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Nagase Tomoya, lead vocalist of Johnny's Entertainment band TOKIO, will be starring as a superspy in a new upcoming drama next season.

Nagase is not only a popular J-Pop icon but also an accomplished actor who has starred in more than 30 Japanese dramas. Some of the dramas he's starred in include Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Mukodono, Tiger & Dragon and My Boss My Hero.

Nagase will play Yoroi Kyosuke, a swindler who is serving time in jail after being caught for more than a dozen cases of fraud. The government decides to use his skills by recruiting him to become a spy that will fight against terrorists. This premise actually reminds me of that Vin Diesel movie, XXX.

In typical spy fashion, he'll be equipped with a variety of gadgets including a ring that turns into a gun and a shoe that doubles as a cell phone. Get Smart anyone? He'll also be in disguises where he'll act as a pilot, doctor and a Korean actor resembling Bae Yong Joon. He'll even have a "Bond girl" character named Dorothy.

As you can see, this drama is going to spoof alot of spy movies and with Nagase's excellent comedic timing, this show sounds like it's going to be full of laughs.

NTV will start airing this series in July, putting it on the network's Saturday 9 P.M. time slot.

SOURCES:
DramaWiki
Tokyograph

I have two Japanese Dramas that I am looking out for this season, SMILE and ATASHINCHI NO DANSHI.

SMILE stars Matsumoto Jun, member of the Japanese boy group ARASHI and best known for his roles as Yamada Shin in Gokusen and as Domyouji Tsukasa in Hana Yori Dango.   I have been waiting for this series for a couple of months ago since I first heard about it on the net.  Matsumoto Jun is going to be playing the role of Hayakawa Vito, a Half-Japanese, Half-Filipino whose dream is to put up a restaurant with a multinational cuisine.  As part of his portrayal as a Filipino, Matsujun will have Tagalog dialogue and reports say he has worked on making his accent convincing.

He stars opposite Aragaki Yui, better known for her roles in Galcir (aka Gal Circle), My Boss My Hero, and most recently Code Blue.  She plays a girl that lost her voice due to a traumatic incident in her life.   She is saved by Vito in a chance meeting.  Despite the problems and challenges both characters have faced they are always happy and enthusiastic have a smile on their faces.

I have only seen the first episode but it looks promising.  I am personally looking forward to seeing Vito's Filipino dialogue.  Makes me even wonder if they shot the series here.  That would be awesome.