Tengoku ni ichiban chikai otoko ~Heaven Can't Wait~

Should Shiro (Matsuoka) believe this guy who claims to be an angel (dressed in black, played by Takanori) who insists that if Shiro doesn't complete certain tasks, that he will die?

[TBS Synopsis for First Series]: Due to his lack of drive, Shiro has failed the university entrance exams three times and just can't seem to do anything right. When Shiro starts to contemplate why somebody like him is living at all, a mysterious man named Tendo appears, calling himself an "angel." Tendo warns Shiro that his death is just around the corner if he does not push himself harder. Shiro takes the initiative and ends up saving someone else from an untimely death. In this way, Shiro avoids one brush with death after another by listening to Tendo's frustrating riddles and gradually learns the value of life. With a lot of laughter and a few tears, Shiro's trial teaches the importance of being confident and hard work.

STARRING: Jinnai Takanori, Matsuoka Masahiro, Okina Megumi, Ikeuchi Hiroyuki, Kubozuka Yosuke, Kitamura Soichiro, Hamakada Yoshihiko, Watanabe Ikkei, Shofukutei Tsuruko, Kagaya Junichi, Tendo Yoshimi. Special guest Kyoko Fukada
NETWORK: TBS
DURATION:  FIRST SERIES: January through March 1999 SECOND SERIES:April through June 2001 + 2 Specials
THEME SONG: "Oh! Heaven" by TOKIO / "Message" by TOKIO
REVIEWS:  

[From Rick Frankum] Kind of predictable, after all. But it was worth seeing Matsuoka made up as an 80-year-old.(2 1/2 stars)