Wed, June 4, 2008 (3:16am EDT)
Masaaki Uchino is starring in a new TV Asahi drama series called "Gonzo: Densetsu no Keiji." This will be his first time in a police detective role.
"Gonzo" is said to be police slang for a person with ability and experience but is unable to work. Uchino plays Kuroki, once a top-notch detective. After an incident that results in him having post-traumatic stress disorder, he winds up as an unmotivated and slovenly clerk in an accounting division for another police station. But one day, a case arises that brings him back as a detective.
The show is being produced by Motohiro Matsumoto and written by Ryota Kosawa, who have both worked on the highly successful "Aibou" franchise.
Michitaka Tsutsui plays a fellow cop who looks down on the fallen Kuroki. Yuika Motokariya is a female detective at Kuroki's current station, and Nene Otsuka plays the psychiatrist helping Kuroki with his mental problems. The cast also includes Issei Takahashi and Katsuhiko Watabiki.
"Gonzo" starts this July, running in the Wednesday 9:00pm time slot.
"Gonzo" is said to be police slang for a person with ability and experience but is unable to work. Uchino plays Kuroki, once a top-notch detective. After an incident that results in him having post-traumatic stress disorder, he winds up as an unmotivated and slovenly clerk in an accounting division for another police station. But one day, a case arises that brings him back as a detective.
The show is being produced by Motohiro Matsumoto and written by Ryota Kosawa, who have both worked on the highly successful "Aibou" franchise.
Michitaka Tsutsui plays a fellow cop who looks down on the fallen Kuroki. Yuika Motokariya is a female detective at Kuroki's current station, and Nene Otsuka plays the psychiatrist helping Kuroki with his mental problems. The cast also includes Issei Takahashi and Katsuhiko Watabiki.
"Gonzo" starts this July, running in the Wednesday 9:00pm time slot.
Wed, June 4, 2008 (2:43am EDT)
The website of rock band Kagrra has announced the group's first European tour this August. So far, seven shows have been confirmed, starting in Stockholm on August 17. The band is also playing in Helsinki, Utrecht, London, Cologne, Paris, and Barcelona.
Wed, June 4, 2008 (2:13am EDT)
Fans of the '70s idol trio Candies have something to look forward to on September 3, when a 20-disc box set titled "Candies: Time Capsule" goes on sale. This past April marked the 30th anniversary of the group's final concert.
"Time Capsule" covers the group's entire 309-song discography, including all 14 of the group's original albums, a hits collection from 1974, and karaoke versions of their singles. To top it off, the set also features a previously unreleased song titled "Kiri no Wakare," originally recorded in 1976 as an alternate version of their hit "Aishu no Symphony," with lyrics also written by Rei Nakanishi. The song's master tape was only recently discovered in a warehouse by Watanabe Music Publishing.
The collection hits store shelves on September 3 with a retail price of 35,000 yen.
"Time Capsule" covers the group's entire 309-song discography, including all 14 of the group's original albums, a hits collection from 1974, and karaoke versions of their singles. To top it off, the set also features a previously unreleased song titled "Kiri no Wakare," originally recorded in 1976 as an alternate version of their hit "Aishu no Symphony," with lyrics also written by Rei Nakanishi. The song's master tape was only recently discovered in a warehouse by Watanabe Music Publishing.
The collection hits store shelves on September 3 with a retail price of 35,000 yen.
Wed, June 4, 2008 (1:50am EDT)
Popular group GReeeeN has finally made it to the top of the charts with their 7th single, "Kiseki." After setting the record for the fastest million ringtone downloads, the song sold 186,000 copies in its first week to beat out the competition, which included V6 at #2 (81,000 copies) and ORANGE RANGE at #3 (73,000 copies). AAA (#6) and the pillows (#10) also made it into the top 10 with new releases.
On the albums chart, mihimaru GT's "mihimarise" took #1 with 80,000 sold. DOUBLE's new best album was not too far behind, selling 63,000 copies to land at #2. Hiromi Uehara came in at #10, but she was barely beat by R&B singer Shion, who is now the first indie solo artist to release a debut album in the top 10.
Meanwhile, almost half of the top 10 albums came from foreign artists, as Usher and Radiohead joined Madonna and Elliott Yamin in the rankings.
On the albums chart, mihimaru GT's "mihimarise" took #1 with 80,000 sold. DOUBLE's new best album was not too far behind, selling 63,000 copies to land at #2. Hiromi Uehara came in at #10, but she was barely beat by R&B singer Shion, who is now the first indie solo artist to release a debut album in the top 10.
Meanwhile, almost half of the top 10 albums came from foreign artists, as Usher and Radiohead joined Madonna and Elliott Yamin in the rankings.
Wed, June 4, 2008 (1:32am EDT)
Chiaki Hijiri's comedy manga "Seigi no Mikata" is getting a live-action series next month. The comic is currently serialized in Shueisha's monthly magazine Chorus.
15-year-old Mirai Shida stars as Yoko, a young girl whose is constantly tormented by her self-centered and devilish older sister Makiko, who works for a government office after having graduated from a famous university. But despite her ill nature, Makiko's actions tend to somehow make things better for those around her, causing others to praise her as an "ally of justice."
Yu Yamada co-stars as Makiko. Shiro Sano and Yoshiko Tanaka will play the parents of the two sisters.
NTV will broadcast the series on Wednesday nights at 10:00pm, starting on July 9.
15-year-old Mirai Shida stars as Yoko, a young girl whose is constantly tormented by her self-centered and devilish older sister Makiko, who works for a government office after having graduated from a famous university. But despite her ill nature, Makiko's actions tend to somehow make things better for those around her, causing others to praise her as an "ally of justice."
Yu Yamada co-stars as Makiko. Shiro Sano and Yoshiko Tanaka will play the parents of the two sisters.
NTV will broadcast the series on Wednesday nights at 10:00pm, starting on July 9.
Wed, June 4, 2008 (12:41am EDT)
This summer, Fuji TV's Monday night drama will be "Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu," starring Yuji Oda. Here, he plays a teacher who guides a group of seniors at a prep school in Shonan, though his character is described as "baka."
Several popular young stars have been cast in the show, including Yusuke Yamamoto, Masaki Okada, Kie Kitano, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Mitsuki Tanimura, Gaku Hamada, Akira Kagimoto, and Satoshi Tomiura.
"Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu" starts in July, airing every Monday at 9:00pm.
Several popular young stars have been cast in the show, including Yusuke Yamamoto, Masaki Okada, Kie Kitano, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Mitsuki Tanimura, Gaku Hamada, Akira Kagimoto, and Satoshi Tomiura.
"Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu" starts in July, airing every Monday at 9:00pm.
Wed, June 4, 2008 (12:25am EDT)
Actor Takatoshi Kaneko (30) announced through his blog on Tuesday that he is no longer single. He met his wife, a sports instructor in her 20s, through one of his friends.
His wife recently submitted their marriage registration, even though Kaneko is currently in Africa for a television show. Kaneko's agency said that they had not yet heard about plans for a wedding.
Kaneko's acting credits include the 2001 film "Water Boys" (as one of the main students) and the 2004 drama series "Water Boys 2" (as a teacher).
His wife recently submitted their marriage registration, even though Kaneko is currently in Africa for a television show. Kaneko's agency said that they had not yet heard about plans for a wedding.
Kaneko's acting credits include the 2001 film "Water Boys" (as one of the main students) and the 2004 drama series "Water Boys 2" (as a teacher).
