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Love Generation
Something must be right with Fuji TV's Monday-night drama slot. "Love Generation," the station's new so-called gekku (Monday-9 p.m.) drama featuring popular actors Takuya Kimura and Takako Matsu recorded audience ratings of more than 30 percent for its first two episodes.  That means approximately one-third of homes nationwide are turned to Fuji TV during the time. Such a phenomenon is by no means rare: In the 10 years since the broadcaster started airing dramas in the gekku slot, there have been several huge hits.  The series of dramas, which is aimed
primarily at women in their 20s, began in April 1984, replacing a comedy show featuring veteran funnyman Kinichi Hagimoto.  The first gekku drama, called "Announcer Puttsun Monogatari," featured Kayoko Kishimoto and Masaki Kanda.  Since then, dramas aired during the slot have recorded particularly high audience ratings, usually exceeding those of dramas in any other slot and on any station.  Yoshiaki Yamada, who has produced many of Fuji TV's gekku dramas, said the station devotes a great deal of time and energy to this important slot.  "Ten years ago, many of the dramas aired by the station were created by outside production companies and only a few targeted a young audience," Yamada said.  So the station decided to use the gekku slot to broadcast in-house dramas aimed at young women in their 20s, he said.  Employing young producers and directors in their late 20s and 30s has helped the station to create programs that highlight the latest trends and social concerns. In the process, the shows have also picked up a strong following among young female viewers.  The main actors in the dramas have also been chosen for their appeal to this group. In this respect, "Love Generation" is no exception as its features Takuya Kimura and Takako Matsu, the hottest stars on television.  The first showing of the program on Oct. 13 recorded a 31.3 percent audience rating, the highest figure for a first episode of any Fuji TV drama.  The second episode, which aired on Oct. 20, also achieved ratings of more than 30 percent, indicating that the popularity of the program is likely to endure.    The drama is set in a second-rate advertisement agency and revolves around the relationship between salaryman Teppei Katagiri (Kimura) and "office lady" Riko Uesugi (Matsu). Katagiri is brokenhearted at splitting up with his former girlfriend, who is now engaged to his elder brother, a high-flying prosecutor.  The program's producer, Hiroyoshi Koiwai, said he wanted to make a story about an ordinary salaryman and office lady using two extraordinarily popular actors.  In the first two episodes, the plot has been slow-moving, focusing in great detail on Katagiri's working environment. This does not appear to have put off the viewers, according to the ratings. "Perhaps the young generation empathize with Katagiri's problems at work because they experience similar difficulties in their own lives," Koiwai said. According to Koiwai, a first-episode scene in which Kimura gets his hair cut by Matsu symbolized the actor's conformity with the standards of the Japanese business world--an environment that the actor has not been associated with at all until now.  This scene also generated huge public interest as Kimura's long hair has long been his trademark.  The producer said the drama will try to reflect both the joys and sorrows of ordinary life. His immediate aim, however, is to sustain the program's remarkable popularity. "The drama has started strongly in terms of ratings. The question is whether we can maintain this level all the way through the series," he said.  Yamada said the program owed much to the producer's ability to tap into the zeitgeist.  The cast for the gekku dramas until next autumn have already been decided. The plots are usually fixed about six months ahead of the planned broadcasting date. Whether "Love Generation" can continue to set new records will depend on whether it can evoke audience sympathy--the key to the success of all of the broadcaster's gekku dramas. [October 30, 1997 - Daily Yomiuri]

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Starring Kimura Takuya and Matsu Takako. Teppei Katagiri (24) - (Kimura Takuya)  Plays a confident advertising agency's creative agent. He gets transfered to the sales department.  A love triangle develops between Teppei and his elder brother and  Riko Uesugi (22) -  (Matsu Takako)    who plays an OL (office lady) who's on her rebound.  She enjoys her days after 5 p.m.  Being an OL is a tough job... 

One night, Teppei couldn't catch the last tram. So he was thinking where he should stay. Then he saw a good looking girl who was Riko was thrown aside by her boyfriend. So Teppei tried to talk with her and finally asked her to go together to sing karaoke.   In the room of a small motel, Riko was singing happily and Teppei was sitting on the bed to see her performances. But then Teppei stopped the player and asked Riko that he want to sleep with her. Riko immediately rejected him and asked him not to think of those dirty things.  After Teppei finished his shower, he came out and found that Riko is sleeping. Teppei thought that she is ready so he is very happy and quickly jumped onto the bed. But then, he found that Riko is wearing clothes. So he was very upset and tried to put the mic by Riko's mouth to hear her snore.  In the morning, Teppei was woken up by a phone call from the hotel receptionist. The receptionist asked him to check out. There he found that Riko has left already. So Teppei quickly went to the ABC Studio to work.  When he reached the studio, the boss phoned him and asked him to go back to the office. The boss asked him to transfer to the marketing department because he wanted Teppei to know that he is not always lucky and should not do things for his own and not thinking of others. He immediately went to the marketing department. There he met Riko again and found that she was now his colleague.  The following day, Teppei went to meet his ex girlfriend, Sanae. And in the evening he went to a bar to meet his friends. Then he found that Riko was there also so they started quarreling again as usual. Riko's friend, Erika felt a bit like Teppei and asked him to go out have a walk. But when they were on the way to call a taxi to her house. Teppei told Erika that he saw his ex girlfriend today and found that he still loves her. So they started to go home separately.   Next day, Sanae dated Teppei at 8 o'clock but he was late due to the work. As he know that he couldn't find her so he went back home. He found that Sanae and his brother was waiting for him. So he asked them to go to his house to have a drink. While, they were chatting in the dinning room, Teppei found that Sanae and his brother, Soichiro are lovers. He was so disappointed as he know that he still love Sanae.  Later, he found that his mobile phone was lost. So he quickly phoned it and found that Riko replied. At the same time, Riko knocked onto Teppei's door. Riko was invited inside his room. She tried to look around everywhere and finally saw Teppei's secondary school year book with a photo inside which is Teppei and Sanae took together. There when Riko was trying to take the photo to see more deeply. Teppei tried to fight to get it as he don't want her to see. As they both fight for it, finally it torn into two pieces. Teppei was very angry and scolded her. Riko cried and left immediately.  Teppei afraid Riko would do some crazy things so he chased her. Then he found Riko was on the bridge. Riko told him about his boyfriend and then she asked him to go out with her. They went walking along the Rainbow Bridge and finally reached to the beach. There, Riko told her that the ring which she was wearing was received here. She pretended to throw the ring out but Teppei found that she told lies again so he quickly took it and threw it out. Riko was very angry as she wanted to exchange it to money and buy a Prada handbag. Teppei suddenly laughed and told her that he is just playing her and said that he didn't really throw it out. But then when he opened his hand he realized that he really had throw it out. Teppei was very sorry about it and tried to find it. He search for the ring the whole night but still couldn't.   So they went back to the office. Teppei was late and was scolded by his boss because of his dirty shoes and his uncut hair. Riko then suddenly stood at Teppei's back and harshly cut his pony tail and told him that this is the thanks for helping her to throw away her sad memories. Teppei was very angry and went away the office to cut his hair.  In the afternoon, Teppei came back with his new hair style which was quite short. All colleague was surprised of his hair cut. Then when Teppei came out from the building gonna go home, Riko gave him some bread and apologize. But Teppei thanked her for helping him to throw away his sadness. (1st episode synopsis).

STARRING: Kimura Takuya, Matsu Takako, Fujiwara Norika, Uchino Masaaki, Junna Risa, Moriguchi Yoko, Sato Tamao, Fukuishi Kazue, Kishi Hiroyuki, Hirata Mitsuru, Kawabata Ryuta, Izutsu Shinsuke and more.
THEME SONG: "Shiawase na Ketsumatsu" by Ohtaki Eiichi, "True True" by Meo, "Hear me Cry" by Cagnet
NETWORK: FUJI TV
DURATION: October 13, 1997 through December 1997. 11 episodes and 1 special.
REVIEWS:

Although not as great as Long Vacation, this drama had a better rating and combined the two best actors currently in Japan that attracts to the mid 20's and younger generation.   The story is good and I like the music.  Worth watching.

I watched this drama several years after it aired and I can't believe how awesome this drama is! It has a great storyline that I highly recommend this drama for J-Drama fans!

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