Japanese Drama - Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de (The After Dinner Mysteries)

For fellow fans of Japanese actress Keiko Kitagawa, she has a new drama which started showing in Japan on Fuji TV on 18 October 2011. The drama got a good viewer rating of 18.1% for its first episode. It also ranked first in Oricon survey on "Which drama do you anticipate the most" for the fall season. Oricon surveyed 1,000 men and women from their teens to their forties in order to find out which dramas they are excited for. This season it seems like most people are looking forward to Sakurai Sho (Arashi) playing a butler with a wicked tongue in the drama and this detective/mystery genre, with actress Kitagawa Keiko starring alongside Sakurai Sho, is going to score in terms of ratings.

“Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de” is based on Higashigawa Tokuya’s mystery novel, and Arashi member Sakurai Sho stars in the drama with the heroine Kitagawa Keiko. You can watch it online at (http://www.dramacrazy.net/japanese-drama/nazotoki-wa-dinner-no-ato-de/).

Kageyama (Sho Sakurai) works as the butler for rich heiress Reiko Hosho (Keiko Kitagawa). Reiko happens to be a novice detective but lacks certain deductive skills needed by detectives. Because of this Reiko relies on Kageyamaa to help her solve cases. Meanwhile, Kageyama isn't afraid to mince words and often calls out Reiko with his sharp tongue! The drama is going to feature a nice sense of comedy, focusing on the chemistry between Reiko and her butler, who doesn’t even refrain from calling her a fool at times.

The main theme song of the drama will be Arashi’s “Meikyu Love Song.” Koda Kumi will be singing the opening theme song for this upcoming drama. The opening theme will be ”Love Me Back” which is a medium tempo song with Koda’s sexy voice. Koda participated in writing lyrics after she read the script of the drama. Koda commented, “The drama is very fresh because of its story direction that isn’t too serious, and full of humor.  I believe I was able to make a song that matches well with the drama.”

It’s going to be Sakurai’s first starring drama on Fuji TV, and the producer is glad that they were able to get him for the role. He stated, “We wanted to have Sakurai for the role as the protagonist, because he is able to portray his cool and intellectual as well as his comical and warm side. I think we have the perfect man for this modern detective butler.” Meanwhile, Sakurai revealed that he already read the novel before he received the offer, and that he is looking forward to the drama adaption himself. He said, “The conversations were incredibly thrilling and I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. It feels like the drama is going to be even more humorous than the original. I’m excited about this and will work hard to make it a drama you are going to look forward to every Tuesday at 9pm.”

On October 11th, Sakurai Sho, Kitagawa Keiko, and Shiina Kippei held a press conference for their drama “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de” on a luxury liner called “Sealine Tokyo Symphony Classica“. Sakurai reflected back on Arashi’s debut press conference, which was similarly held on a liner off the shore of Honolulu, Hawaii. He expressed, “Since my debut, this is the first time in 12 years that I’ve held a press conference on a liner… so I’m a little nervous.” Regarding his unique character for the drama, he stated, “I want to create a new kind of detective.”

Kitagawa elaborated on her character, ‘Reiko’, saying, “Reiko is straightforward and pure, it’s my first time playing such a role. I’ve been filming while learning from my ’senpais’. I hope this will become an enjoyable drama that people will be able to laugh at.” 

(Source: http://asianmediawiki.com/Nazotoki_wa_Dinner_no_Ato_de)
(Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2011/09/koda-kumi-to-sing-the-opening-theme-for-nazotoki-wa-dinner-no-ato-de/)
(Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2011/08/sakurai-sho-kitagawa-keiko-to-star-in-upcoming-drama-nazotoki-wa-dinner-no-ato-de/)
(Source: http://kitagawakeiko-can.blogspot.com/)
(Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2011/10/drama-prime-time-report-%e2%80%93-october-17th20th/)
(Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2011/10/oricon-ranks-the-most-anticipated-fall-dramas/)
(Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2011/10/sakurai-sho-kitagawa-keiko-and-shiina-kippei-hold-a-press-conference-on-a-luxury-liner/)

 “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de” To Return As A Special Drama In March (updated 31 January 2012)


This should be great news for those who enjoys watching this mystery drama  like i did ;) Found this information from Tokyohive and i will be looking forward to watching the drama special in March :) More information can be found below:

Fuji TV’s hit drama series, “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de“, will be returning as a special drama in March!

Starring Arashi’s Sakurai Sho and actress Kitagawa Keiko,”Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de” first aired in October of 2011 and concluded in December with high rankings in December. The TV series was adapted from Higashikawa Tokuya’s hit mystery novel, which tells of a rookie detective named “Hosho Reiko” (Kitagawa), the daughter of rich family. She solves difficult cases with a help of her butler “Kageyama” (Sakurai), who has a wicked tongue.

The special drama will be set in the tropical island of Okinawa, where “Kageyama” and “Reiko” will encounter their “most difficult-ever case” there.  Reportedly, there will also be a love story tied to “Kageyama”.

The regular cast members of the drama series, Shiina Kippei, Nomaguchi Toru, Nakamura Yasuhi,Okamoto Anri, and Tanaka Konatsu will make a reappearance in the special episode; they will be joined by guests Kunimura Jun, Aso Yumi, Takashima Masahiro, Sano Shiro, and Ikeda Tetsuhiro.

“Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de Special!” (temporary titled) is scheduled to be aired on March 27th at 9:00 p.m.

(Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2012/01/nazotoki-wa-dinner-no-ato-de-to-return-as-a-special-drama-in-march/http://www.tokyohive.com/2012/01/nazotoki-wa-dinner-no-ato-de-to-return-as-a-special-drama-in-march/)