mobitv-site

Why you should watch Kazunari Ninomiya My Family

mobitv 2023. 06. 19. 2:37

My Family brings to life the family of Haruto Narusawa, the CEO of a game company. On the surface, Narusawa looks like he has the perfect family, with a loving wife and a sensible daughter. But behind closed doors, he does not care about his family and neglects them for work.

One day, he receives a phone call claiming that his daughter has been kidnapped. The kidnapper demanded a ransom of 500 million yen (about S$5.2 million). What should have been a relatively easy sum to fork out for a CEO turns out challenging as Haruto’s company faces a crisis.

Getting pushed to their wits’ end, Haruto must work with his estranged wife to decide the best course to take to save their only daughter.

The first two of 10 episodes are now on Disney+. Here’s why you should catch this thrilling Japanese drama.

1. It sees Arashi’s Kazunari Ninomiya and Mikako Tabe working together again

Kazunari Ninomiya plays Haruto Narusawa, while Mikako Tabe portrays his wife, Michiru Narusawa. It has been 15 years since the two worked together on the school comedy-drama The Story Of Yamada Taro (2007).

They were still very young and relatively new to the industry back then: Tabe was only 18, and Ninomiya was 24. They have each achieved significant progress in their careers over the years. Tabe is now one of the better-known actresses in Japan, with popular works like Last Hope (2013) with Arashi’s Masaki Aiba, Boku No Ita Jikan (2014) with Haruma Miura, and My Long Awaited Love Story (2016) with Issei Takahashi.

On the other hand, Ninomiya has won Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role at the 39th Japan Academy Prize for his performance in Nagasaki: Memories Of My Son (2015). He has also starred in various famous works like Gantz (2011) and Platinum Data (2013) and voiced Koro-sensei in the live-action film adaptation of Assassination Classroom (2015).

2. The supporting characters can be divided into three groups

The supporting characters are made up of the police, the Narusawa couple’s parents, Haruto’s colleagues and Michiru’s friends. Although having three groups of supporting characters may seem like it will complicate matters, they are essential in adding depth to the story and making it multi-faceted.

The police, fronted by the inspector Keishi Katsuragi (Hiroshi Tamaki), are eager to close the case. Katsuragi may be a kidnapping expert, but he once failed his mission. Hoping to right his wrongs, he looks conniving and is adamant about apprehending the kidnapper at all costs.

The Narusawa couple’s parents seem inconsequential, but they actually hold the most pivotal power in influencing the couple’s decisions. While the couple does not trust the police entirely, their parents may become the police’s greatest assistants.

Haruto’s colleagues and Michiru’s friends are the more instrumental forces to excite the plot. On the one hand, the police and the Narusawa couple’s parents are definitely on their side fighting against the kidnapper. On the other hand, Haruto’s colleagues and Michiru’s friends are hovering between the spectrum.

3. It has a suspenseful plot that keeps you guessing

The drama has carefully revealed bits and pieces about the characters, creating a foggy outlook on the intense situation. It springs into the mystery as soon as in the first 10 minutes of the first episode. From there, suddenly, everyone seems suspicious. Anyone could have been the mastermind. It becomes pretty mind-blowing as you churn out all the possible reasons for who may be the instigator.

As someone who enjoys the mystery genre, this is a fun and thrilling drama. But for those who dislike racking your brains and prefer something more straightforward, this may be a nightmare.

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH KAZUNARI NINOMIYA MY FAMILY

Tovább

Nana Osaki vs. Nana Komatsu: Who Has It Worse?

mobitv 2023. 06. 07. 2:33

While many believe it's uncommon for shojo series to tackle mature issues with well-developed realistic characters, Ai Yazawa’s NANA toes the line between shojo and josei, standing out as one of the few series that manage to present its readers and viewers with a serious and mature topic. Since it won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2002, NANA has lost nothing from its popularity -- in fact, over a decade later, it still holds up.The allure of NANA lies in its realistic yet enchanting characters, making its audience feel as if they are falling in love for the first time. The show features a wide range of characters with powerful backstories.

NANA follows the story of two young women with the same name who decide to move to Tokyo for different reasons. Nana Osaki wants to become a professional musician and make it big, while Nana Komatsu wants to be close to her boyfriend without financially depending on him. The two Nanas find themselves sitting next to each other on the train to Tokyo and eventually share an apartment. Despite being polar opposites, the two women forge a unique, unbreakable bond that would constantly be put to the test. Understandably, the backstories of Nana Komatsu, or Hachi, and Nana Osaki are the ones that are discussed in detail. Let us see which of the two has a more complicated, painful, and touching backstory.

Nana Komatsu was born as the middle child into a happy, clamorous family in a small town surrounded by mountains. Growing up, she never had to worry about things like food or money. At the age of sixteen, she began attending an all-girls school, where she met her best friend Junko. Starting with her art teacher Mr. Okamoto, Nana has had many crushes throughout her high school career -- video store clerk Nakamura, Mr. Kawasaki who works as a chef in a restaurant, and a pizza delivery boy named Yoshida.

As a result of her habit of falling in love at first sight, she's instantly attracted to twenty-nine-year-old Takashi Asano, whom she met at a movie theater. As if the age gap wasn't bad enough, it turns out that Asano is a married man. Nana's desire to love and be loved leads to an affair that lasts several months. As a young girl who was taken advantage of -- both sexually and emotionally -- Nana tries to cope with this trauma that she disguises as heartbreak for years. Later, she meet Shoji -- someone who's not like the other guys. He eventually becomes her boyfriend, but moves to Tokyo for university. Wanting to stand on her own two feet and be closer to Shoji, Nana also decides to move to Tokyo.

NANA OSAKI VS. NANA KOMATSU: WHO HAS IT WORSE?

Tovább

Japanese News! Actor Fukada Kyoko Diagnosed With Adjustment Disorder

mobitv 2023. 05. 26. 21:43

Fukada Kyoko, 38, a Japanese actor with a long list of major film and TV credits, has been diagnosed with adjustment disorder, her agency, Hori Production, announced Thursday. She is withdrawing from all work commitments while she recovers.

It is rare for a Japanese talent of her stature to publicly announce that they are suffering from mental health problems. One comparable case is that of Empress Masako, who received a similar adjustment disorder diagnosis in 2003.

According to the announcement Fukada has been ailing since the spring of last year. This month she was diagnosed with adjustment disorder by her physician and is now devoting herself to her recovery.

She was scheduled to star in an upcoming Fuji TV serial drama, which will now have to be recast. Also, the release of her latest film, “Lupin’s Daughter,” is set for this October, but Fukuda’s participation in promotional activities is in doubt.

Fukada is perhaps best known abroad for her breakout role in the 2004 Nakashima Tetsuya female buddy movie “Kamikaze Girls.” She also starred in the 2009 Miike Takashi action comedy “Yatterman.”

Fukada’s representatives did not detail the causes of her illness, though media speculation has focused on overwork and stress from the pandemic as likely triggers.

The past year has seen a spate of deaths by suicide of Japanese celebrities suffering from mental stress, including Kimura Hana, a 22-year-old pro wrestler and reality show star who took her own life in May of last year after becoming the target of Internet bullying. Another was Takeuchi Yuko, who died in September 2020 after being a major star for two decades. No exact cause was determined though, similar to Fukada, she had a heavy schedule of commitments prior to her death at age 40.

PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY

JAPANESE NEWS! ACTOR FUKADA KYOKO DIAGNOSED WITH ADJUSTMENT DISORDER

Tovább

Understanding the reach of a Japanese political dynasty

mobitv 2023. 05. 18. 23:37

Shot seemingly in mid-March, before the authorities got serious about stay-at-home directives, the May 12 installment of the Nippon TV variety show “Kayo Surprise” featured three male celebrities — Yoshizumi Ishihara, Kazushige Nagashima and Daigo — frolicking in the seaside environs of Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, where Ishihara grew up. The thread connecting these three men is that they’re all from illustrious families, which in itself is not a novelty. These days, it’s probably harder to find a TV personality that doesn’t have a famous forebear.

Ishihara’s father is novelist-cum-politician Shintaro Ishihara, while Nagashima’s father is Shigeo Nagashima, one of the most beloved baseball players in Japanese history. Yoshizumi Ishihara and Kazushige Nagashima are both in their 50s and have cultivated media images distinct from their families. So has Daigo, who is always described as a musician and TV personality and only goes by his given name (his surname is Naito). His maternal grandfather is the late Noboru Takeshita, Japan’s prime minister from 1987 to 1989. Now 42, Daigo has been a TV fixture for more than 15 years, during which he has developed an on-air persona that is part rock god, part mischievous slacker.

In April, Daigo’s wife of four years, actress Keiko Kitagawa, announced on her official website that she was expecting her first child in the fall. Daigo dutifully updated his blog to note the happy occasion, apologizing for talking about such a matter while Japan faces “hardship,” but adding that he will keep his wife and child safe by being careful. As Nikkan Gendai Digital pointed out in its coverage of the announcement, Daigo did not use his patented comical diction, which relies on English-Japanese puns, but stuck to proper Japanese. The article repeated rumors that have been circulating since last year, saying that Daigo’s marriage was on the rocks and he was living apart from Kitagawa at his parents’ house in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.

UNDERSTANDING THE REACH OF A JAPANESE POLITICAL DYNASTY

Tovább

Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi found dead at 40

mobitv 2023. 05. 09. 6:58

Award-winning Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi has been found dead at her Tokyo home at the age of 40.

She was reportedly found by her actor husband Taiki Nakabayashi at their home in Shibuya Ward. Her death was confirmed at hospital.

Police launched an investigation, suspecting that the actress took her own life, Japanese media reported.

Ms Takeuchi was popular in Japan, known for the 1998 horror film Ringu which was adapted by Hollywood as The Ring.

In a statement, her talent agency Stardust Promotion said it was "stunned and saddened by the news".

The actress also played a female Sherlock Holmes in the 2018 HBO series Miss Sherlock, which was broadcast in several countries including the US.

For three years in a row, between 2004 and 2007, Ms Takeuchi won best actress in a leading role at the Japanese Academy Awards.

Along with her long list of acting credits, Ms Takeuchi's warm, smiling, woman-of-the-people image made her popular with advertisers, Variety Magazine reports.

Although suicide has not been confirmed in Ms Takeuchi's case, it has been the cause of death for a number of Japanese talents recently, including the actress Sei Ashina earlier this month, actor Haruma Miura in July and wrestling star Hana Kimura in May.

Japan has long battled one of the highest suicide rates in the industrialised world although figures have dropped since preventative measures were introduced more than a decade ago.