[jade_frost]

* Format: Renzoku
* Broadcast network: TBS
* Broadcast period: 11 April 2008 ~
* Air time: Fridays, 10.00 p.m.

Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/around40/

Synopsis
39-year-old Ogata Satoko (Amami Yuki), is a highly capable psychiatrist who is single. She's forthright, a caring older sister and reliable in her job and in private. Her interests are staying in luxurious Japanese inns, and watching videos of stand-up comedy.

Satoko hasn't had a boyfriend in the past five years. Nevertheless, she derives satisfaction from work, and isn't worried about her finances. Among her good friends that she hangs out with are 35-year-old Morimura Nao (Otsuka Nene), her junior who proclaims that she won't marry, and 39-year-old Oikawa Sadao (Tsutsui Michitaka), her peer since high school days. Satoko is happily enjoying single life.
　
At an alumni reunion as everyone is on the verge of 40, Takeuchi Mizue (Matsumini coopera Yuki), her good friend since high school who is now a full-time housewife, rushes Satoko into action. "If you want children, you should marry now" and "It's women's happiness", but both are lost on Satoko who isn't convinced.

One day, Satoko attempts to cheer up Nao, who is downcast over a shocking incident, and goes to her favourite hot-spring inn. But there, she coincidentally encounters a breakup between a handsome but somewhat odd man (Fujiki Naohito) and his girlfriend ... ...


Cast
Amami Yuki as Ogata Satoko (39)
Fujiki Naohito as Okamura Keitaro (33)
Otsuka Nene as Morimura Nao (35)
Tsutsui Michitaka as Ohashi Sadao (39)
Matsumini coopera Yuki as Takeuchi Mizue (39)
Akira as Ogata Tatsuya (28)
Sakura as Ogata Maki (24)
Hayashi Ryuzo as Ogata Tomoyasu (69)
Kaga Mariko as Yoshinaga Haruko (61)
Matsumoto Wakana as Katayama Haruka

[alcyone]

Naohito Fujiki!!! i'm surely gonna be waiting for this drama!!! just can't resist him...............

[dreamer1023]

can't wait...fujiki... hmmm..honestly, i don't prefer that girls are older than guys but then...anyway...hope this drama is not a heavy drama...

[marienella_m]

the plot is similar to Love Revolution, can't wait to see the chemistry between Fujiki and Amami!!

[jade_frost]

15s trailer with Amami Yuki and Fujiki Naohito: http://www.tbs.co.jp/around40/movie.html

Dialogue from trailer:

Psychiatrist
Ogata Satoko (39), single
No boyfriend in the past five years

Q: What's your ideal man?
A: Broad shoulders, taller than me, and a face like George Clooney's.

Q: Are you worried about the age 40?
A: That's rude ... I'm still 39! Hey!


The first episode airs runs an extra 15 mins longer.

[Maia-chan]

sounds awesome already! Amami Yuki is such a pretty and awesome actress!

[jade_frost]

15s trailer with Amami Yuki and Fujiki Naohito: http://www.tbs.co.jp/around40/movie.html

Dialogue from trailer:

Clinical Psychologist
Okamura Keitaro (33), single
Three older sisters around 40

Q: Regarding women around 40.
A: There are many young and lovely ladies.

Q: What about romantic interests?
A: Ah no. I'm not good at that. They're selfish and demanding. Always ... ...

[biteme_lestat]

Wow, a new drama with Nao!!! and the plot seems interesting and not so typical

[plumangel3]

Fujiki Naohito <3 i'm looking forward to seeing him again.
thanks for the trailers jade_frost

[jade_frost]

Not much character information is out yet besides that of Amami Yuki's character Satoko. But from what I've gathered so far, Naohito's character Keitaro, a clinical physician, will be a new arrival at the hospital Satoko works at.

How I'd love to see how they'd interact with each other. I'm assuming that their formal introduction to each other takes place after Satoko witnesses Keitaro's breakup at the hot-spring inn.

[knuts]

sounds good:
haven't seen that guy since I watched Asunaro Hakusho, plus Nao-->
must check this one out

[jade_frost]

33s trailer with Amami Yuki and Fujiki Naohito: http://www.tbs.co.jp/around40/movie.html

Dialogue from trailer:

Psychiatrist
Ogata Satoko (39), single
No boyfriend in the past five years

Eh? I certainly still have the intention to marry.

Q: What's your ideal man?
A: Broad shoulders, taller than me, and a face like George Clooney's. A person who is interesting and not weary when we're together.

Q: Are you worried about the age 40?
A: That's rude ... I'm still 39! I'm in my 30s! You don't understand. Hey, what's going on? 39 and 40 is totally different. Hey! Hey! 39 and 40 is totally diff ... Hey handsome!


30s trailer with Fujiki Naohito and Amami Yuki: http://www.tbs.co.jp/around40/movie.html

Dialogue from trailer:

Clinical Psychologist
Okamura Keitaro (33), single
Three older sisters around 40

Q: What do you think of women around 40?
A: There are many young and lovely ladies.

Q: As a romantic interest?
A: Ah no. I'm not for me. My older sisters are actually at that age and they're selfish and demanding. Always making me ... Hey! Hey! Hey!

[Death Note]

Fujiki Naohito is so hot . I can't believe he is over 30 D:

[novemberbaby]

Hmmm interesting! Hope it's as good as Love Revolution! It seems like he's always paired up with ladies who are older than him?

[Maia-chan]

Hmmm interesting! Hope it's as good as Love Revolution! It seems like he's always paired up with ladies who are older than him?

Well only with Makiko Esumi from LR and now with Yuki Amami. But normally, all the girls have been younger than him, like Miho Kanno, or Haruka Ayase, or Manami Honjou, just to name a few.

[Aziraphale]

Have been waiting for a bit more information about this, so nice to see pictures of the cast and all. I re-watched Love Revolution recently, just love the chemistry Fujiki Naohito had with Esumi Makiko <333 Hopefully it'd be more of the same with Amami Yuki. And it's nice to see Otsuka Nene again - I haven't caught any of her dramas since Hero, she was so cool in there with Abe Hiroshi .

[novemberbaby]

Well only with Makiko Esumi from LR and now with Yuki Amami. But normally, all the girls have been younger than him, like Miho Kanno, or Haruka Ayase, or Manami Honjou, just to name a few.

Oh, yeah, I just remembered he was in Hotaru no Hikaru with Ayase Haruka. Haha. I think I liked him better in LR.

[jade_frost]

What is a woman's happiness? Three women's search for happiness.

Around 40, a women's life drama devoted to life's turning point makes its debut. Satoko, a psychiatrist who listens to people's troubles, begins worrying and struggling with her personal lifestyle and happiness - things she hadn't questioned until then. Satoko (Amami Yuki) is single and has a career; Nao (Otsuka Nene) wavers between deciding on her career and marriage; Mizue (Matsushita Yuki) has settled down after marrying and raising children. What answers will these women around 40 but facing different circumstances give? Keitaro (Fujiki Naohito) represents the male perspective.

[jade_frost]

Source: TV Life

Character Profiles

Ogata Satoko, 39 (Amami Yuki)
A psychiatrist fully enjoying single life. "I'll determine my personal happiness." And she doesn't care about the views of those around her but …

Okamura Keitaro, 33 (Fujiki Naohito)
A clinical psychologist at Satoko's hospital. He is a methodical person but is a "man who cannot get married".

Morimura Nao, 35 (Otsuka Nene)
Satoko's junior who works at a publisher. She has made a declaration that she won't marry but …

Takeuchi Mizue, 39 (Matsushita Yuki)
Satoko's classmate. She's a good mother and loves children but also has doubts about being a full-time housewife.

Ohashi Sadao, 39 (Tsutsui Michitaka)
A bachelor who likes doing things at his own pace. He is best friends with Satoko. He has a mild nature but sometimes gets overshadowed.

Yoshinaga Haruko, 61 (Kaga Mariko)
She remarried Satoko's father, Tomoyasu. She is Satoko's trusted confidant.

Ogata Tomoyasu, 69 (Hayashi Ryuzo)
Runs a clinic. He is Satoko's good father but has given up on her regarding marriage.

Ogata Tatsuya, 28 (Akira)
Satoko's younger brother. He has been making fun of Satoko over marriage ever since he had a child.

Ogata Maki, 24 (Sakura)
Tatsuya's wife and mother of a child. She's concerned about Satoko's marriage.


There might be translation errors as some of the text is too small for me to be certain of some of the character. I'm not sure if it is significant, but the absence of any hearts in the relationship chart might imply that there won't be any romancing in Around 40. It doesn't help that Fujiki's Keitaro is called a "man who cannot get married". Not that there's no hope for a pairing between Naohito Fujiki and Amami Yuki after all Abe Hiroshi's Kuwano Shunsuke won over Dr Hayasaka Natsumi in Kekkon Dekinai Otoko ... ... More will be known when the official website gets updated over the next few days.

[jade_frost]

From Yomiuri Daily:

TV dramatizes lives of 'ara-four' women
Yuki Kobayashi

A new TBS drama starting in April is about the so-called around 40s, women aged 35-44. Around 40: Chumon no Oi Onna-tachi (Around 40: Women hard to please) features the problems faced by women in this age bracket, casually shortened to the "ara-four" generation.

The women of the ara-four generation live in an era when economic growth and social advances have given them more choices in life.

But some such women find themselves bewildered by an overabundance of choices.

The new drama airs from 10 p.m. on Fridays beginning on April 11, and stars Yuki Amami as the lead character, Satoko Ogata, a 39-year-old single psychiatrist who is fulfilled in both her career and private life.

As the series begins, Satoko is perplexed to find that her friends pity her because they see her as a miserable woman who has given up on marriage and motherhood. She also becomes ill, which leads her to worry about her age.

The drama comically and sometimes bitterly portrays Satoko and other ara-four women who worry about their lives and think about where they might be if they had chosen different paths.

The cast includes veteran actors Naohito Fujiki, Nene Otsuka, Michitaka Tsutsui and Yuki Matsushita, as well as newcomer Akira--a performer in the music and dance unit Exile, acting in a drama for the first time.

Amami has played unusual and eccentric characters in many dramas, including a lawyer in Rikon Bengoshi (2004, Fuji TV) and a teacher in Joo no Kyoshitsu (2005, NTV). This time, however, Satoko in Around 40 is an ordinary woman.

The actress, who is 40 herself, says: "I spent the age of 39 without seriously worrying or feeling pressed. I think this drama will be enjoyable for anyone, whether they are of that age or not."

Explaining how he came up with the idea for the drama, producer Katsuaki Setoguchi said: "There were many women around me who gave birth to their first babies or seemingly suddenly got married around 40. Some women seemed to have completely changed their view of life after recovering from an illness."

Many of the women told him that 40 is "a big turning point for women."

"The number of possible life options for them has increased, but they don't seem to be satisfied with their lives. I thought that was interesting. This [dramatization] project is one we can do right at this very moment, when society is paying attention to the issue," he said.

Since he started organizing the project, he has met more than 300 people in the course of his research. Ninety percent of them are women, including housewives and doctors.

He also has received many requests from TBS employees to meet and talk with their friends or acquaintances of the age.

"They don't [usually] talk much about their feelings, but they actually do want to speak their minds. That's what I felt," Setoguchi said.

The producer says he wants to tell such "ara-four" women that "it's OK to stay just the way you are."

"[Through this drama] I want to help them realize that their mindset can change their lives."

(Mar. 21, 2008)