New Releases (2008)

[ai-chan]

Title: гѓ«гѓјг‚­гѓјг‚є
Title (English): ROOKIES
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Sports drama
Broadcast network: TBS
Broadcast period: 2008-Apr-19 to 2008-Jun
Air time: Saturday 20:00

Synopsis

The story revolves around a high school teacher and coach that tries to reform delinquents by having them join the baseball team.

Cast

Sato Ryuta as Kawato Koichi
Ichihara Hayato as Aniya Keiichi
Koide Keisuke as Mikoshiba Toru
Shirota Yu as Shinjo Kei
Nakao Akiyoshi as Sekikawa Shuta
Takaoka Sousuke as Wakana Tomochika
Kiritani Kenta as Hiratsuka Taira
Sato Takeru as Okada Yuya
Igarashi Shunji as Yufune Tetsuro
Kawamura Yosuke as Hiyama Kiyooki
Onoue Hiroyuki as Imaoka Shinobu
Murakawa Eri as Yagi Toko
Asano Kazuyuki as Ikebe Shunsaku
Fukiishi Kazue as Mayumi Rie
Ibu Masato as Murayama Yoshio

[ai-chan]

Title: гЃЉгЃ›г‚“
Title (English): Osen
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Food, comedy
Episodes: 10
Broadcast network: NTV
Broadcast period: 2008-Apr-22 to 2008-Jun-24
Air time: Tuesday 22:00

Synopsis

Handa Sen is the "okami" (proprietress) of a long-standing restaurant in one of the lower parts of Tokyo. Though she is normally airheaded and loves to drink, she has an impressive mastery of a wide range skills, from cooking to ceramics to calligraphy. While the drama follows various events surrounding the restaurant, one of the series' highlights is its illustration of Japanese food and culture

Cast

Aoi Yu as Handa Sen
Uchi Hiroki as Ezaki Yoshio
Sugimoto Tetta as Fujishiro Seiji
Mukai Osamu as Tomekichi
Suzuki Ranran as Teruko
Kudo Risa as Fuyuko
Morita Ayaka as Tamagoya
Okumura Tomofumi as Kenta
Takuma Takayuki as Hayashi Takashi
Watanabe Ikkei as Chinpindo-san
Yo Kimiko as Asai Shizu
Yuki Saori as Handa Chiyo
Matsukata Hiroki as Kinoshita Hideo

[ai-chan]

Title:絶対彼氏。
Title (English): Zettai Kareshi
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 11
Broadcast network: Fuji TV
Broadcast period: 2008-Apr-15 to 2008-Jun-24
Air time: Tuesday 21:00

Synopsis

Robot maker, Kronos Heaven, finally develops "Night Tenjo", the perfect male humanoid programmed to be devoted and completely loyal to his lover. The company chooses temp worker Izawa Riko to take part in a 5-day free trial. At first, Riko only sees Night as a household appliance. But when she finds out how deep Night's devotion to herself is, Riko finds herself falling in love with him. Joining the love triangle is Asamoto Soshi, a distinguished young executive at her company who has feelings for her.

Cast

Hayami Mokomichi as Tenjo Night
Mizushima Hiro as Asamoto Soshi
Aibu Saki as Izawa Riiko
Sasai Eisuke as Shirasagi Yuki
Ueno Natsuhi as Ito Mika
Satoi Kenta as Hirata Hajime
Nekoze Tsubaki as Adachi Kyoko
Komoto Maki as Sato Nozomi
Kaji Masaki as Tanaka Yoichiro
Yamada Meikyou as Asamoto Shiro
Minemura Rie (еіЇжќ‘гѓЄг‚Ё) as Yoshioka Tetsuko
Erena as Ono Chiho
Sakuragi Ryosuke (жЎњжњЁж¶јд»‹) as Morikawa Yasushi
Watanuki Shoichi (з¶їиІ«ж­Јеё‚) as Dei Takeru
Irie Jingi as Hayashi Kota
Yamamoto Kei as Asamoto Kazushi
Nakamura Shunsuke as Asamoto Masashi
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Namikiri Gaku
Maya Miki as Wakabayashi Fujiko

[ai-chan]

Title: アラウンド40
Title (English): Around 40
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Human drama, comedy
Episodes: 11
Broadcast network: TBS
Broadcast period: 2008-Apr-11 to 2008-June-20
Air time: Friday 22:00 - 22:54

Synopsis

39-year-old Ogata Satoko is a highly capable psychiatrist who is single. She's forthright, a caring older sister and reliable in her job and in private. Her interests are staying in luxurious Japanese inns and watching stand-up comedy videos.

Satoko hasn't had a boyfriend in the past five years. Nevertheless, she derives satisfaction from work and isn't worried about her finances. Among her good friends that she hangs out with are 35-year-old Morimura Nao, her junior who proclaims that she won't marry, and 39-year-old Oikawa Sadao, her peer since high school. Satoko is happily enjoying the single life.

At an alumni reunion as everyone is on the verge of 40, Takeuchi Mizue, her good friend since high school who is now a full-time housewife, rushes Satoko into action. "If you want children, you should marry now" and "It's women's happiness", but both are lost on Satoko, who isn't convinced.

One day, Satoko attempts to cheer up Nao, who is downcast over a shocking incident, and goes to her favourite hot-spring inn. There she coincidentally encounters a breakup between a handsome but somewhat odd man, Okamura Keitaro, and his girlfriend...

Cast

Amami Yuki as Ogata Satoko
Fujiki Naohito as Okamura Keitaro
Otsuka Nene as Morimura Nao
Tsutsui Michitaka as Ohashi Sadao
Matsushita Yuki as Takeuchi Mizue
AKIRA as Ogata Tatsuya
Sakura as Ogata Maki
Hayashi Ryuzo as Ogata Tomoyasu
Kaga Mariko as Yoshinaga Haruko
Matsumoto Wakana as Katayama Haruka
Katagiri Hairi as Matchmaker
Kato Masaya as Kanasugi Kazuya

[ai-chan]

Title: гѓ©г‚№гѓ€гѓ»гѓ•гѓ¬гѓіг‚є
Title (English): Last Friends
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Friendship, human drama
Episodes: 11
Broadcast network: Fuji TV
Broadcast period: 2008-Apr-10 to 2008-Jun-19
Air time: Thursday 22:00

Synopsis

Last Friends tackles issues that afflict the current generation. Michiru's mother has brought a man back to their home and she is bullied at her workplace where she works as a beauty parlour assistant. She starts cohabiting with her boyfriend, a good young man who works at the Child Welfare Division and the only person who can give her emotional support, but ends up the victim of domestic violence and becomes fearful of love. The boyishly charming Ruka was a classmate of Michiru's in junior high school. She has performed brilliantly as a motocross racer and aims to win the national championship, but as the story progresses, a deep worry that she can neither confide in her parents or close friends grows evident. Takeru is a hair and makeup artist acquainted with Ruka. He is a good confidant to females due to his kindness and perceptiveness, and finds himself attracted to Ruka but has a phobia of sex as a result of a past trauma. The three of them become house mates and through their associations with others, gain the capacity to be positive about life.

Cast

Nagasawa Masami as Aida Michiru
Ueno Juri as Kishimoto Ruka
Eita as Mizushima Takeru
Mizukawa Asami as Takigawa Eri
Nishikido Ryo as Oikawa Sosuke
Yamazaki Shigenori as Ogura Tomohiko
Nishihara Aki as Hiratsuka Reina
Ranka Rea (蘭香レア) as Mita Sayuri
Hirano Sayaka (平野早香) as Okabe Mayumi
Baisho Mitsuko as Aida Chinatsu
Nagashima Mitsuki as Kishimoto Shogo
Shibuya Takeru as Higuchi Naoya
Kitami Toshiyuki (北見敏之) as Endo Kenichiro
Ito Yuko as Shirahata Yuko
Tanaka Tetsushi as Hayashida Kazumi
Asaka Mayumi as Kishimoto Yoko
Hirata Mitsuru as Kishimoto Shuji

[ai-chan]

Title: гЃ”гЃЏгЃ›г‚“
Title (English): Gokusen (Season 3)
Broadcast network: NTV
Broadcast period: 2008-Apr-19 to 2008-Jun
Air time: Saturday 21:00

Synopsis
The story of a young, idealistic teacher who enters Shirokin Gakuen with hopes of making a difference in the students' lives. However, Yamaguchi Kumiko (Nakama Yukie) is in for a rude awakening when she finds that she will be the homeroom teacher of 3-D, the hardest class to maintain in the school. The students have multi-colored hair, sloppy uniforms, and show absolutely no respect to her. The leader of the class, Sawada Shin is lazy but bright and shows some interest in Yamaguchi when he notices that she is very different from other teachers. The students try to bully her to make her quit, but their attempts don't get them very far.

What the class and the rest of the school does not know is that Yamaguchi Kumiko is actually the 4th generation heir to the Ooedo Group, a notorious yakuza clan. Even though her family would like her to take the title of Ojou when her grandfather dies, they have accepted the fact that Yamaguchi would rather be a teacher.

Eventually, the students learn to respect their quirky teacher because of her devotion to them, and even give her a nickname: Yankumi.

Cast

Nakama Yukie as Yamaguchi Kumiko (Yankumi / Ojou / Kumichou)
Namase Katsuhisa as Sawatari Goro, Kyoto (School Vice Principal)
Enami Kyoko as Akagi Ryoko (Board Chairman)
Utsui Ken as Kuroda Ryuichiro (Kumiko's grandpa / 3rd Generation Oedo Yakuza Boss)
Anan Kenji as Wakamatsu Hiro
Kaneko Ken as Asakura Tetsu
Uchiyama Shinji as Tatsukawa Minoru
Ryogoku Hiroshi as Sugawara Makoto
Takaki Yuya as Ogata Yamato
Miura Haruma as Kazama Ren
Ishiguro Hideo as Honjo Kengo
Nakama Junta as Ichimura Rikiya
Kiriyama Akito as Kuraki Satoru
Miura Shohei as Kamiya Shunsuke
Waki Tomohiro as "Kuma" / Kumai Teruo (Former student of Yankumi)
Azuma Mikihisa as Baba Masayoshi (PE Teacher)
Koizumi Kotaro as Natsume Seichi (School Doctor)
Hirayama Aya as Takano Aoi (English Teacher)
Hoshino Aki as Ayukawa Sakura (School Nurse)
Sato Jiro as Yajima Hosaku (Japanese Classics Teacher)
Sakigake Santaro (й­Ѓдё‰е¤ЄйѓЋ) as Hatoyama Yasuhiko (World History Teacher)
Ishii Kota as Tsuruoka Keisuke (Physics Teacher)
Ishihara Atsumi (зџіеЋџгЃ‚гЃ¤зѕЋ) as Kumai Ami (Kumai Teruo's wife)
Yamada Yu as Kazama Kaoruko (Kazama Ren's sister)