Drama Prime Time Report – 01/11~01/17

The winter season is settling in nicely with many new dramas that premiered over the past seven days.

‘Nobunaga no Chef‘ (TV Asahi) – starring Kis-My-Ft2’s Tamamori Yuta – premiered on Friday and achieved a good double-digit rating (11.6%) during its 11:00 pm time slot. Many dramas have started with such high ratings in this time slot, but only a few can keep this level from the second episode and onwards. Does ‘Nobunaga no Chef’ have what it takes to keep the viewers tuning in week after week? Later that night, TV Tokyo aired the first episodes of ‘Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi‘ starring Eita and Matsuda Ryuhei, and ‘Mierino Kashiwagi‘ starring AKB48’s Kashiwagi Yuki.

On Saturday, most of the attention was focused on the drama special ‘Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo Hongkong‘ starring Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yamada Ryosuke. It aired from 9:00 pm and recorded a good rating of 14.8%. At 11:00 pm, Fuji TV introduced us to the world of Dostoyevsky with the first episode of the modern drama adaptation of ‘The Brothers Karamazov‘ (‘Karamazov no Kyodai‘) – starring Ichihara Hayato, Saito Takumi, and Hayashi Kento. This drama gained a viewer rating of 7.4%, which is well within the average of this time slot since its resurrection as a drama time slot not too many seasons ago.

Late-night drama ‘Shinryochu -in the Room-‘ (NTV) – starring SMAP’s Inagaki Goro – recorded a rating of 3.1% with its first episode.

Sunday’s taiga drama ‘Yae no Sakura‘ (NHK) experienced a slight drop of 2.6%, but that’s nothing to make the officials at NHK break out in cold sweat yet. Meanwhile, TBS recorded the highest rating of all winter dramas that premiered so far with the two-hour long premiere episode of ‘Tonbi‘ – starring Uchino Masaaki and Sato Takeru among many others. The average rating of the first episode accumulated to 17.0%. Fuji TV tried to compete with the premiere of their drama ‘dinner‘ – starring Eguchi Yosuke, but there aren’t many viewers left when you go against a drama like ‘Tonbi’ and that live giant squid special on NHK, which made the news worldwide. Therefore it only recorded a less than mediocre rating of 8.8%.

All the Monday dramas of this winter season aired their first episodes on January 14th. Heavy snow affected the Kanto region (all ratings seen here are for that region) that day. Moreover it was a public holiday extending the weekend to three days, which also meant a lot of variety specials that were shown during the prime time. Such a setup can either be good or really bad for new shows such as new dramas, but ‘Hancho 6‘ (TBS) – starring Sasaki Kuranosuke – still did quite well with a rating of 11.1%, considering that three other networks recorded ratings beyond the 15% mark in the same time slot.

Fuji TV’s anticipated Monday drama ‘Biblia Koshodo no Jiken Techo‘ – starring Gouriki Ayame – recorded a good rating of 14.3%, although the scale is slightly different for the oh so celebrated “getsu 9″ drama time slot. Taking the time slot into account, you would almost have to describe a 14.3% rating as mediocre, but somehow I doubt Fuji TV were really hoping for more with such a story and such a starring cast. Let’s just call it a satisfying start and hope it won’t experience a nosedive next week.

Still on Monday, midnight drama ‘Shuuden Bye-Bye‘ (TBS) – starring Hamada Gaku – premiered with a rating of 2.1%

On Tuesday, Arashi’s Aiba Masaki transformed himself into a doctor for the new drama ‘Last Hope‘ (Fuji TV), which recorded a decent rating of 14.3% with its first episode. He certainly isn’t the best actor within Arashi, but people still like to see him on screen. His previous drama recorded a season-average of 12.9%, which should be realistic goal for this drama as well. The remaining Tuesday dramas including ‘Saki‘ (Fuji TV), ‘Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de‘ (NHK), and ‘Shotenin Michiru no Minoue Banashi‘ (NHK) were able to experience a rise in their ratings compared to last week.

‘Aibou season11‘ (TV Asahi) returned as powerful as ever with its 12th episode on Wednesday. It recorded a stellar rating of 19.4%, which is the second best single-episode rating of the 11th season. Meanwhile, the romantic comedy ‘Share House no Koibito‘ (NTV) – starring Mizukawa Asami – was able to charm 11.6% of the viewers with its first episode. A pretty normal result compared to the previous dramas in that time slot, not including ‘Kaseifu no Mita‘.

Thursday started with the second episode of ‘Kasouken no Onna‘ (TV Asahi), which was pretty much on par with last week’s rating. Later, TV Asahi aired the first episode of ‘Otome-san‘ and TBS the first episode of ‘Apoyan‘. A family mystery drama versus a light airport drama. Of course the former won. After all ‘Otome-san’ is featuring actress Kuroki Hitomi in the leading role and a story about in-laws that many viewers can relate to in some way or another. ‘Apoyan’ is continuing the trend of airport dramas, but the cast lead by Ito Atsushi isn’t exactly filled with actors that are known for attracting a lot of viewers. In the end, ‘Otome-san’ recorded 13.6% and ‘Apoyan’ recorded 9.7%.

At 10:00 pm, 2.5% of last week’s viewers decided to get a divorce from the drama ‘Saikou no Rikon‘ (Fuji TV), which caused the rating to drop down to 11.0%. Midnight drama ‘Otasukeya Jinpachi‘ (NTV) lost 0.5% of its viewers.

(Screencaps might contain spoilers!)

===

01/11 – Friday

other highlights before 10:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
14.1%(4.6%) – 19:00-20:54 Nep & Imoto no Sekai Banduke SP
10.4%(3.7%) – 19:00-20:54 Shimura Ken no Baka Tonosama
11.7%(2.0%) – 20:00-21:54 Music Station SP

10:00 pm slot (‘TBS Kindora – Friday Drama’)
19.6%(5.6%) – 21:00-22:48 Nakai Masahiro no Kinyobi no SMAtachi e SP
13.0%(1.2%) – 21:00-22:54 Kokuriko-zaka Kara
10.2%(3.5%) – 21:54-23:10 Hodo Station
09.9%(1.4%) – 21:00-22:52 Asami Mitsuhiko Series Ep 46

11:00 pm slot (‘TV Asahi Friday Night Drama’)
11.6%(3.9%) – 23:15-24:15 Nobunaga no Chef (1) *START*
07.9%(2.0%) – 23:00-23:30 another sky
04.1%(1.2%) – 23:00-23:30 Terrace House

midnight slot (‘TV Tokyo Drama 24′)
24:12-24:52 Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi (1) *START*

late-night slots(‘TV Tokyo Late-Night Drama’)
24:52-25:23 Mierino Kashiwagi (1) *START*

Info:
> ‘Nobunaga no Chef‘
Cast: Tamamori Yuta, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Shida Mirai, Kashii Yu, Gori, and more

> ‘Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi‘
Cast: Eita and Matsuda Ryuhei (+ many guest appearances)

> ‘Mierino Kashiwagi‘
Cast: Kashiwagi Yuki, Sano Shiro, and Konno Hiroki

Caps:
Nobunaga no Chef

Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi

Mierino Kashiwagi

—

01/12 – Saturday

other highlights before 9:00 pm and at 10:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
13.8%(4.6%) – 18:56-20:54 Kanjani no Shiwake 8 SP
10.7%(4.8%) – 19:00-20:54 HEI! SAY! A BOARD OF EDUCATION 2013

9:00 pm slot (‘NTV Do-9 [dokku] – Saturday-9 Drama’ & ‘NHK Saturday Drama Special’)
14.8%(5.6%) – 21:00-22:54 Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo Hongkong
13.9%(0.0%) – 21:00-23:06 Onsen Daisakusen 12
10.0%(4.9%) – 21:00-23:10 ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD

11:00 pm slot (‘Fuji TV Dodora – Saturday Drama’)
09.1%(2.3%) – 23:15-24:09 SmaSTATION!!
07.4%(7.5%) – 23:10-23:55 Karamazov no Kyodai (1) *START*
06.8%(0.5%) – 23:00-23:30 Kokoro Yusabure! Senpai ROCK YOU

late-night slots
03.1%(?.?%) – 24:50-25:20 Shinryochu -in the Room- (1) *START*

Info:
>>> ‘Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo Hongkong Kowloon Treasure Murder Case.‘
Cast: Yamada Ryosuke, Kawaguchi Haruna, Arioka Daiki, Kiritani Kenta, V.I, and many more

> ‘Karamazov no Kyodai‘
Cast: Ichihara Hayato, Saito Takumi, Hayashi Kento, Yoshida Kotaro, Takanashi Rin, and more

> ‘Shinryochu -in the Room-’
Cast: Inagaki Goro, Sakai Miki, Asano Yuko, and more

Caps:
Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo

Karamazov no Kyodai

Shinryochu

—

01/13 – Sunday

other highlights before 8:00 pm and after 11:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
None

8:00 pm slot (‘NHK Taiga Drama’)
18.8%(2.6%) – 20:00-20:45 Yae no Sakura (2)
12.0%(3.1%) – 19:00-20:54 run for money 2013 ~ultimate~
11.0%(3.4%) – 19:00-20:54 The! Tetsuwan! DASH!! SP
10.2%(1.6%) – 18:56-20:54 Shiru Shiru Mishiru Sunday SP

9:00 pm slot (‘TBS Nichiyo Gekijo – Sunday Theater’ & ‘Fuji TV Dramatic Sunday’)
17.0%(1.1%) – 21:00-22:48 Tonbi (1) *START*
16.8%(?.?%) – 21:00-22:00 Live Giant Squid – World Exclusive Footage
11.1%(3.3%) – 21:00-21:54 Gyoretsu no Dekiru Horitsu Sodanjo
11.0%(3.3%) – 20:58-23:34 Avatar
08.8%(0.0%) – 21:00-22:09 dinner (1) *START*

10:00 pm slot
17.0%(1.1%) – 21:00-22:48 Tonbi (1) *START*
11.5%(0.8%) – 22:00-22:30 Oshareism
11.0%(3.3%) – 20:58-23:34 Avatar
10.8%(2.0%) – 22:15-23:30 Mr. Sunday
08.4%(3.9%) – 22:30-22:56 Nakai Masahiro no Black Variety

Info:
> ‘Yae no Sakura‘ [taiga]
Cast: Ayase Haruka, Nishijima Hidetoshi, Hasegawa Hiroki, Gouriki Ayame, Kuroki Meisa, Matsushige Yutaka, Fubuki Jun, Hasegawa Kyoko, Ayano Go, Inamori Izumi, Tamayama Tetsuji, and many more

> ‘Tonbi‘
Cast: Uchino Masaaki, Sato Takeru, Tokiwa Takako, Fukiishi Kazue, Kato Takako, and more

> ‘dinner‘
Cast: Eguchi Yosuke, Kurashina Kana, Matsushige Yutaka, Seki Megumi Yusuke Santamaria, and more

Caps:
Yae no Sakura

dinner

—

01/14 – Monday

other highlights before 8:00 pm and past 10:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
13.2%(2.9%) – 21:54-23:10 Hodo Station
12.9%(3.7%) – 22:00-22:54 Shabekuri 007
11.2%(1.1%) – 22:15-23:09 SMAPxSMAP

8:00 pm slot (‘TBS Panasonic Drama Theater’)
17.2%(2.8%) – 19:00-21:48 Otameshika! SP
17.2%(?.?%) – 19:30-20:45 Tsurube no Kazoku ni Kanpai
16.4%(4.4%) – 19:00-21:54 Hajimete no Otsukai! SP
12.0%(2.3%) – 19:00-20:54 Nep League SP
11.1%(?.?%) – 20:00-20:54 Hancho 6 (1) *START*

9:00 pm slot (‘Fuji TV Getsu-9 [getsuku/gekku] – Monday-9 Drama’)
17.2%(2.8%) – 19:00-21:48 Otameshika! SP
16.4%(7.2%) – 19:00-21:54 Hajimete no Otsukai! SP
14.3%(2.0%) – 21:00-22:09 Biblia Koshodo no Jiken Techo (1) *START*
??.?%(?.?%) – 21:00-22:54 Kanryuu

midnight slot (‘TBS Drama NEO’)
02.1%(?.?%) – 24:20-24:59 Shuuden Bye-Bye (1) *START*

Info:
> ‘Hancho 6‘
Cast: Sasaki Kuranosuke, Higa Manami, Ozawa Yukiyoshi, Fukushi Seiji, Takashima Reiko, and more

> ‘Biblia Koshodo no Jiken Techo‘
Cast: Gouriki Ayame, AKIRA, Tanaka Kei, Suzuki Kosuke, Kitagawa Hiromi, and more

>>> ‘Kanryuu‘
Cast: Shiina Kippei, Ashina Sei, Ishiguro Ken, Arimori Narimi, Ozawa Maju, and more

> ‘Shuuden Bye-Bye‘
Cast: Hamada Gaku (the only regular) and many guest stars in each episode

Caps:
Biblia Koshodo no Jiken Techo

Shuden Bye-Bye

—

01/15 – Tuesday

other highlights before 9:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
11.7%(2.8%) – 19:00-20:54 Kasupe! (various)
10.5%(5.5%) – 19:00-19:54 Torihada Scoop Eizou 100-ka Jiten
13.4%(3.3%) – 19:56-20:54 Odoru! Sanma Goten
13.1%(2.9%) – 20:00-20:54 Takeshi no Kenko Entertainment!

9:00 pm slot (‘Fuji TV Ka-9 [kakku] – Tuesday-9 Drama’)
14.2%(5.3%) – 21:00-22:09 Last Hope (1) *START*
11.8%(4.2%) – 21:00-21:54 London Hearts
08.6%(3.1%) – 21:00-21:54 Kaiketsu! Ninety-Nine

10:00 pm slot (‘Fuji TV Tuesday 10:00 pm Drama’ & ‘NHK Drama 10′)
14.2%(1.9%) – 21:54-23:10 Hodo Station
12.2%(0.8%) – 22:15-23:09 Saki (2)
09.6%(2.2%) – 22:00-22:50 Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de (2)
07.1%(4.6%) – 22:00-22:54 Star Draft Kaigi

11:00 pm slot (‘NHK Yoru Dora – Night Drama’)
11.4%(2.4%) – 23:15-24:15 Shiro Kuro Judge Variety
08.4%(1.0%) – 23:15-23:45 Catherine 3
06.5%(1.3%) – 22:55-23:25 Shotenin Michiru no Minoue Banashi (2)

late-night slot (‘TBS Late-Night Drama’ & ‘TV Asahi Late-Night Drama’)
01.8%(0.5%) – 25:51-26:21 Girl’s Talk (15)

Info:
> ‘Last Hope‘
Cast: Aiba Masaki, Tabe Mikako, Tanabe Seiichi, Koike Eiko, Kitamura Yukiya, and more

> ‘Saki‘
Cast: Nakama Yukie, Miura Shohei, Uchida Yuki, Takashima Masanobu, Shonozaki Ken, and more

> ‘Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de‘
Cast: Ueto Aya, Iijima Naoko, Saito Takumi, Asano Atsuko, Ryu Raita, and more

> ‘Shotenin Michiru no Minoue Banashi‘
Cast: Toda Erika, Kora Kengo, Emoto Tasuku, Ando Sakura, Arai Hirofumi, and more

> ‘Girl’s Talk‘
Cast: Oda Asami, Sano Miku, Loveli, Natsumi, and more

Caps:
Saki

Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de

Shotenin Michiru no Minoue Banashi

—

01/16 – Wednesday

other highlights before 9:00 pm and past 11:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
13.3%(0.4%) – 19:00-20:54 Cream Quiz Miracle 9 SP
12.3%(4.7%) – 19:00-20:54 Ichiban Song Show SP
11.7%(0.4%) – 19:00-20:54 Oja Map SP
13.2%(2.1%) – 23:15-24:15 Matsuko & Ariyoshi no Ikari Shinto

9:00 pm (‘TV Asahi Wednesday Police Drama’)
19.4%(6.5%) – 21:00-21:54 Aibou season11 (12) [+2.0%]
12.9%(4.1%) – 21:00-21:54 The! Sekai Gyoten News
10.0%(3.8%) – 21:00-22:48 Picaru no Teiri SP

10:00 pm (‘NTV Wednesday Drama’)
13.5%(4.4%) – 21:54-23:10 Hodo Station
11.6%(5.4%) – 22:00-23:09 Share House no Koibito (1) *START*
10.0%(3.8%) – 21:00-22:48 Picaru no Teiri SP

Info:
> ‘Aibou season11‘
Cast: Mizutani Yutaka, Narimiya Hiroki, Suzuki Anju, Matobu Sei, Ishizaka Kouji, and more

> ‘Share House no Koibito‘
Cast: Mizukawa Asami, Oizumi Yo, Tanihara Shosuke, Nakajima Yuto, Kawaguchi Haruna, and more

Caps:
Aibou season11

Share House no Koibito

—

01/17 – Thursday

other highlights before 8:00 pm and past 11:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
14.2%(3.0%) – 19:00-19:57 VS Arashi
11.8%(2.9%) – 19:00-19:54 Ikinari! Ogon Densetsu
12.2%(1.6%) – 23:30-24:30 Ameeetalk!

8:00 pm (‘TV Asahi Thursday Mystery Drama’)
17.7%(4.6%) – 19:56-20:54 Guru-Guru Ninety-Nine
12.9%(0.2%) – 20:00-20:54 Kasouken no Onna Season 12 (2)
10.7%(0.5%) – 19:57-20:54 Kiseki Taiken! Unbelievable

9:00 pm (‘TV Asahi Thursday Drama’ & ‘TBS Thursday Drama 9′)
15.3%(0.2%) – 21:00-21:54 Himitsu no Kenmin SHOW
13.6%(0.9%) – 21:00-22:09 Otome-san (1) *START*
11.0%(0.2%) – 21:00-21:54 Tunnels no Minasan no Okage Deshita
09.7%(?.?%) – 21:00-22:09 Apoyan (1) *START*

10:00 pm (‘Fuji TV Thursday Theater’)
14.5%(2.3%) – 22:09-23:25 Hodo Station
12.6%(2.5%) – 22:00-22:54 Downtown DX
11.0%(2.5%) – 22:00-22:54 Saikou no Rikon (2)

midnight slot (‘NTV Thursday Mystery Theater’)
03.3%(0.5%) – 23:58-24:38 Otasukeya Jinpachi (2)

Info:
> ‘Kasouken no Onna Season 12‘
Cast: Sawaguchi Yasuko, Naito Takashi, Wakamura Mayumi, Kato Takako, Saito Satoru, and more

> ‘Otome-san‘
Cast: Kuroki Hitomi, Aibu Saki, Ishida Junichi, Kaku Tomohiro, Daichi Yasuo, and more

> ‘Apoyan ~ Hashiru Kokusai Kuko ~‘
Cast: Ito Atsushi, Kiritani Mirei, Kanjiya Shihori, Yanagiba Toshiro, Yamamoto Yusuke, and more

> ‘Saikou no Rikon‘
Cast: Eita, Ono Machiko, Maki Yoko, Ayano Go, Serina, and more

> ‘Otasukeya Jinpachi‘
Cast: Miyagawa Daisuke, Arimura Kasumi, Koizumi Kotaro, Shizu-chan, Ito Shoko, and more

Caps:
Saikou no Rikon

—

NHK, TBS and TV Tokyo usually don’t disclose the ratings for their shows on a regular basis, therefore they won’t be included in the list below. Certain dramas or drama specials that aired on those channels and might lack ratings are still included with a ??.?% rating. This doesn’t mean that the ratings were too low to recorded.

An orange color means almost no change, while a red color means the ratings dropped, and a green color means the ratings improved.

===

Drama Overview (Winter 2013):

Previous: [Spring 2011] [Summer 2011] [Fall 2011] / [Winter 2012] [Spring 2012] [Summer 2012] [Spring 2012] [Fall 2012]

===

Average Ratings (Winter 2013):

20.10% – Yae no Sakura [taiga] (-1.30)
-
17.00% – Tonbi
16.83% – Aibou Eleven (+0.23)
-
14.30% – Biblia Koshodo no Jiken Techo
14.20% – Last Hope
13.60% – Otome-san
12.80% – Kasoken no Onna 12 (+0.10)
12.25% – Saikou no Rikon (-1.25)
11.80% – Saki (+0.40)
11.60% – Share House no Koibito
11.60% – Nobunaga no Chef [11:00 pm drama]
11.10% – Hancho 6
-
09.70% – Apoyan
08.80% – dinner
08.50% – Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de (+1.10)
07.40% – Karamazov no Kyodai [11:00 pm drama]
05.85% – Shotenin Michiru no Minoue Banashi [11:00 pm drama] (+0.65)
-
03.55% – Otasukeya Jinpachi [midnight drama] (-0.25)
03.10% – Shinryochu -in the Room- [late-night drama]
02.26% – Girl’s Talk [late-night drama] (-0.03)
02.10% – Shuuden Bye-Bye [midnight drama]

(The average ratings are based on the episode ratings listed above. There can be differences between the calculated averages and the official announcements at the end of each season. You can see the official season average in square brackets.)

Oricon has revealed its weekly charts for January 7th to the 13th.

Check out the results below!

===

<Single Weekly Ranking>

1. “Mystery Virgin” – Yamada Ryosuke : 1/9 (188,862)

2. “Deeper Deeper / Nothing Helps” – ONE OK ROCK : 1/9 (43,812)

3. “REASON” – Yuzu : 1/9 (41,923)

4. “BUNBUN NINE9′” – Cheeky Parade : 1/9 (22,176)

5. “Moshimo Watashi ga Sora ni Sundeitara” – Iwasa Misaki : 1/9 (18,929)

(Check out the full ranking here.)

-

<Album Weekly Ranking>

1. “A Classical” – Hamasaki Ayumi : 1/8 (25,049)

2. “Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Shuffle Unit CD Natsuki & Tokiya” – Ninomiya Natsuki (Taniyama Kisho) & Ichinose Tokiya (Miyano Mamoru) : 1/9 (21,344)

3. “MIRACLE” – Sandaime J Soul Brothers : 1/1 (20,692)

4. “Balladon” – Ikimonogakari : 12/19 (20,550)

5. “The Independent King” – AK-69 : 1/9 (18,721)

(Check out the full ranking here.)

-

<Music DVD Weekly Ranking>

1. “ARASHI ARAFES” – Arashi : 12/26

2. “MUSIC CLIP Collection” – Yuzu : 1/9

3. “the GazettE 10th ANNIVERSARY THE DECADE LIVE AT 03.10 MAKUHARI MESSE” – the GazettE : 1/9

4. “Naturally Tour 2012″ - Shimizu Shota : 1/9

5. “Sakura Nagashi” – Utada Hikaru : 12/26

(Check out the full ranking here.)

===

Source: Oricon

Popular group Hey!Say!JUMP member Yamada Ryosuke’s (19) solo debut single “Mystery Virgin” (released on January 9th) sold 189,000 copies in the first week, and topped the Oricon weekly single chart for the week of January 21st.

It was the first time in 32 years and a month for a teenage solo male artist to top the chart with a debut single since Kondo Masahiko accomplished it with his debut single “Sneaker Blues” when he was 16 years and 5 months old.

This was also the first time in 27 years and 8 month for any teenage solo male artist to top the single chart after Kikkawa Koji (with “Nikumaresouna NEW Face” when he was 19 years and 9 months old), moreover, Yamada is the first male solo artist born in the Heisei period to top the single chart.

“Mystery Virgin” was used as the theme song to Nihon TV’s special drama “Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo  -  Hongkong Kowloon Treasure Murder Case” that was aired on the 12th.

Source: Oricon

Previously, it was reported that Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yamada Ryosuke would be making his solo debut early next year. Now, the details have been revealed!

Yamada’s debut single, “Mystery Virgin“, will serve as the theme song to NTV’s special drama, Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo: Hong Kong Kowloon Zaiho Satsujin Jiken‘. Following Domoto Tsuyoshi, Matsumoto Jun, and Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamada will also play the 4th generation ‘Kindaichi Hajime’ in the drama.

“Mystery Virgin” is described as a dance number that portrays the growth of a boy into a man. For its coupling track, Limited Edition A will contain “Asia no Yoru” and Limited Edition B will contain “Moonlight“, which have both been performed during the group’s concerts.

The Regular Edition will come with a song Yamada wrote himself called “Gin no Sekai ni Negai wo Komete” as well as a cover of KinKi Kids‘ “Ai no Katamari“.

The full track list can be seen below.

===

<Limited Edition A>

CD:
01. Mystery Virgin
02. Asia no Yoru

DVD:
“Mystery Virgin” video clip & making footage

-

<Limited Edition B>

CD:
01. Mystery Virgin
02. Moonlight

DVD:
“Moonlight” video clip & making footage

-

<Regular Edition>

CD:
01. Mystery Virgin
02. Gin no Sekai ni Negai wo Komete
03. Ai no Katamari
04. Mystery Virgin (Original Karaoke)
05. Gin no Sekai ni Negai wo Komete (Original Karaoke)
06. Ai no Katamari (Original Karaoke)

-

Source: Tower Records

It’s been revealed that Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yamada Ryosuke (19) will be making his solo debut.

His debut song, “Mystery Virgin“, has already been picked up as the theme song for Yamada’s starring drama series, ‘Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo: Hong Kong Kowloon Zaiho Satsujin Jiken‘. It’s described as a dance number with a mysterious atmosphere that’s perfect for the drama.

Until now, Yamada has sang and danced to solo songs during the group’s concerts, but this will be the first time it will be released in CD form.

He expressed, “It’s like a dream to be in charge of the theme song for a commemorative program (special drama to commemorate the 60th year since the opening of NTV) by myself. I’m very happy.”

Yamada also stars in the musical ‘Johnny’s World‘ at Tokyo Imperial Theater, which commemorates Johnny Kitagawa’s recognition in the Guinness World Records. He declared, “As Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yamada Ryosuke, I want to continue to devote myself and do my best.”

This song will be performed for the first time on the live broadcast of NTV’s ‘Ongaku no Saiten: Best Artist 2012‘ on November 28. The single will be released on January 9 of next year.

Source: Sanspo 1 + 2

The heroine ‘Nanase Miyuki’ has been played by Tomosaka Rie, Suzuki Anne, and Ueno Juri in the past, so Kawaguchi will be the 4th generation ‘Nanase Miyuki’. Kawaguchi, who claimed to be a big fan of the original manga as well as its drama adaptation, commented, “It’s such an honor for me to be able to participate in this! I still cannot believe it, but I would like to try my hardest to play the role of ‘Miyuki’, who I have been longing for.”

The special drama is based on the popular ongoing manga (written by Amagi Seimaru and illustrated by Sato Fumiya) that has been serialized in “Weekly Shonen Magazine” since 1992, and the story for the drama will be set in Hong Kong. The protagonist ‘Kindaichi Hajime’ and his childhood friend ‘Nanase Miyuki’ visit Hong Kong since “Miyuki’ happens to attend the international fashion show as a model.  While they go sightseeing, ‘Miyuki’ gets kidnapped, and a model named ‘Yang Lan’, who looks exactly like ‘Miyuki’, shows up in front of ‘Kindaichi’. In order to find ‘Miyuki’, ‘Kindaichi’ asks ‘Yang Lan’ for help, however, on the eve of the fashion show, the first murder occurs…

As we reported previously, ‘Kindaichi Hajime’ will be played by Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yamada Ryosuke, and other cast members will include Arioka Daiki (Hey! Say! JUMP), Kiritani Kenta, V.I (BIGBANG), Wu Zun, Eric Tsang, and Vivian Hsu.

Special drama “Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo Hongkong Kowloon Treasure Murder Case” will be aired on NTV sometime this winter.

Source & Image: MANTAN WEB

Earlier we wrote that Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yamada Ryosuke would star in the upcoming Kindaichi Hajime drama.  Now, additional cast members have been revealed.

On September 1, it was announced that popular Taiwanese actress Vivian Hsu (37) would appear in the upcoming Nihon TV special drama “Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo  -  Hongkong Kowloon Treasure Murder Case” that will be broadcast in the winter.  It has been 11 years since she appeared in a Japanese drama as her last Japanese drama appearance was in Nihon TV’s “Honke no Yome”  back in 2001.

Vivian appears as fashion designer Ivy Liu, a key figure that is involved with the secret of and holds the key to the “Kowloon Treasure”.  She raised anticipation for her role with, “As a female who has a secretive past and who holds an important secret, my character is also a candidate for the criminal.  My character is a key person in the case.”  She continued with anticipation, “This is my first suspense drama.  I think this drama is interesting as it instills tension.”

The series is based off of the popular manga that started in 1992 as a serial in “Weekly Shonen Magazine” (Kodansha).  The manga that has been adapted to dramas several times, continues to garner a huge following even after welcoming their 20th anniversary.  Using the episode published on the July 11 issue as its base, the original writer of the story in the series, Amagi Seimaru, will, for the first time ever, write the script for the drama.  The drama revolves around a fashion show in Hong Kong that Kindaichi Hajiime’s childhood friend Miyuki attends.  During the show, “fourth-generation” Kindaichi Hajime (played by Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yamada Ryosuke) must solve an incident that arises at the event that is tied to a serial killer.

Additional cast members that will participate in the drama include stars from all around Asia.  Taiwanese idol group Farenheit’s former member Wu Zun (Wu Chun) will play Taiwanese security police Li Byron, while popular Korean group Big Bang’s V.I will play Korean exchange student Kim London.  Famous Taiwanese actor and MC Eric Tsang will play Wan Ron,“The King of Kowloon,” who ruled Kowloon in the early 90s and was assassinated by someone.

In addition, other Japanese cast members include Hey! Say! JUMP’s Arioka Daiki, who will play Kindaichi’s reliable junior and “video camera otaku” Saki Ryuji and Kiritani Kenta, who will play “Tokyo  Girly Mode” manager Takigawa Ryuta.  Arioka spoke enthusiastically with, “It is a bit strange to call Yamada my senior in the drama (as he was my junior in high school), but it is fun to film as a character that helps in solving the case.”  Kiritani also spoke enthusaistically with “In order to get people outside of Japan to say ‘Ohh!!!!’ because of the drama, I acted with my best efforts and used all of my strength.”

Source and Images: Oricon + Nihon TV

Based on popular manga series “Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo“, this special drama episode will be staged in Hongkong. There will be lots of showy action sequences, and popular actors and actresses from Hongkong, Korea and other countries in Asia will be participating in the special. Yamada commented with high spirits, “This is a big-scale production. I want to act out a Kindaichi that only I can portray.”

The series was last shown 7 years ago as a drama special in September of 2005. Actors who have starred in the role of Kindaichi include Kinki Kids’ Domoto Tsuyoshi (33), Arashi’s Matsumoto Jun (28), and KAT-TUN’s Kamenashi Kazuya (26).

Source: Sanspo

Image: Hey! Say! JUMP Lounge

On February 17th, Hey! Say! JUMP members Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuri, and Nakajima Yuto officially graduated from high school through a ceremony at Horikoshi High School.

The boys held a press conference after the ceremony, and reporters noticed that Yamada had tears in his eyes. Shaking his head, Yamada protested, “No no, it’s eye drops.” He also recalled a ‘cold’ memory from high school, “My teachers scolded me a lot. I had to sit in the hallway a few times. Sitting there in the winter was tough.”

Meanwhile, Chinen shared a cheerful memory from high school, saying, “I was happy I placed 4th on the tests in our grade level.” When asked, “When did you study?“, he quickly responded, “I just listened to the lectures.”

Nakajima also shared, “I always looked forward to eating onsen tamago (slow-boiled egg) curry with Chinen during lunch. Because of it, I became this big.”

Now that they’ve graduated high school, the three members plan to devote themselves entirely to their entertainment activities. “We’ll get employed by Johnny’s Entertainment,” they said in unison. Yamada added, “I want to take advantage of the time I’m not in school to build up my own abilities and mature as a member of JUMP.”

Hey! Say! JUMP will embark on their first Asia tour starting March 24th. They are scheduled to hold concerts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangkok, and Seoul. Yamada said, “To make up for the language barrier, we want to show it in our performance.” Chinen also promised, “Let’s do some acrobatic stunts.”

Congratulations to the graduates!

Source: Sanspo
Image: Johnny’s net

Hey! Say! JUMP have just revealed the PV preview to their upcoming single, “SUPER DELICATE“.

As reported previously, the single will be used for member Yamada Ryosuke’s new drama, ‘Risou no Musuko‘. Japanese television show ‘ZIP!‘ gave fans a behind-the-scenes look from the PV set, as well as several music video clips. Additionally, fans will also find a short scene from ‘Risou no Musuko’.

Check it out below: