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NTV announced on Tuesday that it is producing a live-action series adaptation of Natsumi Ando's Something's Wrong With Us (Watashi-tachi wa Dōka Shiteiru) manga starring Minami Hamabe (live-action anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Saki, Let Me Eat Your Pancreas, left in image below) and Ryūsei Yokohama (live-action Hajimete Koi o Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi, Ressha Sentai Tokkyūger right) as protagonists Nao Hanaoka and Tsubaki Takatsuki, respectively. The series will premiere in July. Following in her mother's footsteps, Nao became a traditional Japanese sweets maker, and at 21, she's about to take the industry by storm. With unparalleled artistry and a bright attitude, she gets an offer to work at a world-class confectionary company. But when she meets the young, handsome owner, she recognizes his cold stare … It's none other than Tsubaki, her childhood friend and first crush-the same boy who stood over his father's bloodied body 15 years ago, and framed Nao...

"Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter" is a moody comic allegory about desperation, disconnection and dreams that uses "Fargo," the Coen brothers movie from 1996, as a touchstone to examine modern life. The film stars talented Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi, Oscar-nominated for her stirring portrayal of a deaf teen in "Babel," as Kumiko, a depressed cog in a corporate wheel who is slowly being ground down. Her story starts on a low in Tokyo in the fall and ends on a high in a deep, snowy North Dakota winter. Her quest, which keeps nudging the film forward, is to find the cash-filled briefcase that the bad guy in "Fargo" (that would be Steve Buscemi) buried in the snow. The winter scenes that define "Fargo" keep showing up in "Kumiko" thanks to a scavenged videotape Kumiko discovers in Japan. But it's another pair of brothers — Texas indie filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner — who are the wonderfully strange minds behind this tale. ...

Model and actress Keiko Kitagawa has once again topped a poll for the most beautiful Japanese female celebrity. 50,000 Japanese of all ages took part in the poll on Monday (8 May) in a two-hour special episode of TV Asahi’s variety show ‘Nakai Masahiro no Mi ni Naru Toshokan’. Kitagawa, who has filmed scenes in Singapore, was ranked first by voters between the ages of 20 – 59, and second among voters in their 60s. This amounted to a massive 3,836 votes, a huge lead over Sayuri Yoshinaga in second place, who had 2,414 votes. On her official LINE account, Kitagawa responded to the live broadcast, “Just now, I coincidentally found out I topped the ranking. I was surprised! Thank you!” The Japanese female celebrities in the subsequent places were Nozomi Sasaki in third, Satomi Ishihara in fourth, Masako Natsume in fifth, followed by Yui Aragaki, Mirei Kiritani, Erika Sawajiri, Kyoko Fukada and Haruka Ayase respectively. Even among just female fans, Kitagawa is immensely popular, having bee...

They are designed to encourage landlords and hospitals to treat gay couples the same way as married ones. However, the documents do not provide the same legal status as marriage. BBC Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says campaigners are welcoming "a small step forward in a deeply conservative country". Younger people in Japan generally support gay rights but the prime minister has previously urged caution over changing the law. Hiroko Masuhara, 37, and Koyuki Higashi, 30, were the first to register their partnership in Shibuya district. Ms Higashi, an actress, told reporters she hoped the measure would spread across Japan and eventually lead to same-sex marriage being legalised. Japan does not have any national legislation specifically banning discrimination against gay people. Couples complain of being blocked from tenancies and prevented from visiting loved ones in hospital. "I hope the day will come soon when there will be equality in society," Ms Higas...

Popular Japanese actress Satomi Ishihara is set to marry her non-celebrity boyfriend within the year, her agency said Thursday. "I felt confident I could overcome any difficulties with him while sharing various experiences," the 33-year-old actress said in a statement. The would-be groom, a company employee also in his 30s, was introduced to Ishihara through a married couple who are mutual friends, her agency said. Ishihara, who won the grand prix of a scout competition hosted by talent agency HoriPro Inc. in 2002, debuted the following year as the heroine of the NHK television serial "Teru Teru Kazoku." She also appeared in the live-action film adaptation of the popular manga series "Attack on Titan," and the 2016 movie "Shin Godzilla." Most recently, she played the leading character in the television series "Unsung Cinderella." Ishihara was selected in 2016 to be the face of Tokyo Metro's "Find My Tokyo" campaign, and ha...

WOWOW revealed on Thursday that Airi Matsui (right in image below) has joined the cast of the live-action series of Masami Yuuki's Hakubo no Chronicle manga. Matsui plays Akari Fusegi, a newly hired Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official. West idol group member Tomohiro Kamiyama (seen left in image above) stars as Kai Yukimura. The series will premiere next year. The supernatural mystery story follows Yukimura, an okinaga who looks 18 but is actually 88 years old. He joins a newly hired Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official named Akari Fusegi to stop a serial killer — and seek revenge. Yukimura's former lover was murdered by the so-called "Sheep Killer," who only murders on Christmas during the Year of the Goat every 12 years. The long stretches between the killings means that only an okinaga like Yukimura could be the culprit. Kazuhiro Nakagawa (live-action Double, "Godzilla vs. Hedorah") and Gō Sasaki are directing the series, with scrip...

In March 2023, Eldoah Casino appointed Yua Mikami, a well-known Japanese actress and social media influencer, as its official ambassador. This prestigious position is a vital part of Eldoah Casino’s ambitious plans to expand its presence and establish dominance in the Japanese market. With her extensive Twitter and Instagram following, Mikami will grant the online casino steady access to a substantial and largely untapped audience of fans. Eldoah Casino is thrilled to have Mikami on board, as she will play a critical role in helping the casino achieve its strategic goals. Eldoah Casino expects to recruit many new players in the Japanese online gambling community thanks to Mikami’s influence. In March 2023, the appointment of Yua Mikami as the official ambassador for a Japanese online gambling company caused a stir when Casinosnavi shared the news with their readers (article in Japanese here). The appointment of the popular Japanese AV actress and idol singer was due to her massive foll...

Japanese pop sensation and undisputed queen Ayumi Hamasaki is losing her hearing in her remaining good ear, the star shared with fans on her Team Ayu blog. The singer said she recently started experiencing severe dizziness, was unable to walk straight, and was even vomiting while at rehearsals. She also noticed her hearing started to deteriorate and after a series of tests, doctors told her that her right ear was beginning to weaken, having had to compensate for her left ear for the past nine years. However, Ayumi said she had no plans to stop performing, because she felt that the stage was where she “belonged”. Ayumi’s hearing has been in decline since the mid-2000s, when she was diagnosed as being deaf in her left year. That condition can be traced back to the cold and ear infection she caught while on a tour in 2000. Despite being warned that she needed to lessen her exposure to loud noises, Ayumi only spent a few days recovering before she went back to touring, and did not cancel o...

Actress Keiko Kitagawa is the latest cover girl for the popular fashion magazine VoCE. A regular in the magazine, she last made the cover six months ago. Kitagawa is currently expecting a child with her husband DAIGO, this makes the issue of VoCE quite special as it will be her final magazine cover appearance until she gives birth. The magazine will be available in two editions that feature two different covers. Both are close up shots with a fresh faced Kitagawa wearing a black dress in one, and a white dress on the other. When consulting with the editorial team for her photoshoot, Kitagawa told them that she will not be hiding her belly in the photos, but at the same time won’t be overly emphasizing it. She wanted a natural appearance and feel for the photoshoot. Back in January 2016 Kitagawa announced her marriage to DAIGO, the two are expected to welcome their baby in the fall! INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS INDEXS ...