Yasuko to Kenji ( ヤスコとケンジ -2008)

Starring:
Matsuoka Masahiro as Oki Kenji
Hirosue Ryoko as Tsubaki Erika
Tabe Mikako as Oki Yasuko
Yagi Yuki as young Yasuko
Okura Tadayoshi as Tsubaki Jun
Yamaguchi Sayaka as Miyazono Kaori
Uchiyama Shinji as Mosu
Watabe Gota as Ajidasu
Higashi Ayu (東亜優) as Aki
Egashira Yui (江頭由衣) as Chisato
Kojima Haruna as Shingyoji Hiyoko
Nishida Natsumi (西田奈津美) as Rumi
Matsumoto Kana as Ayame
RIKIYA as Aota
HIRO as Akagawa
Shima Daisuke as Shibuya Masaru
Sakurai Atsuko as Hoshikawa Yukiko
Guests:
Sumita Takashi (住田隆) as Yasuko's class adviser (ep1-4)
Mochida Masayo (持田雅代) (ep1-5)
Fuse Hiroshi (ep1-7)
Yoza Eriku (与座重理久) (ep1)
Imamura Hirotsugu (今村浩継) (ep1)
Hiranuma Naruki (平沼成基) (ep1)
Tonaka Yuzo (渡仲裕蔵) (ep1)
Minai Satoshi (薬袋智史) (ep1)
Akashi Teppei (明石鉄平) (ep1)
Imakuni Masahiko (今國雅彦) (ep1)
Tanimoto Toru (谷本徹) (ep1)
Kataoka Tomie (片岡富江) (ep1)
Sato Yuji (佐藤佑四) (ep1)
Okubo Kazuma (大久保一麻 ) (ep1)
Inoue Chika (井上知香) (ep1)
Asada Yoriko (浅田よりこ) (ep1,3-4)
Ito Seika (伊藤聖夏) (ep1,3-4)
Okazaki Asako (岡崎亜紗子) (ep1,3-4)
Sasaoka Akari (笹丘明里) as Mizuki (ep1,3-4)
Kurihara Yurika (栗原夕梨花) (ep1,3-4)
Tokuta Kimika (徳田公華) (ep1,3-4)
Haruki Hiromi (春季ひろみ) (ep1,3-4)
Henmi Rena (辺見玲菜) (ep1,3-4)
Honma Risa (本間理紗) as Mao (ep1,3-4)
Mika (美華) (ep1,3-4)
Mukaino Mio (向野澪) (ep1,3-4)
Yamauchi Emiri (山内映美莉) as Yuriko (ep1,3-4)
Fujisaki Ran (藤咲らん) (ep1,3-4)
Yamazaki Nonoka (山崎野々華) (ep1,3-4)
Hirakawa Kentaro (平川健太郎) (ep1)
Kobayashi Kinako (ep2-3)
Tsuji Tatsuya (辻龍也) (ep2)
Ijima Hirokazu (飯島浩和) (ep2)
Yamaguchi Miki (山口幹) (ep2)
Serizawa Shigeo (芹澤新元祐) (ep2)
Takahashi Tomoya (高橋友也) (ep2)
Tamori Tatsumi (田盛辰実) (ep2)
Nagata Toshiki (永田俊樹) (ep2)
Watanabe Kankuro (渡邊寛久郎) (ep2)
Kubo Masatoshi (窪正寿) (ep2)
Akio (晃生) (ep2)
Tsunoda Akihiko (角田昭彦) (ep2)
Shimamura Shoji (嶋村昇次) (ep2)
Koyama Hironori (小山紘徳) (ep2)
Shindo Hiroshi (進藤浩志) (ep2)
Yamamura Hidekatsu (山村秀勝) (ep2,6)
Sato Eriko as Ai (ep3)
Oura Ryuichi (ep3)
Takahashi Keiko as Moriguchi Fumie (ep3)
Tani Ryuji (谷隆次) (ep3)
Naito Koji (内藤浩次) (ep3)
Nakazono Mitsuhiro (中薗光博) (ep3)
Kato Masaki (加藤マサキ) (ep3)
Tsumura Masayuki (津村雅之) (ep3)
Oka Kenji (岡憲治) (ep3)
Fukuda Takeshi (福田武史) (ep3)
Kato Teruo (加藤照男) (ep3)
Nihei Koichi (二瓶鮫一) (ep4)
Kataoka Tomie (片岡富枝) (ep4)
Watanabe Michiko (渡辺道子) (ep4)
Yasuda Shota as Yamada Mikio (ep5)
Anan Kenji as the doctor (ep5)
Endo Kaname (遠藤要) as Mikio's friend (ep5)
Minami Shuhei (南周平) (ep5)
Sato Yutaka (佐藤裕) (ep5)
Tamura Saburo (田村三郎) (ep5)
Tamura Shunsuke (田村駿介) (ep5)
Kameda Keita (亀田啓太) (ep5)
Kikuchi Takashi (菊池隆) (ep5)
Morita Ryu (森田龍) (ep5)
Nakamura Yuuichi (中村裕一) (ep5)
The Touch (ザ・たっち) (ep6-7)
Takuma Takayuki (ep6)
Ito Koji (偉藤厚次) (ep6)
Asami Kazutoshi (浅見和俊) (ep6)
Okura Hiroya (大倉弘也) (ep6)
Katou Hiroaki (加藤宏章) (ep6)
Kono Fumio (河野文雄) (ep6)
Hoshina Koji (保科光志) (ep6)
Sato Hiroaki (佐藤博秋) (ep6)
Hongo Ryo (北郷良) (ep6)
Yamada Kenichi (山田顕一) (ep6)
Kaji Takeshi (梶武志) (ep6)
Ogi Shigemitsu (ep7)

TOKIO's Masahiro Matsuoka will star in a new NTV drama series called "Yasuko to Kenji." It is based on a comical manga by artist Aruko that was serialized in Bessatsu Margaret between April 2005 and November 2006.
The show focuses on a man named Kenji and his younger sister Yasuko, whose parents died in an accident 10 years earlier. Kenji was once the leader of a gang, but in order to support him and his sister, he began making a living as a shojo mangaka. His character normally wears glasses and appears to be a gentle guy, but he throws off his glasses and reverts to his violent side whenever he tries to protect Yasuko from danger. Part of the story follows Yasuko's romance with an intelligent and good-looking man named Jun Tsubaki. Jun's older sister Erika now runs a flower shop, but Erika was once a leader of a female gang, and she used to be in love with Kenji during those days. --Tokyograph

This was a delightful...I mean it seriously...DELIGHTFUL drama! This had all the perfect elements to make this a hit. I seriously fell in love with this the first second I tuned in. Drama, comedy, romance, fighting, and serious manga-esque visualizations.

Tabe Mikako was brilliantly cast as the young sister, Yasuko. Okay, I wasn't overly sure of the character of Kenji but eventually understood why he was cast. He had me laughing so hard. Those facial expressions were a freakin' riot.

Having seen Hirosue Ryoko before, I knew she would be wonderful. I've liked her in many a drama. She was too cute as the wannabe girlfriend of Kenji. Gosh! I can't really say enough about this brilliant comedy. I was seriously in tears the last episode. I wasn't expecting the letter that Yasuko read about her brother. Geez, I was seriously all teary eyed. I didn't want this drama to end because it was just too good.

Damn! All my favorite dramas are coming to an end. What am I going to do this Fall season? Shoot me in the head because I'm beginning to get bored from nothing to watch now. Come on new season.....start me up!!

And for all you Kanjani8 fans....look below.............

Okura Tadayoshi

Ummm.......WHOA!!!

Yamada Taro Monogatari (山田太郎ものがたり -2007)

Starring:
Ninomiya Kazunari as Yamada Taro
Sakurai Sho as Mimura Takuya
Kikuchi Momoko as Yamada Ayako
Matsuoka Mitsuru as Yamada Kazuo
Oshinari Shugo as Sugiura Keichi
Fukiishi Kazue as Torii Kyoko
Otsuka Chihiro as Nakai Masami
Shibata Rie as Ikegami Maria
Musaka Naomasa as Ikegami Ryunosuke
Tabe Mikako as Ikegami Takako
Utsui Ken as Ichinomiya
Yoshizawa Hisashi as Ehara Makoto
Fukui Hiroaki as Osaki Shinosuke
Yamada Shintaro as Ando Masaki
Kojima Haruna as Usui Kotone
Takahashi Ryosuke as Okubo Shin
Ogata Sayaka as Kashiwagi Honoka
Yarita Akihiro (鎗田晟裕) as Yamada Jiro
Shimizu Naoya (清水尚弥) as Yamada Saburo
Muranaka Haruna (村中暖奈) as Yamada Yoshiko
Yoshida Riko as Yamada Itsuko
Shibuya Takeru as Yamada Mutsumi
Ayata Toshiki (綾田俊樹) as Isogai Shitsuji
Maro Akaji as Mimura Hijirichi
Nishida Naomi as Mimura Tsuyuko
Mizukawa Asami as Kotani
Yoshiyuki Kazuko as Ume
Ohno Satoshi (ep10)
Nekoze Tsubaki as House maid
Hankai Kazuaki (ep10)

Yamada Taro, a freshman on a scholarship at Ichinomiya Private Senior High School, is high-achieving, strikingly handsome, and truly athletic and seems perfect. But he is actually extremely poor. The story humorously portrays Taro, who tackles problems that occur because of his poverty, and his six younger brothers and sisters. --TBS

This was a cute drama. The first few episodes got me hooked. I loved the way it was set up to teach values that money isn't everything. Yeah, it's nice to have but it doesn't bring you all the happiness in the world.

Family. Yeah, that is where it is at.

But this was all fantasy. I can't think of any instance in real life that we would just give up a perfectly good mansion given freely. I understood the anxiety that Taro faced but I had gotten the impression that the smiles on the kids' faces was all that mattered.

I couldn't understand why his mother didn't work. Weak, they said. Whatever. She could work from home. Leaving all the hard work for Taro, a boy of 17-18, to deal with parental issues was unfair. That really bothered me. While the father traveled around the world, the mother didn't work, and Taro going to school, working, and maintaining the family. Something was wrong in this story.

I know they tried to make the family values, pride and morals come to life....and they did a good job of it.....but it was just hard to see any type of real issue.

Okay, I cried at the end. The kids were sooooo sweet and innocent and they tried to help out their big brother. I, for one, finally saw something that showed a human side in this family. The parents couldn't face up to it but the young kids saw the need to be equal in the household. Go Kids!!

I know I sound uncertain of this show. It had it's definite good points and bad points but I faced this show as a fantasy rather than reality and liked what I saw.

Oh, and did they beef up Ninomiya-kun later on because in the drama he seemed sort of dorkish but this same year he made Tokyo Tower with Jun-kun and he was looking rather hot! What gives?

And might I say that Sakurai Sho I think is my favorite Arashi member. He was just too cool for school.....hehe!

Sakurai Sho

Ummm? Hello baby!!!!

Way of Blue Sky (Aozoranoyukue/青空のゆくえ -2005)

Starring:
Ryo Hashidume - Shinji Yajima
Mei Kurokawa - Alisa Takahashi
Maki Meguro
Rikiya Mifune - Katsuya Yamashita
Ayaka Morita - Yumi Hayami
Takuya Nakayama - Masaki Takahashi
Aki Nishihara - Takako Ichida
Kazunori Sasaki - Yudai Sugihara
Mikako Tabe - Haruna Kawahara
Saya Yuki - Takako Suzuki

Masaki (Takuya Nakayama) is about to move to the U.S. with his parents, much to the dismay of five girls who all like him in different ways. Tomboyish Takako (Saya Yuki) always gives him a hard time; Haruna (Mikako Tabe) is a childhood friend; Alisa (child star Mei Kurokawa) has fancied him since a shopping trip in nearby Shibuya; Naoko (Aki Nishihara) is still readjusting after a long spell in the U.K.; and Yumi (Ayaka Morita, best of all) likes practicing basketball with him at night. All wonder who's his "special" girl, but Masaki isn't saying.

This movie was boooooooooring. I'm surprised I watched the thing. I guess I was hoping for too much. I really felt that since it was sloooooow that it would eventually pick up. I also felt the story was leading to somewhere that is why I hung on till the end.

I will say this much.....we never find out who Masaki really liked. And there was a subplot also that had me wondering when they would disclose the secret to that. Masaki and Haruna had another childhood friend, Shinji. We don't know why they parted but it had something to do with Masaki not "fighting".

This movie just left too much loose ends that left too many holes. No substance. Lots of picture taking, basketball shooting, and text messaging which took up most of this moving. Such a drag.

The part where they have a "send-off" party for Masaki was sweet though. Even had said all the above did make me emotional because I do know what it's like to lose friends from moving great distances. That really touched me when they did that. The time capsule thing too. That was the only part of the whole movie that, I thought, was worthwhile.