Gackt Plays Medieval Warlord (Furin Kazan, NHK)

Singer Gackt (photo right) continues to diversify and has filmed his first role in an NHK taiga drama series. In an episode of the ongoing series “Fuurinkazan” to be aired on June 17, he makes his first appearance as the historical figure Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578), one of the many powerful warlords of the Sengoku period. Yesterday at NHK’s studio in Tokyo, he filmed scenes with star Uchino Masaaki (39, center), who plays the samurai Yamamoto Kansuke (1493-1561), and veteran actor Ogata Ken (69, left). In his 9th taiga series, Ogata plays Usami Sadamitsu (1489-1564), military strategist to Uesugi. Yamamoto is best known for his battle plan which led to victory over Uesugi at Kawanakajima. But believing his plan to have failed, he charged headlong into the enemy ranks and died before the battle was won. The title of this year’s taiga is an old expression that means “as fast as the wind, as quiet as the forest, as daring as fire, and immovable as the mountain.”

Source: Japan-Zone.com

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Hero (J-dorama)

HERO
Starring:
Kimura Takuya - Kuryu Kohei
Matsu Takako - Amamiya Maiko
Otsuka Nene - Nakamura Misuzu (aka the lady who’s having an affair with Shibayama)
Abe Hiroshi - Shibayama Mitsugu (aka the man who’s having an affair with Nakamura)
Katsumura Masanobu - Egami Tatsuo (the guy who likes Amamiya)
Kohinata Fumiyo - Suetsugu Takayuki (the guy who loves ballroom dancing)
Yashima Norito – Endo Kenji
Kadono Takuzo - Ushimaru Yutaka (the boss)
Kodama Kiyoshi - Nabeshima Toshimitsu (the bigger boss)
Tanaka Yoji - the bartender (Aru yo)
Synopsis:
Hero tells of the story of Kuryu Kohei (Kimura Takuya), a former high school delinquent who became a public prosecutor. This TV-shopping addict is transferred from Aomori to Tokyo, where he is coldly greeted by new colleagues who doubt his ability to perform his duties. The business suit-averse Kuryu may appear unprofessional at first glace, favoring jeans and shirts with cheesy slogans to dark coats and slacks. He also has a very unorthodox way of working, choosing to personally investigate his cases rather than relying solely on the police. He is given a zealous (but initially unwilling) law clerk Amamiya Maiko (Matsu Takako) as his personal assistant. By combining book smart (Amamiya) and street smart (Kuryu), they solve cases involving characters like corrupt parliament members and petty underwear thieves and eventually, Kuryu gains the respect and admiration of his superiors and colleagues. The ending theme is Can you keep a secret? by Utada Hikaru, who also makes a cameo appearance on Episode 8. She was that waitress at the restaurant where Kuryu and the female lawyer had dinner. Read and comment on this dorama at Japinoy.com