To make up for my week from hell, the drama gods decided to shower me with luuuurve aplenty. In the form of my Yamapi coming back to doramalandia, of course. Yamashita Tomohisa has been confirmed for a TBS Winter dorama airing in January 2012 on Thursdays. The title is one of those uber-long ones Japan seems to inexplicably love (brevity, it needs to visit Japan ASAP), Saikō no Jinsei no Owarikata: Ending Planner. The story is about a young man Ihara Masato who reluctantly inherits his family’s funeral parlor after the death of his father. This can either be Six Feet Under or Okuribito (Departures). I just hope Yamapi’s character is not stalwart or morose in his personality, because I cannot handle another Aizawa. He already barely has much facial expressions in his arsenal, having him play dull characters just drives me to drink.

Currently the rumors of his leading lady have only two names in contention –  Kitano Kie (on the left) or one of the AKB girls Oshima Yuko (on the right). Frankly I hope it’s neither, since I’m beyond unimpressed with either of them. Since Yamapi has already gone through the roster of his contemporary leading ladies (Maki, Gakki, Masami, Keiko), I guess it’s time for some new blood. The leading lady will be playing a young police detective who interacts with Yamapi’s character as the funeral parlor must process deceased individuals from police investigations.

The lead discovers that sometimes the deaths dismissed by the police are actually more complicated, and he works with the young police detective to solve the crime and bring closure to the victim’s families. As he learns about the lives of the various deceased, he matures and finds his way in life. This sounds like a serious dorama so I’m finger-crossed Yamapi rises to the challenge and delivers a solid and worthwhile project for me to savor. While I generally prefer lighter fare these days, I can always make an exception for my Pi!