Bara no nai Hanaya (薔薇のない花屋 -2008)

Starring:
Katori Shingo as Shiomi Eiji
Takeuchi Yuko as Shirato Mio
Shaku Yumiko as Ono Yuki
Matsuda Shota as Kudo Naoya
Motokariya Yuika as Shizuku's mother
Bito Isao as Hirakawa Tatsumi
Terajima Susumu as Shijo Kengo
Ikeuchi Junko as Hishida Keiko
Miura Tomokazu as Anzai Teruo
Yagi Yuki as Shiomi Shizuku
Imai Yuki as Hirota Shogo
Supporting Cast
Aoki Shinsuke (ep1)
Funaki Sachi (舟木幸) (ep1)
Nishiyama Sosuke (ep1)
Sekiya Kento (関谷賢斗) (ep1)
Chijiwa Yoshiyuki (千々和義之) (ep1)
Hanako (はなこ) (ep1,4)
Isono Arisa (磯野光沙) (ep1)
Kawanishi Mizuki (河西泉妃) (ep1)
Matsumoto Hinano (松本妃奈乃) (ep1)
Morimoto Seina (森本聖菜) (ep1)
Abe Ayuha (阿部歩羽) (ep1)
Tada Hikaru (多田煌琉) (ep1)
Kyo Nobuo (ep2)
Minami Yoshiko (南風佳子) (ep2)
Abe Minami (阿部未菜美) (ep2,4,7,10-11)
Ebisawa Kanna (海老沢神菜) (ep2,4,6,10-11)
Ueyama Naomi (上山奈織美) (ep2,4,10-11)
Yonezawa Shiori (米澤史織) (ep2)
Mihara Iona (三原伊織奈) (ep2)
Kawakura Keizo (川倉けいぞう) (ep2)
Yasuoka Nao (安岡直) (ep2)
Kawachi Namie (河内浪江) (ep2)
Yoneda Takuya (米田拓也) (ep2)
Minami Yoshihiro (南好洋) (ep2)
Urushibata Takeyuki (漆畑武征) (ep2)
Mizusawa Shun (水沢駿) (ep2)
Amano Hiroyuki (ep3-4)
Kubota Maki (ep3)
Izumi Takaomi (和泉貴臣) (ep3)
Watanaka Yuzo (渡仲裕蔵) (ep3)
Ninomiya Satoshi (二宮聡) (ep3)
Nishina Akiko (仁科亜季子) as Anzai Kumiko (ep4,8)
Sakamoto Makoto (ep4)
Takaku Chigusa (高久ちぐさ) (ep4)
Mitsunobu (光宣) (ep4)
Yamanashi Hana (山梨ハナ) (ep4-6)
Dangan Jacky (弾丸ジャッキー) (ep4)
Koichi Mantaro as Hayashi Hisanori (ep6-8)
Sueno Takuma (末野卓磨) (ep7)
Tomioka Masafumi (富岡真史) (ep7)
Izutsu Taichi (井筒太一) (ep7)
Tamayama Tetsuji as Kamiyama Shun (ep8-11)
Nakane Toru as Soma Fuyuhiko (ep9,11)
Maeda Ken (前田健) (ep9)
Matsuda Saki (松田沙紀) (ep9)
Shimazaki Nobuo (嶋崎伸夫) (ep9)
Yoshino Yoshiko (よしのよしこ) (ep9)
Goshu (剛州) (ep10)
Nishikawa Yoshiro (西川洋禄) (ep10-11)

Shiomi Eiji is forced to become a single father when his girlfriend passes away while giving birth to their daughter, Shizuku. Desolate after the loss of the woman he loved, Eiji has little time or desire to even consider remarrying, working part-time jobs just to make ends meet. The one thing that gives meaning and joy to his life is Shizuku, but even that begins to trouble him when Shizuku begins acting strange, hiding her face by putting a cloth over her head when around other people.

One day after opening his flower shop, Eiji comes across a blind woman standing by the door, taking shelter from the rain. When he invites her to come inside the shop, she at first refuses, but later gives in to Eiji's kindness. They become intimate friends and she slowly grows to depend on Eiji's sincerity and goodheartedness. After rescuing her a following evening when she walks into the street and is nearly struck by traffic, Eiji himself inexplicably discovers the cold of winter that has saddled his heart all these years slowly melting away...

This was an absolutely, wonderful, exciting, suspensful, fulfilling drama. OMG! Totally loved this. Okay, let's not forget that Shota-kun and my favorite actor of all-time Tetsuji-kun were in it. Some serious eye-candy for me. No joke.

Why, oh why, is my Tetsuji-kun always a bad guy? He sort of redeemed himself at the end but yet......I just wanted to jump through the screen and plant a wet-juicy one on him.

This story was a serious tear jerker with a happy ending. I won't lie....as you all who have read my blog know....I'm a big wuss. LOL!

There were a few parts that were slow but the show never lost its quality. Shota-kun was awesome as the young, immature Baka! I wasn't sure how they could redeem him from his orneryness at the beginning. But, his story came out well in the end. Ahhh.....KOI.

All the characters were well played. I loved them all. Really a truly touching, loving story.

Matsuda Shota

Heaven's Bookstore (Tengoku no honya - koib / 戀火 -2004)

Starring:
Yuko Takeuchi ... Shoko/Natsuko
Tetsuji Tamayama ... Kenta
Karina ... Yui
Hirofumi Arai ... Satoshi
Teruyuki Kagawa ... Takimoto
Yoshio Harada ... Yamaki
Akashi Takei


KENTA (Tetsuji Tamayama), a young pianist who has just lost his job, is drowning his woes at a bar, when he meets a man in a Hawaiian shirt named YAMAKI (Yoshio Harada). He invites Kenta to work with him, and the next thing he knows, Kenta wakes up to find himself in a room he has never been in before. It is a strange room that seems to have no connection to life. He descends a staircase to find many shelves of books. Yamaki appears once again, and tells him that this is Heaven's Book Service and Kenta is going to start working a short-term part-time job here. In addition to selling books, this bookstore, owned by Yamaki, provides a service of reading aloud to customers. Although he is unsure of his new surroundings, Kenta follows their actions and starts to work in his new part-time job.

One day, Kenta meets SHOKO (Yuko Takeuchi) who had been the pianist that was the inspiration for him to first to start playing the piano. She was a gifted pianist whose promising future was destroyed when an accident caused her to have trouble in hearing.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, KANAKO (also by Yuko Takeuchi), the daughter of a Japanese patisserie store, is planning to bring back the fireworks show, which used to be held until 14 years ago. Everyone who watched the fireworks would look forward to the last piece, the "Loving Fireworks." It was told that couples that watch it together would be forever united in true love. However, the fireworks shows were discontinued when TAKIMOTO (Teruyuki Kagawa), a young fireworks technician had an accident that caused his fiancee to lose her hearing, and the tragedy lead him to disappear. The pianist, as it turns out, is Shoko, Kanako's aunt.



Okay, this was my second try at this movie. I watched maybe 15 minutes of the first time and was bored. I came across it again and realized that "Dang it!", Tetsuji-kun (my love) was in this and that I needed to finish it. Just because it bored me at the beginning didn't me it wouldn't pick up, right?

Wrong.

It was still slow...not as boring...but it wasn't heart-poundingly exciting either. There were a few moments of "ahh"ness to it. Yui and the realization of why she was in Heaven. Satoshi falling in love with her. *so sweet!* And then when Yui got to "meet" her brother. *sniff, sniff*

The ending was actually quite predictable so it wasn't like I melted or had to wipe away tears. Nope. It was nice but not awe inspiring. But it was nice to see "watashi no koibito". *sigh* That man has never, ever, ever, ever looked bad....EVER!

The Letters (Tegami / 手紙 -2007)

Starring:
Takayuki Yamada - Naotaka Takeshima
Erika Sawajiri - Yumiko Shirai
Tetsuji Tamayama - Takashi Takeshima
Supporting Roles:
Kazue Fukiishi - Asami Nakajo
Hiroyuki Onoue - Yusuke Terao
Mitsuru Fukikoshi - Tadao Ogata
Mina Hara
Yukijiro Hotaru
Mitsuko Ishii
Morio Kazama - Tadao
Susumu Kobayashi
Sachiko Matsuura
Kazuyuki Matsuzawa
Naoki Sugiura - Hirano
Toshie Takada
Yoji Tanaka - Kurata
Machiko Washio
Tetsuo Yamashita

Brother, how are you? This is my last letter . . .Takayuki Yamada, Tetsuji Tamayama, and Erika Sawajiri star in the blockbuster film "Tegami." Naoki works at a recycling plant on the outskirts of Tokyo, trying to avoid interacting with people to avoid the reputation of his brother who accidently killed a man and went to prison. He's moved countless times, forgotten his dreams, even the lost the love of his life, all because of his brother. The only thing that saved hopeless Naoki was the woman lookin on from the side, Yumiko. Feeling the first happiness in years, he decides to throw off the chains of his brother who continues to send him letters from prison!

I'm still in tears. OMG! I'm going to have headaches all day because I couldn't sleep a wink because of this movie. Yeah, this movie touched me so much that I literally cried myself to sleep last night. This is hands down the best movie ever from Tamayama Tetsuji. This movie affected me personally. How many more tears can I cry? I knew that once I woke up this morning I would write this review but now I'm thinking about it again and once again my tears fall like rain.

This movie should be seen by everyone. It'll touch your soul in more ways than you can imagine. You don't have to be a relative of a convict to feel the emotions that this movie sets forth in motion. But again, I say this, it hit me on a personal level. I for one never thought of what it's like for the person who sits all alone in prison. This movie turned the table on me. I for one feel the pain that MY brother had to go through and why his letters were replied as soon as I sent him one.

Emotionally draining....yes. But this movie puts in perspective what the families of convicts go through and how the motions of that convict change the lives of not the victims families but the convicts families as well. I understand. I get it.

Be a better person and not treat the families as if they are responsible for the convicts actions.....they are only bystanders.

All I can say is......BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!

This movie gets a "A+" for everything. It was perfect in everyway.

Summer Snow (2000)

Starring:
Domoto Tsuyoshi as Shinoda Natsuo
Hirosue Ryoko as Katase Yuki
Imai Tsubasa as Suetsugu Hiroto
Ikewaki Chizuru as Shinoda Chika
Oguri Shun as Shinoda Jun
Nakamura Shunsuke as Tachibana Seiji
Kuninaka Ryoko as Suzuki Misa
Kadono Takuzo as Katase Shogo
Hara Hideko as Sakurai Miyako
Fukuda Mayuko as Chiro-chan
Tamayama Tetsuji as Gang leader (ep6-7)
Tsukamoto Takashi as Gang member (ep2-3,6-7)
Abe Sadao as Chiron-chan's father (ep6)
Ito Takashi

A love story between a young man who has been forced to grow up too quickly, and a young woman with an ailment that has placed restrictions on her life. Natsuo has been looking after his younger brother and sister since the death of their parents. He has also been running the family bicycle shop. Yuki becomes the only person in the world in whom he can confide. For Yuki, Natsuo becomes the catalyst that has her trying to break out of her cocoon. -- KIKU-TV

Okay, I'm going to type this up before adding the cast, synopsis, and pics.

This drama was so wonderful! But......I will never watch this again. I will be crying the rest of the day and all eternity. I had no idea this would turn out just like Heaven's Tree. I had a feeling something was up when they kept hinting about watching out for cars and organ donors. If you don't know what I'm talking about by now.....you must be brain dead. Yeah, I just spoiled the ending. But don't let that bother you because this drama had so many popular faces in it. I was so excited that my toes curled and my blood boiled.

This drama touched on important scenarios in our everyday lives....especially organ donation and teen pregnancy.

The important factoid that was stressed entirely in this drama was to be TRUE TO YOURSELF.

Now I'm a little beefed because this was a Japanese drama and it ended like a Korean one. I was not happy at all but then I was too busy shedding enough tears that I became a human Niagara Falls. Yeah, it was that good of an ending!!!

A definite tear-jerker if your willing to spare the water weight from your body. It'll take days to get over this one. How will I sleep tonight?

Now I shall post pics of guys I haven't posted of before...........shall I?

Imai Tsubasa

Domoto Tsuyoshi

Who Camus Anyway? (Kamyu nante shiranai / カミュなんて知らない -2006)

Starring:
Shuuji Kashiwabara - Matsukawa
Hinano Yoshikawa - Yukari
Ai Maeda - Hisada
Hideo Nakaizumi - Ikeda
Tetsuji Tamayama - Hiroshi Nishiura
Shinnosuke Abe - Motosugi
Meisa Kuroki - Rei
Mitsunori Isaki - Yoshizaki
Tomorowo Taguchi - Oyama
Hirotaro Honda - Professor Nakajo

The story is set on the campus of a university in Tokyo. Students from the literature department's "film workshop" are about to start shooting their movie The Bored Murderer, part of their course curriculum. Everyone is in a rush to prepare for the shoot, but the lead actor drops out suddenly, and the team is forced to search for a replacement at the last minute. Matsukawa, the director, and Hisada, the first assistant, and other members of the team have their own personal problems with life and love, and the story unfolds "just like in the movies". Matsukawa's shallow attitude to his girlfriend, Yukari, and the behavior of the mysterious Ikeda, who is to play the lead role of the schoolboy murderer, add to the confusion of the whole situation. As for the one-time director, now lecturer, professor Nakajo, he is also harboring desires for the female student Rei, whilst hiding behind his calm, supportive exterior. Rei, in turn, has a completely different agenda. Everything comes to a head in an unexpected and tumultuous climax.



This was a freakin' awesome, wiggin' movie! Unbelievably surreal! Totally out of the normal Asian/Japanese genre.

The story was slow but captivating. I felt myself not want to turn away. I was so curious about this movie that really talked about nothing but yet left something with parallels to famous plays and novels from the Europeans and Americans.

Naoki was a jerk but yet his girlfriend was a freakin' weirdo that she probably deserved the way she was treated but yet Naoki probably made her that way. It was like a full circle.

Ikeda was amazing. I think he was the main character than had me captivated. He reminded me of Gackt. LOL! He was a male but dressed and acted a little feminine but yet said he wasn't gay but had given a teacher a blowjob once and only that once. But yet his eyes were captivating that had you wondering if the emotions he portrayed were amazing acting skills or the emotions were real and intense. Man...he was freaking awesome. I want to see more from this dude. I have never heard of him before but, you know me, will set myself on a drama/movie search.

Then the most amazing part out of the whole movie....he wasn't even credited on crunchyroll.com and so I didn't even know he was in the movie until I saw his face and had to do a complete search on this movie to make sure it wasn't an sugoi illusion. My main man, Tetsuji-san, was in this movie. It was a bit part but damn if he wasn't the finest thing next to a Snickers bar. I could eat them both up. *yummmmmmm-oooooooh!* I just loved this surprise. It made this story even better to see that kawaii face! *shivers run down my spine*

Tamayama Tetsuji

Ushi ni Nagai wo: Love & Farm (牛に願いを Love & Farm -2007)

AKA: Wish Upon a Cow: Love & Farm


Starring:
Tamayama Tetsuji as Takashimizu Takashi
Koide Keisuke as Mano Tohei
Nakata Atsuhiko as Wakamatsu Ryuta
Aibu Saki as Fujii Ayaka
Karina as Suenaga Mihoko
Toda Erika as Chiba Kazumi
Tanaka Kei as Ashizaki Katsuya
Arimura Miki as Takashimizu Yuri
Hamada Mari as Tsumura Kyoko
Aijima Kazuyuki as Yoshida Muneyuki
Ichige Yoshie as Ashizaki Fukiko
Kohinata Fumiyo as Teranishi Yutaro
Osugi Ren as Takashimizu Hiroki
Asaka Mayumi
Nakajima Tomoko as Miyamoto Natsumi
Nakamura Shido as Kato Akira
Fujimoto Shizuka
Kanai Yuta
Kurita Yoko
Tachibana Ayano (ep01)
Hiraizumi Sei (ep04)
Oka Mayumi

Six agriculture students travel north to Hokkaido for first-hand training and experience in a farm setting. The story focuses not only on their daily life and their growth as young men and women, but also on the economic situation in the region, which received national attention earlier this year when the national government cut off aid to the struggling city of Yubari. -- Tokyograph

This was suprisingly a very, very good drama. I cried a few times during some of the episodes. I laughed at their simple but sweet comedic moments.

Tamayama Tetsuji has done it again! I'm so in love with this guy. He's amazingly versatile. I would never have thought he would play a dairy farmer. What was so amazing was...he seemed in his element milking cows and helping birth a calf. OMG! He stuck his hand up in there. I'm pretty sure that was a real cow!!!

All the players were wonderful. Koide Keisuke is amazing always when he plays the sweet, shy, naive characters. He's very comfortable as an actor.

I'm always telling everyone I know....Japanese (mainly) dramas have metaphors of life. They teach and believe in the way of living. I really like these most. I don't feel drained after a drama. So I smile as I type this because this drama believed in the symbolism of family and the live of a dairy farmer that are becoming extinct.

A definite must see......................

Season of Snow (Silver Season) (Giniro no season/銀色のシーズン -2008)

Starring:
Eita - Gun Shiroyama
Rena Tanaka - Nanami Ayase
Tetsuji Tamayama - Yuji Kobato
Munetaka Aoki - Jiro Kaminuma
Eriko Sato - Erika Kitazawa
Tetta Sugimoto - Tokoaki Miyabe
Jun Kunimura - Masayuki Seto
Ellie Toyota

A struggling town in the Japanese Alps finds itself in a desperate search for tourists to its publicly-run ski resort. Unable to compete with the swank resort on the other side of the mountain, local officials and inn owners have struck upon an idea to offer a wedding-and-ski package, complete with a wedding ceremony at a charming snow chapel they have built on the mountainside. The town welcomes its first customer in the beautiful Nanami Ayase (Rena Tanaka) who has arrived ahead of her fiance so she can learn to ski down the ceremonial “rice shower” slope without falling. The townsfolk’s biggest concern, however, lies with three young down-and-out local skiers who constantly disrupt life in the town with their skiing antics and shady schemes to wring money out of unsuspecting visitors. One of them is Gin Shiroyama, a former world class mogul champ who was the local hero until a terrible spill effectively ended his career. Feeling guilty for the tremendous pressure they placed on him, the townspeople have chosen to leave Gin alone, letting him get away with anything. But they’re quickly running out of patience. When Nanami hires Gin as her skiing instructor, it sets into motion a snowballing chain of events that could change everyone’s future for the better, if it doesn’t bury the town first.



OMG! Can I be any happier today?



I just downloaded the torrent for this movie. Okay, I'm a little illiterate when it comes to bittorrents but I finally figured out how to make the English subtitles prevail! Woohoo!



First off.....my Tetsuji-san and Eita-san were in this. Eye candy! Oh heck yes! Picture in your head....a naked Eita sitting on a shower bench. Oh yeah! There was that...........



I wasn't all that thrilled with the romance thing that happened in the movie. I thought this would be more on the skiing than love. Oh well. I was hoping for more competition than anything else. And.....they didn't go into detail with Tetsuji-san's character as to why he quit the Hokkaido All-Stars team. I was hoping for a competition with him in that. *sigh*



But on the upbeat....the views were spectacular. It was filmed in Canada even though they gave the impression it was in Japan. The cast was great. It was just the script that could have been better. Less mushy and more skiing. The very beginning was sooooooo coooooool! I can't explain it but just imagine them do x-games type stuff. I guess that is what had me believe the story would be more about that.



The metaphor for this story is......never look down, look straight ahead. If you fall down, get back up and try again. That is the gist of this story. Never quit, never say die, never stop but finish it to the end...............


Eita


Tamayama Tetsuji

Casshern (キャシャーン, Kyashān-2004)

Starring:
Yusuke Iseya - Tetsuya Azuma/Casshern
Kumiko Aso - Luna Kozuki
Akira Terao - Dr. Kotaro Azuma
Kanako Higuchi - Midori Azuma
Fumiyo Kohinata - Dr. Kozuki
Hiroyuki Miyasako - Akubon
Mayumi Sada - Sagurê
Jun Kaname - Barashin
Hidetoshi Nishijima - Lieutenant Colonel Kamijo
Mitsuhiro Oikawa - Kaoru Naito
Susumu Terajima - Sakamoto
Mayu Tsuruta - Burai's wife
Ryo - San Ikegami
Tetsuji Tamayama - Sekiguchi
Yoko Moriguchi - Luna's mother
Miku Sato

Casshern is based on a Japanese TV-series. In it, the viewer is transported into the future where they world has just seen a big war between an army from the East and an army from Europe. The East won, even though there are still rebellious factions that try to overthrow the government. The war has ravaged the world, and more than ever there is a need for peace and harmony. A scientist is conducting research into a new technology, that can rejuvante bodies and make mankind feel more alive again. The government is not interested in this technology, since they fear it could endanger their position, and the scientist is forced to work together with a sinister organization. As you can probably guess, something goes wrong and before you know it a group of all-powerful superhumans roam the planet, intent on destroying everything and everybody, so that they can rebuild the planet from the ground up.
Enter Casshern, the son of the scientist responsible for these problems. He had died during the war, but his body came back to life in the same way the superhumans did. He gets a special super-armor in order to fight the superhumans and battle commences, especially when he discovers that the superhumans are for some reason holding his mother hostage.


Hmm? I bought this and finally watched it. I have to say there are some fansubbers out there who would do a way better job than this professional junk. LOL!

This movie is for an appreciating taste. This movie left me with a headache. It was good......for some people. I couldn't really get into it. I really tried but about found myself going to sleep. My oldest son seemed to like it.....I think.

Lots of action. Very, very, very fast paced. I think that is what made my head spin. I couldn't seem to catch up. There was tooooooo much going on and the story didn't seem like it was being held together. Something wasn't right with this movie.

This was Frankenstein meets Star Wars meets Tron. The visual effects didn't help one bit. I think that was bit of a distraction too. It was dark and the color red was prominent. This was a Japanese movie....the effects should have been over par. They weren't. Where was George Lucas when they needed him?

There was definite eye candy. Tetsuji-san only had a bit part. Ugh! He was dead in about 30 minutes of the movie. Damn!

Iseya Yusuke


Kaname Jun


Tamayama Tetsuji

Pray (Purei/プレイ-2005)

Starring:
Katsuya Kobayashi
Fumiyo Kohinata
Sanae Miyata
Asami Mizukawa - Maki
Mitsuyoshi Shinoda - Yasuda
Tetsuji Tamayama - Mitsuru
Toshiyuki Toyonaga - Shima

Mitsuru and his girlfriend Maki are down on their luck with nothing left to lose. In a last ditch effort to scrape up some cash, they decide to kidnap a school girl and ransom her to her parents. They hide out in an abandoned elementary school, and everything is going fine.

Until the girl runs off and the parents claim their daughter died a year ago. They're not going to pay.

Then Mitsuru's ne'er-do-well friends show up, and the fun really starts. They're meaner, tougher, and more desperate than Mitsuru. And since the ransom plan is off, they begin devising other things to do with the poor school girl.

This trailer has two. The first is the trailer to Pray (Purei).
This movie was a little creepy. I had to have my son watch it with me. It wasn't scary to him. I'm a wuss. Remember that. I'll admit, I squeaked a few times. I'll admit, that I closed my eyes a few times. But in all, it wasn't SCARY. Like I said it was CREEPY.

I had to watch this because one of my favorite Japanese actors was in this. I'll watch any movie he is in...and that includes horrors. Tetsuji-san never let me down. That man rocks. I know there is a lot of you who are in agreement with me. LOL! *sigh* *toes curling*

Okay, there was a weepy moment at the end. Of course, my son who is watching this movie with me is giggling because his mother is sniffling and all teary-eyed. I can't help it.

This movie is quite slow. Some might say even boring. Stick with it. Revelations abound at the end. Whew!

Enjoy!

Tamayama Tetsuji

*goosebumps all over*

Rockers (2003)

Rockers

I want this movie so bad....God in Heaven help me!! It has my Tamaki Hiroshi (my first love), Tamayam Tetsuji, and Sato Ryuta. Aaaaaagh! It's no longer published and hard to find. I neeeeeeeed this movie!

NANA (2005) and NANA 2 (2006)

(2005)
Mika Nakashima ... Nana Osaki
Aoi Miyazaki ... Nana Komatsu
Hiroki Narimiya ... Nobuo Terashima
Ken'ichi Matsuyama ... Shin
Saeko ... Sachiko
Yuna Ito ... Reira Serizawa
Momosuke Mizutani ... Naoki
Anna Nose ... Jyunko
Takehisa Takayama ... Kyosuke
Tomoki Maruyama ... Yasu
Tetsuji Tamayama ... Takumi
Ryuhei Matsuda ... Ren Honjou
Yuta Hiraoka ... Shoji Endo

Nana Osaki is a punk singer who wants to debut with her band as soon as possible to leave her ex-boyfriend, Ren Honjo, behind. Nana was the lead vocalist in their old band with Ren, and they lived together as lovers. When Ren is offered a chance to debut in Tokyo as a replacement member of the popular band Trapnest (T-Nest for short), Nana chooses to cultivate her own band, Black Stones (BlaSt for short) instead.

Nana Komatsu, the other Nana, is called Hachi (after Hachikō) as she has weak mental characteristics that resemble a puppy. With a habit of falling in love at first sight, Hachi has always depended on other people to help her. When her friends and then boyfriend leave for Tokyo, she decides to join them a year later after having saved enough money.

Nana and Hachi meet in a train by chance, both on their way to Tokyo. After a string of coincidences, they come to live together in an apartment numbered 707. Despite having contrasting characters and ideals, the Nanas like and respect each other.

While the Black Stones begin to gain popularity at live gigs, other issues need resolving, especially in the areas of romance. The story of Nana revolves heavily on the romance and relationships of the two characters as one seeks fame and recognition while the other seeks love and happiness.

I loved, loved, loved this movie. Matsuda Ryuhei was perfect as Ren. Nakashima Mika was perfect (and looked just like the manga version) as Nana. I loved the complexity and the sexiness between them both. Such a serious aspect for youth at that age. You could actually feel the tumultuous relationship between the two. Ahh! The train scene had me bawling like a big baby.

Miyazaki Aoi was the pefect assignment as the character for Hachiko. There was actually a time I wanted to beat the living daylights out of Shoji for treating Hachiko the way he did. Miyazaki's portrayal of Hachi was spot on while showing her quirky, naive side. That "oh so" innocent face was just perfect!

This was an A+ movie all the way.


(2006)
Mika Nakashima ... Nana Osaki
Yui Ichikawa ... Nana Komatsu
Kanata Hongo ... Shin
Yuna Ito ... Reira
Nobuo Kyo ... Ren
Tomoki Maruyama ... Yasu
Momosuke Mizutani ... Naoki
Hiroki Narimiya ... Nobu
Anna Nose ... Junko Saotome
Takehisa Takayama ... Kyosuke
Tetsuji Tamayama ... Takumi
Seminosuke Murasugi
Tetsuhiro Ikeda
Yasuhi Nakamura

Taking place shortly after the end of the first film, Nana 2 focuses more on Komatsu Nana (Hachi/Hachiko)and her love life. Romance develops between Hachi and TRAPNEST's bassist Takumi as well as with the Black Stones' guitarist Nobu. Meanwhile, Nana works hard for her band while trying to find happiness. Both girls struggle through life, and try to keep their friendship from falling apart. More information on the story at Nana.

The flipside.....of NANA 2 sucked. I was looking forward to the relationship scenario of Hachiko with Takumi. Well, first of all......Matsuda, Matsuyama and Miyazaki.......didn't reprise their roles. That was a definite minus since their parts were perfect for them. This movie went so downhill it's not even funny. Miyazaki's replacement was lost in translation. I love Kanata Hongo as Ryoma in Prince of Tennis but as a rock-n-roll bassist.....ugh! He was not even close to being right for the part. He was too young, too innocent, too something. Nobuo Kyo was believable as Ren but Matsuda played it better. The only good thing about this movie was Tamayama Tetsuji. I love this man and his part as Takumi couldn't have been played any better.

This movie isn't really worth watching other than drooling over TT. If you are a TT fan...go for it!!!

Tamayama Tetsuji


Matsuyama Ken'ichi


Matsuda Ryuhei