Nobuta wo Produce
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese drama
produced and aired in 2005 by NTV
. The television show is based on the book of the same name by Gen Shiraiwa (ISBN 4-309-01683-9). The story follows the high school lives of Kiritani and Kusano as they attempt to make a shy Kotani into the most popular girl in school.
) is a very popular high school boy who is close to Mariko Uehara (Erika Toda
), the most popular girl in school, but whom he does not actually love. Akira Kusano (Tomohisa Yamashita
), his classmate, does not really have any friends - something that is attributed to the fact that he cannot read the atmosphere well, or rather, he chooses to ignore the atmosphere.
One day, a very shy girl, Nobuko Kotani (Maki Horikita
) transfers to their school and is instantly picked on by a group of girls for her shyness. As a testimony to their youth, Shuji and Akira team up and decide to "produce" her, to make her popular. They nickname her "Nobuta".
because of his father's job. Kusano follows Kiritani to his new hometown and surprises him by showing up at his new school. Kotani is left alone in Tokyo, but she has overcome her shyness, and is finally able to smile. She also becomes popular among the other students, and is no longer bullied. The end of the drama sees all three characters being able to "live wherever [they] are", having learned the meaning of friendship and love.
Unlike Kiritani, is not popular. Constantly on a soy milk high, Kusano always finds ways to get on Kiritani's nerves. Despite this, they become good friends by the end of the series. With much money to dispense of, Kusano finances most of their escapades. With no intention of following the footsteps of his father, the president of a company, Kusano is a free spirit who would rather live his a life as a "dime in the street" and enjoy his youth. At one point in the story, it is revealed that Kusano has affections for Kotani. However, he does not pursue his feelings knowing that he will not be able to make her happy. He demonstrates a high prowess in karate
easily beating up a bully and smashing through a set of tiles. Naturally forgiving, he is ready to forgive and forget, as long as it preserves his friendship with Kiritani and Kotani.
not to be confused with the seiyuu and singer
is painfully shy after initially being rejected by her stepfather at a young age. Following this, because she finds it difficult to relate to other students, she has been continuously bullied. Because of this, Kotani is cynical. She believes that no matter where she is, or no matter how hard she tries, the world will still reject her. With Kiritani and Kusano's help and encouragement, she begins to open up more to others. Kotani considers Kiritani and Kusano as the two people who are the most important to her. At the end of the series, she has finally gathered enough confidence to smile and continue socializing, even without them.
2006 10th Nikkan Sports Drama Awards:
's Kazuya Kamenashi
and NewS
' Tomohisa Yamashita
, named after their drama counterparts. The song topped the Oricon charts in 2005, selling over 1 million copies and climbing to the top as the most successful single of the year.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
produced and aired in 2005 by NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
. The television show is based on the book of the same name by Gen Shiraiwa (ISBN 4-309-01683-9). The story follows the high school lives of Kiritani and Kusano as they attempt to make a shy Kotani into the most popular girl in school.
Introducing Nobuta
Shuji Kiritani (Kazuya KamenashiKazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
) is a very popular high school boy who is close to Mariko Uehara (Erika Toda
Erika Toda
, is a Japanese actress from Kobe. She originally debuted as a gravure model at age 13.She starred in many dramas like Liar Game, Code Blue, Ryusei no Kizuna and Keizoku 2: SPEC. She has had supporting roles in many popular Japanese TV dramas such as BOSS, Nobuta wo Produce, Engine and Gal Circle...
), the most popular girl in school, but whom he does not actually love. Akira Kusano (Tomohisa Yamashita
Tomohisa Yamashita
, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...
), his classmate, does not really have any friends - something that is attributed to the fact that he cannot read the atmosphere well, or rather, he chooses to ignore the atmosphere.
One day, a very shy girl, Nobuko Kotani (Maki Horikita
Maki Horikita
is a Japanese actress and endorser. She debuted in 2003 as a U-15 idol and has since starred in Japanese television dramas, television and magazine advertisements, and movies.- Childhood:...
) transfers to their school and is instantly picked on by a group of girls for her shyness. As a testimony to their youth, Shuji and Akira team up and decide to "produce" her, to make her popular. They nickname her "Nobuta".
Production of Nobuta
The various episodes deal with the pair's attempts at making Kotani popular by making her more appealing. Amidst this, a mysterious person insidiously attempts to waylay all of Kiritani and Kusano's efforts. Fortunately, the trio always manages pulls through with ingenuity.Finale
Kiritani has to cope with his loss of popularity after he is caught out lying about Uehara and does not assist when a classmate is beaten up. Despite this, with the knowledge that his two true friends, Kusano and Kotani, will always be there for him, Kiritani gets over it. There is also the revelation of Aoi, Kotani's first friend besides Shuji and Akira, as the mysterious antagonist of the story. In the final episode, Kiritani discovers that he and his family must move out of TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
because of his father's job. Kusano follows Kiritani to his new hometown and surprises him by showing up at his new school. Kotani is left alone in Tokyo, but she has overcome her shyness, and is finally able to smile. She also becomes popular among the other students, and is no longer bullied. The end of the drama sees all three characters being able to "live wherever [they] are", having learned the meaning of friendship and love.
Shūji Kiritani
treats everything in life as a game, and thus, lives his life as a little white lie. He believes that by keeping up a "cool" façade, he can get to his goal without getting hurt. Because he chooses to hide his true self, Kiritani is, on the inside, a truly lonely person. Although he does not like Mariko romantically, he has lunch with her every day in a bid to boost his popularity. He is only truly open to Kusano and Kotani, and considers the two as his only true friends. Always putting the feelings of others before himself, Kiritani does not have the power to say "no". He always bottles up his own feelings, and never complains.Akira Kusano
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
easily beating up a bully and smashing through a set of tiles. Naturally forgiving, he is ready to forgive and forget, as long as it preserves his friendship with Kiritani and Kotani.
Nobuko Kotani
is painfully shy after initially being rejected by her stepfather at a young age. Following this, because she finds it difficult to relate to other students, she has been continuously bullied. Because of this, Kotani is cynical. She believes that no matter where she is, or no matter how hard she tries, the world will still reject her. With Kiritani and Kusano's help and encouragement, she begins to open up more to others. Kotani considers Kiritani and Kusano as the two people who are the most important to her. At the end of the series, she has finally gathered enough confidence to smile and continue socializing, even without them.
Mariko Uehara
Kiritani's popular, basketball-playing girlfriend. brings lunch for Kiritani every day, which shows her determination to have him love her back the same way she does. Although devastated when she finds out that Kiritani does not reciprocate her feelings, she gradually comes to accept it. Although she is not officially a member of the Nobuta Producing team, she was indispensable in helping to produce Kotani. At the end of the series, she has forged a friendship with Kotani, and becomes her good friend after Kiritani and Kusano are gone.Kasumi Aoi
The main antagonist of the story, though it is found out later in the series. Aoi strives to destroy all of the trio's efforts, relishing the power of destroying someone's life and making others miserable. Because Kotani considers Aoi to be her first friend, nobody suspected her intentions until Kiritani found out. Later on, Aoi learns an important lesson about friendship and redemption, and is given a chance to turn over a new leaf at Kotani's grace.Cast
- Kazuya KamenashiKazuya Kamenashi, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
- - Tomohisa YamashitaTomohisa Yamashita, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...
- - Maki HorikitaMaki Horikitais a Japanese actress and endorser. She debuted in 2003 as a U-15 idol and has since starred in Japanese television dramas, television and magazine advertisements, and movies.- Childhood:...
- (aka Nobuta) - Erika TodaErika Toda, is a Japanese actress from Kobe. She originally debuted as a gravure model at age 13.She starred in many dramas like Liar Game, Code Blue, Ryusei no Kizuna and Keizoku 2: SPEC. She has had supporting roles in many popular Japanese TV dramas such as BOSS, Nobuta wo Produce, Engine and Gal Circle...
- - Takashi Ukaji -
- Yuto NakajimaYuto Nakajimais a Japanese actor and dancer, as well as a singer from the group Hey! Say! JUMP .-2004: Joined Johnny's Entertainment :Nakajima joined Johnny's Jr. on March 28, 2004, in his 5th year of elementary school...
- - Yoshinori OkadaYoshinori Okadais a Japanese actor. He has starred several TV series such as Atsuhime and Nobuta. O Produce as well as movies such as Densha otoko . He is a high school graduate and does not have a college degree...
- - Tomoya Ishii -
- Katsumi Takahashi -
- Mari NatsukiMari NatsukiMari Natsuki , real name Junko Nakajima , is a Japanese singer, dancer and actress....
- - Fumiko Mizuta -
- Shunsuke DaitoShunsuke Daitois a Japanese actor, talent and fashion model. He was born in Sakai, Osaka, Japan. Currently, he is employed by the Top Coat subsidiary of Watanabe Productions. Since debuting in 2005's Nobuta wo Produce, he has appeared in many Japanese dramas, movies, variety shows and on...
- Taniguchi - Honami Tajima -
- Akiko -
- Tomu Suetaka -
Staff
- Hitoshi Iwamoto and Norika Sakuma - directors
- Hidehiro Kawano - producer
- Izumi Kizara - screenwriter
Episodes
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Awards
47th annual Japanese Television Academy Awards:- Best Drama
- Best Actor: Kazuya KamenashiKazuya Kamenashi, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
- Best Supporting Actress: Maki HorikitaMaki Horikitais a Japanese actress and endorser. She debuted in 2003 as a U-15 idol and has since starred in Japanese television dramas, television and magazine advertisements, and movies.- Childhood:...
- Best Director
- Best Script
- Best Music
2006 10th Nikkan Sports Drama Awards:
- Best Actor : Tomohisa YamashitaTomohisa Yamashita, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...
Music
The theme song is "Seishun Amigo" by Shūji to Akira, a special group consisting of KAT-TUNKAT-TUN
KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates in 2001. The group's name is an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name until the departure of Jin Akanishi in 2010. As of 2010, KAT-TUN stands for Kazuya KAmenashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda,...
's Kazuya Kamenashi
Kazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
and NewS
NewS
, is a four-member Japanese boy band consisting of Keiichiro Koyama, Takahisa Masuda, Shigeaki Kato and Yuya Tegoshi. The group's name is an acronym based on the cardinal directions and the members locations...
' Tomohisa Yamashita
Tomohisa Yamashita
, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...
, named after their drama counterparts. The song topped the Oricon charts in 2005, selling over 1 million copies and climbing to the top as the most successful single of the year.