Yuki Kimura may have struck out on 'The Bachelor Japan,' but she won the people's rose
On the first episode of the reality dating series "The Bachelor Japan," 25 women took turns stepping out of a limousine, walking down a red carpet and introducing themselves to their potential future husband. The women timidly approached the bachelor, Hirotake Kubo, 35, in long evening dresses, keeping a courteous distance ...
'Ainori' teaches lessons in love ... and soft power
Netflix Japan's reboot of the reality show "Ainori" features plenty of drama — most of it interpersonal, but some geopolitical. The ...
1970s Japanese TV series 'Monkey' had a magic that has never been matched
The news that "Monkey" has been remade by Australia's ABC in a co-production with TV New Zealand and Netflix is ...
Japan gets its own 'Orphan Black' ... with a few twists
Japanese TV tends to draw its inspiration from the bountiful well of manga, but Fuji Television and Tokai Television looked overseas to come up with their version of the hit Canadian series "Orphan Black," which began airing Dec. 2. In the past decade, reworkings of ...
'Home Sweet Tokyo': Fresh-off-the-boat narrative has room to grow
Among the English-speaking community in Japan there has been a long-running debate over whether to use the word "foreigner." Personally, I prefer using "non-Japanese." The word "foreigner," I feel, implies difference, exclusion and an inability to assimilate. Having said that, Bryan Jenkins is a foreigner. ...
B.J. Fox navigates life in Japan as a stay-at-home dad in the sitcom 'Home Sweet Tokyo'
There are many ways to learn about a country's culture, but B.J. Fox thinks comedy is one of the best. After being relocated to Singapore from his home country of England for work, he found that sharing a few laughs with others who were ...
This woman's work is never dull
Hidetomo Masuno says he thinks too much. The 41-year-old comedian who goes by the name Bakarhythm says he spends most of his waking hours deep in thought — "but first," he stresses, "I observe." Observation is what led him to create the blog, book and, ...
'Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light' shows how Japanese TV is moving from 'sadistic' to 'charming'
"Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light" follows a story familiar to anyone who knows Japanese TV dramas. A son and father grow distant, so the young man thinks up a convoluted plan to bond with pops. In this case, the plan involves him secretly ...
Winter has finally come for Isaac Hempstead Wright
It's Monday night and the newly opened Brew La La craft beer bar in Tokyo's Shinbashi neighborhood is hopping. As the clock strikes 8 p.m., however, the 60 or so people gathered there fall silent. "Game of Thrones" is on. It's the seventh season premiere ...
Japanese TV is making some progress in writing broader female roles
One of the best things to come out of the rise of streaming websites overseas has been an increase in productions that have featured great roles for women. This year alone we've seen some phenomenal acting from Elisabeth Moss on "The Handmaid's Tale" and ...
In a tale of two Akiras, let's see more Ai
For fans of the ikemen (handsome dude), Wowow's new mini-series "Akira and Akira" is like manna from heaven. Kicking off July 9, it stars actors Osamu Mukai and Takumi Saito, and the hype at this point may as well be soundtracked by The Weather ...
Sion Sono serves up some blood-sucking fun in 'Tokyo Vampire Hotel'
Vampires have been a staple of Western pop culture since Bram Stoker published his best-selling novel "Dracula" in 1897. The hit "Twilight" series of films (2008-12) made the monsters hot again as millions of teens swooned to the romance of Bella (Kristen Stewart) and ...
Drama based on actual interrogation tapes shows how man claiming innocence was pushed to confess
A newly compiled DVD features a dramatic re-enactment of how police coerced a man during interrogation in 1963 to confess to the murder of a 16-year-old high school girl in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture. The drama was based on the actual audio recordings of the police ...
'The Bachelor' is looking for love in Japan
There comes a moment of truth in every episode of reality-dating series "The Bachelor" when the handsome and wealthy bachelor must eliminate at least one of the 25 women vying for his affection during a "rose ceremony." In "The Bachelor Japan," the series' first rose ...
'Samurai Gourmet' explores the art of the meal
In the first episode of Japan's latest contribution to original Netflix programming, "Samurai Gourmet," Takeshi Kasumi enters a small teishoku (set meal) joint and grapples over whether to have a beer with lunch. Inspired by an imaginary samurai, he gets one. That's it. For viewers ...
