[NEWS]Takeuchi Yuko to make Hollywood debut with the film, “HAYABUSA”

[NEWS]Takeuchi Yuko to make Hollywood debut with the film, “HAYABUSA”
cr:allkpop

It was announced today that actress Takeuchi Yuko will be starring in the upcoming film “HAYABUSA“, produced by the Hollywood movie studio, 20th Century Fox.

The film is based on the true story of the Japanese unmanned spacecraft “Hayabusa”, which returned to Earth last June after 7 years in space. The challenges and struggles of the project will be told in conjunction with the story of Takeuchi’s character, a research staff working at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Veteran actor Nishida Toshiyuki joins her in the film as her boss.

Takeuchi told the press, “Just as the return of ‘Hayabusa’ after 7 years moved many people, I would be happy if this (film) can become the dream and hope of Japan. ”

Nishida added, “There is a widespread negative image about Japan (right now) because of the earthquake and nuclear problems, so I want people to remember through this film that Japan has world leading scientific technology… I want Japan to recall last year’s touching emotions and gain back (our) honor and pride.”

“Hayabusa” will be directed by Tsutsumi Yukihiko, whose past works include “BECK” and “20th Century Boys“. Filming will start in May, with the expected release date on October 1st.

[News] Season two of “JIN” premieres to viewership ratings of 23.7%

[News] Season two of “JIN” premieres to viewership ratings of 23.7%
Cr. - tokyohive

Season two of popular medical drama “JIN”, starring Osawa Takao, premiered April 17th to ratings of 23.7%, higher than the first season’s first episode, which drew in an audience of 16.5%. Ichimura Masachika, Fujimoto Takahiro, and others join Osawa Takao, Uchino Masaaki, Ayase Haruka, etc. in season two and they each brilliantly act out their memorable roles.

Season two begins two years after last season’s events, as main protagonist, Minakata Jin, still unable to return to the present, continues to practice medicine in Edo. Called upon by Sakamoto Ryoma, Minakata travels to Kyoto and encounters Saigo Takamori and Sakuma Shozan, two great historical figures, saving their lives. Operating the medical clinic “Jinyudo”, Minakata perseveres in his mission to save lives in the medically primitive Edo era.

Next week’s episode will feature Kurokawa Tomoka as Chikako, the Princess Kazu and Nakatani Miki as former Oiran (Japanese courtesan) Nokaze returning to Jinyudo for a new story arc. The drama is highly anticipated internationally and is to be aired in eight countries around the world.

According to a “Spring Drama Anticipation Ranking” compiled by Oricon, “JIN” is ranked as the most popular candidate by both men and women, and the drama is bound to create new records during its run.

[News] Hirai Ken to sing theme song for TBS’s “JIN”.

[News] Hirai Ken to sing theme song for TBS’s “JIN”.
Cr. - tokyohive

Soulful crooner Hirai Ken (39) will be singing the theme song for TBS drama “JIN”, which premieres today, April 17th.

The theme song, “Itoshiki Hibi Yo”, will go on sale on May 4th and marks the first time in ten years Hirai has collaborated to write lyrics with music producer, Matsuo Kiyoshi (43), who is credited with two million-selling albums, including “THE CHANGING SAME”.

The singer himself took charge of composing the melody of the song, which is a heartwrenching yet warm and epic ballad. “Itoshiki Hibi Yo” perfectly fits “JIN”, whose plot centers around the irreplaceable ties between people.

TBS producer Ishimaru Akihiko expressed his confidence that “When an era is about to change greatly, no one but Hirai can convincingly convey the imminent demise of a generation of people and their way of thinking”. Hirai continued, “the theme is ‘love for an era’. I just hope the message will reach many people if not just one”.

[News] First episode of 'BOSS season 2' achieves 16.3% rating.

[News] First episode of 'BOSS season 2' achieves 16.3% rating.
Cr. - tokyohive

The popular detective drama “BOSS“, which aired back in spring of 2009, has come back for a second season! The first episode aired on April 14th, and has received a rating of 16.3%, kick starting what is seen to be an exciting new season.

Amami Yuki, along with Takenouchi Yutaka and Toda Erika, has come back as the head of the Special Crime Measures Unit. The first episode picks up two years after the dissolution of the group at the end of the final episode in season one. The group is now back together, and it’ll be interesting to see the members of the group interact with each other after a two year hiatus. Guest stars for this episode include Narumi Riko, Oomori Nao, and Nishida Toshiyuki.



The first season aired between April and June of 2009 with the theme “a detective drama women would want to see” in mind, and the first episode during season one received ratings of 18.1%. The very unique characters of the Special Crime Measure Unit portrayed everything from very serious moments to comical scenes with good pace and tempo. The final episode of season one brought in a viewership rating of 20.7%, making the drama’s average rating an impressive 17.0% overall.

BOSS’s return has been anticipated by many fans, and it’s the second most anticipated drama this season behind “JIN,” mainly by women. Now that the drama has started, we look forward to seeing what new and interesting crimes Amami Yuki and her team solve throughout the new season!

[News] “JIN 2″ to air in 80 countries, 1st episode to be 2 hours long.

[News] “JIN 2″ to air in 80 countries, 1st episode to be 2 hours long.
Cr. - tokyohive

It’s no secret that the 2nd season of “JIN” is one of the most anticipated dramas this spring and the hype just grew even bigger with today’s announcement that the first episode will be two hours long and that the drama is going to air in over 80 countries all over the world.

It’s the first time TBS managed to pull off such a deal with the foreign media for one of their dramas. Thanks to various popular clips from the series on streaming sites such as Youtube and the well-received and award-winning digest version of the first season that screened at an international showcase called “MIPCOM” in Cannes, France in 2010, it sparked the interest of many foreign buyers.



They managed to sell the rights to the USA, various European countries such as Britain and Germany, numerous Asian countries such as South Korea and Thailand, a few countries in the Middle East such as Iran and Iraq, and also some African countries such as Egypt and Algeria. 80 countries bought the rights to the drama to air in their respective countries in total.

A couple of Asian countries already announced the start date of the second season that will presumably start off with the mentioned digest version of the first season. In Taiwan, the drama will start airing on April 23rd, Hong Kong will follow in May and South Korea in July. According to TBS most of the foreign countries will start to air it soon after the second season ended airing in Japan, thus the wait shouldn’t be too long for most of the international drama fans.



“JIN” is about a brain surgeon named Minakata Jin (Osawa Takao) who happened to travel back in time and arrived in Edo (old name of Tokyo) during the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the Bakumatsu years.

TBS producer Ishimaru Akihiko statement about the drama and the international deals: “It was a period where everyone was careful to live an earnest life, a beautiful time where everyone cared about each other. We are able to show foreign countries a Japan that we all can be very proud of.”

In Japan the “JIN 2″ is going to start with a 2-hour-long first episode on April 17th and will feature various familiar faces next to Osawa from the first season such as Ayase Haruka, Nakatani Miki, Uchino Masaaki and so on.

[News] Cast members of “Tenchijin” donate 20 million yen to disaster relief.

[News] Cast members of “Tenchijin” donate 20 million yen to disaster relief.
Cr. - tokyohive

Ten cast members from the 2009 NHK Taiga drama, “Tenchijin”, donated a total of 20 million yen (~237,000 USD) to the Red Cross of Japan in order to aid with disaster relief from the Great Tohoku Earthquake.

The ten cast members who participated are as follows: Tsumabuki Satoshi, Oguri Shun, Abe Hiroshi, Kakuda Nobuaki, Kitamura Kazuki, Koizumi Kotaro, Takashima Masanobu, Takashima Reiko, Tokiwa Takako and Papaya Suzuki.

Aside from contributing funds, the cast has expressed that they wish to do something more to help with relief efforts.

[News] Amami Yuki attends press conference for screening of “BOSS”.

[News] Amami Yuki attends press conference for screening of “BOSS”.
Cr. - tokyohive

On April 9th, Amami Yuki attended a press conference at movie theater Shinjuku Ward 9 in Tokyo for the new season of “BOSS”, a popular detective drama in which she stars.

The actress opened by saying, “Although it is a tough time right now, I hope that we can pull through together with cheerful spirits. We put our hearts into making [this drama] a source of joy for everyone, so please look forward to its release”.

At the talk show, Amami also answered questions from fans such as, “How do you grow so tall?” Advising, “Take in calcium, exercise well, and believe [that you will] ‘grow! grow!’ I grew until I was 25, so it’s okay.”

When asked, “What is something you were happy about recently?”, the actress responded, “Being able to take part in ‘BOSS’ once more”, and continued with a smile, “It’s fun. The filming site. Everyone is just silly. It is wonderful to be on set because everyone responds to one another’s acting and discusses openly how we should each improve.”



“BOSS” is a drama that focuses on Amami as the head detective in her investigative department, working with and managing her underlings Tamayama Tetsuji, Toda Erika, and others in their quest to fight terrible crimes. The first season of the series began in April of 2009 and had an average viewership of 17.0%, drawing in a spectacular 20.7% for its finale.

The second season will feature Narumi Riko, Shaku Yumiko, Oomori Nao, Hasegawa Kyoko, and Nishida Toshiyuki, in addition to the already brilliant cast of Amami Yuki, Tamayama Tetsuji, Toda Erika, Takenouchi Yutaka, Mizobata Junpei, Kichise Michiko, Nukumizu Yoichi and Kendo Kobayashi.

Attendees of the fan event on the 8th and 9th were able to consecutively watch all eleven episodes of the first season. Tamayama and Nukumizu made appearances on the 8th when everyone in attendance wished Tamayama, who had turned 31 on the 7th, a happy birthday.

Season two of “BOSS” begins Thursday, April 14th at 10 PM JST, and the season premiere will be an extended episode fifteen minutes longer than usual.

[VOD & News] Teaser for Lee Hongki’s new drama, ‘Muscle Girl’ released.

[VOD & News] Teaser for Lee Hongki’s new drama, ‘Muscle Girl’ released.
Cr. - allkpop

The teaser for FT Island vocalist, Lee Hongki’s Japanese drama debut piece, ‘Muscle Girl’, has been released. Actress Ichikawa Yui, a familiar face in the Japanese drama scene, plays the manager of a weak women’s pro wrestling organization.

Lee Hongki plays her counterpart; this is Hongki’s first appearance on Japanese drama. In the teaser, you can also check out FT Island’s latest song and drama’s main OST, ‘Haruka.’ ‘Muscle Girl’ is a youthful sports comedy about the world of women’s pro-wrestling.

A young female manager, along with a Korean super star that she met by weird fate and individualistic female wrestlers, takes on the challenge to transform a hopeless pro-wrestling group to compete against strong rival groups.

Two women’s pro-wrestling groups, Ice Ribbon and JWP, battle each other to add on a sense of reality. The drama will premier on April 19th on TBS and on April 23rd on MBS. You can watch the teaser here:

Lee Hongki & Ichikawa Yui in ‘Muscle Girl’