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.

Review of Amalfi Megami no Houshuu アマルフィ 女神の報酬

Title: Amalfi Megami no Houshuu アマルフィ 女神の報酬 (Amalfi The Remuneration of the Goddess)
Original novel by: Shinpo Yuichi
Roadshow start date: 18 July 2008
Theme song: Time to say goodbye by Sarah Brightman
Cast: Oda Yuji, Amami Yuki, Oomori Ayane, Toda Erika, Sato Koichi, Sano Shiro, Onodera Akira, Ootsuka Nene, Ito Atsushi, Hirata Mitsuru, Fukuyama Masaharu, Sarah Brightman, Antonio Rocco Papaleo and Nakai Kiichi (voice acting only)

After watching this movie on Sunday, I felt really disappointed. Well, from the start, I wasn't expecting too much and yet this film did even worse than I thought. Before you continue reading what I have to say, please be reminded that these are my personal views only. Everyone may interpret the film differently so please do not be offended if you find my views varying from yours. And for those who do not wish to know the ending of this film, it's also advisable to skip this review as there will be plentiful of spoilers.

First of all, let me do a brief introduction about the storyline. And this is the biggest problem in the whole film.

Kuroda Kousaku (Oda Yuji) is a diplomat who has just been dispatched to the Japanese embassy in Rome, Italy. He keeps in contact with his superior Kataoka (Nakai Kiichi) over the phone as the embassy gears up to prepare for the Foreign Minister, Kawagoe Wataru's (Hirata Mitsuru) visit during the G8 meeting. Trainee interpreter Adachi Kanae (Toda Erika) fumbles along in work with her half-baked Italian and tries to keep up with Kuroda who maintains a straight face and seems to be hiding his true intentions from the rest.

At the same time, single mum Yagami Saeko is in Rome with her daughter Madoka for a holiday before the latter goes for an eye operation. However, she is aghast to find her daughter abducted when they are in a museum. Yagami then enlists the help of the embassy where Kuroda and Adachi are sent to assist. However, they soon find out that the abduction is more than meets the eye. Meanwhile, danger is looming as Kawagoe reaches Rome...

Here are the reasons why I simply disliked the story:

1) Ambiguous direction - a suspense thriller or travelogue?
Is this film trying to be a suspense thriller? Or is it trying to be a travelogue introducing the sights of Rome and Amalfi? Frankly speaking, I do not know what the answer is.

If it's the former, I think they've failed terribly. Notwithstanding the fact that the culprit was simply too easy to guess, the developments of the story seemed to be suggesting that the scriptwriter was being too cautious. There is always this problem with Japanese thrillers. If you see a well-known actor or one of significant status playing a small role, there is something fishy unless it's stated clearly that he/she is just appearing in a cameo role. It was simply too unnatural for Sato Koichi to appear for a few scenes and his identity concealed at the start when Saeko was talking to Sato's character. It was as if they want the viewer to know bits and pieces of information at various junctures and yet there was a sudden U-turn which suggested that the scriptwriter changed his mind and thought that it was safer to keep the hints under wraps. And the tension didn't really build up. The climax scene was so predictable that it doesn't take a genius to figure out what would happen. And what's with this title? If you look closely, most of the action takes place in Rome. Scenes in Amalfi turn out to be much lesser and of a lower significance. Other than mentioning the legend behind Amalfi, the place seems to be unimportant to the story. I was still none the wiser about the meaning of the title at the end of the movie.

And if it's the latter we are talking about, it was a passable attempt but there were still flaws. The colour balance of the film deviated towards the darker extreme so the whole backdrop looked too gloomy and pale. It was only till the scenes in Amalfi which made the screen brighten up a bit because of the contrast from the sea. And that lousy editing deserves to be picked up for criticism. How can they have blank scenes for at least 3 times throughout the film instead of doing a smooth transition between scenes? Even a line "1 week later" or "1 month later" would have been better at improving the flow of the movie. For a moment, I thought there was something wrong with the theatre's projector but apparently, the number of blank screens shown is an indicator that the problem lies with the movie itself. Last but not least, that repetition of the scene in the hotel room where Yagami and Kuroda were in after her daughter went missing was totally redundant. They should have started the movie from the part when both parties arrived in Rome instead of wasting time on repeating that scene which wasn't that significant after all.

One last thing I would like to point out is that some things should be left unsaid. Italy helped in the filming of this movie but it's mentioned point blank that they are famous for pickpocketing. Well, I'm sure a lot of us would have known that in certain European cities, pickpocketing is a notorious crime that we should watch out for when we travel there. I just find it really awkward that the movie had to mention this directly instead of leaving subtle hints. By being so frank, it kills the beauty of the place at the same time. It also feels as if you are repaying the home country with scorn. Just when people were enthralled with the sights in Rome and Amalfi, you dump a spoiler to dampen their rising spirits. Although Kuroda had meant well by reminding Yagami of the prospect of meeting pickpockets, the line could have been modified slightly though.

2) The ego of a big name?
In case you are unaware, this movie project was intended right from the start to centre around Oda Yuji. As such, it is very evident that he was given the best treatment and elevated to a class above the rest in this movie. When that happened, everyone seemed to be just mere accessories especially for those who had very minor roles or are still not in the league of holding their own despite the harsh circumstances. Oda's roles in movies and dramas for the past few years have been largely of the same sort. Most of the time, there is a comedic touch to his roles. Even though Kuroda is stern and looks emotionless most of the time, I simply don't think it is a radical change from the past. There is too little development of the character to show me that Oda had changed his approach of potraying a character. It didn't leave a deep impression on me, so as to speak. And he's got to put in some effort to show that he is versatile in playing various types of roles or else he will be stereotyped. Surely he doesn't want to be remembered for just 2 significant roles in his entire career i.e. Kanchi (Tokyo Love Story) and Aoshima Shunsaku (Odoru Daisousasen)? It's high time he gets another breakthrough.

Amami Yuki's role made her seem like a damsel in distress who couldn't think properly at all when her background was supposed to be a strong single mother. Luckily, that punch she threw at Oda was a saving grace, showing Yagami Saeko has emotions other than panicking. Nonetheless, I thought it was a big waste of talent for Amami to play this role. Likewise for Toda Erika, she was stifled by this hierarchy style of script writing which made her role very forgettable. I remember that she mentioned in an interview that she's open to playing lead and supporting roles so that it helps to build up her portfolio. Even so, I think she can afford to be a bit more selective. Exposure is good but if your role is forgettable or you do not really get a chance to prove yourself, it's as good as not taking up the role. Luckily for Sato Koichi, no doubt his role may not be that big, he made full use of his limited screen time to make an impact. And I must say, his English was less jarring to the ears as compared to Oda. ^__^ By the way, since they were in Italy, I simply don't understand the need for English lines popping out of nowhere.

And why do they need Fukuyama Masaharu to play such a small role? I do not think it is cheap for them to fly him over for so little scenes. They could have saved the money and spent it on someone else. It may look good to put Oda and Fukuyama on screen together BUT I think they should have spent the money on improving the story rather than assembling big names for the sake of attracting attention. A case of misplaced priorities. Then again, they could have mentioned that Nakai Kiichi was playing the role of Kuroda's colleague/friend because I only came to know about it after looking at the credits. They got such a big name to appear in the movie and yet didn't bother to promote his appearance? This is simply bewildering.

3) Atrocious subtitling
I do not know about other countries but the subtitles we have in the Singapore cinemas are simply atrocious. For someone who doesn't even know Japanese, looking at the English and Chinese subtitles is enough to tell you that something is not quite right because there were many points when each language conveyed a different meaning. If you know Japanese, I guess you would be shaking your head at each time the subs make mistakes. It's simply embarrassing. I do not know where the subs were done but to screen such a low-quality subbed version is an insult to those who paid to watch the movie. Surely we deserve an accurate translation of the lines in the movie?

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 2 out of 10 (Reasons as stated above - in short, it feels like a last-minute production)
Acting: 5 out of 10 (Nobody really stood out. If I really have to name somebody, that would be Sato Koichi)
Theme song: 6 out of 10 (This is a very well-known song but hearing it repeatedly just wears me out)
Visual effects / Scenery: 6 out of 10 (The scenery deserves the thumbs up but I think the cameraman's skills are questionable. Colour balance, editing and arrangement of scenes are all lacking)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 3 out of 10 (Everyone seems to be too detached from one another. No chemistry to speak of.)

Total: 22 out of 50

In conclusion: A big money-spender with little to show for

Top 10 movies ranking (25 Oct 09)

1) Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

2) Shizumanu Taiyo

3) Kaiji Jinsei Gyakuten Game

4) Buddha Saitan

5) Wild Speed MAX

6) My Sister's Keeper

7) The Proposal

8) Samayou Yaiba

9) The Time Traveler's Wife

10) Villon no Tsuma Sakuranbo to Tanpopo

The 22nd Japan Spectacles Best Dresser Award

Showbiz Category: Inoue Mao (actress)

Politician Category: Nagazuma Akira (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Economic Category: Yanai Tadashi (UNIQLO's CEO)

Cultural Category: Ishizaka Koji (actor)

Sunglasses Category: Karasawa Toshiaki

Special Award: Suzanne (artiste)

Top 10 most popular actors among men (Oricon)

1) Tsumabuki Satoshi

2) Mizushima Hiro

3) Oguri Shun

4) Sato Ryuta

5) Matsuyama Kenichi

6) Wentz Eiji

7) Ichihara Hayato

8) Eita

9) Kamiji Yuusuke

10) Koike Teppei

Summer 2009 Drama Ratings Ranking

The summer season has finally ended and the autumn season is already underway with most of the dramas having made their debut. Sorry about the late ratings report because of my tight schedule these days. I've been having so little time to watch the dramas and movies of late but I guess that I will be able to write more after my exams are over. By then, I would have another list of dramas to blog on from the current season. Nonetheless, I'm still enjoying the task of writing reviews even though I may have lots of backlog to clear. Can you believe that I have still not finished the review of Zenigeba (Winter 09) and Mr.Brain? Well, I have so many good things to say about the former and too many bad things to complain about the latter so that explains the delay. Bear with me if you are waiting for the reviews. They will come but probably at a later date.

Frankly speaking, this summer season has been rather disappointing. Pre-season, I selected only 5 dramas from the field of 15 so this goes to show how "interesting" the offering was, at least to me. This wasn't surprising because summer dramas have been seen as boring and long-regarded as "fillers" after the big-budget spring dramas and before the autumn offering comes up. As such, most TV stations seem to be pulling back when it comes to summer dramas. In recent years, there have been relatively good offerings in summer e.g. last year's "Tomorrow" and "Maou" but this label of boring dramas is almost like a unremovable stigma for the summer season and fails to stir up viewer interest.

You may be surprised to see that the top 3 for summer 2009 are ALL from FujiTV. However, there may be a good reason for this. It doesn't mean that all three dramas are of top-notch quality. Comparing them with the competition will probably give you an inkling as to why they won.

First of all, we have "Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4" as the winner for this season with an average of 19.20%. If you want to take into consideration the 4-part SPs before the official O.A., the average is still well-above 2nd-placed "Ninkyou Helper" i.e. 17.13% vs. 15.02%. Frankly speaking, if not for the unfortunate accident involving Eguchi Yosuke before the O.A., viewer interest might not have been so high. The delayed telecast succeeded in boosting viewer interest which explains why it got an above-20% rating for its first episode. Mind you, no other drama had an episode above 20% throughout the whole season. However, if you have read my review, all I can say that it was a bit sloppy at times in terms of production. I am guessing that the accident caught the crew off-guard so there were a lot of changes which worked out not to be their advantage. To date, I still think that Part 3 was the best or should I say more well-rounded.

In 2nd place, we have "Ninkyou Helper" with an average of 15.02%. Again, this drama had an unexpected boost through Kusanagi Tsuyoshi's run-in with the law in April this year. For those who are unaware of what happened, just click the artiste news tag to see the archives. Right before the drama even began filming, it was said to be doomed because people thought that Kusanagi's image suffered such a big dent that people would not be interested to see this drama. Then, the unthinkable happened because Kusanagi got his role back and the drama did quite well. Seems like his potrayal of a nasty guy was timely since it would have been suicide if his role was another goody-two-shoes character. Although I have not finished watching this yet, the first 3 episodes were passable at the very least but not to the extent of being extremely satisfying. I can only pass my verdict after watching this.

As for No.3, we have Buzzer Beat starring Yamashita Tomohisa and Kitagawa Keiko with an average rating of 14.37%. Most of the time, love stories would do OK unless the plot is simply lousy. I didn't watch this drama so I have nothing to comment. Again, this drama also experienced a small scare when it was revealed that Yamashita had H1N1 and filming had to be delayed for a while. Luckily, the OA wasn't affected in the end.

Do you notice 2 similarities between the Top 3?

1) A sudden incident almost derailed the O.A. of the drama i.e. Eguchi's accident, Kusanagi's scandal and Yamashita's sickness.

2) They all have themes which are traditionally deemed to be ratings winners i.e. medical dramas, social themes and love stories.

This brings me to my point why the others fared not as well. The rest of the competition were too niche in their target audience. Most of the time, it's either you love it or hate it so the viewership base is naturally smaller, irrespective of the timeslot. Of course, the Top 3 had so-called golden timeslots but in this era, even midnight dramas can do well. As such, I think that the genre was probably the key factor in deciding this season's winner.

4) Karei Naru Spy (NTV) - 11.12%
This is yet another example of extremes. Frankly speaking, I didn't know how to comment on the first episode after watching it. I hated the lame jokes but I thought some parts were OK. I am still undecided about whether to proceed.

5) Tonari no Shibafu (TBS) - 9.73%
The traditional old story of mother-in-laws vs. daughter-in-laws. Well, there were so many similar themed dramas in the past so I'm very sick of this genre. It doesn't help that the cast wasn't appealing to me other than Seto Asaka.

6) Kochikame (TBS) - 9.27%
This is a drama which began with a bang literally (the CD release and event) but went out with a fizzle. The main grouse was the low quality of production and not staying true to the original. I haven't watched this, I don't know the story of the manga or anime so I really couldn't comment. However, just one glance at the trailer killed my interest.

7) Kanryoutachi no Natsu (TBS) - 9.05%
This is a serious drama and with a bunch of stern-looking men. I guess this is probably something housewives wouldn't want to watch unless they want to ogle at a particular actor. Frankly speaking, the premise of the story seems interesting but the atmosphere from the first 10 minutes of the debut episode makes me undecided again about whether to proceed.

8) Orthros no Inu (TBS) - 8.42%
The problem with this is the same as Kochikame. The TV station tried to heighten expectations but it disappointed me, at the very least. From the first 4 episodes, I can find so many irregularities or illogical points which is killing my interest. I still don't know whether I should proceed because Nishikido wasn't as outstanding as he was in Last Friends and Takizawa doesn't interest me.

9) Akahana no Sensei (NTV) - 8.33%
I didn't watch this. Despite Kobayashi Satomi's presence, I still wasn't keen to watch this. I don't know whether it was the story or Ooizumi Yo which failed to interest me.

10) Meido Deka (TV Asahi) - 8.22%
Another niche drama for those who like young girls in a detective role. I like Fukuda Saki but I hate this type of stories.

11) Koishite Akuma (FujiTV) 6.69%
This seemed to be riding on the successful wave of "Twilight" but it reeked of a last-minute patch-up production. Vampire and human love stories are not my cup of tea especially when it is presented in this manner. I don't like the lead actor as well.

12) Dandy Daddy (TV Asahi) - 6.59%
I didn't watch this.

13) Call Center no Koibito (TV Asahi) - 6.14%
Although Mimura impressed me with her performance in Zenigeba, I wasn't tempted to watch this at all. I think it's the story. As for Koizumi Kotaro, I'm pretty neutral towards him.

14) Saru Lock (NTV) - 4.65%
This is obviously targeted at guys. Although I didn't watch this, reading reviews about this drama seems to indicate that there are a lot of suggestive developments and many girls to ogle at.

* Otomen was not included in this season's ranking because it is still showing.

The 2nd Tokyo Drama Award

Best Drama Grand Prix: Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou ~ (NTV)

Outstanding Drama Awards: ROOKIES (TBS) / Kaze no Garden (FujiTV) / Arifureta Kiseki (FujiTV) / Sora Tobu Tyre (WOWOW) / Okaimono (NHK) / Keiji Ichidai ~ Hiratsuka Hachibee no Showa Jikenshi (TV Asahi)

Outstanding Local Drama Awards (dramas produced by TV stations outside of Tokyo): Okome no Namida (NHK Sendai) / Momoyama Onigiri ten (Sapporo TV)

Best Leading Actor: Nakai Kiichi (Kaze no Garden)

Best Leading Actress: Amami Yuki (BOSS)

Best Supporting Actor: Endo Kenichi (Kiri no Hi)

Best Supporting Actress: Toda Erika (Ryusei no Kizuna)

Best Newcomer: Mizobata Junpei / Kawashima Umika

Best Scriptwriter: Kuramoto Sou (Kaze no Garden)

Best Producer: Tsugiya Hisashi (Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou)

Best Stage Direction: Miyamoto Rieko (Kaze no Garden)

Special Award: Ogata Ken / The Art Direction Team of "Kurobe no Taiyo" / Staff of TV Tokyo drama, "Choujikan Dorama Shinshun Wide Jidaigeki"

Orthros no Inu DVD Box

Title: Orthros no Inu DVD Box
Price: 21,945 yen (inclusive of tax)
Date of release: 27 Jan 09
Total number of discs: 6
Produced by: Warner Home Video

Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4 DVD Box

Title: Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4 DVD Box
Price: 16,590 yen
Date of release: 20 Jan 2009
Total number of discs: 5
Produced by: Pony Canyon
Total running time: 410 minutes
Special footage includes: Production press conference, SPs before the actual O.A., End-of-filming, Promotional CMs

First episode ratings of Tokyo Dogs, Samurai High School, Untouchable, Ohitori-sama and Shoukojo Seira

The first episode of "Tokyo DOGS" shown on 19 Oct achieved a high rating of 18.7% which makes it the highest rating for the debut episode of a Gekku drama this year. This beat the previous record of 17.7% of "Voice" starring Eita in the winter season.

Meanwhile, other dramas also made their debut during the weekends. "Samurai High School" achieved 14.0% which was the highest among weekend dramas. Nakama Yukie's "Untouchable" shown on 16 Oct got a rating of 11.6% while Mizuki Arisa and Koike Teppei's "Ohitori-sama" got 10.1%. As for Shida Mirai's "Shoukojo Seira", it managed to get 7.4% on its 17th Oct debut.

Tokiwa Takako and Nagatsuka Keishi get married

Tokiwa Takako and Nagatsuka Keishi have registered their marriage today after a 6-year courtship. Nagatsuka is 3 years younger than her and is a popular stage producer and actor. He is also the eldest son of veteran actor Nagatsuka Kyouzou. The two had met each other through working on the movie "Geroppa" in 2003.

Tokiwa released her statement through her official website as follows:

"To all related parties,

I am sorry for making a private announcement during this busy period.

We, Nagatsuka Keishi and Tokiwa Takako have registered our marriage today i.e. 20 October 2009.

It is a fine day and we are full of emotions at this moment.

From now on, the two of us will bind our souls together tightly and take slow and steady steps in future.

It would be good if everyone can watch over us warmly as we take a new step in life. Please continue to support us in future."

Kanryoutachi no Natsu DVD Box

Title: Kanryoutachi no Natsu DVD Box
Price: 19,950 yen (inclusive of tax)
Date of release: 20 Jan 09
Number of discs: 5
Produced by: TC Entertainment
Total running time: 472 minutes

Top 10 movies ranking (18 Oct 09)

1) Kaiji Jinsei Gyakuten Game

2) Buddha Saitan

3) World Speed Max

4) My Sister's Keeper

5) The Proposal

6) Samayou Yaiba

7) Villon no Tsuma Sakuranbo to Tanpopo

8) Final Dead Circuit

9) 20 Seiki Shounen Saishusho Bokura no Hata

10) Kamui Gaiten

Amalfi ~ Megami no Houshuu Complete Edition DVD

Title: Amalfi ~ Megami no Houshuu Complete Edition DVD
Price: 9,975 yen (inclusive of tax)
Date of release: 1 Jan 2010
Number of discs: 3 (Disc 1: The movie / Disc 2: Pre-roadshow feature, "Amalfi Begins" / Disc 3: Special Footage)
Produced by: Pony Canyon
Total running time: 125 minutes
Special footage includes: Making-of scenes, introduction to location shoots in Italy, Production press conference, Completion Press Conference, Interviews with the crew at Italy's Tiberina Film Festival, First-day roadshow event and Thanksgiving event to mark the hit of the movie