Takeuchi Yoshie on Music Station

For those of us who can remember the old SOUND ARENA shows when “Japanese Dick Clark” Tamori’s co-host was some dude with glasses, it has always been a welcome sight to see him anchoring MUSIC STATION with a pretty girl as his co-host.

Now, It’s been a while since I REALLY sat down and watched Music Station in its entirety (Most performances I see consist of individual performances uploaded online), but this past week’s one featuring a whole SMORGASBOARD of favorite guests, (including GLAY, ARASHI, FUKUYAMA MASAHARU and THE BOOM) made me download the entire episode, and for the first time in many months, I watched the entire show from beginning to end.

I was surprised that Mariko Dou wasn’t on the show any longer, but I hardly had time to register that thought when I gazed at the pretty new announcer that had taken her place…WOW! WHO THE HECK WAS THIS BEAUTY?!!

Now, I’ve been a MUSIC STATION viewer from years ago, and Ariga Satsuki will always be my favorite co-host of them all, but MAN! This girl was so unbelievably cute! And, defying her adorable looks, her voice was definitely that of a TV News anchor, very precise and clipped! Rewinding the video, I found her name was Takeuchi Yoshie, and I mean to tell you, this gal could give Eriko “Cutie Honey” Sato a run for the money! Really, Really pretty! Definitely a reason to tune in, regardless of whom the guests might happen to be! Ahahaha!

"Last Friends"

You know how it is…you get your hands on a new drama, and once you start watching it, the temptation to try and watch the whole 11 (or so) episodes in one sitting is almost more than you can stand! But if you should just happen to do that, it’s over before you can even have time to savor the experience!

As everyone knows, the proper way to watch a Japanese drama is the way it’s been presented to you: one episode per week. This way, you get to think about each episode and really get attached to the characters., and when the drama ends at the end of (around) three months, you really feel like you’ve spend a time in your life with the show.

When I have a bunch of dramas on hand, I try to stagger each drama by watching one episode of each show every day. That way, I usually manage to stretch my time on each drama to at least two weeks! But sometimes, a drama I’m watching is SOOOOOOOOO good, I just cannot stand it and am compelled to watch one …episode…after…another!

It’s kind of a “Catch 22” with j-doramas. The better the show is, the more you want it to last, but the more you like it, the harder it is to stop yourself from watching it all in one crack! I had this problem with Hotaru No Hikari- It was so special to me that I REALLY wanted to slowly enjoy the show like on a weekly, or (more realistically), daily schedule, but BOY, once it hit about Episode 5, there was NO WAY I could have stopped myself!

Case In Point:

“Last Friends”, that acclaimed (and sometimes controversial) show starring Ueno Juri, Nagasawa Masami, Eita, Mizukawa Asami and Nishikido Ryo. Initially, I decided to watch this one simply because I liked Ueno Juri in Nodame Cantabile. But after just the FIRST episode, I couldn’t believe how good it was. Fresh and original, it was a FAR CRY from the Harlequin Romance story I was expecting!

Really, I didn’t know ANY details of the story going in, so it really had an impact on me when I realized what heavy topics they were addressing in this drama. Domestic Violence and Homosexuality hardly seem like the subject matter you would anchor your latest drama on, but they did, and what a moving drama they turned out with.

Blazing through the series, I kept telling myself, “Stop! Stop! Make this one last!!” but my eyes and ears would not listen and before I knew it, I was already up to episode 7, more than HALFWAY THROUGH the show already!!!

I’ve FORCED myself to “take a breather”, if only to jot down this little entry and talk about how fricking terrific this show is. The storyline is as good as it gets, and the direction really winds you up for each episode, but the thing that really made it was the stellar CAST!

First off, there's Mizukawa Asami. The first thing I’d seen her in was the Domoto Tsuyoshi action comedy “33Pun Tantei” as Kurama’s spunky sidekick Rikako, and was charmed when I saw how GOOFY she was in real life (playing cute games during an appearance on Shin Domoto Kyoudai), then I got to see her “get elegant” as Violin virtuoso Kiyora in Nodame Cantibile. Finally, I get to see her play a fun, worldy babe as Eri in Last Friends, and geez, what a looker she is! Like I’ve mentioned many times on this blog, I do love a pretty girl in pretty clothes!
I didn’t really like Eita in the first dramas I saw him in- The very first thing was “Orange Days” where he played a weaselly type of guy, then “Atsuhime”, where I thought his character was irritatingly wishy washy. Then I saw him in that spacey movie “Sukida” and I’m not EVEN gonna PRETEND I understood that one... It just seemed like everything I saw him in, he was this whiny, shleppy guy. Then I saw him as wacky violinist Mine Ryutaro in Nodame Cantabile, and what do you know, I LIKED him in that! But it’s here in “Last Friends” as Takeru that I think- here’s the best character he’s ever played, multi-layered and thoughtful, and WOW- this is some of the best acting I’ve seen from him!
Aside from his double duty in both NewS and Kanjani8, I haven’t seen much acting from Nishikido Ryo. In fact, just about the only thing I really remember Nishikido in was “One Litre Of Tears” where he played caring and likable character Haruto, and I found it hard to get into his portrayal of an abusive, controlling man. But the guys in Kanjani8 have remarked that Ryo’s got a bad temper in real life, so maybe his casting as Sosuke was an inspired choice! And anyway, who can say what an abusive person should “look like”!
I’d already seen Nagasawa Masami in Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu and Dragon Zakura, so I was used to seeing her playing strong, determined characters and didn’t recognize her AT ALL when she appeared in the “Gallileo Episode 0” Special! The character of Akari Shionoya she played was so cute and girly, and it was QUITE a shock to find out it was her! Then when I started watching Last Friends, I thought to myself, “Oooh, who is this cute, mousey girl they got playing the lead?” Yep, I didn’t recognize her AGAIN! What an awesome performance. From strong and independent Mizuno Naomi in Dragon Zakura to petite, fragile princess Aida Michiru in Last Friends, the range in characters this actress can tackle is astounding! Possibly my fave performance of hers!

And of course, there’s Ueno Juri…what can I say that hasn’t been said over and over…this performance is just unbelievable. I can scarcely BELIEVE this is the same actress playing the lovably ditzy girly-girl Noda Megumi… Ueno’s totally transformed into this strong, gruff Tomboy, in Kishimoto Ruka. When I first saw stills from the show, I wasn’t sure if she’d pull it off- but within minutes, I was COMPLETELY CONVINCED! I know she’s been awarded quite a few things since this drama, trust me, the hype is TRUE!!!

Ah, I've got only about three or four more episodes to go, and I will try, try, TRY to make it last, but if each episode is going to continue getting better and BETTER, I don't think I will be able to control myself!!!! Jya, Mata!

Adventures in Cuteness: Shida Mirai

After that uncontainable gushing I did in regards to Yamada Yu’s smoking hot performance in the kick-butt drama SEIGI NO MIKATA, I thought it was only fair to give equal time to the awesome antics of Shida Mirai, the soooooo soooo cute actress playing the “central” character Youko, the beleaguered little sister of the crafty Makiko who holds the whole show together!
This is actually the first thing I’ve ever seen Shida in, but it’s safe to say she’ll be an actress I’ll be looking out for from now on! I can’t express how much energy and effort she’s put into her character- her actions and reactions to her sister’s dominance over her life are absolutely physical, her scowls and sighs and shocks contort her face and body into exact manga characteristics!
Older sister Makiko is constantly bullying her little sister into doing her work, (whether it be booking engagements, arranging a memorial service or even things like doing the grocery shopping and cooking dinner) and the thing that’s really amazing with Mirai Shida, is that you ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE SHE’S ABLE TO DO THESE THINGS, she comes across SO smart and efficient that not once do you think, “How could a kid know how to do all those things!”
And yet, when she’s alone or with friends, she’s allowed to relax and be a kid, and she shines even in this regard- SO often during the series, she’s be doing some cute kid-type thing like skipping down the street, gorging on crepes or pretending to swim on her bed(!) and I’ll think, WOW- she’s like a REAL-LIFE Ramona Quimby! That of course, being the titular character in Beverly Cleary’s “Ramona The Pest” series! And NO scene was MORE like what I'm talking about than this one particular passage where Makiko's future mother-in-law has bribed Yoko into sympathizing with her. Once outside, Yoko checks how much she's been given- and is happily stunned:

"How much did Auntie give me?"

"10,000 yen?"

"10,000 YEN!!!"

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Just last night I was down at the local shopping mall, and walking past the theatre multi-plex, saw a Japanese movie playing called “Our Mother” , and I was happily surprised to see Mirai Shida, right on the poster! This girl is REALLY making her mark, and I for one am completely behind her!

Comments from Original Post

sangackt wrote:

Did you notice the karaoke they sing right after that scene where she gets the money? Zundoko bushi and Polyrhythm (two 2008 kouhaku performances!)

I translated a tanpatsu drama Mirai Shida is in. The group I'm in will release it in d-addicts eventually. I'll let you know when. It's a great, touching drama. Mirai is not as cute as she was in Seigi no Mikata but hey, it's still Mirai Shida!

Looking forward to your Scandal review!

zdorama replied to sangackt’s comment:

Ah yes,that was too cute with Youko and her friends lettin' loose at karaoke!

I'm looking forward to any more dramas with Shida Mirai, and it will be interesting to see her play a different kind of character! Please do let me know when You are going to premiere it!

Right now, i'm stuck on episode 4 of SCANDAL because for some reason, the srt soft subs stopped working for me after episode 3, and though I tried, it was really impossible to follow without translations!!

we're trying to see if we can get converted files of the rest of the series, and I am crossing fingers for that, the show was getting SO GOOD!!!!

Lindsey wrote:

Shida Mirai is amazing! If you want to see truly acting; watch 14 year old mother.

14 sai no haha. its about her playing a innocent girl who makes a mistake and ends up pregnant. It's so realistic, i cried.

-it cut me offff :( -

she was 13 when she filmed this O_O

Even her acting on her earlier dramas as in my queen's classroom (or something) when she is about 10... are amazing...

She also just finished filming a movie which won all sorts of awards and played in festivals in the usa.

zdorama replied to Lindsey’s comment:

Lindsey~

Hi! I JUST acquired "14 sai no Haha", and am looking forward to it, especially after your positive review! I am right now in the middle of watching "Dream Again", a j-dorama remake of "Heaven Can Wait" with Takashi Sorimachi, Shida Mirai plays his daughter, she is just fantastic in this, too!

sadacori wrote:

Sorry for posting on old entries (I might do that since I find your entries fun to read).

Shida Mirai is definitely one of my favorite actresses, despite her tender age. I first saw her in Joou no Kyoushitsu (Queen's Classroom) and already at that young age, she had the star quality and maturity that is comparable to the likeness of Aoi Miyazaki and Aoi Yuu, imho. And I totally agree that she did a wonderful job with 14-sai no Haha. I think one of these days (or months, in my case), I should try to watch Seigi no Mikata, especially since my fave actor Sano Shiro's in it.

zdorama replied to sadacori’s comment:

I think you will get a kick out of Seigi No Mikata, it's a fun, lightweight show you can just relax and enjoy!

Shiro Sano has a quirky role in this one, playing nerdy (but caring) dad to his two daughters. A big diff from what I'm used to, because though I first saw him as the weaselly boyfriend of Megumi Yokoyama in DOUBLE KITCHEN, in my mind he will always be "The Dude holding the knife trying to kill Etsushi Toyokawa" in Aoitori! AHAHAHAHA!!!

BTW, feel absolutely free to post comments on any old entries you care to! Truth of the matter is, most of the people who happen to read my posts are directed from search engines by subject, so I get lots of comments from people reading old posts for the first time months or even years later!

And Yeah, Shida Mirai is just awesome- she totally rocked her guest appearance in BOSS, culminating in an awesome tete-a-tete with larger than life Yuki Amami! One of the best Guest Villains, that's fer sure!

:)

sadacori wrote:

That's it, I'm sold! I'll be sure to check "Seigi no Mikata" after I watch the list of dramas that I told myself I have to watch. Ah, so many things to watch, so little time...

And I love Sano Shiro in quirky roles. I have to rewatch Double Kitchen! I remember watching it on KIKU way back, but I wasn't a Shiro fan back then. And he was just priceless in Aoi Tori. Crazy, but he looked damn good there! Just my type. :P

I think I'll comment on your past entries because it seems like we have a lot in common, even some of our musical tastes (JAM, obviously, but I loved 10,000 Maniacs too; I actually sang "These Are Days" when I first did my FIRST EVER karaoke thing this year!)

I haven't seen BOSS yet. Is it any good? And yikes! She and Amami Yuki together again? If you haven't watched Joou no Kyoushitsu, you should check out that twisted drama!

zdorama replied to sadacori’s comment:

Wow, another 10,000 Maniacs fan?! COOL! Wish I coulda been there for your Natalie Merchant rendition! :) That's one great group that's gone now...!

Joou No Kyoushitsu, is that the one where Yuki Amami is the teacher all dressed in black? Looks pretty zany, although I'm watching this other drama with her called "Enka No Joou" that's zany in its own right, as well!

As far as BOSS, it had its ups and downs, but in my opinion had a lot of good episodes and a solid end, and of course the show had Erika Toda and Michiko Kichise, so I was pretty happy throughout! But when you have episdoes featuring guests like Shida Mirai as a genius child murderer, Takayuki Yamada as a Serial Killer, and Takeda Tetsuya as a Mad Bomber, you know you're gonna have fun!

sadacori wrote:

Too bad we didn't go into Eigo mode the time that you joined us for the karaoke session! I probably would've sang another 10,000 Maniacs song or a couple of your other faves (ABBA & The Carpenters). Wanted to sing The Cranberries, but I guess I'll have to wait for another time.

And yup, Joou no Kyoushitsu is that teacher in black drama! She was wickedly scary and it was almost like a horror drama at times. That was the first Amami Yuki drama that I saw, so seeing her act so goofy in Enka no Joou was just mindboggling!

I heard that BOSS (or was it another drama?) had a dizzying effect. Hope it wasn't that drama because I tend to feel seasicky when watching shows like that these days. :( That Shida Mirai episode sounds really intriguing though. She looks like she could be that type. Or maybe that's how I feel about most child actors. :P I should check out that drama one of these years...

zdorama replied to sadacori’s comment: I wrote a few gushy-type articles on 10,000 Maniacs on my other VOX Blog (the one NOT dedicated to Japanese culture, don't you know), I REALLY love those guys! Awesome that you like them, too! And ABBA and Carpenters, too? Seventies music is alive and well here!!!

I still have both BOSS and Seigi No Mikata on my hard drive, and I'll be happy to make copies for you,(still gotta return your kindness for getting me those SCANDAL episodes!) if avi files are OK. I just don't have the equipment to burn actual DVDs yet!

"She looks like she could be that type. Or maybe that's how I feel about most child actors."

LOL!

sadacori wrote:

I remember reading one of your posts on 10,000 Maniacs, but at the time, I didn't have a Vox account, so I couldn't comment. I'll do that soon, especially since I have a slightly embarrassing story to tell regarding them. :P

As for BOSS and Seigi no Mikata, thanks for your offer, but I already authored the latter to DVD and I think that I'm going to try getting BOSS in a trade soon. The SCANDAL DVDs were a gift, so please don't feel that you have to owe me anything. :)

zdorama replied to sadacori's comment:

Arigatoo, Ne!

Crush Of The Day: Yamada Yu

I just finished watching the NTV comedy drama SEIGI NO MIKATA and it was a very, very good show, indeed! One of the best I’ve seen in recent years, in fact, and that’s saying something since I’ve been seeing a bit of good ‘uns lately! It even managed to beat out both MOP GIRL and NODAME CANTABILE (both AWESOME shows in their OWN right!) for my favorite top slot of dramas I've been watching!
The drama stars Shida Mirai as a struggling student and Yamada Yu as her devilish older sister , each episode filled with explosive and exaggerated fun! Now, Shida Mirai is REALLY great here, cute and affable (kind of reminding me of a young Nacchi!), but OH MY LORD, for me, the show is ALL ABOUT YU YAMADA!
You see, I’ve been lusting after Yamada Yu ever since I first saw her in the Yada Akiko drama Yume De Aimashoo, (Funny to think now, but at first, I mistook her for Sato Aiko! I’m a big fan of Aiko Sato too, so that’s not an insult by any means, but I DID wonder why her ears weren’t sticking out!) and I’ve always been pleasantly surprised whenever she’d show up on talk shows (love that Arashi No Shukudaikun where she teaches the boys yoga…!) but THIS drama was something ELSE!
Ironically enough, I’d been about halfway through Mei-Chan No Shitsuji, another drama where Yamada plays a beautiful but deadly foil to the “everyday” heroine of the drama, and even here, every time she appeared in a scene, I thought, “Wow, Yamada SUUUUUUUURE looks good!” Man, I didn’t think she could look finer…but I was WRONG!
I mean, Yamada-san has ALWAYS been terrific looking, but in THIS ROLE, Yamada is SUPPOSED to look like the UBER CHIC GLAMOUROUS VIXEN, and she just plays it TO THE HILT! Just about EVERY SCENE she’s in just KILLS ME. she is SO DAMN SEXY!!! Every outfit rocks, every dress is a dream…! Oh, and how that chick has “The Look That Kills” down PAT!
Another funny thing was that the same way Shida Mirai reminded me of Natsumi Abe, at times, Yu Yamada reminded me of Miki Fujimoto!
I know Yu’s supposed to be this evil, calculating woman in the drama, but not the way I saw it…for me, Yu’s portrayal of Makiko Nakata is the coolest, sultriest, TOTALLY KAKKOI character ever! Half the time I’m thinking “She isn’t evil- this is one BAD-ASS, NO-NONSENSE CHICK!!!” Definitely my favorite character she’s ever played!!!

Favorite J-Pop Singles: Okada Kohki / Bukionna Love Song

The first time I came across Kohki Okada (credited as "Kenichi" Okada) was in the incredible five-star drama AISHITEIRU TO ITTEKURE (Say You Love Me) as Takako Tokiwa’s best friend Ken-Chan, the guy who’s always there to support her while secretly liking her, and ultimately coming between her and Etsushi Toyokawa’s characater Koji! (Upon re-watching it years later, I’ve come to see his character in a lot more sympathetic light, and realize he REALLY tried to “do the right thing” and advise Kyoko whenever she had troubles with Koji, but hey, when the opportunity to be with her came up, he couldn’t help himself!)

Anyway.

A year or so after Say You Love Me ended, a friend turned me onto a new single called BUKIONNA LOVE SONG, and what do you know, the singer turned out to be none other than Ken-Chan! Why, I didn’t know he sang...Silly Me! Little did I realize that I ALREADY knew quite a few songs from him; more precisely, I knew songs from j-pop trio TO BE CONTINUED, the vocal group that I was to learn Kohki was from! In fact, a couple of THOSE songs are probably gonna be featured at some point on this blog here, they were really good! 

I was able to get a live performance of Kohki performing Bukkionna Love Song on some music show, either Music Station or Music Fair, can’t really remember which one, but that perf really solidified him (in my eyes) as a cool guy, forever distancing himself from the shady "Say You Love Me" character once and for all…And that’s a good thing!

He seemed to play these kind of characters well, and I would see him next as a foil AGAIN, this time coming between Domoto Tsuyoshi and Sachie Hara in TO HEART~KOINI SHINITAI and later (much later) as one of the “Night Kings” in YAOH starring Masahiro Matsuoka! 

Awesome song, though, and listening to it now makes me want to break out my TO BE CONTINUED songs as well!

. 

The first 20 seconds or so of this Music Station performance of Kohki playing "Bukionna Love Song"

is a bit out-of--sync, but bear with it- it stabilizes!

Quantum Leap, J-Drama Style: “Mop Girl”

Just started watching three or four different dramas this week, and while all of them seem interesting enough, it’s the super fun TV ASAHI j-drama MOP GIRL that’s come out at the head of the pack! Strange Title? Heck! Check out the STORY!
Adorable Kitagawa Keiko stars as Momoko Hasegawa, a girl who, at a very young age, was given the powers of precognition, passed onto her by a mysterious woman who died saving Momo from being struck by a motorcycle. The powers themselves don’t surface til she’s a teenager, and up until then has lived a life where she feels like she’s an inept, not-too-bright misfit who can’t fit in anywhere.
When we first meet up with her, she’s just been demoted to her company’s lower branches, a clean-up service called “Little Angels”, and once there, Momo is shocked to find her job consists of cleaning up after bloody murder scenes AND taking care of the bodies! But the job takes an unexpected turn when she recognizes the corpse at her first assignment as her beloved high school teacher!

The police tell her the deceased was shot and killed attempting to rob a bank. Knowing he was someone who wouldn’t readily do such a desperate thing, Momoko tries to figure out what has happened, and here’s where her powers finally come bursting out- While looking over the personal effects of her teacher, she suddenly hears a ringing in her head… then she passes out and awakens…only to find she’s back at the beginning of the day!
The thing I love about it is that unlike “Quantum Leap”, Momoko actually lives the day first, and only after seeing the body at the morgue does she “jump back”, and in the grand tradition of “Groundhog Day”, she repeats the day all over again- this time armed with the foresight of what has to be corrected to “fix” the problem and erase the victim’s death!
And Kitagawa Keiko…! After watching only a few episodes so far, she’s completely swept me away! For someone like me who is still in a daze of love for Ayase Haruka, Kitagawa proves the perfect tonic- Reminding me of a mix between Ayase, Ueto Aya and even Ishikawa Rika, throw in a bubbly and warm hearted personality with just the right amount of ditsyness and klutziness and you’ve got yourself a REAL HEARTBREAKER!! I love this girl!
Can’t wait to see what this girl does next!

Crush Of The Day: Anzai Hiroko

Watching the Norika Fujiwara/Tsuyoshi Kusanagi japanese drama STAR NO KOI reminded me of one of my early idol loves, the still-smashingly sexy ANZAI HIROKO[安西ひろこ]!
I knew a couple of guys who subscribed to the idol magazine BOMB (back then, it was just about the best place to get the heads up on our favorite Pony Canyon artists like CoCo, Ribbon and Hikaru Nishida!), and I remember the first time I saw Ms. Anzai gracing the cover of the latest issue, I was simply awestruck! It was more than just her great looks- I really felt she had that something “special” about her! I’ve only ever felt like that about one other BOMB idol model, and that was the scrumptious Fukada Kyoko, and we all know how popular SHE got!

Anyway, I was smitten by Anzai Hiroko and had to run out and get my own copy of that BOMB magazine, and what a great one it was, as Hiroko was the “featured” idol that issue! The pictures that accompanied the articles made me yearn for more, and when I found out she was going to release a Photobook soon, I made sure I was one of the first ones to order it!!!
Soon I received my Hiroko Anzai Photobook, the shashinshuu simply titled “Mystic”, and BOY I have to tell you, this was one of the SEXIEST photobooks I’d bought! (OK, mabye Harumi Inoue’s FOXY takes that title, demo sa…) I was SURE that after this, Hiroko was on her way to becoming as big a star as the aforementioned Fukada Kyoko!
In the meantime, there was this gravure video company that I ordered my Nanako Fujisaki (ah, ANOTHER early idol love!) videos from, and I checked to see if by ANY chance they had any “video Magazines” of my latest opbsession, and what do you know-there were TWO different Hiroko Anzai videos!!! I didn’t waste one second ordering the two tapes, called curiously enough, “Hi Roco and Roco” and “Kono Mune wo Anata Ni” (!)
You would have thought that the video with the title that roughly translated to “This Bust is for You” would have been my favorite of the two, but it was the former “Hi Roco and Roco” that won me over! In it, Hiroko is an enthusiastic reporter interviewing a mysterious beauty, ALSO played by Hiroko! (Hence, the title)

The interviews were actually just devices to introduce the arty modeling clips, but it was just hilarious watching Hiroko acting against herself- "Sore De, Sore De?" asks the excited Interviewer Hiroko1, to which Hiroko2 disdainfully says, "Soredake Desu", resulting in a frustrated reaction from Hiroko1! TOO FUNNY!

Plus, the ending credits were cute: Hiroko riding in the back of a truck cruising around Maui, waving to people as the credits rolled, ultimately ending with Hiro-chan passed out!

Hiroko then made her way playing bit parts in shows like Kyukyu Hato Chiryoshitsu and finally in the Yuuka drama Hatachi No Kekkon (in which she was brilliantly peppy and hyper as the babelicious Megumi), but I was getting impatient waiting for someone to create a vehicle for Hiroko to star in herself.

But then she suddenly disappeared from dramas completely, or at least as far as I could see! What happened? I was SURE this girl was gonna be a HUGE success! But it seems like she really hasn't appeared in anything since!!

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I was watching Star No Koi and Hiroko appeared onscreen! My heart leapt up, and I exclaimed, “Hiro-chan is BACK!” But when I went online to read up on the show, I was crestfallen to find that this show aired in 2001! D’oh! I thought it was a new show! I guess I should have known, since even lead actress Norika Fujiwara hasn’t been in too many things lately. Shimatta.

Hiroko in Hatachi No Kekkon

In Star No Koi

Anyway, it was SO sweet to see Hiroko in this old drama, probably one of the last dramas she starred in, and I have to say, she still warmed my heart, so cute, adorable and genki (though really pushing that “kogal” orange-tan image), I MISSED HER!

We're still waiting for you to make your big comeback, Hiro-chan!