#Taizo Harada

[redsamuraiii]

Control - Hanzai Shinri Sousa (Ep 4)

[clarkewayne]

Daichi... is naturally charming.

Ossan no Pants ga Nandatte ii Janai ka! (2024) dir. by Ninomiya Takashi and Muroi Takehito

[hopkei]

It's not an illness, old man. Who Cares About Old Men's Underwear! - Episode 1

[banqanas]

OPPAN: Ossan no Pantsu ga Nandatte Iijanaika! (Who Cares About Old Men's Underwear!) trailer translations

The main visual for the Saturday night drama featuring Nakajima Sota has also been released! It was also announced that the drama's opening song will be FANTASTICS' new song, Update Life

Starts airing on January 6th, 11:40PM (JST)

The drama can also be watched on TVer

[twig-tea]

Spoiler-free Pitch for Oppan (Ossan no pantsu ga nandatte ii janai ka)

Thanks to @isaksbestpillow generously creating subtitles for this show we have access to arguably the best family drama of the year, and what has become one of my favourite series of all time.

The premise is essentially: Makoto, a 'traditional' family man in his 50s who feels alienated from his wife and two kids, decides to learn to 'update' his beliefs with the help of a young gay man who befriends him.

There are so many pitfalls and ways this premise could go wrong, and the show falls into none of them. Daichi, the gay character that befriends Makoto, has a boyfriend, and they both have their own arcs. The friendship is two-way, and they both benefit from the relationship. Makoto's wife, son, and daughter all also have arcs, and we get to understand and love all of these characters. Nobody is in this show exclusively as a foil for Makoto; everyone gets to be their own person. The show is careful to not only show multiple experiences of gay characters, but also to chastise people in the show for making assumptions, as those can be hurtful, even when well-intentioned. And yes, while it isn't the focus of the show, we do get to see some of Daichi and Madoka's romance.

This show is so well-written, each episode is satisfying and builds on the previous one. The journey to improvement is not a straight line but a spiral, and Oppan depicts that so well. The mistakes Makoto makes are believable and realistic. And the way Makoto's relationships improve in every aspect of his life as he works on himself is gradual, realistically depicted, and so, so satisfying to watch. Trust is earned, and we see him slowly earn trust over time as he changes his behaviour. We also see the damage his past behaviour has wrought, and see him reconcile himself to that.

One of the best things this show does is viscerally illustrate how harmful upholding societal stigma and judgment is to those you love, and to yourself. Makoto's toxic masculinity, homophobia, amatonormativity, and judgment of anything he deems as "silly" or "abmnormal" hold his family back from connecting with him, and hold himself back from experiencing joy. Themes include (but are not limited to) sexuality, gender presentation, idol fandom, BL fandom, makeup, fashion, and workplace culture. And it isn't just familial relationships this show cares about; it touches on friendships, romantic, sibling, parental, and coworker relationships.

The lesson at the core of Makoto's journey is that genuine connection with others is how we heal and find joy, and that we can only have that genuine connection if we're able to make space for others to be themselves in our presence through kindness. And it's that core that makes this show so powerful, and made me cry (with happiness, catharsis, and relief) so many times. I genuinely feel like it healed something in me to watch this show.

Even putting all of that aside, this show is funny, and genuinely satisfying as a story arc. There's Carlos, the family dog who always seems to know what's going on and nudges Makoto when he needs it. Makoto's actor, Harada Taizo, makes some incredible faces. There are hilarious cut-aways mid-scene, usually when someone is getting too intense with their fansquee. The family dynamic, especially the sibling behaviour between Moe and Kakeru, is so hilariously familiar. It's not a chore to watch this show; it manages to be kind and healing and also fun.

Anyway. If that's not enough of a pitch for you, I've written about all of the 11 episodes individually, including outlining where and how each made me cry: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 . And I'm not the only one; if you want more company while watching, @bengiyo, @lurkingshan @mikuni14 and @mynamisnotthepoint wrote a bunch about this show too mostly broken out by episode.

And to relive the magic, @avorbl, @theside-b and @my-rose-tinted-glasses created some gorgeous gifs!

Siiri has instructions on her blog, but if you need help watching this show, feel free to DM me or send an ask.

[annoyingfiredeangiant]

Orenji rôdô kyûkô /オレンジロード急行 1978

Director:Kazuki Omari

Cast : Kanjuro Arashi as Suzunosuke Suzuki, Yoshiko Okada as Moto Tanaka , Leo Morimoto as Flow, Yutaka Nakajima as dump, Tetsuya Shima as Meka , Yoshio Harada as detective Genta,

Kenzo Kawarasaki as Taizo Hashima .

[sneek-m]

Favorite Japanese Dramas 2022

I watched even more Japanese dramas this year. Here’s what I liked:

Waru ~ Hataraku No Ga Kakko Waruitte Dare Ga Itta? ~ (Wednesdays, 10 p.m.; Nippon TV)

What a powerful vehicle this drama was for Mio Imada, who delivered if not the year’s best comedy performance as Maririn, then one of the year’s most physical. Her character’s role as part-village idiot of the story called for the actress to practically be a cartoon character come to life, but she transcended the status of the central class clown by sheer committal to the act. Her performance is absolutely to the show’s benefit when the show’s actual politics isn’t as progressive as it thinks it is: it reveals the sad state of things, and how behind the conversation is, if the writers think we the audience should be applauding them for merely bringing up the existence of the glass ceiling and gender inequality in the workplace in 2022. Maririn seemed as though she was written as the modern Japanese Forest Gump, naively navigating the country’s workforce culture, but Imada turned it into a whole lot more.

Shizukachan To Papa (Sundays, 10 p.m.; NHK)

The chemistry between Tsurube Shofukutei and Riho Yoshioka as the titular father and daughter was incredible — I can watch them yell at each hour every week for months — but I also have to bring up the unforgettable Keiichi played by Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yuto Nakajima. An exaggeration of a character to deliver the point of communication, sure, but his whimsy is something I missed once I tuned into the actor’s following project, Junjou Dissonance, whose character was so tonally opposite, it completely turned me off.

First Penguin! (Wednesdays, 10 p.m.; Nippon TV)

Nao is another actress I’ve seen as a side character in past dramas, and so it was exhilarating to watch her take the wheel of First Penguin! as basically her star-making vehicle. A big hand to the source material for providing her the foundation of an already-strong character for her to further flesh out: First Penguin! is inspired by the real story of Chika Tsubouchi, who, like Nao’s Nodoka, rallied together fishermen, though not without conflict, to create the direct-delivery business in the form of what they call the “fish box” in the drama. While the actual politicking is questionable as real accounts, a true story from the Tsubouchi’s history does get expanded into one memorable episode: in order to win their favor and trust in the business, Nodoka treats out her fishermen to a Michelin-star French restaurant managed by a client in order for them to actually taste the fruits of their labor. Fact or fiction, the victory is priceless.

Tsukuritai Onna To Tabetai Onna (Weekdays, 10:45 p.m.; NHK)

Fifteen minutes feel way too short for the amount of sweetness each episode contains, though the length makes the story tidy, not slight. The drama presents enough without being expanded into a feature-length rom-com a la Kinou Nani Tabeta? I partly suspect the source material has yet to build the story and its lead characters to warrant such a length for an adaptation, but also the size of its conversations more properly fit in scale within a miniature, slice-of-life story such as this. The title gives away the simplicity anyway: while there are definitely moments of questioning — of sexuality, relationship dynamics, among others — it leaves the two feeling content to be just that: a woman who likes to cook and a woman who likes to eat.

Mahou No Rinobe (Mondays, 10 p.m.; Fuji TV)

As if I didn’t name Remo Love my favorite drama of 2020, Haru once again surprised me how great she is in a comedy. She appears so cool on the surface as Koume, and  I also perceive her as a rather soft-spoken celebrity, so it’s a sight whenever she absolutely cracks in response to the dumb mistakes made by the series of pathetic men among her line of work. (You know who’s the dark horse among the men in the main cast? Taizo Harada of, yes, comedy trio Neptune.) I see this drama more in line with a buddy-cop comedy in the suits of a home renovation marketing firm than workplace romance, though not that it bothers to have some inevitable office love.

Hatsukoi No Akuma (Saturdays, 10 p.m.; Nippon TV)

Three of the main four leads are so idiosyncratic as characters that I worry they may present a barrier of entry for this show. But like the best shows written by Yuji Sakamoto — Quartet, Omameda Towako — it nurtures a one-of-a-kind relationship among them, enough to convince these oddballs deserve each other as companions. The actual mystery component to the story is fine, but it’s really about getting to know these characters and each of their dark histories. Or, more like how you can only know a version of them as they present themselves to you.

Tsuma, Shougakusei Ni Naru (Fridays, 10 p.m.; TBS)

Even with a wacky premise — a dead wife returns to the family in the body of a third grader — the least convincing part of the whole story is Misato Morita’s Yoshimi being attracted to Shinichi Tsutsumi’s Keisuke, who is at least 20 years senior as her co-worker. It helps the drama is self-aware of its absurdity, making for great, if expected comedic moments, like the constant reality check given to Keisuke of who he’s actually hanging out with whenever he’s out catching up with his “wife.” Get through that initial obstacle, and the drama reveals a poignant story about death, grief and how to ultimately make peace.

Mai Agare! (Weekdays, 8 a.m.; NHK)

Mai Agare! is the first asadora I’ve ever watched, and maybe I’ll find it less unique as I watch more of it in the future. For now, I am enamored by its simple, soap-y wholesomeness. I’m charmed by the innocence in Haruka Fukuhara’s Mai as she embraces her naive dream to become a pilot because she simply finds flying so life-fulfilling. (Meanwhile, her cohorts in pilot school is inspired by more noble reasons, like being the change in a male-dominated field or following the footsteps of his family, but the gap only further establishes Mai’s character.) I suspect it will get darker as the ripples of the 2008 recession has started to make its way into the drama now third of the way in,  but I am not worried of it getting any bit of cynical. Call me to easy to please, but sometimes when I get back from a long day of work, I just want a heart-warming story like this one.

Silent (Thursdays, 10 p.m.; Fuji TV)

Here’s a question to those who also watched Silent: Did we need Minato? All I can say is that I sure was happy when he got out of the picture, and the drama finally gave floor for Haruna Kawaguchi’s Tsumugi and Ren Meguro’s Sou to deepen their relationship. The show actually opened up and spotlighted a whole other characters, too, after the first act, with each episode becoming more essay-like as it focused on its character of the week to deliver a point. I initially worried Silent would wear itself thin because it carried itself as a rather low-key slice-of-life, but that very day-to-day ease is what I loved from it, especially as matters between its character grew more complicated.

Other dramas I liked:

Elpis ~Kibou, Arui Wa Wazawai~

Atom No Ko

Jizoku Kanou Na Koi Desuka ~Chichi To Musume No Kekkon Koushinkyoku~

Kimi No Hana Ni Naru

Ishiko To Haneo ~Sonna Koto De Uttaemasu?~

Unicorn Ni Notte

[abs0luteb4stard]

W A T C H E D

Finally finished the OUTRAGE Trilogy.

Amazing Yakuza films.

[crazyasianlove]

Invisible Ep. 9 (Sub. Esp)

DESCARGAR O VER ONLINE AQUÍ

[kez19h]

Harada Taizo and Takanashi Rin as married couple on The Door into Summer (2021)

I can’t take Taizo seriously bcs he’s a well known comedian hehe

[redsamuraiii]

Control - Hanzai Shinri Sousa (Ep 4)

[kuro71]

Hakumyu Shinkai Saito-hen (2022)

The Cast: 

Hashimoto Shohei as Saito Hajime

Makiura Otogi as Yukimura Chizuru

Kubota Hidetoshi as Hijikata Toshizo

Suzuki Shogo as Kazama Chikage

Kitamura Kento as Okita Soji

Higuchi Yuta as Todo Heisuke

Kawakami Masahiro as Harada Sanosuke

Teruma as Sannan Keisuke 

Koike Ryosuke as Nagakura Shinpachi

Shina Taizo as Yamazaki Susumu

Imata Tara as Kendo Isami

Kawamata Hiroyuki as Yukimura Kodo

Yokoyama Masashi as Amagiri

Sueno Takuma as Shiranui Kyo

Hashimoto Shohei back as the main Saitou???!?!?!?!??! I still remember his unpleasant acting as Saitou in Toudo-hen 😭😭😭😭😭 Please I don’t want to be bias nor cruel, but I hope he really do improve his acting and singing skill as Saito Hajime 😭😭

[hopkei]

A savior appears from above! Who Cares About Old Men's Underwear! - Episode 1

[banqanas]

Sota was on Mezamashi TV this morning to promote OPPAN

MC: What kind of story is Oppan?

Sota: It's about an old man Okita Makoto, played by Harada Taizo-san. He's someone who still holds on to a lot of old cultural beliefs and befriends my character, Taichi, a gay young man. Taichi teaches him a lot to 'update' his point of view.

MC: It seems like the story will have a lot of deep moments

Sota: Emotional moments and there's also a lot of dogs involved!

OPPAN starts airing tonight 23:40 (JST)!

[kentootv]

夏への扉 (The Door into Summer)

MOVIE DETAILS

Title: 夏への扉－キミのいる未来へ－

Title (romaji): Natsu e no Tobira: Kimi no Iru Mirai e

Title (english): The Door into Summer

Genre: Coming of age

Release Date: February 19, 2021

Runtime: 

Distributor: Toho, Aniplex

Theme Song: 

PLOT

In 1995, Soichiro Takakura (Yamazaki Kento) is a scientist and works on developing a robot. He is also on the verge of completing a plasma storage battery, following on the wishes of the deceased Matsushita. The man Matsushita was a friend of Soichiro Takakura's late father.

Outside of work, Soichiro Takakura has peaceful days with his cat Pito and his fiancé Riko, who is the daughter of Matsushita. He is soon betrayed by his business partner and also by his fiance Riko. Soichiro Takakura loses control of his company and the work he has done on the robot and plasma storage battery.

Soichiro Takakura then opts to place himself into a "cold sleep" freezing machine, hoping to find a better future. When he wakes up, he discovers that he is in the year 2025.

TRAILER

CAST

Yamazaki Kento (山﨑賢人) as Takakura Soichiro

Kiyohara Kaya (清原果耶) as Matsushita Riko

Fujiki Naohito (藤木直人) as PETE (ピート) / humanoid robot

Watanabe Natsuna as Shiraishi Rin

Mashima  Hidekazu as Matsushita Kazuhito

Harada Taizo as Sato Taro

Takanashi Rin as Sato Midori

Hamano Kenta as Tsuboi Gota

Taguchi Tomorowo as Professor Toi

PRODUCTION STAFF

Director: Miki Takahiro (三木孝浩)

Original writer (novel): Robert A. Heinlein

Screenwriter: Kanno Tomoe (菅野友恵)

Producer: 

Cinematographer:

WEBSITE

Official Homepage: natsu-eno-tobira.com

Official Twitter: @natsu_doormovie

Official Instagram: @natsu_doormovie

source : AsianWiki

SPOILER

coming soon...

[DOWNLOAD LINK]

coming soon...

[black-silystya]