2010's Top 10 graduation songs (Oricon)

1) Sangatsu Kokonoka by Remioromen

2) Sotsugyo Shashin by Matsutoya Yumi

3) Okuru Kotoba by Kaientai

4) Sakura by Moriyama Naotaro

5) my graduation by SPEED

6) Tabidachi no Hi ni by Various Artistes

7) Sotsugyo by Ozaki Yutaka

8) Sakura by Kobukuro

9) Michi by Exile

10) YELL by Ikimonogakari

NHK Saturday 9pm drama "Tetsu no Hone" 鉄の骨 (The Backbone of Metal)

Koike Teppei will be starring in his first lead role for the NHK Saturday 9pm drama "Tetsu no Hone" which begins its run on 3 July 2010. This is also the first time which he is acting in a NHK drama.

Koike plays a young salaryman. Tomijima Heita who has been working in a construction company for the past 3 years. However, when he transfers from the construction site to work in the sales department, he has to resort to bid-rigging in order to help the company survive in the harsh economic climate. The story is based on a novel by Ikeido Jun which depicts how construction companies strive to keep afloat in the midst of tighter regulations since 2005. Fellow cast members include Toyohara Kosuke, Usuda Asami, Cunning Takeyama, Nakamura Atsuo and Jinnai Takanori. The drama will span 5 episodes, starting from 3 July.

Top 10 movies ranking (14 Mar 10)

1) Doraemon Nobita no Ningyo Daikaisen

2) Sherlock Holmes

3) Liar Game The Final Stage

4) Avatar

5) Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

6) The Hurt Locker

7) Did you hear about the Morgans?

8) The Princess And The Frog

9) Hana no Ato

10) Otouto

The 33rd Nippon Academy Awards

Best Movie: Shizumanu Taiyo

Best Animation Film: Summer Wars

Best Director: Kimura Daisaku (Tsurugidake Ten no Ki)

Best Script: Nishikawa Miwa (Dear Doctor)

Best Leading Actor: Watanabe Ken (Shizumanu Taiyo)

Best Leading Actress: Matsu Takako (Villon no Tsuma ~ Sakuranbo to Tanpopo)

Best Supporting Actor: Kagawa Teruyuki (Tsurugidake Ten no Ki)

Best Supporting Actress: Yo Kimiko (Dear Doctor)

Best Foreign Film: Gran Torino

Top 10 movies ranking (28 Feb 10)

1) Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

2) Avatar

3) Oceans

4) Saru Lock The MOVIE

5) Otouto

6) Gekijouban Keroro Gunsou Tanjou! Kyuukyoku Keroro Kiseki no Jikuujima de arimasu!!

7) Ningen Shikkaku

8) It's Complicated

9) Suzumiya Haruhi no Shissou

10) Koushonin THE MOVIE

Top 10 movies ranking (21 Feb 10)

1) Avatar

2) Oceans

3) Otouto

4) It's Complicated

5) Ningen Shikkaku

6) Koshounin THE MOVIE

7) Invictus

8) Golden Slumber

9) CORALINE

10) Samurai Sentai Shin Kenja vs Go Onja Ginmaku BANG!!

Spring 2010 drama - Sunao ni Narenakute 素直になれなくて

Eita and Ueno Juri will be working together for the 8th time in the FujiTV spring 2010 drama, "Sunao ni Narenakute" (I can't be frank) which begins its run in the Thursday 10pm slot from April. The drama will be produced by the same crew which produced "Last Friends", the last drama which Eita and Ueno worked together. The script is written by Kitagawa Eriko whose last work was "Sora kara furu ichioku no Hoshi" which starred Kimura Takuya and Fukatsu Eri.

The two of them are 2 of 5 main characters who come to know one another through the short message communication application Twitter and the drama depicts the process how they become true friends. Eita plays Nakaji who aspired to be a war photographer but starts to have second thoughts after seeing his father return injured from the war zone. On the other hand, Ueno plays a part-time teacher Haru at a private senior high school who feels frustrated at being unable to handle the demands of her job. Haru then meets Nakaji through Twitter where he subsequently falls for her but is unable to be frank about his feelings.

Tamayama Tetsuji and Seki Megumi also form part of the cast as Linda and Peach while the person to play the final character in the group has yet to be decided. Linda is the leader of the group and works in the publishing industry. However, despite his flashy appearance, Linda is troubled because he is suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED) at a young age. As for the character Peach, she is Haru's buddy who has an affair with her married superior.

Review of Shichigatsu Nijuuyokka Doori no Christmas 7月24日通りのクリスマス

Title: Shichigatsu Nijuuyokka Doori no Christmas 7月24日通りのクリスマス (Christmas of Street July 24)
Roadshow date: 3 November 2006
Original novel by: Yoshida Shuuichi
Theme song: First Christmas by K
Cast: Osawa Takao, Nakatani Miki, Sato Ryuta, Ueno Juri, Abe Tsuyoshi, Gekidan Hitori, Kawabara Ayako, Sawamura Ikki, YOU, Kohinata Fumio, Hiraoka Yuuta

After watching JIN which saw Osawa Takao and Nakatani Miki's characters not having a happy ending i.e. Jin and Nokaze/Miki being apart from each other, I longed to watch the two of them together again and was trying to search for this movie which they worked together in 2006. As luck would have it, I happened to catch this movie showing on cable TV during the Lunar New Year break. Let me just describe the story briefly before I express my views about the movie.

Honda Sayuri (Nakatani) is an ordinary woman who leads a boring life in Nagasaki. Her joys in life are reading shoujo manga, imagining that she is living in Lisbon, Portugal because she sees similarities between her hometown and Lisbon and creating a prince ranking of the men in her life. She feels proud of her handsome brother Koji (Abe) but dislikes his girlfriend Megumi (Ueno) because she is the exact replica of Sayuri. As such, Sayuri doesn't think Megumi deserves to be with her brother.

One day, Sayuri reunites with her senior back in university, Okuda Satoshi (Osawa) and gets caught up in her fantasies as Satoshi asks her out on dates and things are progressing smoothly between them. However, Sayuri starts to get cold feet and wonders if she is deserving of Satoshi's love...

This movie is classified as a romantic comedy so there are funny moments like when Sayuri embarrasses herself when she is caught up in her imagination. The romance starts building up after she and Satoshi meet again. Frankly speaking, the mood is exactly what you would see in girls' comics i.e. dreamy, romantic and a tad unrealistic so it does get really mushy at some points. However, from the part where Sayuri starts to get insecure about herself, that's when it gets wishy-washy. As I watched her whine about being incompatible with Satoshi, I was hoping that Sayuri should get it over and done with quickly. It would have been better if the tempo was turned up and the story made more succint. It is a known fact that such stories will have happy endings so I guess most viewers would be more concerned with how they get together rather than to see them pining for each other.

Other than that, I felt that the story did not give the leads enough time to show some depth in Sayuri and Satoshi's relationship. Everything seemed to fall into place too quickly and suddenly went awry. The next moment, everything goes smoothly again. The challenge for movies is that they have to show a complete story within two hours while a drama has more room to develop the characters and storyline. As such, if you have watched JIN and are watching this movie after that, it is likely that you will feel dissatisfied with the chemistry between the leads. In actual fact, I felt that the couple played by YOU and Kohinata Fumio was more interesting than the leads' love story.

Coming to the merits of this movie, the scenery of Lisbon is a strong plus point. It lends a romantic and leisurely atmosphere to the movie which seems to be made to promote the place as a tourism spot. Other than that, some of the Christmas songs used as BGM are very good. No doubt I watched this movie months after Christmas, the music can really get you into that festiva mood again.

On the whole, if you are looking for a saccharine-sweet movie with lots of familiar faces in the cast, this is probably your cup of tea. Otherwise, adjust your expectations and don't hold the notion that this is going to blow you away. It is lacking in many areas but is still watchable.

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 6 out of 10 (Sweet love stories don't really go down well with me unless I'm in the mood for romantic stuff)
Acting: 6 out of 10 (The story was pretty restrictive to allow for character development)
Theme song: 7 out of 10 (For the BGM and Christmas songs)
Visual effects / Scenery: 8 out of 10 (Lisbon is potrayed as a very appealing place but Nagasaki didn't get that much attention)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 6 out of 10 (I think Osawa and Nakatani had more sparks when they were in JIN. This movie simply didn't show their chemistry. Ueno and Abe were OK, not that fantastic and memorable though)

Total: 33 out of 50

Top 10 movies ranking (14 Feb 10)

1) Avatar

2) Oceans

3) Otouto

4) Valentine's Day

5) Koushounin THE MOVIE Time Limit Kodo 10,000m no Zunousen

6) Invictus

7) Golden Slumber

8) Samurai Sentai Shin Kenja VS Go Onja Ginmaku BANG!!

9) Paranormal Activity

10) Sayonara Itsuka

Top 10 actresses who women think are beautiful (Oricon)

1) Kitagawa Keiko

2) Shibasaki Kou

3) Becky

4) Karina

5) Miyazaki Aoi

6) Sasaki Nozomi

7) Koyuki

8) Aragaki Yui

9) Ayase Haruka

10) Kuroki Meisa

Top 10 movies ranking (7 Feb 10)

1) Avatar

2) Oceans

3) Otouto

4) Invictus

5) Golden Slumber

6) Samurai Sentai Shin Kenja vs Go Onja Ginmaku BANG!!

7) Suzumiya Haruhi no Shissou

8) The Lonely Bones

9) Sayonara Itsuka

10) Paranormal Activity

Oricon 2010 Valentine's Day rankings

Top 5 male celebrities who women want to give chocolates to

1) Sato Takeru

2) Mukai Osamu

3) Sakurai Sho (Arashi)

4) Fukuyama Masaharu

5) Miura Haruma

Top 5 female celebrities who men want to receive chocolates from

1) Nagasawa Masami

2) Aragaki Yui

3) Horikita Maki

4) Miyazaki Aoi

5) Ueto Aya

Top 5 love songs to listen to on Valentine's Day

1) Valentine Kiss by Kokusho Sayuri

2) Chocolate Disco by Perfume

3) Love so sweet by Arashi

4) CHE.R.RY by YUI

5) Sakuranbo by Otsuka Ai

Top 10 movies ranking (31 Jan 10)

1) Avatar

2) Oceans

3) Otouto

4) Golden Slumber

5) Samurai Sentai Shin Kenja vs Go Onja Ginmaku BANG!!

6) Love Ribbon

7) Paranormal Activity

8) Sayonara Itsuka

9) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

10) Nodame Cantabile Saishugakusho Zenhen

JIN's movie version not confirmed

Although there were newspaper reports of an upcoming JIN movie in 2011, TBS has released a statement on 29 January 09 on JIN's website where the producer denied the report. Even though they did not rule out the possibility of having a sequel (be it in a drama, SP or movie form), they said that they are still in discussion over future plans.

So all this means that the news was fake? Did Nikkansports cook up the story? Or did someone from TBS leak this before the TV station could make their own announcement?

Anyway, what this all means is that we won't be seeing JIN again soon. I prefer them to have a full drama sequel as compared to a movie because it could take months before overseas fans can watch it. Even a SP would be better than a movie. However, knowing the TV stations' style of doing things, movies are probably going to bring in more money for them so they will head to wherever the money is. Since the manga is still continuing, I doubt that they will have enough fresh material for a full drama unless they wait for some time.

Top 10 most anticipated young actresses (Oricon)

1) Yoshitaka Yuriko

2) Kawashima Umika

3) Kitagawa Keiko

4) Kitano Kii

5) Shida Mirai

6) Kaho

7) Sasaki Nozomi

8) Tabe Mikako

9) Tanimura Mitsuki

10) Oomasa Ayane

JIN's movie version to be screened in 2011

JIN will be made into a movie as announced by TBS on 28 January 2010. The filming will begin this summer and the movie is scheduled to be screened in 2011. TBS received a lot of requests for a movie after the drama ended in December 2009 thus the decision was made in accordance with viewers' wishes. The cast for the movie will be the same as the drama.

Source: Nikkansports

____________________________________________________________

I'm happy to see JIN's movie but I really dislike TBS for treating viewers like fools. If they didn't come up with that ambiguous ending, who would ask for a continuation? To think that they denied so strongly that they were planning for a movie... Liars! It leaves a bad taste in the mouth when I think of how we have been taken for a ride. I just hope that the movie does not end on a cliffhanger again. Sometimes, it's best to know when to stop.

Top 10 most anticipated young actors (Oricon)

1) Okada Masaki

2) Miura Haruma

3) Kato Seishiro

4) Sato Takeru

5) Mukai Osamu

6) Mizobata Junpei

7) Seto Koji

8) Hayashi Kento

9) Daito Shunsuke

10) Yamamoto Yusuke

Ueno Juri to star in 2011 Taiga Drama "Gou ~ Himetachi no Sengoku" 江～姫たちの戦国

Ueno Juri will be playing the lead role in 2011's NHK Taiga drama, "Gou ~ Himetachi no Sengoku" (Gou ~ The Warring Times of the Princesses). This makes her the 10th female lead in Taiga's 50-year history. Coincidentally, Ueno is also from the same agency as Fukuyama Masaharu who plays the lead role in this year's Taiga. This is the first time that actors from the same agency are playing the lead roles in consecutive years.

Ueno's role will be Gou, the third daughter of Azai Nagamasa and Oda Nobunaga's younger sister. Gou lost her parents during a war and she became known as one of the famous three sisters during the Warring Times. Her eldest sister Yodo became the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi while her second sister Hatsu married into a famous family. Gou later became the 1st wife of the Tokugawa Hidetada after two earlier marriages. She was to become the mother of Tokugawa Iemitsu later and created the Ooku in Edo City.


Sources: Nikkansports, Sports Hochi, Sponichi

Top 10 movies ranking (24 Jan 10)

1) Avatar

2) Oceans

3) Surrogates

4) The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

5) Sayonara Itsuka

6) Gekijouban Yu-Gi-Oh Sora wo Koeta Kizuna

7) Nodame Cantabile Saishugakusho Zenhen

8) Where The Wild Things Are

9) BANDAGE

10) UP

JIN DVD Box Set

Title: JIN DVD Box Set
Date of release: 17 March 2010
Produced by: TBS
Distributed by: Kadokawa Films
Region coding: 2
Total number of discs: 6
Free gift: Specially-made JIN Chopsticks set
First-press premium: Booklet
Visual premiums: Production press conference footage / End-of-filming videos / Promotional SP / CMs / Trailers
For more details, please go to TBS ishop.

Review of JIN (Autumn 2009)

This review should have been done much earlier but I have just finished watching this series last week so this explains why the post is up now. Being the first review which I'm writing for this year, I hope that things get off to a good start and I'll be able to keep up with the momentum and post at least 2 reviews per month. During the autumn drama season, I was pretty much caught up with work and studies so I didn't have the time to sit through this. After hearing so much about this No.1 drama from last season, I finally have a chance to see if it is as good as what others have said.

I'm glad to say that this is pretty good. Despite some flaws and a hurried ending, I feel that this was one of the most gratifying dramas which I've seen in recent years. Although it is still not considered a classic in my opinion, this is definitely better than most of the drama offerings these days.

First, let's get started on the good points. One of the main reasons why I was very excited about this drama pre-season was the combination of Osawa Takao and Nakatani Miki. The two of them have been largely involved in movies only for a long time so it is indeed good news to see them in a drama. I have been wanting to see their move "Shichigatsu Nijuuyokka no Christmas" for ages but haven't been able to find it. I eagerly anticipated their collaboration this time because they both happen to be among my favourite actors and actresses. Years ago when I was watching Hoshi no Kinka (Heaven's Coins), it was Osawa who caught my eye rather than Takenouchi Yutaka (although I grew to like the latter over the years). As for Nakatani, her performances in dramas like Keizoku, Jou-i and Renai Hensachi were simply stunning. The last movie I saw her in was Kiraware Matsuko no Issho which was 4 years ago. As such, it feels as if I'm reuniting with long-lost friends when I watch this drama.

True to my expectations, these two did very well in the drama and showed what they are capable of. Through the character Minakata Jin, Osawa displayed the internal struggles of Jin to the fullest. On one hand, Jin wants to go back to the modern era and see his fiancee Miki (Nakatani) again. On the other hand, he starts to feel worried about the effects it will have on Bakumatsu-period Edo if he is gone. There is a growing emotional attachment to Edo although he did not feel it consciously in the beginning. Another highlight in his performance was when Jin faced a difficult decision as to whether he should save Nokaze (Nakatani). Osawa really conveyed a strong message of "it's human nature to think of ourselves" through his acting. i really like his farewell scene with Nokaze at the end. It was simply emotional, touching and had a lot of impact. Besides the emotionally-heavy developments, light-hearted humour e.g. through his interaction with Sakamoto Ryoma (Uchino Masaaki) gives a more well-rounded potrayal of Jin rather than showing him to be in a dilemma and thinking about serious issues all the time.

As for Nakatani Miki, her appearance was largely restricted in the first few episodes because her character Miki was still in a coma while Nokaze had yet to be featured prominently in the storyline. However, she was indeed eye-catching whenever she appeared. Most of the time, Nokaze was cynical and showed a tough side but she started to show the softer side to her character as she came into contact with Jin. On the other hand, although the character Miki always appeared in flashbacks, we do get a pretty clear picture of who she was i.e. her vivacious and never-give-up character. Although I thought the makeup for Nokaze was kinda overboard at times, I feel that Nakatani did well to show the differences between her two characters. Her chemistry on screen with Osawa whenever their characters met were very intense. Look out for the scene where Nokaze tried to offer herself to Jin before she gets redeemed by a rich man. That is solid proof of their acting skills.

Other than the leads who ignited my interest in the drama, the supporting cast was also brilliant. In fact, it is rare to find a drama these days filled with people who can really act. They also played a pivotal role in JIN's success.

First up, Ayase Haruka. After the very disappointing Mr.Brain, she finally showed her mettle again like how she impressed me during Byakuyakou. I love her performance as Saki. Although I thought that her character might suffer from neglect due to the star-studded cast, she stood firmly against the veterans and made Saki a character who is unforgettable. It was good that the feelings she had for Jin were not depicted in such a manner that made Saki look like a total bimbo. Coupled with the fact that Saki's strong character permeates through the plot, she became one of my most favourite characters. I tend to like female characters in dramas who can think on their own and have the strength to overcome problems so it is very obvious that I can't stand characters who only sit around to wait for Prince Charming to do everything for them. Luckily, Saki wasn't one of this type.

Another character who I really like is Ogata Kouan played by Takeda Tetsuya. Although his character died in the middle of the series, Ogata was indeed a charismatic leader who would not find it a disgrace to learn from Jin who was way younger than him. His humble attitude and steadfast attitude towards medicine were admirable. He had very good chemistry with Osawa Takao as well and I especially liked the scene when Ogata was asking Jin about his origins before he passed away. The dialogue showed that Ogata and Jin truly admired each other for their knowledge, skills and mindsets towards curing people. Although the men didn't sob in a exaggerated manner, the emotion was touching enough to bring people to tears.

Last but not least, Sakamoto Ryoma played by Uchino Masaaki is another outstanding character to be highlighted for mention. I am not too familiar with Sakamoto's background other than the facts that he played a pivotal role in the modernisation of Japan, he was assasinated at a young age, he was well-known for thinking out of the box. When I watched Uchino's past roles, he was usually quite serious but he was really good as Sakamoto. It is hard for anyone to dislike Uchino's potrayal of Sakamoto unless you want to find fault with the fact that he behaves like a mad man at times. My interpretation of that is when someone is behaving in an unconventional way, we usually categorise that as crazy behaviour. When you look at Sakamoto's mindset from the eyes of our modern era, we can safely say that if not for people who dare to dream, society would never evolve. As Uchino has enjoyed a lot of accolades for his performance, this would no doubt place additional pressure on Fukuyama Masaharu who plays the same character in this year's Taiga. Then again, many people have played Sakamoto before so it will probably be difficult to judge who is better. The unfortunate timing is probably what will cause the continuous comparison between Uchino and Fukuyama since the Taiga drama Ryomaden followed hot on the heels of JIN's success.

Of course, the rest of the supporting cast were also good in their own ways. However, if I were to go into detail for everyone, this post would probably stretch to such a length that most readers would not be patient enough to finish reading.

Coming to the story, this is where views will likely be divided. Frankly speaking, the story began with a bang. In fact, a BIG bang! Although the first episode was supposed to be a 2-hour SP, time flew by so quickly and before you knew it, it was over. There were lots of background filling typical in debut episodes but they managed to cram some humour and a lot of tense scenes to build up the suspense. That part where Jin was trying to make do with limited tools to perform a brain surgery was simply superb. As the story progressed, I was enthralled by the medical developments in Edo during that turbulent period and very touched by the relationships between some of the characters. The dialogue was straight to the point but also retained the subtleness in the spoken language of people in that era. As such, understanding the story wasn't that difficult even though there were lots of medical-related information to digest.

However, the story ending was a total letdown. After building up so much expectation, the finale fizzled. There were at least four main issues which were not explained and I'm sure everyone will feel bewildered by the lack of answers:
1) What was the significance of the foetus tumour?
2) Who was the injured man in the modern era?
3) How and why did Jin go back to the Edo era?
4) Was there a link between Nokaze and Miki?
5) Where did Jin and Miki's photo go? Why were there changes in the photo everytime something happened to Nokaze?
I assume that the lack of a conclusive ending has much to do with the manga which is still in progress so there is a likelihood that we may see a SP or movie. However, TBS had denied that there is something being planned. It's too early to say if TBS will go back on its word but I think most of us would feel very dissatisfied with how the drama ended.

Another point to note is that JIN ended in a similar fashion like Maou so I'm quite concerned whether TBS is intending to do the same thing again. Maou had some material to add in its DVD box thus it means that those who don't buy the DVD don't get to see the complete ending. I certainly hope that they don't spoil JIN's reputation with such a marketing gimmick.

With regards to the theme song by MISIA, I think it's quite good but the problem is whenever she gets to the chorus, it startles me at times. I literally jump when she starts singing "ima aitai ~ ". :-p Maybe the song is like this originally (the climax portion is supposed to be much louder than the rest of the song) but I suspect that the sound engineer may not have fine-tuned the volume balance so it's extremely jarring to the ears at the ending credits section.

In conclusion, this drama is a pretty good offering from TBS in a very long time. Although there are flaws, I feel that it is still worth watching, at least for the good acting and strong story (minus the hazy ending). Maybe the TV station should avoid using unfinished novels or manga in future to avoid such a problem. And we can then have a perfect and complete ending.

And my ratings for this drama...
Story: 9.5 out of 10 (It could have been a perfect 10 if the ending was complete)
Acting: 9 out of 10 (Everyone did well especially Osawa, Nakatani, Ayase, Uchino and Takeda. Even Koide Keisuke who had a small role did pretty OK. I'm still trying to reconcile the fact that Kyoutaro and Masumi-chan in Nodame Cantabile are played by the same person. Goes to show how versatile he can be.)
Theme song: 7.5 out of 10 (It's been a long time since I heard a MISIA song. And I think the message of the song seems to relate to Jin's feelings of longing to see Miki again.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 8 out of 10 (Not so much of visual effects but rather I like the nostalgic feel of Edo and the serene atmosphere for some of the scenes.)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 9 out of 10 (This is for the following pairings - Jin x Nokaze, Jin x Miki, Jin x Saki, Ryoma x Nokaze, Jin x Ogata, Hatsune x Kyoutaro and Jin x Ryoma. Watching these groupings talk is enjoyable especially the Jin x Ogata and Nokaze x Ryoma combinations.)

Total: 43 out of 50 - It's been ages since I rated a drama so highly i.e. above 40 marks. I can't remember when I last did that.

Top 10 movies ranking (17 Jan 10)

1) Avatar

2) Nodame Cantabile Saishugakusho Zenhen

3) Where the Wild Things Are

4) BANDAGE

5) UP

6) ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD

7) Kondo wa Aisaika

8) Tsuri Baka Nisshi 20 Final

9) THIS IS IT

10) Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider W & Decade MOVIE Daisakusen 2010

Top 10 movies ranking (10 Jan 10)

1) Avatar

2) Nodame Cantabile Saishugakusho Zenhen

3) UP

4) ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD

5) Tsuri Baka Nisshi 20 Final

6) Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider W & Decade Movie Daisakusen 2010

7) THIS IS IT

8) 2012

9) Higanjima

10) A Tale of Ululu's Wonderful Forest

Winter 2010 Preview: Angel Bank Tenshoku Dairinin エンゼルバンク転職代理人

Title: Angel Bank Tenshoshoku Dairinin (Angel Bank - The Job Switch Agent)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 14 January 2010
Timeslot: Thursdays, 9pm
Original Comic: Angel Bank Dragonzakura Gaiten
Cast: Hasegawa Kyoko, Wentz Eiji, Murakami Tomoko, Nakamura Yu, Nishioka Takuma, Omi Toshinori, Namase Katsuhisa

Winter 2010 Preview: Tokujou Kabachi 特上カバチ

Title: Tokujou Kabachi
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 17 January 2010
Timeslot: Sundays, 9pm
Cast: Sakurai Sho, Horikita Maki, Endo Kenichi, Watanabe Ikkei, Tamaru Maki, Asano Yuuko, Takahashi Katsumi, Nakamura Masatoshi
Theme song: Troublemaker by Arashi

Remarks: Much as I have no confidence in Horikita Maki anymore, I am prepared to watch at least a few episodes of this drama for the sake of Sakurai Sho. I don't really think that this will surpass its predecessor Kabachitare which starred Tokiwa Takako and Fukatsu Eri though. That was a great drama. Using the same comic doesn't equal same quality.
The problem with Horikita Maki is that her acting standard is erratic these days. Or should I say the projects she chose tend to be of varying levels of quality. Going by this trend, I'm kinda worried about this drama as well especially when you look at the dramas she starred in recent years. I certainly hope that I would be proven wrong this time.

Nobuta wo Produce (hit but more so for the guys) --> Kurosagi (it was more of a hit for Yamashita Tomohisa) --> Teppan Shoujo Akane!! (first flop in her career) --> Seitou Shokun (flop) --> Hanazakari no Kimi tachi e (hit but the guys got more attention) --> Atsuhime (hit - partly due to her supposed onscreen rivalry with Miyazaki Aoi who played her mother-in-law) --> Innocent Love (flop) --> Atashinchi no Danshi (hit - at least the ratings were OK) --> Tokujou Kabachi!! (???)

Winter 2010 Preview - Magerarenai Onna 曲げられない女

Title: Magerarenai Onna (The Inflexible Woman)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 13 January 2010
Timeslot: Wednesdays, 10pm
Showing via: NTV
Cast: Kanno Miho, Tanihara Shosuke, Tsukamoto Takashi, Ichikawa Tomohiro, Nose Anna, Nishioka Tokuma, Nagasaku Hiromi
Theme song: Title undecided yet / by aiko

Top 10 most anticipated dramas of Winter 2010 (Oricon)

1) Code Blue Doctor Heli Kinkyuu Kyuumei 2nd Season (FujiTV)

2) Bloody Monday (TBS)

3) Tokujo Kabachi (TBS)

4) Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge (TBS)

5) Magerarenai Onna (NTV)

6) Hidarime Tantei EYE (NTV)

7) Massugu na Otoko (FujiTV)

8) Hanchou (TBS)

9) Nakanai to Kimeta Hi (FujiTV)

10) Angel Bank Tenshoku Dairinin (TV Asahi)

Top 10 movies ranking (3 Jan 10)

1) Avatar

2) Nodame Cantabile Saishugakusho Zenhen

3) UP

4) ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD

5) Tsuri Baka Nisshi 20 Final

6) Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider W x Decade MOVIE Daisen 2010

7) 2012

8) A Tale of Ululu's Wonderful Forest

9) The Eternal Diva

10) Michael Jackson This Is It

Top 10 most popular young male celebrities (CREA)

1) Miura Haruma

2) Okada Masaki

3) Sato Takeru

4) Ishikawa Ryo

5) Mizobata Junpei

6) Ikuta Toma

7) Kamiki Ryuunosuke

8) Tanaka Kei

9) Nakayama Yuma

10) Yamada Ryosuke

Top 10 favourite male celebrities above 40 (CREA)

1) Sawamura Ikki

2) Sato Koichi

3) Abe Hiroshi

4) Tachi Hiroshi

5) Richard Gere

6) Ishida Junichi

7) Tsutsumi Shinichi

8) Takada Junji

9) Oosugi Ren

10) Watari Tetsuya

Top 10 male celebrities women want to be hugged by (CREA)

1) Fukuyama Masaharu

2) Kimura Takuya

3) Okada Junichi

4) Oguri Shun

5) Kaneshiro Takeshi

6) Yamashita Tomohisa

7) Sato Koichi

8) Odagiri Jo

9) Mukai Satoshi

10) GACKT

Top 10 male celebrities whom women want to marry (CREA)

This post marks the first of a 4-part survey conducted by CREA on women with regards to the type of male celebrities they like. The results are published in the February 2010 issue. First up is the Top 10 list of men whom women want to marry:

1) Sakai Masato / Fukuyama Masaharu

3) Tsumabuki Satoshi

4) Kimura Takuya

5) Mizushima Hiro

6) Eguchi Yosuke

7) Odagiri Jo

8) Karasawa Toshiaki

9) Nakamura Toru

10) Tsuruno Takeshi

Winter 2010 Preview - Nakanai to Kimeta Hi (The Day I Decided Not To Cry)

Title: Nakanai to Kimeta Hi 泣かないと決めた日
Official website: here
Broadcast by: FujiTV
O.A. Start Date: 26 January 2010
Timeslot: Tuesdays 9pm
Cast: Eikura Nana, Fujiki Naohito, Kaname Jun, An, Katase Nana, Konno Mahiru, Hasegawa Jun, Danta Yasunori, Kimura Yoshino

Top 10 movies ranking (27 Dec 09)

1) Avatar

2) Nodame Cantabile Saishugakusho Zenhen

3) ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD

4) UP

5) Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider W & Decade Movie Daisen 2010

6) Tsuri Baka Nisshi 20 Final

7) 2012

8) THE ETERNAL DIVA

9) Daikaijuu Battle Ultra Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE

10) The 4th Kind

Top 10 bestselling DVDs of 2009

1) Kake no Ue no Ponyo (841,203)

2) 5x10 All the Best! CLIPS 1999 - 2009 by Arashi (590,642)

3) ARASHI AROUND ASIA 2008 in TOKYO by Arashi(428,256)

4) Hana Yori Dango Final (358,172)

5) EXILE LIVE TOUR "EXILE PERFECT LIVE 2008" by Exile (339,495)

6) EXILE LIVE TOUR "THE MONSTER" by Exile (288,742)

7) SMAP 2008 super.modern.artistic.performance tour by SMAP (269,021)

8) namie amuro BEST FICTION TOUR 2008 - 2009 by Amuro Namie (257,365)

9) TOUR 2009 PUZZLE by Kanjani 8 (249,884)

10) Okuribito (232,758)

Recap of 2009 & Happy New Year!

It's this time of the year where we say goodbye to the past year and welcome a fresh beginning. Things have been very slow on this blog for the past few months because of my studies and work. I won't promise that I will pick up the momentum very quickly and maintain the same consistency in terms of how frequent the blog gets updated. Apologies to all of you who have been following this blog. I hope to post at least one review every two weeks and hopefully, I will be able to meet this target at my own pace.

This year has been really eventful and it's not really in a good sense. The greatest shocker would probably be Sakai Noriko's case. From someone who was assumed to be a victim, she became a fugitive. I guess this is something which we won't forget anytime soon. Of course, there are some good news in the entertainment circle with more people getting married or having babies.

To recap what has happened in this past year, here are some of the most significant happenings which I've listed below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive:

People nabbed for consuming drugs
1) Kohinata Minako
2) Oshio Manabu (given a suspended sentence / facing fresh charges for not saving his female companion who died after consuming Ecstasy)
3) Sakai Noriko (given a suspended sentence / in the midst of a messy divorce from her husband)
4) Akasaka Akira (ex-Hikaru Genji member / arrested while he was still in the midst of his suspended sentence, may have to go to prison this time)

People who caught H1N1 or the usual influenza
1) Kimura Ryo
2) Berry Koubou's 6 members
3) Sato Takeru
4) Oodori's 2 members
5) Shirota Yu
6) Oikawa Nao
7) Kinoshita Yukina
8) EXILE's AKIRA
9) Tsubaki Haruna
10) Harisenbon's Minowa Haruka
11) Nishikido Ryo
12) Yamashita Tomohisa

Scandals
1) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi nabbed for causing a din in the buff
2) Sawajiri Erika fired by her agency
3) Kato Natsuki suing her ex-manager cum ex-boyfriend

Divorces and breakups
1) Adachi Yumi & Itoda Jun
2) Fujiwara Norika & Jinnai Tomonori
3) Asano Tadanobu & Chara
4) Tamaki Koji & Ishihara Mariko
5) Inoue Waka & Totsugi Shigeyuki
6) Oshikiri Moe
7) Enari Kazuki
8) Kuroki Meisa

Marriages, Dating Couples (confirmed ones only - rumours not included)
1) Ichikawa Ebizo & Kobayashi Mao
2) Ishida Junichi & Higashio Riko
3) Ebihara Yuri & RIP SLYME's ILMARI
4) Shirota Yu & Yasuda Misako
5) Kinoshita Yukina & Fujimoto Toshifumi
6) Higashiyama Noriyuki & Kimura Yoshino
7) Bibiru Daiki & Sakai Wakana
8) Horiuchi Ken (Neptune)
9) Gekidan Hitori & Oosawa Akane
10) Nakamura Kantaro & Maeda Ai
11) Ito Misaki
12) Sawajiri Erika
13) Tokiwa Takako & Nagazuka Keishi
14) Sakai Maki
15) Terashima Susumu
16) Mizushima Hiro & ayaka
17) Hara Chiaki
18) Tamaki Hiroshi & Yoshitaka Yuriko
19) Yagira Yuuya & Toyoda Eri
20) Yamada Yu & Oguri Shun
21) Kane Kosugi
22) Kamikawa Takaya
23) Jouji Tomoharu & Fujimoto Miki

Those who had babies or are expecting
1) Matsumoto Hitoshi & Ihara Rin
2) Inohara Yoshihiko (V6) & Seto Asaka
3) Sato Ryuuta
4) Matsuda Ryuhei & Ota Rina
5) Miyazawa Rie
6) Okina Megumi
7) Bessho Tetsuya
8) MEGUMI
9) Nagasaku Hiromi
10) Hajime Chitose
11) Esumi Makiko
12) Maki Youko
13) Shinagawa Hiroshi
14) Suzuki Sarina
15) Hasegawa Kyoko
16) Nishida Hikaru
17) Tsuchiya Anna
18) Yaida Hitomi
19) Takahashi Katsunori
20) Tamaki Chiharu (Kiroro)
21) Sakai Miki

A very happy new year to everyone! 明けましておめでとうございます！よろしくお願いします！

Top 10 most visited artiste blogs of 2009

For the full No.1 to No.500 ranking, please visit Oricon's website.

1) Tsuji Nozomi

2) Nakagawa Shoko

3) Ogura Yuko

4) Gal Sone

5) Fujiwara Kazuhiro (License)

6) Shinagawa Hiroshi (Shinagawa Shoji)

7) Abe Natsumi

8) Sugiura Taiyo

9) Haida Shoko

10) Kawamura Kaori

Top 10 movies ranking (20 Dec 09)

1) ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD

2) Nodame Cantabile Saishugakusho Zenhen

3) UP

4) Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider W & Decade Movie Daisen 2010

5) 2012

6) The Eternal Diva

7) Daikaiju Battle Ultra Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE

8) The 4th Kind

9) Public Enemies

10) A Tale of Ululu's Wonderful Forest

Top 10 bestselling albums of 2009 (Oricon)

Sales figures are in brackets. For the full list, please visit Oricon's website.

1) All the BEST! 1999 - 2009 by Arashi (1,432,781)

2) SUPERMARKET FANTASY by Mr.Children (1,251,148)

3) Shio, Koshou by GReeeeN (1,000,127)

4) Aisubeki Mirai e by EXILE (897,095)

5) EXILE BALLAD BEST by EXILE (847,273)

6) ayaka's History 2006 - 2009 by ayaka (786,657)

7) DO YOU DREAMS COME TRUE? by DREAMS COME TRUE (668,097)

8) Remio Best by Remioromen (489,464)

9) Box Emotions by Superfly (480,865)

10) CALLING by Kobukuro (467,521)

First day screening of "Nodame Cantabile Saishusho Part I"

The first day screening of "Nodame Cantabile Saishusho Part I" was held on 19 December 2009 at Yurakucho's TOHO Cinemas Nigeki 1 where cast members including Ueno Juri, Tamaki Hiroshi, Wentz Eiji, Yamada Yu, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Fukushi Seiji and Takenaka Naoto made appearances. The screening was attended by 950 fans. Toho had also confirmed that Part I will be screened in Hong Kong and Macau on 4 March 2010, 5 March 2010 in Taiwan and 11 March 2010 in Singapore. As for South Korea, the screening date has not been confirmed.

Part II of the movie is slated to be shown from 17 April 2010 in Japan.

Source: Sanspo

Top 10 bestselling singles of 2009 (Oricon)

Sales figures are in brackets. For the full list, please visit Oricon's website.

1) Believe / Kumorinochi, Kaisei by Arashi / Yano Kenta starring Satoshi Ohno (656,676)

2) Ashita no Kioku / Crazy Moon ~ Kimi wa Muteki ~ by Arashi (620,557)

3) My Girl by Arashi (513,186)

4) Ai no mama de by Akimoto Junko (489,138)

5) Everything by Arashi (423,004)

6) Ichibu to Zenbu by B'z (377,516)

7) RESCUE by KAT-TUN (377,097)

8) Himawari by Yuusuke (359,556)

9) ONE DROP by KAT-TUN (331,248)

10) Kyuu Jou Show!! by Kanjani 8 (299,246)

Top 10 movies ranking (13 Dec 2009)

1) ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD

2) Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider W & Decade Movie Daisen 2010

3) UP

4) 2012

5) Daikaijuu Battle Ultra Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE

6) Public Enemies

7) Uchu Senkan Yamato Fukkatsu Hen

8) DISNEY'S Christmas Carol

9) Nakumonka

10) Snow Prince Kinjirareta Koi no Melody

Top 10 movies ranking (6 Dec 09)

1) UP

2) 2012

3) Nakumonka

4) Christmas Carol

5) Shizumanu Taiyo

6) Zero no Shoten

7) Inglorious Bastards

8) Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

9) Gekijouban Itsuwari no Utahime

10) New Moon Twilight Saga

Top 10 movies ranking (22 Nov 09)

1) 2012

2) THIS IS IT

3) Christmas Carol

4) Nakumonka

5) Inglorious Bastards

6) Zero no Shoten

7) Shizumanu Taiyo

8) Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

9) Gekijoban Macross F Itsuwari no Utahime

10) Fresh Puri Kyua! Omocha no Kuni wa Himitsu ga Ippai!?

The 34th Hochi Movie Awards

Best Movie: Shizumanu Taiyo

Best Foreign Movie: Gran Torino

Best Leading Actor: Watanabe Ken (2nd time to win this award)

Best Leading Actress: Matsu Takako (2nd time to win this award)

Best Supporting Actor: Eita (the youngest award winner in this category since Asano Tadanobu in 2000)

Best Supporting Actress: Yachigusa Kaoru (the oldest award winner in this category)

Best Newcomer: Okada Masaki / Mitsushima Hikari

Best Director: Nishikawa Miwa (Dear Doctor)

Special Award: THIS IS IT

The 6th Top 10 favourite music artistes Poll (Ori*Star)

Numbers in brackets indicate the artiste's position last year.

1) Mr.Children (4)

2) Utada Hikaru (1)

3) Fukuyama Masaharu (11)

4) Arashi (10)

5) Kobukuro (2)

6) Ikimonogakari (30)

7) aiko (3)

8) ayaka (15)

9) B'z (8)

10) Southern All Stars (6)

Top 10 movies ranking (15 Nov 09)

1) THIS IS IT

2) A Christmas Carol

3) Nakumonka

4) Zero no Shoten

5) Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

6) Shizumanu Taiyo

7) Fresh Puri Kyua! Omocha no Kuni wa Himitsu ga Ippai!?

8) Warau Keikan

9) Kaiji Jinsei Gyakuten Game

10) Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru

Top 10 movies ranking (8 Nov 09)

1) THIS IS IT

2) Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

3) Shizumanu Taiyo

4) Fresh Puri Kyua! Omocha no Kuni wa Himitsu ga Ippai!?

5) Kaiji Jinsei Gyakuten Game

6) Buddha Saitan

7) Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru

8) DRAG ME TO HELL

9) SAW VI

10) Tenshi no Koi

Top 10 movies ranking (1 Nov 09)

1) THIS IS IT

2) Shizumanu Taiyo

3) Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

4) Fresh Puri Kyua! Omocha no Kuni wa Himitsu ga Ippai!?

5) Kaiji Jinsei Gyakuten Game

6) Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru

7) Buddha Saitan

8) Wild Speed MAX

9) My Sister's Keeper

10) Sideways

Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi as special guests during Nodame Orchestra's concert

Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi appeared as surprise guests during the "Nodame Orchestra Concert" on 31 Oct which was held at Tokyo International Forum. About 5000 people were present at the concert. The duo were there to promote Part 1 of the upcoming Nodame Cantabile movie which is due to be shown in cinemas from 19 Dec. With regards to the selling points of the movie, Ueno said that fans would be able to see very funny expressions of Chiaki-sama (Tamaki) while Tamaki commented that fans will be able to enjoy the orchestra scenes to the fullest in the best sound systems provided by the theatres. Part 2 of the movie is due to be shown on 17 April 2010 and filming is still in progress.