group and hoped that Ninagawa would come into his dreams to scold him at times. When it was Fujiwara's turn, he was sobbing and said that he would most likely have been scolded if Ninagawa saw him. He was sad and regretful that they didn't get to work more together but was glad that Ninagawa helped him transform as an actor since they first met in 1997 and thanked him for the 19 years they spent together.

During the final address to those who were present for the funeral, Ninagawa Mika thanked everyone for coming despite their busy schedules and recounted how her father was fighting to the last minute and always said that he could die anytime without regrets. However, when she found a script for a play which he intended to produce, she realised that he must have wanted to do that play too. Although her father would not see another new work again, she hoped that all of them will continue to work hard and forge ahead.

Source: Sponichi 1 / Sponichi 2 / Sponichi 3 / Sponichi 4

Fukuyama Masaharu & Fukiishi Kazue finds female intruder in their apartment

It was reported on TBS News today that Fukuyama Masaharu and Fukiishi Kazue had an unwelcome visitor in their apartment in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo earlier this month. According to the report, Fukiishi had returned home on 6 May around 8.30pm when she bumped into a woman she did not know in her apartment. The woman who was said to be in her 50s, escaped before the police could arrest her. When interviewed about this, Shibuya Police Station confirmed the news and said that they are looking into how the woman could have broken into the apartment and her reason for doing so.

Source: Nikkansports

Higashide Masahiro & An welcome the arrival of their twin girls

Higashide Masahiro and An announced the arrival of their twin baby girls through a joint statement released by her agency on 16 May. In the statement, they revealed that the babies were born a bit earlier than the expected due date but both mother and daughters are doing well. However, they did not reveal the birth date nor the weight of the babies. They pledged to become parents who their children would not be ashamed of and asked for the advice and guidance of everyone around them as they try their best to raise their children.

Meanwhile, An's father Watanabe Ken also posted on his Twitter that he received news of his grand-daughters' arrival and are glad to know that they are all doing well. Although the babies will be spending some time in the hospital for now and be discharged later, he hopes that the new parents will be able to spend some quiet and peaceful days with their babies from now on. He also revealed that he is eagerly anticipating to see how his daughter and son-in-law would be as parents and said that Higashide seemed to be quite panicky since the babies arrived earlier than expected.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo / Sponichi

Mitsushima Hikari divorces her director husband; currently dating Nagayama Kento

It was reported on 16 May that Mitsushima Hikari and her director husband Ishii Yuya had filed for divorce at the beginning of the year. The couple met when Mitsushima was the female lead for his 2010 movie "Kawa no soko kara konnichiwa" and got married in October the same year. According to Mitsushima's agency, they were informed of the news after the divorce was finalised.

At the same time, reports of Mitsushima being an item with actor Nagayama Kento who is also the younger brother of Eita, were published on the same day. It was said that they had been good friends in the past but only started dating recently. With regard to the news, Nagayama's agency commented that they were told about the relationship by him not long ago and asked for everyone to look upon them favourably from now on.

Mitsushima first achieved a breakthrough in her acting career through the 2009 movie "Ai no Mukidashi" and has starred in many dramas such as NTV's "Woman" which won her various leading actress awards. She was the female lead in two consecutive seasons' dramas i.e. FujiTV Summer 2014's "Wakamonotachi 2014" and TBS Autumn 2014's "Gomen ne Seishun". On the other hand, Nagayama got his first leading role in a movie in 2010 through "Soft Boy" and won the Best Newcomer award in the Nihon Academy Awards. He has appeared in various dramas and movies and can be seen currently in the TBS drama "Juuhan Shuttai!"

Source: Nikkansports / Sponichi / Modelpress

The 88th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2016) - Best Theme Song

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) 365 Nichi no Kami Hikouki - AKB48 (Asa ga kita)
2) Ashita e no Tegami - Teshima Aoi (Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau)
3) Motto - aiko (Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) UNLOCK - KAT-TUN (Kaitou Yamaneko)
2) 365 Nichi no Kami Hikouki - AKB48 (Asa ga kita)
3) Ashita e no Tegami - Teshima Aoi (Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau)
4) Gravity - Kis-My-Ft2 (MARS ~ Tada, kimi wo aishiteru ~)
5) Motto - aiko (Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Ashita e no Tegami - Teshima Aoi (Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau)
2) 365 Nichi no Kami Hikouki - AKB48 (Asa ga kita)
3) Motto - aiko (Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai)
4) No more - EXILE ATSUSHI + AI (Naomi to Kanako)
5) UNLOCK - KAT-TUN (Kaitou Yamaneko) / I want u to love me - Alexandros (Onna Kudoki Meshi Season 2)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) 365 Nichi no Kami Hikouki - AKB48 (Asa ga kita)
2) Ashita e no Tegami - Teshima Aoi (Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau)
3) Koigokoro - MACO (Tokyo Sentimental)
4) Motto - aiko (Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai)
5) UNLOCK - KAT-TUN (Kaitou Yamaneko) / No more - EXILE ATSUSHI + AI (Naomi to Kanako) / Kokoro no mama ni - Shimatani Hitomi (Itooshikute) / Friends - Rebecca (MARS ~ Tada, kimi wo aishiteru ~) / Kimi ga ii - Softly (Onna kudoki meshi Season 2)

Source: The Televison

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

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Takahata Atsuko - Naomi to Kanako
2) Miyazaki Aoi - Asa ga kita
3) Ueno Juri - Kazoku no Katachi

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Ueno Juri - Kazoku no Katachi
2) Hirose Suzu - Kaitou Yamaneko
3) Takahata Mitsuki - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
4) Minami Kaho - Specialist
5) Miyazaki Aoi - Asa ga kita

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Takahata Atsuko - Naomi to Kanako
2) Miyazaki Aoi - Asa ga kita
3) Takahata Mitsuki - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
4) Yoshida Yo - Naomi to Kanako
5) Uchida Yuki - Naomi to Kanako / Matsui Reina - Niche-sensei

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Takahata Atsuko - Naomi to Kanako
2) Naka Riisa - Nigeru Onna
3) Takahata Mitsuki - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
4) Yoshida Yo - Naomi to Kanako
5) Miyazaki Aoi - Asa ga kita / Uchida Yuki - Naomi to Kanako

Source: The Televison

The 88th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2016) - Best Supporting Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Tamaki Hiroshi - Asa ga kita
2) Dean Fujioka - Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai
3) Dean Fujioka - Asa ga kita

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Kubota Masataka - Rinshou Hanzai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri
2) Narimiya Hiroki - Kaitou Yamaneko
3) Tamaki Hiroshi - Asa ga kita
4) Nishijima Takahiro - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
5) Nishida Toshiyuki - Kazoku no Katachi

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Tamaki Hiroshi - Asa ga kita
2) Dean Fujioka - Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai
3) Dean Fujioka - Asa ga kita
4) Takahashi Issei - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
5) Kubota Masataka - Rinshou Hanzai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri / Sakaguchi Kentaro - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau / Yamazaki Ikusaburo - Otousan to yobasete

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Tamaki Hiroshi - Asa ga kita
2) Dean Fujioka - Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai
3) Dean Fujioka - Asa ga kita
4) Kondo Masaomi - Asa ga kita
5) Emoto Tasuku - Asa ga kita

Source: The Televison

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

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

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Koura Kengo - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
2) Kamenashi Kazuya - Kaitou Yamaneko
3) Katori Shingo - Kazoku no Katachi

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Kamenashi Kazuya - Kaitou Yamaneko
2) Katori Shingo - Kazoku no Katachi
3) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Specialist
4) Kubota Masataka - MARS ~ Tada, Kimi wo aishiteru ~
5) Fujigaya Taisuke - MARS ~ Tada, Kimi wo aishiteru ~

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Koura Kengo - Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau
2) Kamenashi Kazuya - Kaitou Yamaneko
3) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Specialist
4) Nagase Tomoya - Fragile
5) Endo Kenichi - Otousan to yobasete

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Nagase Tomoya - Fragile
2) Yoshida Kotaro - Tokyo Sentimental
3) Watabe Atsuro - Otousan to yobasete
4) Katori Shingo - Kazoku no Katachi / Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Specialist / Endo Kenichi - Otousan to yobasete

Source: The Televison

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

Overall Ranking Top 3
1) Asa ga kita (NHK)
2) Naomi to Kanako (FujiTV)
3) Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau (FujiTV)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Kazoku no Katachi (TBS)
2) Kaitou Yamaneko (NTV)
3) Rinshou Hanzai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri (NTV)
4) MARS ~ Tada, Kimi wo aishiteru ~ (NTV)
5) Specialist (TV Asahi)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Asa ga kita (NHK)
2) Naomi to Kanako (FujiTV)
3) Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau (FujiTV)
4) Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai (TBS)
5) Specialist (TV Asahi)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Asa ga kita (NHK)
2) Naomi to Kanako (FujiTV)
3) Tokyo Sentimental (TV Tokyo)
4) Chikaemon (NHK)
5) Itsuka kono koi wo omoi dashite kitto naite shimau (FujiTV) / Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai (TBS)

Source: The Television

Sawamura Ikki to star in new WOWOW drama "Kibougaoka no Hitobito"

Sawamura Ikki will be starring in the new WOWOW drama "Kibougaoka no Hitobito" (The people of Hope Hill) which will begin its run from 16 July in the Saturdays 10pm timeslot. The drama which consists of 5 episodes, is based on the same-titled novel by Shigematsu Kiyoshi and the script will be written by Okada Yoshikazu. Sawamura plays the role of Tajima Toru who lost his wife to cancer and moves to her hometown at Kibougaoka with his daughter and son who are in the second year of junior high and Primary 3 respectively. This will be his first appearance in a Shigematsu adaptation.

Source: Sanspo

Iriyama Noriko & Shison Jun to star in the remake of "Kimi wa Petto"

Iriyama Noriko and Shison Jun will be starring in the remake of "Kimi wa Petto" produced by FujiTV and due to be shown in a midnight slot. The new drama series which will consist of 16 episodes, is based on the manga by Ogawa Yayoi which has sold 4.2 million copies to date. Iriyama will play the role of Sumire, a highly educated and beautiful woman who starts to live with a young man named Momo through an unusual encounter.

The original drama series made in 2003 featured Koyuki in the role of Sumire and Arashi's Matsumoto Jun as Momo. Subsequently, there was a 2011 remake in South Korea featuring Jang Geun Seok and Kim Haneul.

Sources: Sanspo / Oricon

MAX's NANA announces her marriage on 8 May

MAX member NANA announced on 8 May that she has gotten married on the same day. Her husband is a dancer named CHINO who is 6 years older than her and the couple submitted their marriage application in the morning. NANA is not pregnant at the moment. There are no plans for a wedding.

According to insiders, the couple first met 15 years ago when CHINO was the choreographer and back dancer for MAX and soon started dating. It was only until 2 years ago that the couple began to think about marriage. During MAX's concert on 7 May, she had mentioned to the fans that she will be aiming to get married within the year.

MAX started as a four-member dance group in 1995. At present, only three members i.e. NANA, MINA and LINA are still active as REINA is still on parenting leave. MINA got married in 2002 so this leaves LINA as the only single member in the group.

Sources: Nikkansports / Sanspo