Basically, over the life of the series, which ran this year from mid-April through June 24th, we will learn some in depth info about the five lead characters. We watch as they struggle with their problems like: their aversion to commitments, their lack of confidence, their unwillingness to either express the truth or to face it.

If that sounds kind of grim and disturbing to you, you can rest assured that the series is not completely or only about bumps in the road, it only seems that way. The cast is youthful, attractive, and their problems/issues are not too remote for most of us to identify with or relate to. As they’ve agreed to meet for the first time in the opening Episode, I’ll give you a little thumbnail sketch about each of them to help you decide if you’d like to watch this series.

Eita as Nakaji

Keisuke Nakajima is played by Eita who is in real life is 28 and has been working steadily in TV series and films in Japan for some time. He’s well liked and you’d have to say that his career is burgeoning as he’s gone from supporting roles to lead roles.

Nakaji and Haru

Here he is called Nakaji. The info he’s put out to the group is that he is a photographer. In reality, he’s a photographer’s assistant, in short a low level assistant in the skin magazine trade. He works on gravure idol photo-shoots. Throughout this entire series, he has a continuous and endless case of one bad hair day after another. As the series begins we learn that he has been involved with and is in love with a married woman.

Haru Mizuno is played by the award winning actress Juri Ueno. She walked off with an award for her role as a high-strung student trying to become concert pianist in Nodame Cantabile in 2006. She then followed with another award for her performance as a gay woman in the 2008 series Last Friends.

Juri Ueno as Haru

Haru has told the group that she is a teacher at a private high school. Her reality is that she’s a provisional teacher who is still on probation and she hasn’t gotten her full teaching license yet. Her character is attractive but has no self confidence at all. As a result, she’s never had a boy friend and has already past her 24th birthday.

Jae-Joong Hero is not only a Korean actor, but in his role in the series, he portrays a Korean living and working in Tokyo. He tells the group he is a Doctor, and that (Doctor) becomes his character’s name. In truth, he is a salesman for a medical supplies firm, and his track record is not too good.

Jaejoong aka 'Doctor'

He’s going to fall head-over-heels for Haru. The relationship has a good many stumbles, and week to week it seems that she loves me, she loves me not is the rule rather than the exception. That’s because Haru also really likes Nakaji. And because she can’t decide.

Megumi Seki appears as Peach. She’s tall and attractive with a willowy figure. Beyond that she’s an aggressive and sexually active woman. She’s only a sales girl in a women’s clothing shop but she’s implied to the group that she manages the store.

Megumi Seki as Peach

She will be attracted to two of the three male leads, and when we meet her, she is already pregnant by another lover. She easily bonds with Haru, and they become the supporting friend for each other.

The last of the main characters is Kaoru Ichihara or ‘Leenda’, played by Tetsuji Tamayama. He has told the group that he is an editor of a prestigious magazine, but in reality he is just an assistant editor who is being sexually harassed by his female boss who constantly promises better assignments and promotions in return for sleeping with her.

Tetsuji as Leenda

As you will see, he is the fifth wheel as well as the odd man out. Yet he outwardly appears as the most stable of the main characters while inwardly he hasn’t yet learned to face up to his reality. He too has his secret which will emerge in the coming weeks.

I’ve watched the whole series which you can find with either hard or soft subtitles. You’ll have to google to find them,  At times, I became angry at the characters for their indecisiveness, their inability to be honest even to themselves, and for letting their fears control them. Yet despite the anger, you do get caught up in rooting for them.

The series as a whole is far from upbeat, and despite the somewhat happy endings achieved by some of the characters. the series does not end with you pleased about the results for each of them. But the production hasn’t skimped on cost savings measures, and it is a visually attractive series. I won’t go as far as saying this is a must see, but it is diverting, and I did stay with it to completion.

For two video trailers go to:
http://asianmediawiki.com/Sunao_ni_Narenakute

I haven’t looked at photos of Minase in a very long time which is a shame because she is such a cutie, plus she is in one of my all time favorite photos for a gravure model. Just recently, I became reacquainted with her when I saw this post. So if you are like me and haven’t checked out Minase in a while, here’s your chance to do so.

Stats:
Birthdate: February 25, 1985
Birthplace: Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Measurements: 88-58-88(cm) / 34½-23-34½-(inch)
Height: 1.65 m (5′5”)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Blood type: O

Links:
Minase Yashiro @ Beauty Boutique
Wikipedia
[YS WEB] Vol.358 Minase Yashiro [QUEEN OF THE SEA COLLECTION!!!!] @ Really Cute Asians

Shinzanmono

I think shinzanmono means something along the lines of ‘new neighborhood people or person’, which is what Detective Kaga Kyoichiro is in Ningyo-cho. Kaga was just tranferred to the Nihonbashi precinct, is placed in charge of the case. With virtually all of the residents of the neighborhood’s main shopping street, harboring one secret or another, they will all emerge as suspects, Detective Kaga must use his keen sense of deductive reasoning to uncover the truth about these people as well as solve the case..

Much of that is from the synopsis provided on the d-addicts.com website. But it really doesn’t do the series justice. Calling it a detective show is truly an over-simplification. Unlike American detective shows where the detective solves a new crime each week, this series focuses on just the one case. We, much like Detective Kaga, are in the dark. Though we witnessed the murder in the opening episode, and have seen snippets of it, in flashbacks, in every episode that followed, we still have no idea. This is a literal, “Who done it?”

Detective Kaga is portrayed by Hiroshi Abe. He brings a quiet calm to the role, and from his simple white shirt without a tie, and black suit…he appears to be completely style-less. In that regard, he is similar to the classic American detective, Lieutenant Columbo, who was played in that classic series by Peter Falk. But unlike Columbo, who actively worked at being shambling, forgetful, and messy to deceive the suspects, Kaga is none of the above. At worst he is edging in the direction of being unkempt but hasn’t arrived at that station yet.

He is direct yet quite polite and courteous, sharp as a tack when it comes to smarts because he is sharp-eyed and listens to everything that is being said, and extraordinarily giving in the sense of calming and reassuring both victims and suspects to gain their confidence.

Though the series broadcast run has concluded, I’ve seen just the first five episodes as I must wait for the subtitles to become available. But from what I have seen, I can decidedly recommend the series. So let’s give you a leg up by introducing some of the characters to get you started.

Mieko Harada as the victim Mineko Mitsui

But first, who and what was the victim Mineko Mitsui all about? She’s a 40 something divorced woman, living alone in a small flat, who is also estranged from her 20 something year old son.

From what we can see in the flashbacks, she’s attempting to get her life back on track, and has moved into this neighborhood because she has discovered that this is where her son lives. She’s made quite a few friends in Ningyo-cho, and apparently was well liked. Mieko Harada had the role.

Meisa Kuroki as Ami Aoyama

The beautiful Meisa Kuroki has the part of Ami Aoyama. She’s a part-time freelance writer/reporter/stringer for some local magazines and newspapers. She also works as a part-time waitress to supplement her meager earnings from writing.

We come to discover that she is the girl friend of the murdered woman’s son. While appearing in each episode, she is also the narrator at the beginning of each episode.

Anne (just a single professional name on stage) plays the role of Nao Kawakama in Episode One. She’s a headstrong girl who can’t get along with her Mom who runs an upscale cookie shop in the neighborhood. Nao wants to go to Paris and study hair design. She also lies to the police under questioning about an insurance salesman who is a suspect. That’s her right above this paragraph.

In Episode Two, we meet Yui Natsukawa (above left) who plays the restaurant owner Yoriko. Her husband is cheating on her with various bar girls. Detective Kaga is on the trail and he questions one of the girls, Asami, played by Mao Miyaji (above right) about this suspect. We will meet Asami again in the 4th Episode.

Yuki Shibamoto as Maki

In Three we get to know more about Maki Yanagisawa played by the lovely Yuki Shibamoto. Maki had met and befriended the murdered woman. Maki also was fighting with her Mother and went missing soon after the police arrived to question her. In this episode. Gravure Idol Yuko Ogura also had a small role as a men’s shop manager. She sells Detective Kaga some ties and undershorts.

Yuko Ogura as The Sales Mgr at a men's Shop. She loves how Det. Kaga looks with the ties she's selling

Four introduces a curmudgeon of a watch repairman played by veteran Japanese actor Yoshio Harada. His surliness stems from his unhappiness and disillusionment because his daughter ran off and married (against his wishes) a young man whom he considered to be biker-trash.

The daughter is played by Haru and she and her father will not reconcile until she delivers a newborn son. Her husband is now working at a watch manufacturing plant. As for the watch repairman, he’s a suspect because he is known to have frequented the same park as the murdered woman Mineko. And both of them were seen in this park at the same time on the day she was murdered.

Miyuki as portrayed by Mahiro Konno

In Five, we meet Miyuki who is employed at the favorite bake shop of Detective Kaga, Ami Aoyama, as well as the murdered woman. Miyuki is played by Mahiro Konno. Her character is pregnant and was befriended by Mineko, who watched over the pregnant girl, as any parent might; only she wasn’t Miyuki’s mother. We also find out that Ami Aoyama met and talked with Miyuki about Mineko in this chapter.

That’s as far as I can go up to now. It’s very interesting to watch as each Episode introduces a new character, and as we get to know them, we find that Detective Kaga will help them as people who are in need of a helping hand, and yet as he helps them, we must consider that each of them is possibly the murderer.

This excellent production has charm, wit, humor, superior writing, and lots of style. The characters are fresh, and while their family problems are universal and not new, we can enjoy how Kaga works his magic and uncovers their secrets one by one.

Through five weeks, I still have no idea who killed Mineko. And neither does Detective Kaga, and therein lies the charm and magic of this wonderful series. You just have to return the following week, because solving the case has become as important to us as it is to Kaga. Okay, make that almost as important.

When I saw this bit of news this morning, I couldn’t believe it. But not only does Anri Suzuki have a doctorate in history, but as a way to apologize for the Japanese invasion of China, she has been offering free sex sessions to the Chinese students who are studying in Japan. While focused on the Japanese invasion of China, Anri was shocked to learn about her country’s past, so she’s atoning for those past wrongdoings by offering sexual compensation.

If I was a Chinese student studying there, I would take her up on this offer in a heartbeat. You’d be silly not to. But I hope that this bit of news brings some attention to the readers here who are also unaware of the Japanese invasion of China, which is a history that doesn’t get much attention and when the Japanese government has repeatedly try to deny and remove from textbooks.

Links:
Free sex for China to apologize @ Korea Times
Anri Suzuki @ Softcore Sanctuary
Second Sino-Japanese War @ Wikipedia | Nanking Massacre @ Wikipedia

The lead role of Rensuke Hazuki is played by the Japanese superstar, Takuya Kimura. He’s the CEO of the Regolith Corporation. Under his guidance, Regolith is about to pass the Mastpole Company, and become the number one brand name in interior design.

Simply described, he is in the furniture business and he’s very smart about it. So he’s successful, rich, and ambitious for more, much more.

Takuya Kimura and Chi Ling Lin

But he’s not content with just leading domestically (in Japan). He has bigger goals in mind. Namely – China. So he sets out to launch his brand with Shanghai as the location for the flagship store in China.

His right hand man is Cai Feng Jian who is played by Shota Matsuda. Though born in Tokyo, his character is a second generation Chinese. He and Hazuki met in college, and he has worked his way up through the ranks to his current position alongside Hazuki. His fluency in Chinese and his knowledge of the local laws will be invaluable to Hazuki. But Cai Feng is an operator himself. Through two episodes, he looks like he’s working for Rensuke , and he looks like he’s out to do whatever it takes for himself as well.

Then there are three key women. Aren’t there always Key Women?

Ryoko Shinohara as Maemi Ninomiya

Hazuki’s lead designer is Maemi Ninomiya. This role is played by the charismatic Ryoko Shinohara. She’s great at what she does, and she has known Hazuki since their school days. She has a huge crush on him, only he doesn’t know it. Because of her talent, and because she’s great at working with people, she has gotten a good deal of respect from Hazuki. In fact, she’s the only person employed at Regolith who is permitted to express an opinion, even if contradictory, to Hazuki.

Keiko Kitagawa as Yuzuki Ohnuki

Keiko Kitagawa plays a model called Yuzuki Ohnuki, who has set her sights on Hazuki. She’s proud, she’s tough, and she’s passionate about getting what she wants. She’s also the daughter of the head of Mastpole. She’s is often seen on the phone with Cai Feng…plotting something.

Chi Ling Lin as Xiu Mei Liu

L

There’s one more woman to be mentioned. She is Chi Ling Lin, a beautiful Taiwanese actress who I just saw in the John Woo epic Red Cliff 2. She starred opposite Tony Leung in that one. Here she plays a worker, Xiu Mei Liu, in the Shanghai furniture factory just taken over by Hazuki’s Regolith Corporation. She’s front and center in the workers protest against Regolith, because the plans are to take down the Chinese Furniture factory and put up a new Regolith factory. The Chinese workers are protesting as they fear they’ll lose their jobs.

Somewhere in the protests, Xiu Mei Liu meets Hazuki. His plan is to turn things upside down and make Liu the poster girl for his brand Regolith. It’s the carrot at the end of the stick concept. He hopes to soften her stance by making her a center piece for the new brand. She buys into his deal especially when he promises to re-employ all the factory workers.

Do you see where this is going? A Chinese girl, a beautiful Japanese model, and the steadfast designer all are suddenly thrust together, and none of their lives, including Hazuki’s will ever be the same afterwards.

Seems like a great concept – Kimura and three sexy ladies. Couldn’t ask for more. In Episode One, we meet the players, and things look good. In Episode Two, we find out that there’s nothing Rensuke won’t do, up to and including reneging on his promise about the factory workers and attempting to pimp out Xiu Mei to a Hotel Chain Owner who is opening a hotel in Tokyo and Rensuke wants the furniture contract. But Xiu Mei will have none of it.

I’ve seen the first two episodes and wow! Is Kimura playing against his usual good guy type? Is he really this scuzzy?  What’s going to happen to those lovely ladies all of whom are encircling him?

The images you see, are all from the first two chapters which I thoroughly enjoyed. And I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Source: Kotaku

I remember when Asuka Sawamoto made headlines by flashing her rump in the middle of Akihabara which drew massive crowds that came to take photos of her. She claimed to be 22 years old until it was found that she was actually 31 years old and a gravure idol with a few IVs already available.

What I wasn’t aware of was her adult video debut this April which I found out about yesterday while looking at the latest video game news on Kotaku, and that this news was already available here on the forum before Kotaku’s article was published to the internet. So I decided to take that information and turn it into one convenient post for your enjoyment.

I took a look at some of the screenshots on DMM which you can find at the link below, and her debut looks to be a pretty interesting one. I think I am more interested in her IV work which I will try to check out once I get the chance. But I don’t get Asuka releasing only one AV. Why bother if you are going to retire as soon as it’s finished? Oh well, I will enjoy it nonetheless.

Links:
Akihabara Butt Flasher Makes Debut Porn, Steals Clothes @ Kotaku
More news and video @ Ne-ta
Gravure idol was being arrested due to “Spreading Legs Show” on the street @ Idol Institute
“Famous singer” makes her AV debut @ Adult Advocacy
Impact debut and immediately retired talent that fuss! Sawamoto Asuka @ DMM.co.jp
Asuka Sawamoto ~ That Talent Who Caused a Commotion – Impactful Debut and Retirement (IPTD574)

Source: Kotaku

I have been a huge fan of The King of Fighters series by SNK since King of Fighters ‘94. I had high hopes for The King of Fighters XII when it was released in 2009, but the game wasn’t as good as I thought it would be, plus one of my favorite characters was missing from the roster.

Mai Shiranui has been a part of the series since the beginning, and I did not like that she was not a part of KOF XII. The good news is that Mai returns to the roster with the announcement of The King of Fighters XIII which will be out in arcades this summer. So let’s celebrate with some sexy cosplay by Sayuki Matsumoto. And if you haven’t acquainted yourself with Sayuki in a while, now is a good time to do so, especially since she looks amazing in Mai’s costume.

Links:
The Secret of Mai Shiranui’s Revealing Outfit @ Kotaku
Sayuki Matsumoto @ Beauty Boutique

It seems, per the article, that Akiko long suspected her husband of infidelity, but she is surprised that drugs are also involved. She filed for divorce four days after Oshio’s arrest.

I’m not going to comment further on the arrest, the alleged crime, the alleged drug use, or infidelity. Those things will work themselves out with or without press coverage and definitely without my opinions.

Maybe it is part of the press campaign for her next motion picture. In a more recent Japantoday.com article, they’ve  announced that Akiko will play a police detective along with Kenji Sakaguchi doing the Bruce Willis role in the Japanese version of Die Hard.

But let’s set the news blurbs aside. I do think Akiko Yada is a beauty, a wonderful actress, and I have had the good fortune to see her in at least five Japanese TV Dramas. I am not only willing to share these with you, but I am very happy to do so.

The first series I saw with Akiko was called My Little Chef (MLC).This show was produced and aired in 2002. Akiko starred and had the lead as Seri Kamosawa, a talented but unknown chef. She comes in from the country to work at Etoile, a fancy French eatery. But it has gone out of business. However, the fates are kind and she hooks up (not romantically) with that restaurant’s former manager Kenaku Tachibana. played by Hiroshi Abe, and they open their own French restaurant.

With Aya Ueto on board as a hostess and server, and a fine assortment of actors as chefs and cooks in this restaurant, the series will entertain you three ways:

- The stories are often about the guests of the restaurant and all will be well after they taste and enjoy the fine food
- We are treated to the preparation and service of some really tasty and artfully created and presented dishes. The menu for each meal was created by Seri after having a brief conversation with the restaurant’s guest.
- The restaurant itself must fight to survive. It is being taken over by a French outfit, and the CEO is none other than Seri’s Mom who she has not seen in almost twenty years.

My thought was that this was a very fine production, beautifully presented. The cast was extremely likable, and Akiko shined as a young chef struggling to find her footing in the world of culinary arts, as well as pleasing the customers, and keeping the restaurant afloat.

Plus there is a bonus. The theme song of MLC is a wonderful song called Voyage by the superstar Japanese songstress Ayumi Hamasaki.

The second drama featuring Akiko Yada was called Top Caster (2006). It is set in the News department of a network TV station. Yuki Amani as Haruka Tsubaki has been hired as the new News Anchor. She’s bossy, bitchy, and a  ball-buster. She cares about just one thing and that’s getting scoops which translates to higher ratings for the network. The higher the ratings the higher her bonus.

She tabs TV weather girl Nozomi Asuka played by Akiko to be her assistant. That doesn’t mean editorial assistant. It doesn’t mean production assistant. It means both of those AND personal assistant 24-7.

Poor Akiko as Nozomi is nearly overwhelmed. She must wake her boss up every morning with a cup of tea at the ready. She must unpack the dozens and dozens of boxes and crates and that means set up her boss’s apartment.

So Akiko must work her tail off. Will she stay with it, or will she be crushed by the steamrolling anchorwoman Haruka? And will Haruki be able to bring in the scoops to keep the network honchos happy that they brought her in from New York at a super high salary?

The third series was called Voice. It has hints of CSI but it isn’t really about deaths caused by criminal activity. Instead it centers on 5 med students who are in the forensic pathology field. Most of them aren’t thrilled by this field but that will change.

The lead actor believes that medicine ends with death. But as he and the other students will find out, medicine also applies to the dead. The so called ‘voices of the dead‘ is really the pathology and study of the tissues and relevant facts that caused the person to die in the 1st place.

Akiko Yada portrays Reiko. She’s not one of the students. Instead she’s one of the staff at the med school. She befriends the students and helps them along with their studies. It’s not much of a role, but Akiko looks good in a doctor’s white coat.

Akiko played a high school health teacher to Takashi Sorimachi’s Enzo the Art teacher in HOTMAN. Enzo is a family man in a big way. He’s raising a 5 year old girl who is his daughter as a solo parent. He also lives with his 2 sisters and twin brothers. And in effect he is serving as their father, while in truth he is their brother. They all had the same mother, but the brothers and sisters had different fathers.

Akiko gets involved through the school, and her relationship with with Enzo is not the main story. The main story is Enzo and the children. Still as I’ve mentioned before, Akiko is great to look at, and always seems to get a role that you can’t help but like her in.

The last and most popular of Akiko’s TV series was called Last Christmas. Produced in 2004 for the holiday season, the series was broadcast between October 11th and December 20th that year. Her co-star is Yuji Oda as Kenji. Both Kenji and Yuki (Akiko) are employed at a large sporting goods company, a Japanese version of Nike. Yuki is dating Kenji’s boss, while Kenji is concentrating on business.

You probably can guess where this will take us, but there’s plenty of side stories – two other couples including the busty MEGUMI and the gorgeous Nana Katase, round out the cast.

But this story is more than just a rom-com. There’s some decidedly dramatic parts to this series. Akiko Yada is certainly beautiful in her own right, in fact, men really go for her in this series. but there’s more to find out about her, much more than meets the eye at first.

While Yuki and Kenji are the central characters, Yuki’s role is much more complex.  My opinion was that this was indeed a holiday treat.

My conclusion is that Akiko Yada is an attractive as well as accomplished actress. I look forward to her return to TV dramas. By the way, a simple google search for each of these dramas will produce lots of links to English language subtitled dl’s.

Karina has the lead role and is just one of many Japanese beauties lighting up the screen in this 11 episode series. She does a superb job as Kinue Amano, a girl who was doing quite well selling bedding in the fictional top of the market Echizenya Department Store in Tokyo. Then one day she finds she’s been transferred to the Women’s Clothing Department.

Karina as Kinue Amano, looking like a plain Jane in Episode 1. This scene is in Paris where the series begins.

Kinue is clumsy, klutzy, and without any fashion sense what so ever. That’s her in the above picture by the River Seine in Paris, France which is where the series begins. She’s  just like the Andy Sachs character in The Devil Wears Prada. Her new boss is Chief Manager Miki Jinbo who is played by Hitomi Kuroki, and her role is styled to be like the Meryl Streep role as the world’s numero uno fashionista, Miranda Priestly, in TDWP.  So the stage is set. This looks like it could  be The Devil Wears Prada re-worked Japanese style.

Hitomi Kuroki as Chief Manager Miki Jinbo

But this is series, not a two-hour story for a single movie. So they had to open it up, give more characters more depth and bigger parts as well as adding in the department store wars. Think Nieman Marcus vs Bloomingdales vs Bergdorf-Goodman.

Plenty of nice threads to see, and these are worn by some of Japan’s most beautiful actresses. So even if high fashion isn’t your cup of cha, watching beautiful women is what you get week after week in this series.

Specifically, Kinue’s task is that she must attempt to balance her workload, her relationship of 8 years with her boyfriend, and navigate her way through the minefield of satisfying a very tough boss. It is a lot to put on anyone’s plate, and when you factor in that she knew nothing about style or fashion, the task seemed even harder.

As the series progresses, and Kinue grows personally, professionally, and of course , at the same time she becomes much more stylish,  the story seems to veer away sharply from TDWP model.

I think if you decide to watch this, just don’t expect TDWP. Even with the similarities and the fact that it starts as if it would be the same it simply wasn’t the same.

As a guy, I’m not particularly interested in fashion as a topic. Nor am I knowledgeable. I couldn’t tell you one designer’s style from another. They’re just names to me. But I did see TDWP back in 2006 in the company of a woman who worked for a major Chinese fashion magazine, and I liked it so I thought I’d give this series a chance.

Kinue Amano played by Karina now looking much more stylish

You should consider this one as there’s plenty of eye candy in this show.

To borrow Miki Jinbo’s trademark phrase in the series – Kekko! (Fine!).  I thought this was a fine series which seemed to hit a lot of different areas – success in the work place but not without a struggle for some; and broken hearts or broken dreams for others, and so forth. The ensemble cast was really good.

Elegant, stylish and very desirable

It played well as a drama, as a comedy, and as a life-affirming story. The only department that it failed in, and this was done intentionally, was the romance department.

It’s not as if it tried and failed, the romance had to be jettisoned otherwise the character of Kinue could not have grown in multiple spheres of her life.

Beauties on the Sales Floor

To summarize, this was a nice series to look at, it was entertaining, and at times a lot of fun. I liked it. Alot.

Speaking of Asians and the Olympics, should pole dancing become an Olympic sport? If it means that I would be able to check out Mai Sato, the current world champion in her sport on national television, absolutely.

There’s video of her in action after the break, but I don’t know why anyone would be against making pole dancing an official event. Who wouldn’t want to watch women work the pole? Plus, think about the ratings the sport would get if it is televised nationally and internationally. If figure skating and curling can draw millions of viewers worldwide, so could pole dancing. Hopefully, it makes it in someday.

Links:
International Pole Dance Fitness Championship
Lu Pole Dance Studio (Art Flow Tokyo) @ YouTube