The Prince of Tennis (2006)

Starring:
Kanata Hongo - Ryoma Echizen
Yuu Shirota - Kunimitsu Tezuka
Hiroki Aiba - Syuusuke Fuji
Hiroki Suzuki - Syuuichiro Oishi
Masato Wada - Sengoku Kiyosumi
Osamu Adachi - Eiji Kikumaru
Hirofumi Araki - Sadaharu Inui
Yoshikazu Kotani - Takashi Kawamura
Masaki Kaji - Takeshi Momoshiro
Kousuke Kujirai - Kaoru Kaidoh
Ryuuji Sainei - Keigo Atobe
Rikiya - Egate Mcleod Higaki
Goro Kishitani - Nanjiroh Echizen
Hitomi Shimatani - Sumire Ryuuzaki
Sayuri Iwata - Shion Higaki
Kouji Date - Choutarou Ohtori
Tokio Emoto - Gakuto Mukahi
Genki Ishii - Jirou Akutagawa
Daiki Nakae - Yuushi Oshitari
Junpei Suzuki - Shishido Ryou
Kazutoshi Yamakawa - Munehiro Kabaji
Yasuka Saito - Shinji Ibu
Yuuki Fujiwara - Akira Kamio
Daiki Sano - Aoi Kentarou
Eiji Moriyama - Genichirou Sanada
Juri - Hikaru Amane
Mitsuyoshi Shinoda - Sasabe
Kenta Kamakari - Sasabe's friend #1
Takashi Nagayama - Sasabe's friend #2
Yusuke Ishibashi - Referee
Shun Takagi - Masaya Sakurai
Ruito Aoyagi - Bystander
Ryou Washimi - Bystander
Takumi Saito - Bystander

Kanata Hongo stars as tennis prodigy Echizen Ryoma who, after winning four consecutive victories in the USA, is brought back to Japan by his father and enrolled in the prestigious Seishun Academy Middle School, famous for its tennis team.

Ryoma soon finds himself the only first-year on the school team, playing alongside school captain and national player Tezuka Kunimitsu, cool-headed Oishi Syuichirou and the acrobatic Kikamura Eiji. He also attracts the attentions of Higaki Shioin, a strange and quiet girl who watches him attentively from the bleachers. Can Ryoma successfully juggle sports, school, girls and life in a new country to earn the title Prince Of Tennis?



This is my second time to watch this. I really wanted a refresher course but maybe I should have rewatched the anime's instead since they are more closer to the manga than anything else.

I'm not saying this is a bad movie. Not at all. It's just hard to fit a year's worth of manga into two hours. They did their best. It was fun to watch but if you have read the manga and watched the animes...well, this would be a disappointment. Luckily, I saw this first before anything else. So I wasn't a wee bit angry. And I'm still not.

I hope they make a PoT 2. They need to finish the manga out....even if we have to have a 3rd movie. They pulled a 3rd Deathnote out of their asses...they can do the same for PoT.

I love the manga/anime series so much! I hated the fact that it ended. I, actually, balled like a baby. I was a blubbering idiot. Yeah, I know you're laughing. *Ha-Ha*

Tantei Gakuen Q (2007)

Starring:
Kamiki Ryunosuke as Kyuu
Shida Mirai as Megu
Yamada Ryosuke as Ryuu
Kaname Jun as Kinta
Jinnai Takanori as Morihiko Dan
Wakaba Katsumi as Kazuma
Okunuki Kaoru as Miss Yurie
Yamamoto Taro as Nanami Kotaro
Suzuki Kazuma as Kerberos
Hoshino Gen as Nekoda Keiji
Akita Makoto as Uemura Haruka
Saiki Shigeru (斉木しげる) as Moroboshi Keibu

Guests
Moriguchi Yoko (ep1)
Kakiuchi Ayami as Okada Ritsuko (ep1)
Hongo Kanata as Makino Daisuke (ep2)
Jinbo Satoshi as Igarashi Takumi (ep2)
Yanagita Erika as Suzuki Ayaka (ep2)
Yoshitake Reo (吉武怜朗) as Takeyama Yuuki (ep2)
Aoyagi Ruito as the street dance leader (ep2)
Ichikawa Yui as Yoko (ep3)
Nagata Anna (永田杏奈) as Tamura Yuki (ep3)
Fukami Motoki as Watanabe (ep3)
Isaki Mitsunori (ep3)
Suzuki Kasumi as Asabuki Maya (ep4-5)
Wakaba Ryuya as Sakuma Hibiki (eps 4-5)
Ochiai Motoki as Tominaga Masashi (eps 4-5)
Ono Kensho (小野賢章) (eps 4-5)
Tajima Yumika (田島ゆみか) as Toya Kuniko (eps 4-5)
Nishimura Risa (西村理沙) as Murasaki Misato (eps 4-5)
Yamazaki Yuta as Fukunaga Ukon (ep6)
Satoi Kenta as Fukunaga Samon (ep6)
Nishiyama Mayuko as Fukunaga Tomoko (ep6)
Yamaguchi Miyako as Fukunaga Haduki (ep6)
Yamashita Shinji as Toyama Kinzaburo (ep7)
Suho Reiko as Taguchi Ryoko (ep7)
Kinami Haruka as Nishizawa Maki (ep7)
Namioka Kazuki as Mimasaka Ryusuke (ep7)
Uemura Aika (上村愛香) as Okajima Yayoi (ep7)
Suzuki Kosuke as Asano Takuro (ep8)
Takahashi Mai as Reika (ep8)
Kayo Aiko (嘉陽愛子) as Setouchi Tsugumi (ep8)
Akiyama Nana (秋山奈々) as Honoka (ep8)
Honda Makoto (本田誠人) (ep8)
Muro Tsuyoshi (ep8)
Hosokawa Shigeki as Renjo Satoru (ep9)
Hasegawa Tomoharu as Tanaka (ep9)
Nagano Satomi(長野里美) as Ishi (ep9)
Maido Yutaka (まいど豊) as Nakamura (ep9)
Watanabe Minoru (渡辺穣) as Keimu Kan (ep9)
Nakamura Sakuya as young Kyu (ep9)
Tanaka Minoru as Benijo Kyosuke (ep10)
Matsuo Reiko as Nanamura Biki (ep10)
Murano Mia as Kagiya Kikyo (ep10)
Kosuda Yasuhito (小須田康人) as Uhora Tsubesema (ep10)
Yamashita Yuko as Benijo Tsubaki (ep10)
Sakurai Ryutaro (櫻井遼太郎) as young Ryu (ep10)
Wakamatsu Takeshi (若松武史) as King Hades (ep11)

Notebooks that foretell deaths, numerous urban legends, and murders with no clues... a series of strange incidents occur, and people are lead into a deep labyrinth of mysteries. Five fledgling teen detectives of the Dan Detective Academy, which was founded by the legendary and renowned detective, Morihiko Dan, work together to solve such difficult cases. Stealthily at work behind the strange incidents is an evil crime syndicate called the "Meiosei". They are a group of intellectuals who have long antagonized the Detective Academy run by Morihiko Dan. The five youngsters make their way forward a step at a time as they come face to face with death, clash with one another at times, reconcile, and deepen their friendship. This is a pop mystery drama series about youth friendship and adventure in the face of united efforts against dark forces. --NTV


Another awesome drama that I most definitely fell in love with. Started it this morning, got hooked, and watched until now. Eleven hours of this show....and it totally thrilled me and I must say....ROCKED!!!!!

I love shows that keep you on your toes instead of groaning because the fool couldn't confess because he was a dipsh*t. I have to say the Korean's are good at those love triangles and quadrangles...that strangle me to death. This show had none of that. There was a kind of romance going on but it was innocent and not over the top. This show relied more on it's mystery and story which was refreshing.

Friendship....definitely well defined in this show. Don't we all wish we had friends as close as those 5. I do. Kyuu and Ryuu's relationship was something that we all go through but in the end if we believe and trust in any relationship (friendship or love), it all works out. The story was so involved in their oncoming friendship. The highs and lows and everything in between....the good will always overcome the bad.

Kaname Jun


Kamiki Ryunosuke


Yamada Ryosuke

Without feeling like a perv, Ryu-kun is only 2 years older than my oldest son. So I'm not posting any naked upper body shots. That just makes me sick on my part. He's just toooooo young right now to be slobbering all over him. But! This kid when he gets older is going to be a gorgeous man. No doubt about it. And for obvious reason of the last pic......it's Ryu-kun with my KAME!!!! Now he's the man! LOL!

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