[DORAMA] Gokusen III leading in the ratings
May 23, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In the latest Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “This week: the winners, the losers and the question marks on the horizon. TV viewers have voted with their remotes and chosen four winners from the spring season private network drama lineup. Meanwhile, the vast majority of spring offerings battle the single-digit ratings demons with scripts that are not really up to the challenge.”
“At present, the big winner is Gokusen III (Saturdays, 9 p.m., NTV) holding firm with Video Research Co. ratings of 25.1 percent, which is about as high as one can realistically hope to get anymore. Viewers have seen it all before–twice–but still can’t resist watching ratings queen Yukie Nakama vanquish her foes and turn her motley crew of students into happy high school grads.”
“The only challenge to Nakama’s supremacy comes from Takuya Kimura’s Change, which debuted with 23.8 percent ratings last week. That seems a little low for a Kimura extravaganza, but those figures should increase. Eri Fukatsu and Hiroshi Abe gave excellent performances and did most of the heavy lifting in Episode 1 as the script called for Kimura’s character to do little more than look disillusioned and disinterested.”
“But by Week 2, the Kimura sparkle returned as Asakura, dubbed the “kokkai oji” (the new young prince of the Diet), settles into his new job. He asks his savvy political secretary (Fukatsu) to explain everything to him in terms a fifth-year primary school student (and the rest of us) can understand, making the fast-moving script informative, clever and easy to follow.”
“By next week, Asakura should be taking over the prime ministership. The party elders, realizing his potential as a political panda who can enthrall the media, have decided the country can run on auto-pilot for three months. They’ll install Asakura, reestablish the party’s popularity with the electorate and then retake the position and power themselves in 90 days. But will Asakura really be such a pliable, political puppet?”
“The current public mood and political atmosphere are being skillfully conveyed in Change. With a fantastic supporting cast giving it their all, Episode 2 was a joy to watch and the first four-star effort I’ve seen in a long time.”
Tags: CHANGE, Gokusen II, Kimura Takuya, Takuya Kimura, Televiews, Wm. Penn[Dorama] Kimura Takuya’s “Change”
In a recent Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn writes about upcoming dramas including Kimura Takuya’s “Change”.
Penn wrote, “Get ready. Change (Fuji, 9 p.m.) is coming Monday. It has taken a while, but Takuya Kimura is finally on his way to save the day for Japan.”
T”he quest for a quality political drama seems to have caused some production delays that pushed the series debut back three weeks. There have been media reports of grumbling at the network and worries that the late start will affect the timing of the summer series set for the Monday, 9 p.m. slot.”
“Can’t quite see what the problem is myself. Until the private networks create more dramas that really excite viewers, staggering the start of each new season may be one of their best strategies for keeping the public interested in TV.”
“Most of this April’s offerings have already bored or alienated viewers, so it is nice to have something new to look forward to in May.”
“Fuji has not yet revealed how many weeks Change will run, but if it should preempt a few of the between-season, special marathon, 180-minute, triple talento, super-duper, silly noise extravaganzas, will anyone really miss them? So bring on the Change already.”
Tags: CHANGE, dorama, Kimura Takuya, Takuya Kimura, Televiews, Wm. PennTeleviews - Battery-powered boyfriend leads flood of dramanga
May 2, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In a recent Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “How many early 21st century folks could turn off their televisions, cell phones or Internet connections? There’s no denying most of us have become the willing servants of our conveniences.”
“Will late 21st century humans confront the even more difficult challenge of turning off their robots? Will people really be able to shut down endearing automatons programmed to satisfy their every need and desire?”
“Watch a few episodes of Zettai Kareshi (Tuesdays, 9 p.m., Fuji) and you’ll understand the conundrum your descendants could face. This sci-fi romance, based on the manga of the same name, is not yet on the weekly drama ratings Top 10 list, but it probably will be by the time you read this.”
“Mokomichi Hayami is excellent and almost believable as our android Night Tenjo, model No. 01 in the Kronos Heaven Company’s “Nightly Series” of perfect boyfriend robots. Company engineer Namikiri has carefully programmed Night to meet all the specifications of Riiko Izawa (Saki Aibu), who has been chosen as a monitor to help detect any flaws in the product.”
“Riiko is somewhat skeptical at first and almost eager to get rid of him when he embarrasses her with his earnest statements of love and adoration and tells everyone he is her live-in boyfriend. But gradually, he does begin to grow on her.”
“Who else would make her omelettes with little ketchup hearts on them, deliver a box lunch to her office, work his tail off for her, save her from all danger and wake her with a kiss each morning? And all she has to do is recharge his battery now and then.”
Tags: Televiews, Wm. Penn[JAPAN] Televiews / Boys baseball drama ‘Battery’ scores; long-running family ramen shop drama strikes out
April 11, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In the latest column for “Televiews” by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “The first batter in the new season’s starting lineup April 3 was a pitcher. In Battery (Thursdays, 8 p.m., NHK-G, 10 episodes), Yuma Nakayama, all of 14 years old in real life, stars as high-speed hurler Takumi Harada. Sho Takada, 15, is Go Nagakura, the first catcher brave enough to face and catch his fast ball. The two Johnny’s Jr. lads are playing 12-year-old primary school grads ready to join the middle school team and already dreaming of playing at Koshien Stadium in the national high school baseball championship.”
“As the first new evening series, it deserved a glance, but initially I held out no hope at all for yet another youthful baseball tale.”
“Fortunately, it was surprisingly well done. NHK will rerun the first two episodes April 13 from 4:30 p.m. (except in Hiroshima Prefecture and the Tohoku region). Episode 2 will start at 5:13 p.m. plus 30 seconds. How’s that for precise?”
Tags: Televiews, Wm. Penn[JAPAN] Televiews: ‘Hitomi,’ ‘Atsuhime,’ have potential to be spring hits for NHK
April 5, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In a recent column of Televiews for the Daily Yomiuri, Wm. Penn wrote, “Yes, that’s Toshiyuki Nishida sporting a long, straggly gray pony tail and a cowboy hat but we are not out west somewhere. The morning serial from western Japan, Chiritotechin, with its tongue twister title and tepid sub 20 percent ratings, has finally departed.”
“Its replacement Hitomi (Mondays-Saturdays, 8:15 a.m., NHK-G or 7:45 a.m., BS-2) is the story of reclaiming and rebuilding a family on the reclaimed island of Tsukishima in Tokyo Bay. We are back in good old down home shitamachi now, where, as the TV stereotypes go, the ninjo (warm human feeling) is thicker than the humidity.”
“While Katsutaro (Nishida) may look like shitamachi’s answer to country singer Willie Nelson, he will have to change his tune if he is to win back his estranged daughter Momoko (Naoko Iijima).”
“Seventeen years have passed since father and daughter had a major falling out. They haven’t spoken since, although Momoko’s mother did travel north to Sapporo for secret annual visits. Now she has died suddenly and the divorced Momoko and her daughter, aspiring dancer Hitomi, 20, (Nana Eikura), head south for the funeral. Eventually, they will stay on to help Dad with the three foster kids he has taken in–one abandoned, one abused and one neglected. Reuniting the family will not be easy, but Hitomi, who quelled a major battle between her mother and grandfather at the end of episode one by yelling “shut up” in English, looks like a heroine with the moxy to do the job. She’ll have the help of a strong supporting cast including veteran character actress Kin Sugai as Ume. Worth checking out.”
Tags: Atsuhime, hitomi, Televiews, Wm. PennTELEVIEWS / April may not be the cruelest month for TV audiences
March 7, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In a recent Televiews column for the Daily Yomiuri, Wm. Penn wrote “April should be interesting. The king of the Japanese TV world will be taking over the prime ministership as well.”"Yes. How does “Kimura Takuya Sori Daijin” sound to you? Actually, at this point, some people probably would be willing to give SMAP a chance to run the country, but Kimura’s tenure will be only fictional, of course.”
“The super SMAPster takes over Fuji’s Monday, 9 p.m. slot from April with a new series that is so new it doesn’t even have a formal title or a starting date yet. Kimura plays an elementary school teacher with little interest in politics who somehow ends up in the top job and dedicates himself to making life better for the people.”
“Sounds a bit like the plot of the movie Dave, where Kevin Kline cleans up the White House.”
“Eri Fukatsu, a very talented actress, will play the prime minister’s very capable political secretary and most of the staff from the hit drama Hero, in which Kimura starred as a public prosecutor, will be on hand too. This new venture could be another 30 percent-plus ratings winner for Kimura, just about the only guy who can command numbers like that anymore. Can’t wait to check this one out.”
Tags: Televiews, Wm. Penn[JAPAN] Televiews / Sweet travelogue murder mystery hits the spot but leaves bitter aftertaste
March 1, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In a recent Televiews column for the Daily Yomiuri, Wm. Penn wrote, “It was a plot as carefully crafted as an exquisite wagashi (Japanese confection) and yet it left a strange, unsettling aftertaste.”"Last Saturday night, one of my favorite actresses, Yumiko Takahashi, was starring in TV Asahi’s Wagashi Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (literally, the case of the wagashi serial killer). As an added bonus, the introduction and ending featured tray after tray of beautiful wagashi to feast one’s eyes upon. What more could a viewer want?”
“The drama was a classic example of the two-hour travelogue mystery, in which we are transported to a scenic spot for detailed explanations of local crafts, customs, history and literature, which leave viewers feeling both entertained and enlightened. The murders are seldom allowed to significantly detract from the cultural ambience. As the public continues to lose interest in the continuing series format, these two-hour tales now occupy almost half the space in the weekly top 10 drama rankings.”
[JAPAN] Televiews / TV networks springing off the mark with seasonal shows
February 22, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In the latest column of Televiews by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “Spring is in the air…well, it is at the TV networks anyway. They are already announcing their April lineups, schedule changes and personnel reshuffling plans.”"Following the fortunes and follies of the TV industry is sort of like listening to economists who keep promising things will get better in the next quarter. The public waits and hopes and then just deals with whatever new reality is thrust upon them.”
“Actually, the winter quarter did represent a slight turnaround with three watchable new series Saito-san (Wednesdays, 10 p.m., NTV), Daisuki, (Thursdays, 10 p.m., TBS) and Edison no Haha (Fridays, 10 p.m., TBS), but only Saito-san has surfaced near the top of the drama ratings. According to Video Research Co. figures, Saito-san and the perennial detective series favorite Aibo (Wednesdays, 9 p.m., TV Asahi) are earning 15 percent plus ratings while the only private network series above them is Bara no Nai Hanaya (Mondays, 9 p.m., Fuji) at 17.2 percent. That is not an impressive performance considering it enjoys Fuji’s once prestigious Monday night time slot and stars SMAP’s Shingo Katori. So here we go again optimistically looking to the next quarter and hoping there are not as many subprime offerings.”
Tags: Televiews, Wm. Penn[JAPAN] Televiews / Sometimes, TV celebrity profiles rise above mere fluff
February 15, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In the latest Televiews column for the Daily Yomiuri, Wm. Penn wrote, “Who are these people? Day after day, week after week, we watch the familiar entertainment world celebrities who inhabit our TV screens, and yet how much do even their fans know about them beyond their birth dates and blood types? Where can a TV viewer go to look for serious interviews with the stars that feature them discussing their lives and speaking frankly on a variety of topics?”"Televiews interrupts the 24/7 GNN (Gyoza News Network) tainted dumpling media blitz to bring you a seven-stop tour of programs where you can begin your search for a deeper understanding of the stars without the jarring background noise of a peanut gallery full of tarento or a trio of squawking emcees.”
“For a peek into the everyday lives of female stars, a good place to start is Gu-tan Nu-bo, which, of course, is the katakana rendering of “Gout Temps Nouveau.” Ah, what a boring world it would be without katakana to entertain us. This show hides out in the English TV listings under the bland title Variety: Personality Profile (Wednesdays, 11 p.m., Fuji).”
“Each week, three female entertainers from a variety of genres, ranging in age from their teens to their 40s, come together at a fashionable eatery to chat about their real lives. Occasionally one of the three is the show’s host Makiko Esumi, but most participants have never met before. Since they are unaware of whom they will be dining with, the atmosphere is usually a bit tense at first. The goal is to forget about the cameras during the three-hour shoot, establish a relationship and provide enough fodder for the 30-minute show.”
Tags: Televiews, Wm. Penn[JAPAN] Televiews / Varieties of TV celebrity status offer fast track to political power
February 8, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
In the latest column for Daily Yomiuri’s Televiews, Wm. Penn wrote, “What’s the quickest way to make it to the top in the world of Japanese politics? TV is the answer. And if you want to get to the top before you even turn 40, TV is most definitely the answer.”"Lawyer and TV personality Toru Hashimoto, 38, became the nation’s youngest governor last month when he won the Osaka gubernatorial election. The victory provided further proof of the growing voter trend to catapult TV celebrities into the Diet and governorships.”
“Celebrity numbers are rising, and one day they may even come to rival the hereditary factor in the Diet. About one third of current Diet members hold seats that, like priceless heirlooms, have been in their families for at least a generation, sometimes several generations. Still, the hereditary politicians are beneficiaries of decades of organizational work done by their predecessors at the grassroots level.”
“Only TV celebrity seems to offer the possibility of leapfrogging to the top at an early age without a famous pedigree.”
Tags: Televiews, Wm. Penn
