KAREI NARU ICHIZOKU

[Excerpted from Televiews, Wm. Penn, Daily Yomiuri, January 21, 2007]:Even more disappointing is TBS' remake of Toyoko Yamazaki's bestselling Karei Naru Ichizoku (Sundays, 9 p.m.), starring Takuya Kimura and set in 1960s Kobe. Despite the elaborate sets and advance PR blitz by Kimura, Episode 1 on Jan. 14 just did not live up to the great expectations.

Something is out of sync. It almost feels like the drama is being made by people who did not live through the 1960s themselves.

And Kimura really must talk to the costume department. Ascots don't suit him and make him look too young for the role. Kyoka Suzuki was a good casting choice and she is convincingly obnoxious as his father's bossy mistress. If nothing else, they need to turn down the background music so we can hear the dialogue well enough to figure out the complex financial shenanigans. Only two stars in this gloomy sky.
Just goes to show, one should never underestimate the temp staff. Last week, they did the best job of all.

[From Dennis A. Amith, 1/15/07]: Kimura Takuya (34) dramas in the past decade have tend to be one of the highest rated trendy dramas sometimes peaking over 30% in the ratings. And the past two years, the actor has seen those rating percentages drop.
But with TV networks trying to get big ratings for their drama series as many are under the 20% rating, things are looking positive for Kimura Takuya as his latest drama on TBS “Karei Naru Ichozuku” received a 27.7% rating.

The drama is based on a novel by Yamasaki Toyoko (and later made into a film in 1974) about the Manpyo family, one of the powerful financial families in Kansai. Kimura plays the character of Manpyo Teppei, an executive director for a steel firm.

STARRING: Kimura Takuya, Suzuki Kyoka
NETWORK: TBS
THEME SONG:
DURATION: January 14, 2007 through March 2007

Reviews needed