Tomorrow (2008)

Starring:
Takenouchi Yutaka as Moriyama Kohei
Kanno Miho as Tanaka Aiko
Ogawa Tamaki as Endo Saya
Kurokawa Tomoka as Tanaka Nanami
Edo Harumi (エドはるみ) as Harada Kazuko
Nagata Akira (永田彬) as Kato Keita
Hashimoto Mami (橋本真実) as Sugiyama Mai
Arimura Miki as Takizawa Nozomi
Akita Makoto as Mishima Chinatsu
Sawaki Ruka (沢木ルカ) as Makoto
Ujiie Megumi as Hashimoto Satoko
Muramatsu Toshifumi as Kaneko Ayumu
Rokkaku Shinji (六角慎司) as Yabuuchi Jiro
Tanaka Minoru as Kataoka Yoichi
Shiga Kotaro as Kakinuma Kotaro
Osawa Akane as Yasuda Ryoko
Matsuda Miyuki as Yasuda Sanae
Nagashima Eiko as Tanaka Yoshimi
Jinnai Takanori as Hasumi Yoji
Kishibe Ittoku as Sendo Ikuo

Kohei Moriyama quit his job as a doctor 8 years ago and now works at the city hall. Since becoming a public official, he has become cheerful and optimistic. He is loved by everyone around him. However, his emotional wound from the past is not yet healed. He does not trust anyone but himself when it comes to important matters. One day, he meets a dedicated nurse, Aiko Tanaka. This encounter triggers his decision to reestablish a hospital. This is when he realizes... “Losing is not the end. Giving up is what ends everything.” --TBS

I watched this. I really liked this show. I only had one dissapointment. They had me believing that there would be a sort of romance between Kohei and Aiko. They kept tormenting me with it. But at the end, well.......totally not happy. I hope they make a second series because I really think they were trying to make us believe there was something.........

This drama dealt with health related issues and the growing concerns with the low count of doctors and nurses per patient ratio.

It was a little unnerving that it was mainly the cast who had the health related issues. That was another disspointment. Forgot about that. LOL!

Ah well. If you like medical dramas...this one was for you. They dealt with some medical problems that are usually mostly overlooked.

Takenouchi Yutaka

Teppan Shojo Akane!! (鉄板少女アカネ!! -2006)

AKA: Teppan Girl


Starring:
Horikita Maki as Kagura Akane
Miyoshi Ai as Young Akane
Tsukamoto Takashi as Ichijo Shinta
Izumisawa Yuuki as Young Shinta
Jinnai Takanori as Kurogane Ginzo
Katase Nana as Saigoji Erena
David Ito as Kitamura Shugo
Ootomo Minami as Narumi Eiko
Natsuko as Katsura Yuzu
Akiko as Katsura Mikan
Ryu Raita as Akashi Mitsujiro
Iida Kisuke as Tomobe
Tamura Saburo (田村三郎) as Kinoshita
Suwa Taro as Ninomiya
Neko Hiroshi (猫ひろし)
Guests
Miyazaki Masumi as Hamada Toyoko (ep2)
Yanagisawa Nana as Yayoi (ep2)
Hamada Gaku as Hamada Shingo (ep2)
Fuse Hiroshi as Shirai Bunpei (ep3)
Mizuhashi Takami as Shirai Fumino (ep3)
Mizutani Yuri as Himeno Momoka (ep4)
Hasebe Hitomi (長谷部瞳) as Shiina Ranko (ep4)
Sakaguchi Eri (坂口エリー) as Saotome Yuri (ep4)
Toyama Kyoko as Irie Fukumi (ep5)
Asaka Mitsuyo as Yamakawa Yasuko (ep6)
Miyashita Naoki (宮下直紀) as Yamakawa Kenji (ep6)
Sato Jiro as Yamakawa Hideki (ep6)
Toyota Maho as Ou Etsuko (ep7-9)

Kagura Akane (Horikita Maki) is the only daughter of a family who runs a teppanyaki place in downtown Tokyo. Akane had always been proud of her father Tetsuma, who was called the “No.1 teppanyaki chef in Japan.” Growing up in such an environment, she naturally acquired “teppanyaki skills.” However, when her mother died of illness, her father lost his energy to work and disappeared. Since then, Akane has managed and protected the restaurant all by herself. One day, out of the blue, she is visited by Erena (Katase Nana), the rich daughter of a major food company, who orders Akane to move out at once because her father had borrowed money against his restaurant. Though feeling disappointed, Akane makes up her mind to close the store. But when her father’s friend, Kurogane (Jinnai Takanori), shows her “Ittetsu,” a grilling plate that Akane’s father cherished, it reignites her passion towards teppanyaki.

In order to protect the restaurant, she embarks on a journey with Shinta (Tsukamoto Takashi) to search for her father, but wherever she goes, she ends up getting involved in culinary battles. "--TBS"

This started off really well but eventually got overly repetetive. I couldn't take it any longer. Thankfully this series was only 9 episodes long.

The only reason I hung out as long as I did with this series was the love story underneath the teppanyaki competitions. I found myself fast forwarding through the boring cook-offs to the storyline that held my attention. Then "boom"......

Episode 8 struck. No!!!!! They can't make Shinta a bad guy! Nooooo! Ah, but the Japanese didn't disappoint me...."whew!" I really did hope for a more finished ending but for these types of genre dramas....it was for the course.

I just love Takashi-kun.............*sigh*

Tsukamoto Takashi