Oguri and Mizushima Form Formidable Tag Team in New Autumn Drama

Here in Japan the late summer will soon come to an end. A slew of upcoming autumn dramas have been announced!
Among them talk has centered on the drama in which the most popular of heartthrobs form a dream team!!

‘東京DOGS～最悪で最高のパートナー～ / Tokyo DOGS～Saiaku de Saiko no Partner～ [lit. The worst and best of partners]’

Breaking news!!
In autumn 2009…two ‘troublemakers’ become heroes!!
Oguri Shun will play the role of an elite NYPD detective! Mizushima Hiro becomes a police officer who belongs to the Special Investigator Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department. The two markedly different policemen will form a most oddball duo! The ingenious story features a great balance of serious and humorous scenes!

Here are the messages from the lead actors:
Oguri Shun
“Although the filming has not started yet I’m already excited to have the honor of working with such talented cast members.
We will work together, and at times argue with each other to produce a great show.”

Mizushima Hiro
“I am hoping to show a different side of Mizushima Hiro.
The staff and cast members will all be making a concerted effort to create a detective story like no other.”

Also, a mysterious woman who holds the key to solving the case investigated by the two officers will be played by Yoshitaka Yuriko! She had attracted attention when reports had surfaced about her dating actor Tamaki Hiroshi.

Oricon: Men With Beautiful Skin

With demand for men's cosmetics and salons increasing, people are becoming more conscious of male beauty. As a result, Oricon surveyed 500 males ranging from their teens to their forties, creating a "men with beautiful skin" ranking.

Teppei Koike was ranked first with his white, smooth skin and envious looks. Actor and musician Masaharu Fukuyama followed Koike at second while Gackt took third place in the rankings.

1. Teppei Koike
2. Masaharu Fukuyama
3. Gackt
4. Takuya Kimura
5. Hiro Mizushima
6. Eiji Wentz
7. Haruma Miura
8. Hiroshi Tamaki
9. Tomohisa Yamashita
10. Hideaki Takizawa




credits: tokyograph

Beck Rock Manga Gets Live-Action Film with Hiro Mizushima

Hiro Mizushima, the 25-year-old star of the manga-based Absolute Boyfriend, Hana Zakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise, and Lovely Complex projects, will headline a live-action film adaptation of Harold Sakuishi's Beck rock-and-roll manga. The original manga portrays the lives of five members in a Japanese rock band on the rise, including the charismatic guitarist and band leader Ryusuke Minami (Mizushima).

The other "ikemen" (handsome) band members are 20-year-old Takeru Satoh (Princess Princess D, Kamen Rider Den-O, Rookies) as the vocalist and guitarist Yukio Tanaka/Koyuki, 29-year-old Kenta Kiritani (Crows Zero, Rookies) as the rapper Chiba, 18-year-old Aoi Nakamura (Shinigami no Ballad., Q.E.D., Koizora) as the drummer Yuji Sakurai, and 27-year-old Osamu Mukai (Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Monochrome Factor, Mei-chan no Shitsuji) as the bass guitarist Taira. 30 original songs are being written for the actors to perform with actual instruments after they undergo intensive training. Director Yukihiko Tsutsumi (20th Century Boys, Trick, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, H2) will begin shooting the film at the beginning of July, and the film will open in Japan in Fall of 2010.

The original manga ended in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine last June in Japan, and 15 million copies of the 34 volumes have been published since it began in 1998. Whereas Koyuki was the protagonist of the original manga, the film will focus on Ryusuke. Tokyopop published the first 12 volumes in North America, and Funimation completed its release of 2004-2005's BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad anime version last year.




source: Anime News Network

"Mr. Brain" premiere reaches 25%

TBS's aired the first episode of its "MR.BRAIN" drama series on Saturday. As expected for a drama starring Takuya Kimura, viewership ratings were high, achieving 24.8% in the Kanto region and 25.2% in Kansai.

Aside from Kimura, the show also features popular stars like Haruka Ayase and Hiro Mizushima. TBS has also been promoting the guest stars in each episode, such as Ebizo Ichikawa and Ryoko Hirosue in this premiere episode. Gackt and Kazuya Kamenashi are among the guests for future episodes.

This marks the best opening of any drama series this season by far, and it is also that time slot's (Saturday 8:00pm) highest ratings since TBS began airing dramas in the slot last spring.




Source: Sankei Sports