Fri, June 8, 2007 (11:38pm EDT)
NHK has announced two new dramas for its short-series "dodra" time slot (Saturday 9:00pm).
The first is titled "Shanghai Typhoon." Tae Kimura stars as a woman who has lost her job and her lover, leading her to attempt a new life in Shanghai. There, she has a fateful encounter with a Chinese man, played by Peter Ho (also known as He Rundong). The series, which follows her struggle to adapt and eventually create a living for herself, will last for six episodes from September 8 to October 13.
Two weeks later, a series tentatively titled "Judge ~Ritou no Hanjiho Funsenki" will begin. Hidetoshi Nishijima plays a passionate judge who gets transferred to a remote island where there are no other judges. The series will run for 5 episodes between October 27 and November 24.
The first is titled "Shanghai Typhoon." Tae Kimura stars as a woman who has lost her job and her lover, leading her to attempt a new life in Shanghai. There, she has a fateful encounter with a Chinese man, played by Peter Ho (also known as He Rundong). The series, which follows her struggle to adapt and eventually create a living for herself, will last for six episodes from September 8 to October 13.
Two weeks later, a series tentatively titled "Judge ~Ritou no Hanjiho Funsenki" will begin. Hidetoshi Nishijima plays a passionate judge who gets transferred to a remote island where there are no other judges. The series will run for 5 episodes between October 27 and November 24.
Fri, June 8, 2007 (10:58pm EDT)
On Friday, the 26th Fujimoto Prize, which honors excellence among producers and directors, was awarded to TBS producer Kazuya Hamana. Hamana handled ten films within the past year, including "Nada Sousou" and "Sinking of Japan."
Special prizes were given to director Masayuki Suo ("Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai"), director Kihachiro Kawamoto ("The Book of the Dead"), and actor Ken Watanabe (for his role as a producer of "Memories of Tomorrow"). Newcomer awards were presented to directors Yoshiko Senbon ("Akai Kujira to Shiroi Hebi") and Takayuki Nakamura ("Yokohama Mary").
Special prizes were given to director Masayuki Suo ("Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai"), director Kihachiro Kawamoto ("The Book of the Dead"), and actor Ken Watanabe (for his role as a producer of "Memories of Tomorrow"). Newcomer awards were presented to directors Yoshiko Senbon ("Akai Kujira to Shiroi Hebi") and Takayuki Nakamura ("Yokohama Mary").
Fri, June 8, 2007 (10:13pm EDT)
Kigurumi, the child duo that spawned last year's hit song "Tarako Tarako Tarako," will be undergoing a lineup change at the end of the month. Haruka, who is the younger of the two at age 10, has decided to leave the group so that she can focus on school. She still plans to pursue a career in show business, however.
Despite Haruka's absence, Kigurumi is not breaking up. It is likely that a replacement will be named soon.
Despite Haruka's absence, Kigurumi is not breaking up. It is likely that a replacement will be named soon.
Fri, June 8, 2007 (9:45pm EDT)
The three-member technopop band YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra) will release their first new work in 14 years. Titled "RESCUE," the song is a departure from the electronic and instrumental style they are best known for. It incorporates R&B elements, and vocals are provided in English by members Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi.
The group reunited in February and released a remake of their 1979 single, "Rydeen." They also played at a charity concert in May under the name of Human Audio Sponge, which they have occasionally used since 2004. Now, they have decided that their new name will be a combination of the two - HASYMO, pronounced "hashimo."
"RESCUE" has been chosen as the theme for the animated film "EX Machina" (the sequel to the "Appleseed" movie), which Hosono is handling the music for. The single goes on sale on August 22, but the group will perform under their new name before that, as part of the international Live Earth concert project on July 7.
The group reunited in February and released a remake of their 1979 single, "Rydeen." They also played at a charity concert in May under the name of Human Audio Sponge, which they have occasionally used since 2004. Now, they have decided that their new name will be a combination of the two - HASYMO, pronounced "hashimo."
"RESCUE" has been chosen as the theme for the animated film "EX Machina" (the sequel to the "Appleseed" movie), which Hosono is handling the music for. The single goes on sale on August 22, but the group will perform under their new name before that, as part of the international Live Earth concert project on July 7.
Fri, June 8, 2007 (5:21am EDT)
Training for work can be unpleasant without the right instructor. To see who people felt would make a good teacher, Oricon surveyed men and women in their twenties to forties and asked them which master-like character from a manga they would want to learn from.
The number one choice, with 18.4% of the respondents' approval, was Anzai-sensei from "Slam Dunk." Second was Kame Sennin, also known as Muten-Roshi (or Master Roshi), from "Dragonball" with 12.3% of the votes. Third place, which was named by only 8.4% of the people polled, was Kakashi Hatake of "Naruto."
The rest of the top ten, in order, were: Karin-sama ("Dragonball"), Genkai ("Yu Yu Hakusho"), Aban ("Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken"), Fujiwara-no-Sai ("Hikaru no Go"), Kami-sama ("Dragonball"), Hiko Seijuro ("Rurouni Kenshin"), and the Kaio ("Dragonball").
Franz von Stresemann of "Nodame Cantabile" was ranked 5th by women, while Roberto Hongo of "Captain Tsubasa" tied for 5th in the men's ranking.
The number one choice, with 18.4% of the respondents' approval, was Anzai-sensei from "Slam Dunk." Second was Kame Sennin, also known as Muten-Roshi (or Master Roshi), from "Dragonball" with 12.3% of the votes. Third place, which was named by only 8.4% of the people polled, was Kakashi Hatake of "Naruto."
The rest of the top ten, in order, were: Karin-sama ("Dragonball"), Genkai ("Yu Yu Hakusho"), Aban ("Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken"), Fujiwara-no-Sai ("Hikaru no Go"), Kami-sama ("Dragonball"), Hiko Seijuro ("Rurouni Kenshin"), and the Kaio ("Dragonball").
Franz von Stresemann of "Nodame Cantabile" was ranked 5th by women, while Roberto Hongo of "Captain Tsubasa" tied for 5th in the men's ranking.
Fri, June 8, 2007 (4:39am EDT)
"Mobile phone novels" (or "keitai shosetsu") have been gaining widespread popularity recently through portal sites like Mahou no iRando. Many of them have been later published in book form, and several have been selling extremely well.
Publishing distributor NIPPAN revealed its tankoubon fiction ranking for the first half of 2007, and four mobile novels appeared in the top ten, including the #1 spot. "Akai Ito" by author Mei was first released online last July, and the series has been accessed more than 10 million times since then. Not only is the book version the top seller in fiction, but it is also 4th overall.
Other mobile novels on the fiction chart were Rin's "Moshimo Kimi ga" (#2), Haruka Inamori's "Junai" (#5), and Towa's "Clearness" (#9). The last on that list was the winner of the 1st Mobile Phone Novel Awards held last November.
NIPPAN's complete charts can be seen here.
Publishing distributor NIPPAN revealed its tankoubon fiction ranking for the first half of 2007, and four mobile novels appeared in the top ten, including the #1 spot. "Akai Ito" by author Mei was first released online last July, and the series has been accessed more than 10 million times since then. Not only is the book version the top seller in fiction, but it is also 4th overall.
Other mobile novels on the fiction chart were Rin's "Moshimo Kimi ga" (#2), Haruka Inamori's "Junai" (#5), and Towa's "Clearness" (#9). The last on that list was the winner of the 1st Mobile Phone Novel Awards held last November.
NIPPAN's complete charts can be seen here.
