*KinKi Universe*
*KinKi Universe*
Starring:Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Ohba Makoto", Domoto Koichi as "Kageyama Ruka"
Makoto's family has just moved into a little town his father has set up
a small ramen shop in, and Makoto has managed to get a place in a prestigious school
in the area. However, he gets into trouble with the school bullies when he stops them
from bullying another student, and becomes the target of their vengeance. Unfortunately,
Makoto witnesses a teacher shoplifting, and although he does not tell anyone,
the teacher starts to make trouble for him, like accusing him of stealing a camera that
he had "lent" Makoto. Depressed and desperate, Makoto is greatly relieved when
Ruka is willing to stand up for him. But a misunderstanding between them results in
the bullying going to proportions no one is prepared to handle...
This is KinKi Kids' first drama together, but what a weird drama it was. Couldn't really tell
who was the lead because the storyline was very very complex. My heart
totally went out to Tsuyoshi...but Koichi's character was a bit ambiguous at
first--didn't know whose side he was on until nearly the middle. Do watch out for their first
onscreen kiss though... with each other! (I heard they had to NG 30 times...^_^' )
At first I was a bit confused about the title, but after that I realised it mean the cruelty and
sadistic nature of some people make them inhuman, like animals. It exposes the ugly side
of humans in the form of bullying, ill-intentioned "jokes", selfishness and vengefulness.
This drama is also a criticism of the people who turn a blind eye to the morally unacceptable
happenings around them.
Starring:Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Kindaichi Hajime", Tomosaka Rie as "Nanase Miyuki"
Theme Song(s): Hitori Janai by Domoto Tsuyoshi (1st season),
Kiss Kara Hajimaru Mystery by KinKi Kids (2nd season)
Based on the popular manga and anime series of the same name, it traces the
adventures of the grandson of a great Japanese detective, Kindaichi Hajime, as
he tries to solve many weird, unexplainable murder cases with the help of his
classmate and childhood sweetheart Nanase Miyuki. This is about the only show
starring Tsuyoshi that was aired in Singapore, but it's the one that made me
sit up and take notice of him.
I like the way the atmosphere is set...really eerie and dark, kind of like the
X-Files. Also, every week you get different guest stars "cameo-ing" as the
murderer or the murdered...quite fun. One problem is that the killer's motive is
usually about the same, but it's the way that the murder is committed that
really holds you to your seat. I end up spending the whole time trying to see
if I can guess who is the real murderer is and how the crime was committed
before Kindaichi does... ^_^'
This particular drama spawned a second season (which is quite rare for
Japanese dramas), and a couple of special movie episodes. So far I've watched
"Shanghai Mermaid Legend", "Seven High School Mystery Murders" and "Snow
Devil Murders"...which is almost all the special edisodes I think...but apparently there
are more in the making, but starring Matsumoto Jun (from Arashi) instead. I think Tsuyoshi
got sick of acting as Kindaichi. =) By the way, Koichi had a cameo at the ending part of
"Snow Devil Murders" as "Fuwa Kojo" from "Ginrou Kaiki File".
Starring:Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Fuji Wataru"
This is the story of a single mother and her struggle to raise up three kids
who show no respect for her. Wataru is the eldest son, an athletic youth who
is deadset against his mother remarrying, thinking that he can support the
family on his own...
I haven't watched this yet...it's kind of too old to find...heh heh...
Starring:Domoto Koichi as "Fuwa Kojo", Mai Hoshou, Inohara Yoshihiko(V6) and Ken Miyake(V6)
Theme Song(s): Boku wa Omou by Domoto Koichi
Intended as the sequel to "Kindaichi", the story revolves around a youth with
altered genes that transform him from an ordinary high school student to a
super-sleuth. In other words he has this double personality thing...and apparently,
he has super-speed running when he's in superpower mode...or he can fly???
I don't know...not very sure on the details...=)
I haven't watched this either, so I can't really comment on it. Anyway I
heard from "KinKi Kids Donnamonya" that Tsuyoshi had a cameo in one episode as the guy who goes "In the AVA
room!"... =)
Starring:Domoto Koichi as "Fujiki Kai" and Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Aisawa Takeshi"
Theme Song(s): Friends by KinKi Kids and First of May by The BeeGees
Kai is the son of the town doctor, a rich but neglected youth, while
his classmate Takeshi is the son of a drunkard, who has to work part-time to
support his younger siblings ever since his mother died. They become fast
friends, but this friendship is fraught with obstacles and difficulties.
I loved the scenes with Tsuyoshi and Koichi together...very cute. One of my
favourite scenes was the puppet show, 'coz Takeshi(Tsuyoshi) was doing the part
of a large frog, and somehow he managed to croak very indignantly when Kai(Koichi)'s
puppet made bad comments about the frog... ^_^'
Anyway, Tsuyoshi had the meatier role...his character really developed
a lot. But I guess they alternate who gets the lead role because Koichi was
the lead in "Miman City". Tsuyoshi really brought out the emotions of his
character very well, and the story was very touching too. A really good
drama...get out the tissue paper and be prepared for a sob-fest!
Starring:Domoto Koichi and Inohara Yoshihiko
Koichi is paralysed in an accident and tries to overcome his fear of his
disablity by learning how to play handicap basketball.
I haven't watched this either...gomenasai...
Starring:Domoto Koichi as "Yamato" and Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Takeru"
Theme Song(s): Aisareru yori Aishitai by KinKi Kids
Yamato and Takeru get to know each other by chance when cycling to a city
that has been hit by an earthquake. However, when they get there, they
discover that instead a meteorite has landed in the city containing a virus
that has wiped out the entire adult population, leaving a city of kids behind...
Another weird sci-fic drama by NTV, but I loved the scenes with Koichi and
Tsuyoshi. Basically Koichi had the lead role and Tsuyoshi was sort of the
comic-relief-cum-sidekick, but that was quite okay because it was nice to see
KinKi Kids doing some action stuff for a change. Some of the kids in the drama
are from Johnny's Juniors and A.Ra.Shi, so their fans would probably enjoy
this drama too.
Starring:Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Ryuu", Okina Megumi and Kamikawa Takaya
Theme Song(s): Ao no Jidai by KinKi Kids
Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/aonojidai
Abandoned by his mother after he accidentally stabs her boyfriend, Ryuu is a juvenile delinquent,
roaming the back streets of Tokyo and mired in a life of petty crime. Although he detests what he has become,
he remains wary and mistrustful of those who extend a helping hand to him. Then he falls in love with Akane,
a undergraduate working as a librarian, and decides to turn over a new leave.
He is befriended by a lawyer who agrees to help him, but a traumatic experience from the lawyer's youth results in
latent schizophrenia and as Ryuu questions the logic of the lawyer's no-violence rules in
the face of drastic situations, the evil side of the lawyer begins to have a stronger
hold...
Everything was really nice and touching and realistic until the weird schizophrenia thing came in.
For a moment I thought this was NTV we were talking about... But they did put it in a passably
plausible way, and I suppose it is important to consider the rhetoric questions posed. Tsuyoshi once said
that this is his favourite character, and I can see why--Ryuu might be too rash and hot-headed, but
his motives redeem him. Tsuyoshi's character in this drama was very different from his usual roles, and I
was pleasantly surprised that he managed to give a well-rounded performance.
Starring:Domoto Koichi as "Hideyuki", Miki Nakatani and Akiko Yada
Theme Song(s): Ai to Chinmoku
Based on a novel by Setsuko Shinoda, Koichi stars as a music student given
the task of communicating with a girl who cannot understand any language due
to a failed neural operation--except music. He soon falls for her, and in doing so inspires the girl to use her
superhuman powers...
Yup, another weird drama from NTV. It is totally disturbing...a really freaky
show. But I liked the filming techniques for this drama too, and despite the
strange plot, I thought Koichi was quite good in his role. Does Koichi play
the cello? Because if he doesn't he's a fantastic actor...it looked like he
totally knew what he was doing...
Starring:Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Atsushi" and Endo Kumiko
Theme Song(s): Yamenaide PURE by KinKi Kids
Atsushi is a college dropout whose mother died when he was young. Tired of
living up to the expectations of his workaholic father and spending his days
working part-time in department stores, he wishes to relive his life. On the New
Year's Eve of 1999, he dies of a heart attack while watching a movie, and wakes
up to find himself in 1995...
A really cool concept, because everyone wishes their life had a rewind and
erase button at some point of their life. People who watched "Groundhog Day"
will get the idea. I thought it was a great drama, although a little but
tedious...but that probably had something to do with me watching it from head
to tail about 10 times. I won't spoil it for you, but all I can say is, be
careful what you wish for, 'cause you might just get it.
Starring:Domoto Koichi as "Shunpei" and Seto Asaka as "Momoko"
Theme Song(s): Naze... by Hysteric Blue
Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/shunpei
A would-be University student takes a walk in a park to and meets a
cynical college student. She is passionate and flamboyant, and also makes a
mess of his life by tricking him into stuff like entering the girls dorm,
etc...
I felt so sorry for Koichi...kena her make fun of until he was at his
wits end. But then again, that made him look extremely cute...however, I have a
little bone to pick with this drama...actually, Koichi's character was kind of...erm...boring.
What was more interesting was Asaka's "Momoko"...but that's just my opinion. Anyway, look out
for Tsuyoshi "cameo-ing" as the flower shop delivery guy Tokieda Yuji from "To Heart"!
Starring: Tsuyoshi Domoto as "Tokieda Yuji" and Kyoko Fukada as "Miura Toko"
Theme Song(s): To Heart by KinKi Kids, Life by Des'ree
Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/toheart/index-j2.html
Toko believes that the world is going to end soon, so she hopes to experience
a real relationship at least once before she dies. As luck would have it, she
meets Yuji, a boxer trainee who works part-time in a flower shop, at a video
shop. She has a very bad impression of him at first because he was borrowing
a porn video and he made fun of her for borrowing a cartoon tape, but when
she sees him training in the park, her disgust slowly turns to admiration and
love.
I didn't like the ending of this drama because it was kind of a forced happy
ending, and personally, I have a very poor opinion of shallow guys that
watch porn videos...I've also heard some complains that he was quite expressionless
throughout the whole thing. I really disagree with the expressionless thing...
Tsuyoshi actually managed to look really annoyed throughout the whole
show...but then again, if I had a prozaic-overdosed stalker (even if she were
cute) who refused to address me by anything less than my full name, I
would be pretty annoyed too...=P
But seriously, for me, this drama was better than Koichi's
P.S. I'm Fine--Shunpei...and I must say Tsuyoshi did a good job of the
professional boxer thing and he was pretty good showing all the relationship dilema actually,
despite the corny storyline. I think people might have found him expressionless
because the impression that a boxer gives is someone who feels awkward about showing his true
feelings...you know, one of those macho-guy things...and I guess Tsuyoshi just
wanted to show that...And anyway, watching Koichi cameo
as a patron in the pub was funny... =)
Starring: Domoto Koichi as "Tatsuro" and Sakai Noriko
Theme Song(s): Mou Kimi Igai Aisenai by KinKi Kids
Debt-ridden and at his wits end, Koichi resorts to charging people on
the streets 1000 yen to have a boxing match with him for a minute. Then one
day he meets Noriko and life becomes better with her love and encouragement.
But out of the blue, he is informed that he now has an autistic half-brother
to add to his troubles...
The storyline is sort of like Dustin Hoffman's "Rainman", but it was sort of
normal...but some people said it was touching, so...
Starring: Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Shinoda Natsuo", Hirosue Ryoko as "Katase Yuki",
Imai Tsubasa as "Suetsugu Hiroto", Ikewaki Chizuru as "Shinoda Chika" and Oguri Shun
as "Shinoda Jun"
Theme Song(s): Natsu no Ousama by KinKi Kids, Seven Angels and Summer Snow by Sissel (featuring Zamfir)
Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/s-snow/pre/index0.html
Faced with supporting his two younger siblings and running his father's
bicycle shop single-handedly after their parents die in a car crash, 21 year
old Natsuo already has his hands full without complications like teenage
pregnancies and vandalising hooligans. Then he falls in love with Yuki, a bank
clerk with a heart problem...
This must be one of my favourite dramas. Tsuyoshi was really cute in this
one...he was like a kid. I think some comparisions have been drawn between
Summer Snow and Hitotsu Yane no Shita(Under the Same Roof)
but I think the emphasis of the two shows are quite different --
Hitotsu Yane no Shita is about the problems faced by the
family but Summer Snow is more about the problems faced
by Natsuo and Yuki. A really sweet and touching love story that
I recommend to all die-hard romantics out there.
Starring: Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Mukai Arata", Akiyama Jun, Abe Natsumi
Theme Song(s): Boku no Senaka ni wa Hane ga Aru by KinKi Kids
Official Website: http://www.ntv.co.jp/shirushi/aiken.html
Mukai Arata is a easy-going, simple-minded student at Hachioji University studying to
be a vet. Kind hearted and loyal to his friends, he is often made use of. One
day, Rosinante, a lovable Labrador retriever, whose master, a commuter train
conductor, dies while Rosinante is spending the night at the impromptu
weekend dog hotel a veterinary professor has set up at the university to
collect a little extra cash. Loyal to his master, Rosinante barks at every
train his owner used to drive, and Arata is touched. So, despite being thrown
out by his landlord and ending up staying in the girls' dorm, Arata decides
to keep Rosinante and care for him. Being the trouble-maker he is, Rosinante
doesn't make Arata's live any easier; and being the dimwit he is, Arata
carries on with his chosen field even when faced with numerous obstacles
with a simple tenacity and determination.
Tsuyoshi was so cute here...well, and so were all the animals in the show...
being the hopeless animal-lover I am, I was really happy to see all those animals in the show.
I think this show was a little different from Tsuyoshi's other shows. Well, besides
the interesting way of telling the story from Rosinante's viewpoint, Tsuyoshi usually
acts as the smart guy, or the one with a lot to say. This time he's the perpetual good-guy,
the one that's hesitant to speak...or maybe he just needed some time to organise his
thoughts 'coz his mental processes are so slow.=P
Anyway it was quite comical...he kept hearing the wrong things, then there'd
be this cartoon version of what he was thinking about popping up. And the
behind-the-scenes thing after every episode were so duh... the
person doing the voice-over for Rosinante would dress up as this huge dog and
talk to Tsuyoshi, complaining about how tough the filming was and whatever...
Also, don't miss the cameo by Koichi at the last episode. =)
Starring: Domoto Koichi as "Aida Makoto", Rina Uchiyama
Theme Song(s): Jyounetsu by KinKi Kids
Official Website: http://www.
Aida Makoto is a bumbling greenhorn on the police force whose only wish is to
remain unknown and keep out of danger. However, he accidentally catches a
wanted criminal and is unwillingly promoted to "inspector". Desperate to
keep out of trouble, he applies to be in the "General Safety" department
in hopes that he won't have to face hardened criminals. But as luck
would have it, his new partner can't wait to get into dangerous situations!
Koichi was really funny... it is rather typical of his roles though, and I
wish he had a wider repertoire than this, but it wasn't too bad. His character had
a strong sense of integrity, but was just a little lazy and cowardly, and I think
he managed to show it well (since we all know he's a workaholic, it probably wasn't
very easy to act lazy ^_^'). Memorable scenes would definitely be his cross-dressing
'cause he actually looked quite pretty, LOL. Also Tsuyoshi's comical cameo at
the end as a Kinki-Kids-CD-stealing thief. =)
Starring: Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Sakurai Sentaro", Takeuchi Yuko, Naoki Tanaka
Theme Song(s): Hey! Minna Genki kai? by KinKi Kids, Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi wo by Domoto Tsuyoshi
Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/g-sensei/
Sentaro Sakuragi is a relief teacher from Osaka who has come to take over a
class of Primary 5 children because their teacher has gone on maternity leave.
Clutching the dream of making his class the best in Japan like his much-
beloved Mount Fuji, he thinks teaching should be a passionate exercise and he
can be at times a little meddlesome and impulsive. He stays with a family that
owns a noodle bar "Gokuu." The owner, Choichiro Asakura (Chosuke Ikariya), is
a stubborn man who understands Sentaro well. Sentaro has only been in Tokyo a
moment when, unable to restrain himself, he berates a group of high school girls for
their poor behaviour on a train. Choichiro's second daughter, Motoko Asakura
(Yuko Takeuchi) sees this and is shocked to discover that he is coming to
stay with them. And not only that, he is the new teacher at the school where
she teaches, Fujimigaoka...
It was a pretty touching show really. It made me laugh and cry all at the
same time. Actually I thought the chemistry between him and the kids was ok, but
lacked a bit of spark, but after watching it a second time, I found it to be quite good.
His co-star(the one who acts as Motoko) was funny
though...she reminds me of Meg Ryan, somehow. And the continuous bickering
and the whole situation reminded me of "Ranma Nibunnoichi"... I think the
two of them have good on-screen chemistry, and I liked the scenes they had together.
Starring: Domoto Tsuyoshi as "Shun", Shibasaki Kou as "Kotomi", Kuninaka Ryoko as "Keiko"
Theme Song(s): Machi by Domoto Tsuyoshi, California Dreamin' by The Mamas & Papas
Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/ca-dream/
Shun is an undergraduate in a university no one has heard of, a person so
absolutely ordinary and average that no one ever remembers him. During a high
school gathering, he meets his ex-classmates Keiko and Kotomi, one the school belle now working in
a crappy company as secretary, and the other the ugly duckling who was always
teased in class and is now a model. All three of them have no idea what they want
to do in life, or indeed what kind of life they have in front of them.
Although they had almost nothing to do with each other back in high school and nothing in common now
except their lack of drive, they visit their old school after the gathering, but something
unexpected happens, binding them together...
The producer of this drama Setoguchi Takayo said that although the three
characters in the story appear to be happy, they are actually full of
complex feelings and put on a pretence to lie to themselves. This drama is
not just a love-story but it shows the truth about young people these
days. It is said to be the modern version of a famous youth drama,
"Fuzoroi no Ringo tachi". The script is to be written by Okada Eiwa
who also wrote Chura-san, Antique and Friends. Tsuyoshi said that he
had played a primary school teacher from Kansai in his previous
drama, "Gakkou no Sensei" but this time round, he plays a student who
is uncertain about his life. He hopes to relay the message of having
the passion to live life to the fullest to the viewers watching this
drama.
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