This week is the start of Spring Drama season in Japan and I am anticipating so many dramas, it’s unhealthy. Most probably most of the actors I follow will be having a series this season.

Anyway, I’ve noted down my short list.
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Guess which ikemen J actor is this?

Clue:
He has starred in a couple of flowery dramas where his roles were brooding heartthrobs.

Find out the answer after the cut:

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Unlike many teen stars all over the world who drop out of high school and wallow in the pool of their own idiocy and talent fees, J-dorama star and Johnny’s Entertainment boytoy Tomohisa Yamashita (Yamapi for fans) took the admirable route of entering school to finish a college degree.

Hats off to him as he has finally graduated from Meiji University’s School of Commerce. He started out in 2004 and finally finished in time for the graduation ceremony this September.

For a guy whose expressionless face? with acting talent that can be summarized by mouth twitches, I guess he’s done all right. But I’m sure that Yamapi fans (paging Furori and genkichelli) would disagree, a college degree just made? him one even hotter piece of Japanese man-flesh.

Return of the fall season has always been a welcome time for TV junkies. Well, for one, it’s the time when the best shows in the US resume airing. I can’t wait for my favorite TV shows to be back on air again myself. House, Numb3rs, Criminal Minds, Life… and I just finished watching episodes 1 and 2 of Prison Break. Damnit! Air them already, why don’t you.

For Japan, fall season is also a time for new shows to air. While it’s Flori, Kyameel, and Akutenshi-13 who are J-Dorama addicts here, I have seen my fair share of some great shows. For one, I’m an Abe Hiroshi fan.

Well, one new show to air this fall is Room of King, a comedy about a group of housemates sharing a high-class apartment. Headlining are Hiro Mizushima and Anne Suzuki. Mizushima plays the role of a freelancer, Suzuki as an office lady. Joining them are Haruka Igawa who plays a venereologist and Atsuro Watabe as a popular stylist.

The premise: The four roommates compete in a to decide who will gain ownership of their luxurious apartment.

Mizushima is only familiar to me as Kamen Rider Kabuto (and as supporting for a lot of doramas) and Suzuki, I’ve seen in Stand Up!, Returner and as Natsuki Mogi in that crappy Initial D live-action movie.

The series shows on Fuji TV on Saturdays (in Japan) 11:10pm, starting on October 4.

Photos from Drama Wiki

Coming this July will be a remake of the Korean suspense drama The Devil. It is entitled Maou, and will star Ikuta Toma with Arashi’s Ohno Satoshi as double leads. The former will be portraying a detective solving a series of murders and the latter will be playing a two-faced lawyer.

As a fan of mystery flicks, I can’t wait for this one. And having Ikuta Toma in it is an added bonus.

The drama will start airing on July 4th and run until September this year on TBS.

Photo from Drama Wiki

NTV will roughen up its Spring drama showcase with the triquel of its popular school drama – Gokusen.

Nakama Yukie will reprise her role for the third time as Yamaguchi Kumiko a.k.a. Yankumi – the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss turned high school Math teacher.

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It has been announced that the manga Honey and Clover by Chika Umino will be the next book to be adapted into a live action drama. And guess who will be the main lead character:

Photo from DramaWiki

Ikuta Toma as Yuta Takemoto.

Yes, Nakatsu fans, rejoice! We get to see Toma act again! But if I remember the manga correctly, he’s in another love triangle. Oh noes! But hey, we get to see his serious side more with this drama right? And more Toma, definitely.

Filming starts next month and the drama will start airing on January 8th next year.

More details at Sankei Sports

I knew it. I’m prophetic!

Photos from Wiki.D-addicts

When I used Yamapi as an introduction to yesterday’s post, I didn’t actually realize that I’d be looking into his future. Well, sort of!

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