Nagasawa Masami Filming TW-drama Gangster Patisserie with Blue Lan
Sometimes drama castings are so unbelievable I need to stop for a moment to even process the pairing. This so shocking I don’t even know where to start. Nagasawa Masami is currently in Taiwan for a long stay filming a TW-drama co-starring Blue Lan. Yes, you heard that right. It’s a 13-episode CTS adaptation of a Japanese manga called Gangster Patisserie. The adaptation will involve a female Japanese college student who runs away to Taiwan and gets involved with a reformed young hoodlum who just got out of jail after five years. Turns out his old gangster boss lost his wife to an illness and has decided to turn over a new leaf and become a legit businessman by starting a bakery that employs all his former gang members. His beloved deceased wife’s daughter from her previous marriage is the Japanese girl and she arrives in Taiwan looking for her mom, and ends up living with her step father, who dreams of being a master baker but sucks big time at baking. The entire gang of misfits all live and work together, and heartwarming hilarity ensues. I have a super duper soft spot for Masami since she played not one but two Adachi Mitsuru heroines in the movie adaptations of the iconic Touch (she played Minami, of course), as well as Rough (where she had fantastic chemistry with Hayami Mokomichi). My jaw further dropped when it was announced that Masami is refusing to be dubbed and will speak her own lines. Little girl say whut?
In the drama, her character speaks half her lines in Chinese and the other half in Japanese, so Masami is not only filming she’s also cramming Chinese lessons in during her free time. Her leading man Blue Lan is also taking Japanese lessons as he wants to communicate better with Masami and help her get closer with the cast and crew. The drama is scheduled to film for 4 months and will air sometime in mid-2013. I’m truly stunned to see a genuine Japan-Taiwan collaboration drama, and with Masami no less, who is undergoing a career revival of sorts after her hit movie Moteki (also known as Love Strikes) last year. This drama will definitely be fascinating to watch. Masami appears to have finally transitioned from the girl-next-door to the next stage of her career, and I’ll be curious if this TW-drama choice turns out to be worth her time.
Wow! That’s interesting. It boggles me how you get all these up to date J-ENT, K-ENT, T-ENT…C-ENT news but no complaining here! Thank you for the heads up! I will definitely check this out when it airs.
I am confused. I saw the word Taiwan, and thought it was Vivian!!
Well good for her!! I would way rather hear some choppy chinese than it being dubbed. I’m having a really hard time watching Love Actually for that exact reason.
I love Blue Lan..so I’ll be looking forward to this. Thanks for the heads up!!
me too!! I really hate dubbing!! I feel it takes away from the show, and affects the actors’ characters!! using ur voice is a part of acting, so no matter how great the actors are, they can’t help it if someone else is dubbing their voice!!
Interesting….Masami can be a hit or miss for me. She tends to start talking with this annoying high pitch is some dramas.
But I’m enjoying her current airing dorama and she seems to have chosen some better suited characters lately.
Read Article Titled: Nagasawa Masami to star in a drama series in Taiwan
by babamoosh on August 15, 2012 at 8:17 pm at Tokyohive.
Here’s the article:
Actress Nagasawa Masami will be starring in a drama series in Taiwan. The series is based on popular Japanese manga “Chocolat” and will be broadcast in Taiwan during a golden time slot in the summer of next year. After that, the drama series will be shown in about 10 other Asian countries including Japan, Korea and China.
Nagasawa will be speaking in Mandarin for the entire series. Filming starts at the end of September and will take place for about 4 months in Taiwan. Nagasawa commented on her reason for accepting the offer, stating, “I’m very curious about acting and performing in another language, so by all means, I’m accepting it!” It’s reported that Nagasawa has been practicing Mandarin for every week since spring.
The manga was originally by Kubonouchi Eisaku and is set around a cake shop run by a former gang. Due to various circumstances, the lead character arrives from Japan and the story revolves around the bond she forms with the former gang members, and the former gang boss who eloped with her deceased mother. The lead character is of Chinese descent and grew up in Japan, and thus speaks Mandarin with a Japanese accent.
The series will consists of 13 episodes, each 90 minutes long. Co-starring in the series is popular Taiwanese actor Lan Zhenlong (33). Japanese director Kitamura Toyoharu, who’s been active in Taiwan, will also participate in the drama series.
Regarding her first overseas challenge, Nagasawa commented, “I haven’t yet come to the full realization that I will be making an appearance in a drama series overseas. It will be great if we can create an interesting piece of work and have good teamwork among the staff and co-stars.” The original manga has been translated into many languages and is familiar to readers overseas. About this, she added, “I will be happy if it’s a piece of work that people can enjoy, just like the original manga.”
Source: Sponichi
I LOVE MASAMI NAGASAWA !!!