Japanese Actors Discussion Thread

[skoubri]

And about the movie:

Title: Heaven's Bookstore

Cast:
* Yuko Takeuchi ... Shoko/Natsuko
* Tetsuji Tamayama ... Kenta
* Karina ... Yui
* Hirofumi Arai ... Satoshi
* Teruyuki Kagawa ... Takimoto
* Yoshio Harada ... Yamaki
* Akashi Takei

Summary: KENTA (Tetsuji Tamayama), a young pianist who has just lost his job, is drowning his woes at a bar, when he meets a man in a Hawaiian shirt named YAMAKI (Yoshio Harada). He invites Kenta to work with him, and the next thing he knows, Kenta wakes up to find himself in a room he has never been in before. It is a strange room that seems to have no connection to life. He descends a staircase to find many shelves of books. Yamaki appears once again, and tells him that this is Heaven's Book Service and Kenta is going to start working a short-term part-time job here. In addition to selling books, this bookstore, owned by Yamaki, provides a service of reading aloud to customers. Although he is unsure of his new surroundings, Kenta follows their actions and starts to work in his new part-time job.

One day, Kenta meets SHOKO (Yuko Takeuchi) who had been the pianist that was the inspiration for him to first to start playing the piano. She was a gifted pianist whose promising future was destroyed when an accident caused her to have trouble in hearing.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, KANAKO (also by Yuko Takeuchi), the daughter of a Japanese patisserie store, is planning to bring back the fireworks show, which used to be held until 14 years ago. Everyone who watched the fireworks would look forward to the last piece, the "Loving Fireworks." It was told that couples that watch it together would be forever united in true love. However, the fireworks shows were discontinued when TAKIMOTO (Teruyuki Kagawa), a young fireworks technician had an accident that caused his fiancee to lose her hearing, and the tragedy lead him to disappear. The pianist, as it turns out, is Shoko, Kanako's aunt.

Kenta visits Shoko's home deliver the book, and discovers that she had ended up in heaven before she had the chance to finish a piano piece that she was long working on. Since her arrival in heaven, she has not been able to compose anything. Kenta resolves to finish that last music for her, for the suite that awaits its completion, and for himself.

Around the same time, Kanako visits Takimoto, who has left the fireworks profession completely. She begs him to launch the Loving Fireworks again. However, Takimoto stubbornly rejects her pleas. The people of the shopping district are touched by her drive, and gradually begin to offer their help. But, unless they have the Loving Fireworks, the fireworks show will not be considered a success. Kanako approaches Takimoto one more time to ask for his help. Bit by bit, he begins to tell her about his past. The fireworks piece he dedicated to a pianist. That the pianist began composing songs for the fireworks, to complete a suite over a ten years' period. That they had promised to marry. That an explosion caused her to have hearing problems and to give up her piano. And about a fireworks technician who felt responsible and walked away from fireworks altogether. Kanako tries to tell Takimoto that he wasn't the only reason that her aunt gave up her piano, and that the person who grieved most by his abandonment of fireworks was Shoko. However, Takimoto refuses to listen. The scheduled date of the fireworks show is now only two weeks away.

Kenta works hard with Shoko on the music. He realizes the reason that he has came to heaven. As the completion of the music draws close, Yamaki tells Kenta that his job in heaven is finished and that he must return to earth. Kenta gives his last reading at the Heaven's Book Service. And as his last job in heaven, he plays the suite he has just completed. As he plays, he begins to recall that he originally took up the piano because of his love of playing it.

On the day of the fireworks show, Takimoto does not show up. However, just when the event was about to be finished, a firework goes off on top of a hill. Wading through the crowds heading home, Kanako runs up to the hill to find Takimono, launching the "Loving Fireworks". It is a pale ring of light silently appears in the pitch-black sky-it was truly the fireworks of love. It is then when Kanako senses a faint sound of piano from close by.

Unaware of her tears falling, Kanako looks at the grand piano to find a man there-it is Kenta. Although Kenta is surprised to see a woman who looks exactly like Shoko, they immediately sense a strong bonding. In the moonlight, the two introduce themselves to each other, which would be the beginning of their new story, together.



- I'm sure Acid-chan will want to watch it

Here is the link again: Heaven's Bookstore [eng sub] | Free Entertainment Videos - Watch Entertainment Videos Online | Veoh

[skoubri]

Found Tegami online too!!!!

Title: The Letter (Tegami)

Cast:

Starring

* Takayuki Yamada - Naotaka Takeshima
* Erika Sawajiri - Yumiko Shirai
* Tetsuji Tamayama - Takashi Takeshima

Supporting Roles

* Kazue Fukiishi - Asami Nakajo
* Hiroyuki Onoue - Yusuke Terao
* Mitsuru Fukikoshi - Tadao Ogata
* Mina Hara
* Yukijiro Hotaru
* Mitsuko Ishii
* Morio Kazama - Tadao
* Susumu Kobayashi
* Sachiko Matsuura
* Kazuyuki Matsuzawa
* Naoki Sugiura - Hirano
* Toshie Takada
* Yoji Tanaka - Kurata
* Machiko Washio
* Tetsuo Yamashita
* Sumiko Yamada

Summary: How have you been? Takeshi's letter is delivered one each month to his younger brother, Naoki. Takeshi is serving a life term in prison for the crime that he had committed to save his brother. But the crime's aftereffect extends to Naoki, and, branded as a "murderer's brother," Naoki is deprived of his love, career and dream. His desperate situation gradually changes when he finds true love with Yumiko, who always stands by him. To protect the love that he has finally found, Naoki begins writing a letter to Takeshi... The touching story of a man who was powerless against his irreversible fate, but still tried to overcome it in the quest for his dream.



You can watch it here:

http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/ca...026472Ex45DZtw


(I bet Acid-chan will be thrilled when she comes back 2 tamayama tetsuji movies )

[acidalia-san]

I never intend to kill you..


I am indeed thrilled..
Thanks for the Tegami link I really wanted to watch it!! *yay*
Should be a tearjerker.

As for heavens bookstore I have heard it isn`t all that great but I will watch it anyway for the sake of Tamatetsu!

Rockers ! I have downloaded it as well it took me 2 weeks..*pheww*...but haven`t got time to watch it, yet.
Tamaki is in as well and he is a real eye candy! Tamatetsu is acting like a vamp, though..lol..

Thanks for the linkies, Skoub-chan!

edit:

question about veoh videos...it says only 5 minutes preview...how do I watch the whole film?

[acidalia-san]

some nice ones and some rather funny ones..

Spoiler

[skoubri]

About the veoh thing... You have to download the Veoh TV or something. Where it says that it's a preview, it must say that you can see full video if download it. It's free, fast, doesn't cause problems to your pc. I downloaded it in the past in order to watch videos on veoh.

[miyuki_chan]

> joey

haha ~~ i don't know about rules @ our school. I know we're told not to feed them cause they are "wild", but everyone still feeds them. I know there were rumours that the administrators were gonna call people to kill them because of their increasing population and the damage they cause the school, but there were so many protests from students I think they stopped or used a more humane way to get rid of them (what's considered Humane though?)

> koi

LOL ~ I'm probably one of the few rare people who have ABSOLUTLY no intereste in Wu Chun While my friends are fangirling over him I sit there in hahahahaha

> acid

are you planning on watching Yomei ichigatsu no yome? Eita and Nana

I saw the original documentary in Japan and I cried so much watching it.

shun from his butai * faints!

ME ME ME ME ME ~ I saw Unfair ~ Though I originally watched it because of Shinohara Ryoko ~ I really like her as an actress. But than I saw the poofy haired amature police who likes to eat raw cabages... LOL

I loved Unfair ~ It kept me on edges ~ I kept guessing the wrong killer. LOL
The movie wasn't too good though ~ Even though I ran to the video store the day it came out... hahaha (too bad it had already all rented out LOL)

LOL I remembed the Hiro thing ~~ He was supposed to cosplay as an ojiisan from some anime or something.

[acidalia-san]

thanks for the info Skoub!

I think Unfair is in my pipeline...will see when I have time to watch it..

well those Hiro and Tamatetsu pics were highly disturbing.. cosplay or not..

I havent heard about that new Eita Nana thingy..will check..

jaa..I am off home

[koi.no.michi]

ohaiyo minna
i need to catch up


1. sry i signed off on you joey, i was tired and you kinda logged off, so i went to sleep

2. yay eita!!!!

3. haha, i luv that episode of cartoon KT w/ hyde + ken, i have it on my comp

4. although i do luv a ton of the actors in hana kimi taiwan - wu chun, jiro wang (dong cheng), a-chord, danson tang, etc. i like the plot of hana kimi japan more, and i dont rele like ella. she made herself chubby for the show, it was rele odd.... i do like the theme songs better in the taiwan version tho, cuz they're sung by fahrenheit + s.h.e

[koi.no.michi]

Originally Posted by joeydragonlady

Hyde is at least a few inches taller than me. I'm a midgit. Hana Kimi Tawian
I think followed the manga unlike the Japanese version that created a
very nice world. But most of the elements are there. Mizuki going to Taiwan for the hig jumper, Nakatsu still has the hots for Mizuki but in this version he
announced to everyone he's gay...it was funny! Ella is not as pretty as
Maki.

Eita is soo cute! I loved him in Nodame Cantabile.

ella is pretty, but like in a tomboyish way
the thing is, maki is more model pretty girl like
while ella has more of a natural beauty
but in terms of hana kimi
it made more sense to put ella in it
cuz ella could pull off being a boy
but maki didnt look like a girl whatsoever
so it was kind of ridiculous

[miyuki_chan]

haha ~~ well i think it's probably almost off theatres or already off ~ because it started showing pretty soon after Mei-chan finished.

How was work?

Ohaiyo Koi-chan