Tue, May 22, 2007 (6:28pm EDT)
Teen actress Masami Nagasawa will star in a drama special written by popular screenwriter Kankuro Kudo. The drama, which airs this fall on TV Asahi, is tentatively titled "Ganges Gawa de Butterfly," named after an essay by author Teruko Takano. The story focuses on a young woman who travels to India alone and encounters something unexpected while swimming in the Ganges.
Tue, May 22, 2007 (5:41pm EDT)
Aoi Nakamura, who won the Grand Prix in the 2005 JUNON Superboy Contest, has been given his first starring role in a drama series. He will play a gifted esthetician in "BOYS Este," based on Souko Masaki's manga of the same name, which is being serialized in Kodansha's magazine Dessert.
The drama will air in TV Tokyo's late-night Friday time slot (12:12am), starting on July 13.
The drama will air in TV Tokyo's late-night Friday time slot (12:12am), starting on July 13.
Tue, May 22, 2007 (5:01pm EDT)
SMAP member Masahiro Nakai will star in the movie "Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai," scheduled for release next year. The story deals with a man who unjustly gets sentenced to death as a war criminal.
Also known as "I Want to Be a Shellfish," the work was originally written as a drama special in 1958, starring Frankie Sakai. The following year, it was turned into a highly-acclaimed feature-length film. It was also later remade as another drama special in 1994, starring George Tokoro.
The new movie is being handled by TBS director Katsuo Fukuzawa and screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto (who wrote the script for the original drama). Filming will begin this fall.
This is Nakai's first movie since "Mohouhan" in 2002, and his first acting role since the 2004 drama series, "Suna no Utsuwa."
Also known as "I Want to Be a Shellfish," the work was originally written as a drama special in 1958, starring Frankie Sakai. The following year, it was turned into a highly-acclaimed feature-length film. It was also later remade as another drama special in 1994, starring George Tokoro.
The new movie is being handled by TBS director Katsuo Fukuzawa and screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto (who wrote the script for the original drama). Filming will begin this fall.
This is Nakai's first movie since "Mohouhan" in 2002, and his first acting role since the 2004 drama series, "Suna no Utsuwa."
Tue, May 22, 2007 (4:23pm EDT)
Actress Makiko Esumi will star in TBS's new drama series, "Jigoku no Sata mo Yome Shidai." The show is a family drama in which Esumi plays a working woman who is constantly fighting with her mother-in-law (Yoko Nogiwa). The premise is strongly reminiscent of last year's special "Triple Kitchen," where Esumi and Nogiwa also played the roles of a dueling wife and mother-in-law.
Ikki Sawamura plays the role of the husband. The series begins on July 5, and will air Thursdays at 9:00pm.
Esumi also recently appeared in the news a couple days ago when it was revealed that her younger brother died of cancer a year ago, at the age of 36.
Ikki Sawamura plays the role of the husband. The series begins on July 5, and will air Thursdays at 9:00pm.
Esumi also recently appeared in the news a couple days ago when it was revealed that her younger brother died of cancer a year ago, at the age of 36.
Tue, May 22, 2007 (1:21pm EDT)
On Tuesday night, NTV chose to rerun the 2nd episode of its "Sexy Voice and Robo" drama series instead of airing the 7th episode, due to concerns about its resemblance to a tragic incident in the Aichi prefecture last week.
Last Thursday, a former gangster named Hisato Obayashi shot his two children in his home during a domestic quarrel with his former wife. The situation escalated into a standoff when police arrived. The children were taken to a hospital, but Obayashi continued to hold his wife hostage for 29 hours, during which he wounded another officer and fatally shot another.
NTV felt it was inappropriate to air the "Sexy Voice" episode so soon after the incident. The program included a scene in which the main characters become involved in a hostage situation at a family restaurant.
The series will continue with episode 8 next Tuesday. The skipped episode has not yet been rescheduled.
Last Thursday, a former gangster named Hisato Obayashi shot his two children in his home during a domestic quarrel with his former wife. The situation escalated into a standoff when police arrived. The children were taken to a hospital, but Obayashi continued to hold his wife hostage for 29 hours, during which he wounded another officer and fatally shot another.
NTV felt it was inappropriate to air the "Sexy Voice" episode so soon after the incident. The program included a scene in which the main characters become involved in a hostage situation at a family restaurant.
The series will continue with episode 8 next Tuesday. The skipped episode has not yet been rescheduled.
