Tiger and Dragon (タイガー＆ドラゴン -2005)

Starring:
Nagase Tomoya as Yamazaki Kotora / Hayashiyatei Kotora / Tora / Toraji / Toravolta
Okada Junichi as Yanaka Ryuji / Hayashiyatei Kotatsu
Ito Misaki as Megumi
Nishida Toshiyuki as Yanaka Shoukichi / Hayashiatei Donbei / Shishou / Don-chan
Shoufukutei Tsurube as Nakatani Ken / Ken-chan (Shinjuku RyuseIkai Kumicho)
Tsukamoto Takashi as Nakatani Ginjiro / Gin-gin
Takuma Takayuki as Hyuuga Jun
Gin Pun Chou as Yanaka Sayuri
Abe Sadao as Yanaka Ryuhei / Hayashiyatei Donta
Nekoze Tsubaki as Yanaka Tsuruko
Shunputei Shota as Hayashiyatei Donkichi
Hoshino Gen as Hayashiyatei Dontsuku
Fukami Motoki as Hayashiyatei Donburi
Asari Yosuke as Murata Susumu / Hayashiyatei Udon
Aoi Yu as Risa
Kiritani Kenta as Chibi T / Takeshi-kun
Arakawa Yoshiyoshi as Awashima Yukio / "Jumptei Jump"
Omi Toshinori as Ta-chan (Soba Shop owner / Rakugo Fanatic)
Hankai Kazuaki as Hanzou (Oden Stand Owner / Rakugo Fanatic)
Matsumoto Jun as Yoshiko
Itou Shuuko (伊藤修子) as Nakatani Shizuka
Emoto Karin (江本花琳) as Yanaka Saya
Horaguchi Shinya (洞口信也) as Manabu
Hiroishi Keiichi (廣石恵一) as Kariya
Koumoto Junichi as Liu-san
Fukazawa Atsushi

Guests
Hiroshi (ヒロシ) as Death Kiyoshi (Sp&ep7)
Sugawara Daikichi (菅原大吉) as Tamotsu (Sp&10)
Oomori Nao as BOSS Kataoka (ep3)
Takada Fumio (高田文夫) as Takadatei Babahiko (ep3,7,10&11)
Morishita Aiko as Mizukoshi Koharu (ep4&11)
Furuta Arata as Maruo (ep5)
Shimizu Michiko as Marimo (ep5)
Yakushimaru Hiroko as Shiraishi Katsuko (ep6)
Kohinata Fumiyo as Yanagitei Koshin (ep7)
Takaoka Sousuke as Kaneko (ep8)
Kitamura Kazuki as Tanabe Yasuo (ep8,9,11)
Ino Manabu (猪野学) as Tetsuya (ep9)
Shoji Yusuke (少路勇介) as Yasuji (ep9)
Hashimoto Jun as Kaji Rikio (ep9-11)

The tale of Tiger & Dragon revolves around Rakugo, a traditional form of Japanese comedy that can look back on an impressive 400 year long history. Nagase portrays the Yakuza follower Toraji who goes to a Rakugo performer to collect debts, while Okada plays Ryuji a talented Rakugo player who wants to leave behind the old fashioned world of Rakugo for good. Shortly afterwards these two very different characters happen to cross paths through a girl named Megumi and that's when all the real trouble starts igniting.

Wow! This drama was so confusing. It's overly fast-paced. The first episode should have clued me in right there because it took me a couple of tries to watch this.

I'm not saying this show was bad but hard to keep up with. It would throw you into the Rakugo stories and then the "reality" stories and you would have to fend for yourself to figure out the show.

The show's actors were superb! Why I haven't fallen in love with Okada Junichi until now....I don't know. And Nagase Tomoya must love the "yakuza" characters he plays because he fits into those parts so well. LOL! And let's not forget the cute Tsukamoto Takashi. So I stuck in there with this drama because the eye candy was delectable.

I don't recommend this show for everyone even though there were some moments that were so funny. Again, its fact paced and the dialogue can be quick. So some jokes it took a while to catch on too. Some of the Rakugo was even lame...or maybe it's because the story was lost in translation. Literally. I know sometimes it's hard for translaters to do. So I'm not "beefing" on them. Just some words can't be translated to or from the Japanese language.

Well, it was entertaining in its own right, if you could get past the Rakugo, but that's hard since the show revolved around that entirely. Ahh well. To each his own. I'm posting pics of more eye candy any way................................................

Okada Junichi


Nagase Tomoya

My Boss, My Hero (マイ★ボス マイ★ヒーロー -2006)

Starring:
Nagase Tomoya as Sakaki Makio
Tegoshi Yuya as Sakurakoji Jun
Tanaka Koki as Manabe Kazuya
Aragaki Yui as Umemura Hikari
Murakawa Eri as Hagiwara Saki
Kikawada Masaya as Sakaki Mikio
Osugi Ren as Kuroi Teruyuki
Ichimura Masachika as Sakaki Kiichi

Class of 3A
Wakaba Ryuya as Hoshino Rikuo
Mori Ren as Yasuhara Tadashi
Adachi Osamu as Maki Shinichi
Sato Chiaki as Okumoto Yukino
Hirota Masahiro as Suwabe Yuki
Sato Takahiro as Ibuki Kazuma
Shibuya Asami as Mita Makoto
Horan Chiaki as Tendo Yukari
Iriyama Noriko as Tanaka Rumi
Ito Miki as Nishina Hiroko
Kakiuchi Ayami as Ozawa Kaori
Naka Riisa as Chiba Akane
Chen Qu as Fei Lin
Takeda Kouhei as Hiratsuka Ryusuke
Shibuya Momoko as Tsuboi Mio
Matsunaga Kanami (松永かなみ) as Yuki Akemi
Ito Kimitoshi (伊藤公俊) as Takarada Teruhisa
Honma Haruo (本間春男) as Yoshimura Hironobu
Nishino Shigeto (西野成人) as Hayasaka Masato
Nogami Saori (野上沙織) as Minowa Yuki
Shinohara Takafumi (篠原孝文) as Aoki Mamoru
Souma Yukimi (相馬有紀実) as Saotome Yui
Tanaka Yasuhiro (田中泰宏) as Sekawa Tamotsu

St. Agnes Academy Faculty
Iwaki Koichi as Minami Takayuki
Kashii Yu as Minami Yuriko
Motai Masako as Mizushima Tsubaki
Minemura Rie (峯村リエ) as Akutagawa Yoshimi
Morishita Tetsuo as Kajiyama Ryosuke
Tanaka Yoji as Kikushima Tetsuya
Nakamura Yasuhi as Ota Osamu
Ozaki Usoh (尾崎右宗) as Urushibara Hideki
Rob Anderson (ロブ・アンダーソン) as Paul

Kanto Eigekai
Murakami Fuyuki (村上冬樹) as Ji
Cho Minwa (趙珉和) as Ryu
Takashima Hiroyuki (高嶋宏行) as Tetsu
Kagami Takeomi (加賀美剛臣) as Toshi

Others
Maruyama Tomomi as Kumada Katsumi
Ishibashi Renji as Yazaki Tojuro
Follow this link for list of guests

Sakaki Makio, also known as "Tornado" is a tough 27-year-old high school drop-out. By academic standards, he's pretty dumb. His father decides to force Makio to return to high school to receive his diploma and he asks an old friend who happens to be the principal of a nearby school to admit Makio. If Makio doesn't graduate, the position of boss will be given to his younger brother, Mikio.

Furthermore, he must pose as a 17-year-old during school hours and in the presence of any classmates or teachers outside of school. If his cover is blown, it would be the end of his high school career as well as his hopes to become boss. Things start out rough and tough as Makio's violent temper is tested. As the lessons and days go by he learns there is much more to school than just tests and studying.

OMG! This is like the best drama ever! Well, comedic/drama ever! I've never laughed so damn hard in my life. Nagase Tomoya was made for the part of Sakaki Makio "Makki". I should have watched this first....way before I watched the Korean remake movies of the same name. The Korean movie version didn't do this show justice.

I laughed so hard, no lie, 'bout peed myself with tears coming out of my eyes. OMG! The pudding episodes.....a laughing masterpiece. What is so great about that damn pudding? (Actually it looked like flan to me...but I guess it's all the same.)

Yeah, this weeping willow had some moments at the end that had me boo-hooing into the back of my left hand as my right wiped tears off my face.

I'm now an official fan of the Nagase Tomoya fan club. Hear me ROAR!

Nagase Tomoya


Tegoshi Yuya


Tanaka Koki


Wakaba Ryuya