He has performed in numerous films and TV shows, and was cast in the role of Hiro Nakamura in the NBC series Heroes until its cancellation in May 2010. He recently appeared in the film Get Smart and currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Cast

• Jung Dong Hwan as Lee Hoe Young
• Ahn Jae Mo as Kimura Junpei
• Lee Ah Yi as Hong Jung Hwa
• Hong Il Kwon as Jung Hyun Sub
• Kwon Oh Joong as Baek Jung Ki
• Lee Dae Ro as Lee Suk Young
• Kim Jong Chan (김종찬) as Lee Kyu Chang
• Jun Kwang Jin (전광진) as Lee Kyu Seo
• Jo Young Jin as Sung Jae Lee Shi Young
• Choi Il Hwa as Kimura Endo (Junpei’s father)
• Kim Gyu Chul as Shanghai Asahi Shimbun Bureau Chief
• Kim Ha Kyoon as Ok Kwan Bin

Other Information

• Title: 자유인 이회영 / Jayuin Lee Hoe Young
• Also known as: Freedom Fighter, Lee Hoe Young
• Genre: Historical
• Episodes: 4
• Broadcast network: KBS1
• Broadcast period: 2010-Aug-29 to TBA
• Air time: Saturday & Sunday 21:40

Links

• Official site

But while the questions start off innocently enough, as the game progresses, the questions gradually delve into the contestants’ past crimes or indiscretions, presenting them with the dilemma of having to confess their guilt in order to win. Sakurai’s character also has a mysterious past. Before becoming the show’s host, an accident had left him in a vegetative state for six years, which also resulted in him losing most of his memories.

Other Information

• Title: ザ・クイズショウ
• Title (English): The Quiz Show
• Format: Renzoku, across two seasons
• Genre: Suspense, psychological
• Broadcast network: NTV
• Episodes: 8
• Broadcast period: 2009-Apr-18 to 2009-Jun-06
• Air time: Saturday 21:00
• Theme song: Ashita no Kioku by Arashi

Main Casts

• Matsuura Aya
• Maya Miki
• Sakurai Sho
• Yokoyama Yu

Synopsis

Maki Horikita stars as Chisato Mineta, a 20-year-old homeless girl who moves about from parks to net cafes. Her mother died due to an illness, and because of her father’s disappearance after earning an incredible 100 million yen debt, she is chased out of her home. Every day, Chisato must fight a battle with this debt, until one day she meets the president of a huge toy company, who agrees to pay off her debts if she marries him. Chisato now finds herself as the young mother of six eccentric sons, all adopted by the head of the company as successors to the company. However, each son has had experiences in the past that caused them to trap themselves in their own worlds. Will Chisato be able to open up their hearts and turn these strangers into a loving family?

Other Information

• Title: アタシんちの男子
• Title (romaji): Atashinchi no Danshi
• Format: Renzoku
• Genre: Drama, Comedy, Family
• Episodes: 11
• Broadcast network: Fuji TV
• Broadcast period: 2009-Apr-14 to 2009-Jun-23
• Air time: Tuesday 21:00
• Theme song: Infinity by GIRL NEXT DOOR
• Screenwriter: Muto Shogo
• Producer: Moriyasu Aya (森安彩)
• Directors: Matsuda Hidetomo, Sato Genta (佐藤源太)
• Music: Izutsu Akio (井筒昭雄)
• Fuji TV Official Site – Atashinchi no Danshi

Main Casts

Maki Horikita	Osamu Mukai	Yoshinori Okada
Yusuke Yamamoto	Koji Seto	Tomoki Okoyama

When Haruo visits the next day, he learns that his old girlfriend Mariko was living with another man, but later died of illness. Haruo, who had committed murder 9 years earlier to earn the money for Mariko’s medical treatment, is shocked and angered. He decides to track down that other man, who runs a bakery with his wife and daughter Sachi. Haruo later runs into Sachi at the park, but he has yet to find out the truth about her.

Other Information

• Title: 白い春
• Title (romaji): Shiroi Haru
• Also known as: White Spring
• Format: Renzoku
• Genre: Family, drama
• Broadcast network: Fuji TV
• Broadcast period: 2009-Apr-14 to 2009-Jun
• Air time: Tuesday 22:00
• Theme song: Yokogao by Sakai Ayumi
• Screenwriter: Ozaki Masaya
• Producers: Ando Kazuhisa, Yoshijo Hideki, Tojo Yuji, Ito Tatsuya, Asai Chizu
• Directors: Miyake Yoshishige (ep1-2,5,8), Komatsu Takashi(ep3,6), Ueda Hisashi (ep4,7)
• Music: Nakanishi Kyo
• Official site

Main Casts

• Abe Hiroshi as Sakura Haruo
• Ohashi Nozomi as Murakami Sachi
• Yoshitaka Yuriko as Nishida Shiori
• Endo Yuya as Kojima Yuki
• Konno Mahiru as Takamura Mariko
• Endo Kenichi as Murakami Koji
• Shiraishi Miho as Takamura Kanoko
• David Ito as Yasuoka Tatsuya
• Murakami Kouki as Yamanaka Keiichi
• Nagai Risa as Tamura Emi
• Fukui Hitomi as Matsushita Akiyo
• Nakajima Hiroko as Saegusa Keiko

Ichijo Nozomi is a maiko – an apprentice geisha raised strictly by her geisha mother in Kyoto. The two girls meet by coincidence one day, and realize they had been brought to each other by a powerful fate because of their striking resemblance. Locations include Shimane and Kyoto. Dandan means “thank you” in the Izumo dialect.

Other Information

• Title: だんだん
• Title (romaji): Dandan
• Episodes: 150 (15 mins. each)
• Genre: Family drama
• Viewership ratings: 1st=16.8, high=18.7, avg=16.2
• Air time: Monday through Saturday at 8:15
• Broadcast network: NHK
• Broadcast period: 2008-Sep-29 to 2009-Mar-28

Cast

• Mikura Mana
• Mikura Kana

Links

• Official NHK Asadora Page

Hot Shot (also known as Basketball Fire) (traditional Chinese: 籃球火; pinyin: Lan Qiu Huo)is a Taiwanese TV series produced by CTV starring Jerry Yan, Show Luo, and Wu Chun from Fahrenheit.

This show was successfully broadcast in Taiwan, at the same time; this show was also aired on Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea, and to date, this show is currently airing in the Philippines.

In a school where academic reigns supreme and sports are relegated to a dusty corner of the campus, Li Ying (Zyrene Lee) vows to revive the basketball team by volunteering to be the head coach. Her first member is Yuan Da Ying (Andy Yuan), a country boy who is passionate for basketball but has no skill. Their recruitment goes into high gear when Dong Fang Xiang (Cody Wong), a legendary basketball player, transfers to their school.

Around the same time, Yuan Da Ying (Andy Yuan) falls for Zhan Jie Er (Cherry Zhan), a scholarship student who reminds him of his childhood friend GuGu Chicken (Terry). Things are complicated by the fact her family works for Dong Fang Xiang (Cody Wong), who she also grew up with. Their encounter may just rewrite the school’s basketball history.

Main Cast

Jerry Yan

Show Lo

Zhou Cai Shi

Coco Jiang

Wu Chun

George Hu

Other Cast

Gu Bao Ming as Li Zi Ping 李子平
Michael Zhang as Can 殘 / Ah Fu 阿福
Zhang Yan Ming (張雁名) as Du Fei 杜飛
Lin Bo Yan as Qi Xiao Yun 齊嘯雲
Lin Qi Tai (林祺泰) as Qi Xiao Yu 齊嘯雨

Other Information

• Title: 籃球火 / Lan Qiu Huo
• English title: Hot Shot
• Also known as: Basketball Fire / Basket Fire Ball
• Genre: Sport, romance
• Episodes: 16
• Broadcast network: CTV / GTV
• Broadcast period: 2008-Jul-27 to 2008-Nov-09
• Air time: Sunday 21:30-23:00
• Opening theme song: Hot Shot by Show Lo
• Ending theme song: Yi Ban (一半) Half by Jerry Yan
• Insert songs: See Hot Shot OST

Episodes

• Hot Shot Episode 1 – part 1
• Hot Shot Episode 2 – part 1
• Hot Shot Episode 3 – part 1
• Hot Shot Episode 3 – part 1
• Hot Shot Episode 4 – part 1
• Hot Shot Episode 5 – part 1
• Hot Shot Episode 6 – part 1
• Hot Shot Episode 7 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7
• Hot Shot Episode 8 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7
• Hot Shot Episode 9 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7
• Hot Shot Episode 10 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7
• Hot Shot Episode 11 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7
• Hot Shot Episode 12 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7
• Hot Shot Episode 13 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8
• Hot Shot Episode 14 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8
• Hot Shot Episode 15 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8
• Hot Shot Episode 16 – part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 – The End

Links

• CTV

Gallery

The second oldest daugther is Kojima Satsuki. She is married to Isamu, who’s family runs Koraku, a typical Chinese ramen restaurant. Satsuki and Isamu have two kids, Ai and Shin. Isamu’s mother, Kimi once lived with the Kojima family (their home is upstairs, in the same building as Koraku). Due to declining health, Kimi moved to the United States and is living with her daughter Hisako. As of the 8th season, Hisako moves back to Koraku, and attempts to earn back her birthright. Satsuki’s biggest problem is having to deal with Hisako, as well as Seiko who is very loyal to Kimi and Hisako. Because Satsuki has to work all day at Koraku and tend to her immediate family, she has no time for herself, or even for her four other sisters and her father.

The other sisters include Noda Yajoi, Takahashi Fumiko, Munakata Yoko, and Honma Nagako. Yajoi is a retired nurse, and has to deal with her divorced daughter Akari and her grandson. Fumiko runs a travel agency; she too has a problem with her son, Nozomi, who chose to become a guitarist instead of attending college. Yoko is an interior decorator and was recently married. And Nagako is a housewife who married into the Honma family. The Honma family are all physicians, who run Honma Hospital.

Main Cast

• Utsui Ken
• Yamaoka Hisano
• Nagayama Aiko
• Izumi Pinko
• Nakada Yoshiko
• Nomura Mami
• Fujita Tomoko

Other Information

• Title: 渡る世間は鬼ばかり
• Title (romaji): Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari
• Also known as: Making It Through
• Format: Renzoku drama, across 9 seasons
• Genre: “Kitchen sink” soap opera
• Broadcast network: TBS
• Broadcast time: Thursday 21:00 to 21:54
• Original Soundtrack: Wataru Seken wa oni Bakari OST

Links

• Official TBS Web Page

Meteor Garden was very popular in Asia. Due to the popularity of the series throughout Asia, two sequels, Meteor Rain and Meteor Garden II, were produced.

Synopsis

The story centers on a plain and poor teenage girl called Shan Cai, who goes to a university for rich people, forced upon her by her parents. The university is dominated by a gang of handsome but arrogant students called F4, who are the heirs of the most influential families in Taiwan.

In the beginning, Dao Ming Si, the gang leader, hates Shan Cai so much that he makes everyone in the university play tricks on her. However, Shan Cai’s persistence gradually gains Si’s respect and later he falls in love with her. Like many other TV series, the lovers end up getting together after going through a series of painful challenges.

Main Cast

• Barbie Xu as Shan Cai
• Jerry Yan as Dao Ming Si
• Vic Zhou as Hua Ze Lei
• Ken Zhu as Xi Men
• Vanness Wu as Mei Zuo

Other Information

• Title: 流星花園 / Liu Xing Hua Yuan
• English title: Meteor Garden
• Genre :  Romance, Comedy
• Broadcast network: CTS
• Broadcast period: 2001-Apr-21
• Original run  2001-04-12 – 2001-08-16

Links

• Official CTS Meteor Garden website (Chinese Text)

In the guise of Mitsuemon, a retired crêpe merchant from Echigo, he roams the realm with two samurai retainers, fun-loving Sasaki Sukesaburō (Suke-san) and studious Atsumi Kakunoshin (Kaku-san). Episodes typically conclude with a brawl in which the unarmed, disguised protagonists better a crowd of samurai and gangsters, culminating with the presentation of the inrō that reveals the hero’s identity.

Five actors have portrayed the lead character in the series. Eijirō Tōno created the part and appeared in 13 seasons. His successor was Kō Nishimura. Asao Sano followed, and Kōji Ishizaka took the role in two series, quitting for cancer treatments. Kōtarō Satomi, has played Mitsuemon since 2002.

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The character normally sports a pointed white beard. He wears the lavish garb of a wealthy retiree, and carries a walking stick.

Singer-actor Ryōtarō Sugi was the series’ first Suke-san, followed by Kōtarō Satomi (who many years later took the lead role). Teruhiko Aoi was next, then Yūji Kishimoto, and Ryūji Harada. Opposite them, Tadashi Yokouchi, Shin’ya Ōwada, Gorō Ibuki, Jundai Yamada, and Masashi Gōda have played Kaku-san.

In each of the show’s 37 seasons, various other regular characters have joined the retinue. For many years it was the food-loving commoner Hachibei, the reformed thieves Kazaguruma no Yashichi and his wife Kasumi no Oshin, and the ninja Tsuge no Tobizaru and Kagerō Ogin. Portrayed by Kaoru Yumi, Ogin was the lead character in a light-hearted spinoff, Mito Kōmon Gaiden Kagerō Ninpō-chō. The same actress took on a new role, Oen, in which she continues as of 2007.

Many former regular actors appeared in the show’s gala 1000th episode, which aired on December 15, 2003. A 1978 film distributed by Toei Company shared the cast, production crew, and title.

Since its inception, the program has been a mainstay of the Panasonic Drama Theater (formerly known as the National Theater), sponsored by Panasonic. The TBS network airs the show throughout Japan, and shows reruns on both its analog stations and its CS satellite channel. For nearly three decades, Mito Kōmon shared the time slot with Ōoka Echizen, and various actors and actresses appeared in both series.

An unusual feature of the series is that the credits list the maker of the inrō.

Synopsis

With over 1000 episodes aired, Mito Komon is currently the longest running Japanese TV drama in history.

The main character, Mito Mitsukuni, is based on Tokugawa Mitsukuni, one of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s grandsons (son of Tokugawa Yorifusa) and lord of the province of Mito (now Ibaraki prefecture). Born in 1628, he was a scholarly recluse best known for researching the Dai-Nihonshi, a history of ancient Japan. Late in his life, he adopted the literary name “Komon” (Yellow Gate). The stories are based on popular legends about his incognito rovings around Ibaraki. Of course, in the series, he also puts right any wrongs wherever he finds them.

The plots are basically the same. Accompanied by his faithful attendants, servants and ninja, Mito Komon wanders around the countryside, helping those he finds oppressed by corrupt officials or evil landowners. A violent struggle typically ensures near the end of each episode, at which point one of his attendants flashes Komon’s inro, a lacquered case bearing the Tokugawa crest, thus revealing his true identity and proclaiming, “Here before you is Lord Mitsukuni of Mito, uncle of the Shogun.” Realizing they are facing someone who wields incredible power, the evil doers drop to their knees and grovel. Suppressing their rage as being outdone, the episode ends with Mito Komon always putting everything right once again and then continuing on his journey.

Other Information

• Title: 水戸黄門
• Title (romaji): Mito Komon
• Genre: Jidaigeki renzoku with a kanzen-choaku flare
• Episodes: 1152 (as of end of season 39)
• Broadcast network: TBS
• Broadcast period: 1969-Aug-4 to present, with one-season breaks in-between
• Air time: Monday 22:00

Main Cast

• Satomi Kotaro as Mito Mitsukuni (S31 to present)
• Ishizaka Koji as Mito Mitsukuni (S29 to S30)
• Nishimura Ko as Mito Mitsukuni (S14 to S29)
• Tono Eijiro as Mito Mitsukuni (S1 to S13)
• Harada Ryuji (S36)
• Goda Masashi (S36)
• Yumi Kaoru (由美かおる) (S36)
• Shoei (S36)
• Saito Akira (斉藤晶) (S36)
• Yamamoto Gaku (S29)

Links

• Official website