Iryu Team Medical Dragon (医龍 Team Medical Dragon, 2006-2007)

Season One
Starring:
Sakaguchi Kenji as Asada Ryuutarou
Inamori Izumi as Katou Akira
Mizukawa Asami as Satohara Miki
Koike Teppei as Ijyuuin Noboru
Natsuki Mari as Kitou Shoko
Kitamura Kazuki as Kirima Gunji
Abe Sadao as Arase Monji
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Fujiyoshi Keishi
Kishibe Ittoku as Noguchi Keno
Ikeda Tetsuhiro
Mukaichi Mion
Kanai Yuta (ep5-6)
Shimizu Koji (ep8-11)

Ryutaro Asada is enjoying his peaceful life in the countryside, when he is visited by Akira Kato, assistant professor of the Faculty of Cardiac Surgery at Meishin University Medical Hospital.

Ryutaro is a genius surgeon who used to lead "Team Medical Dragon," a world-class NGO medical team. In harsh environments that lacked medicine and electricity, Ryutaro witnessed many lives pass away. At the same time, he saved many other lives, helping his matchless skill overwhelm other doctors.

As a female doctor, Akira managed to become an assistant professor. She has ambitions to be promoted to professor by succeeding in a surgery using the Batista technique — an extremely difficult type of heart surgery — and also by writing a paper on it. A year ago, Akira witnessed Ryutaro's skills when he was an NGO doctor. That's why she recruits him and asks him to use the Batista technique. Since Ryutaro's arrival, urgent patients who would have been abandoned in the past, are miraculously saved by the "hands of God." --Fuji TV


Season Two
Starring:
Sakaguchi Kenji as Asada Ryutaro
Uchida Yuki as Kataoka Kazumi
Koike Teppei as Ijyuuin Noboru
Otsuka Nene as Kodaka Nanami
Kitamura Kazuki as Kirishima Gunji
Abe Sadao as Arase Monji
Mizukawa Asami as Satohara Miki
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Fujiyoshi Keisuke
Natsuki Mari as Kito Shoko
Kishibe Ittoku as Noguchi Takeo
Ikeda Tetsuhiro as Kihara Takehiko
Sato Jiro as Matsudaira Kotaro
Shiga Kotaro as Zenda Hideki
Takahashi Issei as Toyama Seiji
Nakamura Yasuhi as Nomura Hirohito
Supporting Cast
Ryo as Togashi Yukari (ep1)
Tanaka Minoru as Togashi Tsuyoshi (ep1)
Itao Itsuji (ep1)
Kawahara Sabu (ep1)
Kikuchi Kinya (ep1-2,10-11)
Nakamura Keiko (中村慧子) (ep1,10-11)
Umishima Yuki (ep1-2,10-11)
Yoshino Maki (吉野真希) (ep1,3,10-11)
Aoki Hajime (ep1,10)
Asari Shogo (浅里昌吾) (ep1,4,10-11)
Okamoto Ryuta (ep1)
Tawaragi Tota (ep1)
Utagawa Shiko (歌川椎子) (ep1)
Otake Koichi (大竹浩一) (ep1,6)
Watanabe Kouhei (渡邉紘平) (ep1,5-7)
Minami Shuhei (南周平) (ep1)
Kobayashi Setsuko (小林節子) (ep1)
Nakazawa Junko (ep1,3-9)
Tsuchiya Fumiko (土屋史子) (ep1,3-9)
Nozaki Kazuma (野崎数馬) (ep1)
Hida Koji (飛田晃治) (ep1,5)
Fujita Sasami (藤田三三三) (ep1-5)
Imamura Koichi (今村公一) (ep1)
Komori Kotoyo (小森琴世) (ep1)
Kato Masato (加藤雅人) (ep1)
Michael (ep1)
Hershel (ep1)
Manfred (ep1)
Takeda Yuko (武田祐子) (ep1,6)
Muta Teizo (牟田悌三) as Nishizawa Takafumi (ep2-3)
Yamamoto Yusuke as Nishizawa Eita (ep2-3)
Kodama Raishin (児玉頼信) (ep2)
Tokunaga Atsushi (徳永淳) (ep2,6,11)
Saeki Arata (佐伯新) (ep2)
Hoshino Akiko (星野晶子) (ep2)
Miyashita Tomomi (宮下ともみ) (ep2)
Fujimoto Itaru (藤本至) (ep2)
Ogura Terukazu (小倉輝一) (ep2)
Hamachika Takanori (浜近高徳) (ep3-4,6)
Ichikawa Chieko (市川千恵子) (ep3)
Mitsue Takashi (三枝貴志) (ep3,5-8)
Hofuku Norihiko (法福法彦) (ep3)
Tsutsumi Masataka (堤匡孝) (ep3,10-11)
Ryu Raita as Onda Tetsuzo (ep4-5)
Kurokawa Tomoka as Ogata Miu (ep4-5)
Ono Ryo (ep4-5)
Yanagida Erika (柳田衣里佳) (ep4-5)
Yoshino Yoshiko (よしのよしこ) (ep4)
Otsuru Gitan (ep4-5)
Uchikura Kenji (内倉憲二) (ep4,10-11)
Haneda Yoichi (羽根田陽一) (ep4)
Okuwa Maimi (大桑マイミ) (ep4)
Ninomiya Satoshi (二宮聡) (ep4,7)
Deguchi Takashi (出口高司) (ep5)
Inaba Daisuke (稲葉大助) (ep5)
Hashimoto Chieko (橋本智恵子) (ep5)
Yamauchi Kumi (山内紅実) (ep5)
Kusamura Reiko (ep6)
Kawashima Umika (ep6-7)
Hiyama Takekazu (樋山剛一) (ep6)
Yamada Goichi (山田吾一) (ep6)
Sugiyama Ayano (杉山あやの) (ep6)
Kurana Rin (くらなりん) (ep6)
Kubozono Junichi (窪園純一) (ep6)
Takehatsu Shiro (武発史郎) (ep6)
Takahashi Hitomi (ep7)
Sunaga Kei (ep7)
Kugasawa Toru (久ヶ沢徹) (ep7)
Nakamura Keita (中村圭太) (ep7)
Inoue Ko (井上康) (ep7)
Nomura Hironobu (ep8)
Hongo Kanata (ep8)
Nakagome Sachiko (中込佐知子) (ep8)
Okazaki Hiroshi (岡崎宏) (ep8)
Arakawa Fumiko (新川史子) (ep8)
Kikawa Junichi (木川淳一) (ep8)
Takagi Ryo (高木涼生) (ep8)
Nagano Satomi (長野里美) (ep9-11)
Tanaka Oga (田中碧海) (ep9-11)
Shimazu Kentaro (島津健太郎) (ep9)
Mukai Osamu (向井修) (ep9)
Hisamatsu Nobuyoshi (久松信美) (ep9,11)
Nakamura Seiya (中村星哉) (ep9-10)
Kishibe Daisuke (岸部大輔) (ep9)
Kojima Yasushi (小島康志) (ep9)
Sugimoto Hitona (杉本妃音奈) (ep9)
Nakamura Makoto (中村まこと) (ep10-11)
Kumabe Youhei (隈部洋平) (ep10-11)
Mori Kouko (森康子) (ep10)
Nishiyama Shugo (西山周吾) (ep10)
Ishikawa Yasuko (石川泰子) (ep10-11)
Sugimoto Jyunya (杉本潤哉) (ep10-11)
Yasuoka Sunao (安岡直) (ep10)
Miyanari Ryuji (宮成竜二) (ep10)
Kishi Hiroyuki (ep11)
Hiwatashi Shinji (樋渡真司) (ep11)

In Iryu 2, Asada Ryutaro wages a new battle against the realities of Japan's medical care system. The government has drafted legislation to tackle the recent inflation of medical fees; hospitals have entered an era in which they will go bankrupt if they aren't independently run. At the same time, hospital mergers and takeovers are also taking place. Additionally, the obstetrics and pediatrics departments are being closed in succession, and there are inadequate doctors in the region - issues that are closely related to these hospital management problems. Now, hospitals, like the average corporation, face collapse if they are not profitable.

OMG! This drama rocked my freakin' socks off! Sakaguchi Kenji is so damn fine. You will know why in the first scene of the first episode in the first season. Naked + godlike body + sex scene = hentai thoughts. OMG!

From there on in, the drama was simply amazing. Both seasons. The second was more repetitive but that was okay. Really. I thought Code Blue was cool until I came across this and decided that Code Blue was a pansie-ass drama. Same idea but this drama was more indepth. OMG! A definite must see. The comedy was just right. You'll know why when you see Ikeda Tetsuhiro's character and Koike Teppei's character intermingle. Go Harry!! (You'll know what I mean by that once you see it......)

Truly touching drama! Truly. Truly!

GiraGira ( ギラギラ -2008)

Starring:
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Nanase Kohei
Maya Miki as Sonobe Yuki
Hara Sachie as Nanase Momoko
Miura Shohei as Shoji
Sato Tomohito as Ichikawa Kenta/Hideyoshi
Abe Tsuyoshi as Eiji
Ashina Sei as Yuuna
Tanaka Yoji as Fukami
Kotegawa Yuko as Jinguji Rena
Ishibashi Ryo as Katsuragi Taisei
Yamazaki Hajime as Tahira Hiroshi
Yuki Jutta as Toma
Sakimoto Hiromi as Yuki
Sakuragi Ryosuke (桜木涼介) as Akira
Nishiyama Sosuke as Rikuto
Yuji as Ken
Matsumoto Hiroya as Ren
Nagamachi Taro as Ryo
Matsushita Kouji as Leo
CHIKARA as Sakuya
Suzuki Mie (鈴木美恵)
Fujisawa Karin
Shikanai Daishi as Haruki
Guests
Igarashi Shunji as Eagle (ep1-2)
Hara Mikie (原幹恵) as Sayo (ep1-2)
Toda Keiko as Asaoka Misa (ep1)
Mitsuya Yoko as Kyoka (ep3)
Kobayashi Emi (小林恵美) as Saki (ep3)
Nonami Maho as Kazuki Sarina (ep4)
Kikawada Masaya as Sachiel (ep6)
Nishihara Aki as Hime/Oohara Maiko (ep6)
Wada Masato as Kazuma (ep7-8)

Based on a hit manga, this adaptation depicts the life of a married man Nanase Kohei after he returned to his former job as a male host. He woos the clients with his gentle and caring nature, and soon retrieves his former credit as the ace of the club. However, the transition back for this middle-aged man is not without its challenges. Afraid that his wife will find out about this job, Nanase is also garnering jealousy and displeasure from the younger hosts. Throughout the course of his employment, he demonstrates to others that hosting should not be the vulgar occupation it has become where the entire goal is to make the women frivolously spend money, rather, it is about a human connection that is so often overlooked.

This was a pretty good show. Not the overly best. It started out really interesting but got sorta of boring near the middle. It was the same old, same old where Kohei had to save the day and the woman. I wanted to see more character development with Shoji and the other hosts at the club. More so of Shoji since he was the closest to Kohei.

The ending was sort of abrupt and ended differently to that I thought it would. It was a happy ending but sort of lame. This show was a great boredom buster if and when I ran out of my other dramas to watch. I will say there was plenty of eye candy galore and was pleasantly surprised to see Wada Masato (Shigeshoshi) in the last two episodes. I am so looking forward to his dramas. He is a great actor and hidden talent in the Japanese TV world. If I were to see him on the Tokyo streets one day, I'd be all over him like "a fly on poo."

Another talent, that is starting to show up more often than not is Igarahi Shunji. Cute, not handsome, but something about him draws your attention to him. And he, too, costarred with Wada Masato in Shigeshoshi.

Miura Shohei


Wada Masato

Bijo ka Yajuu (美女か野獣 -2003)

Starring:
Matsushima Nanako as Takamiya Makoto
Fukuyama Masaharu as Nagase Hiromi
Watanabe Ikkei as Kuze Teruhiko
Yashima Norito as Towatari Kantaro
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Kote Hiroshi
Shiraishi Miho as Shirai Yukino
Nagai Masaru as Yamamoto Takeshi
Papaya Suzuki as Kacchin
Fukaura Kanako as Akiyama Fujiko
Kodama Kiyoshi as Sakuragi Kyoichiro
Shimizu Shogo as Tamaru Reishi
Shiga Kotaro as Tsurumaki Yukio
Yamamoto Ryuuji as Sakamoto Daisuke
Morishita Tetsuo as Todo Seichi
Okada Tadashi (岡田正)
Guests
Katsurayama Shingo
Nakamura Ikuji (中村育二)
Matsuo Masatoshi
Tomoya Nanami (七海智哉)
Taguchi Mitsuhisa (田口光久)
Sano Mizuki (佐野瑞樹)
Tozawa Yusuke (戸沢佑介)
Masu Takeshi
Sahara Kenji (佐原健二)
Tsurumi Shingo
Ishida Taro
Michael Tomioka (マイケル富岡)
Mizukawa Asami
Kusabue Mitsuko
Watanabe Noriko
Ikari Yukiko
Komoto Masahiro
Anan Kenji
Ishii Kota
Kunimura Jun
Asanuma Shinpei (浅沼晋平)
Ogishima Shinichi (荻島眞一)
Aoki Kenji (青木堅治)
Okuno Tadashi (奥野匡)
Ryu Raita
Yamada Meikyo
Tokui Yuu
Hiraga Masaomi
Morishita Chisato
Kagaya Junichi (ep7)
Yamamoto Ryuji

After graduating from the Tokyo University School of Law, Takamiya Makoto (Matsushima Nanako) goes on to Harvard University where she earns an MBA. She later works at one of the "big three" networks in the United States as a news reporter. While covering a story on an international symposium in Paris, Makoto is scouted to work for JBC Television in Japan. The news producer at JBC wants to use Makoto to help raise low viewer ratings. He persuades her to work for him for an absurdly high salary, and also gives her the right to hire who she needs.

While Makoto is being brought in to be the savior of the News Department, one man gets transferred from the Variety Department. His name is Nagase Hiromi (Fukuyama Masaharu). Since joining JBC Television, all he has done is variety programs. Although Hiromi has done everything he possibly could to ensure his programs are a success, his boss just could not take anymore of Hiromi's behavior which ranged from getting caught up in scandals with female television personalities, punching-out assistant directors, to taking kickbacks from production companies. His boss finally tells Hiromi to make a fresh start in the "hard nosed" News Department.

So now the News Department has Makoto who thinks high ratings are the meaning of life, and Hiromi who values the success of a program as just a tool for the full enjoyment of life. These two totally different personalities mix it up and somehow reach a mutual understanding, creating a delightful "light comedy" for adults.

Okay, this drama took me atleast 4 tries. No joke. Not that it was bad but because the newer dramas were coming out and I kept puting it off to watch.

Anyway, finally finished it this morning. This was really, really, really cute. Okay, I had to start from the beginning because I kept forgetting the beginning but once I got on a role....this was a decent comedy/drama with a few popular faces we've seen before.

Fukuyama Masaharu is cute as a button. And he's my age!!!! Okay, he's a little older but dang if he ain't a hottie near the age of 40! Whew!

Anyway, back to the drama. Of course, it had the typical moral to the story plot. This was one that told the story of personal values and truth. Time and again, each episode showed the protagonist fighting her personal demons about what was "right or wrong". The stories were filling and endearing in many ways.

My only qualm from this is that the story ended well but didn't finish the story between Hiromi and Makoto. They were in love 9 years and 3 months ago. They come back together and help each other in many ways but yet......Makoto leaves for NY but we are left with a "Huh?" because we ( I was anyay) were led to believe that the soulmates would be back together. So I was romantically dissatisfied with that but in all....the show was top rate.

Satorare (サトラレ-2002)

AKA: Transparent

Starring:
Tsuruta Mayu
Odagiri Joe
Kanda Uno
Koike Eiko
Sugimoto Tetta
Sasaki Kuranosuke
Nekoze Tsubaki
Fubuki Jun
Nakamaru Shinsho
Kitamura Soichiro
Satoi Kenta

A young, good-hearted doctor Kenichi suffers from a rare syndrome whereby his feelings cannot be hidden => such people are known as "satorare" and their well-being come under special government protection.

As all the young doctor's thoughts/feelings are always heard by hospital colleagues, this creates much inconvenience to them and they try to drive him away. In steps a beautiful female doctor who tries to shield him from the cruel reality of his uniqueness. --primetime

OMG! I love, love, love, love, love this drama. Okay, it has Odagiri Joe. A definite eye-catcher to get the blood flowing. The story, the actors, the whole damn thing....rocked. I'm so glad I downloaded this from d-addicts. This is a definite keeeeeeeeeper. It's on my top 5 list of top dramas. It's not the drama but the comedy that is so funny to the drama itself. The situation is serious but damn if Joe-kun didn't do the best damn job EVER! I knew he had comedic talent but this was the best by freakin' far.

If you have to see a drama but want something with a different tune......watch this! WATCH IT! OMG! I can't get how wonderful this show was. It'll make you laugh till you cry, you'll cry because it was endearing, you'll cry because it was sad, you'll cry because you will be so damn happy.....that it hurts!

I'm just so happy. This drama just makes you smile from deep within!!

Now I must get off of here and have sweet, wonderful thoughts of this show.....oh, and of Joe-kun. LOL!