So when I did the post about J-actors, I was called out for ignoring so-and-so actor, regardless of my preemption in saying this was simply my list. However, there was one actor that I ought to have included but didn’t because I had a brain fart. Rather than go back and insert him, I was waiting for his new drama to come out and then say a mea culpa to Sakurai Sho. Yes, how could I have forgotten Sho-sama, actor and Arashi member. My only excuse is that I don’t watch any Sho doramas so only know him from being in Arashi. But I know plenty of folks who adore him. Since he was cast opposite Kitagawa Keiko in Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de (Let’s Discuss the Mystery after Dinner), I decided to hit a couple of birds with one stone and discuss him now.

With that said, I saw these gorgeous pictures of Keiko for this month’s Ray magazine and stunning pictures of Sho for the recent edition of ACT magazine, giving me the idea to combine Keiko and Sho goodies, with my first impression of NwD. Episode 1 of the drama debuted with a stellar 18% in ratings, and I found the story and execution to be an eye-opening and unique mash up of shoujo ladies manga with gumshoe detective mysteries. Keiko plays an heiress moonlighting as a detective, and Sho is her new butler who is a combination Sherlock Holmes and perfectionist butler. The dorama is adapted from a best-selling novel of the same name, and in each episode Keiko and Sho solve a mystery after dinner. Episode 1 was adorable and quirky, absolutely something I plan to keep watching. Continue reading →