Hotel

The hotel of this drama serves as a unique window into the complexity of human passions, with just the right touch of lighthearted fun. Intense emotional conflicts sometimes reveal wellsprings of tenderness, where people who could barely speak to each other suddenly reach a level of mutual understanding.

"Hotel" (Thursday, 9 p.m., TBS) starts its fifth season today. Based on a comic strip by the late Shotaro Ishinomori, this sequel focuses on enthusiastic hotel clerk Ippei (Masanobu Takashima) who is given the job of restructuring an affiliated hotel in Hawaii.

[TBS Synopsis for Series 1]: Ippei is back in this new chapter of the "Hotel" series, in which he and his colleague, Akira, are transferred to a hotel in Hawaii. The theft of his luggage and a subsequent cold reception from his new supervisor serve as a rude welcome. Getting used to the local customs and the management style of his caustic supervisor will take some time, but a little help from a unique bunch of locals may do the trick.

[Kiku TV synopsis for Series 4]: There's something about Ippei and his gang that keeps us coming back for more -- perhaps the impressive ensemble of character actors and actresses, or the incredible incidents that keep us on the edge of our seats each week. In any case, "Hotel" is back with a vengeance, with more outrageous stories than ever!

Cast: Takashima Masanobu, Matsukata Hiroki, Mizuno Miki, Tanba Tetsuro and more.
NETWORK: TBS
DURATION: Part I: 60 min. x 11 episodes (April through June 1998). Part II: 60 min. x 12 episodes. Part III: 60 min. x 24 episodes Part IV: 60 min. x 24 episodes, 120 min. x 1 episode
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