2024

Exhibited work: Kojimachi View Dates: August 18 (Sun) – August 31 (Sat), 2024 Venue: Eng Watt Street | Singapore

Exhibited work: ancient aquarium (6-Screen Installation) Period: Saturday, April 13, 2024 – Monday, November 4, 2024 Venue: Karuizawa New Art Museum | Tokyo

Whatever Taipei developed a “Taiwan Beer–flavored bath bomb” series in collaboration with the local Taiwanese brand HanBeer, as the second installment of its bath bomb line “Don’t Drink Me,” inspired by original Taiwanese drinks. https://www.pinkoi.com/product/CdznjmqQ Inspired by the drinking culture enjoyed at Taiwanese rechao (熱炒) restaurants, the series features three flavors: IPA, lychee beer, and osmanthus beer. Each bath bomb faithfully recreates the iconic aroma and realistic appearance of Taiwan Beer, with meticulous attention to detail, even down to the shape of the foam. Each bath bomb is also wrapped in a specially designed retro beer glass, which can be reused as a drinking glass after use. To commemorate the launch, a pop-up event was also held at “Wetland Venue” in Taipei, offering an immersive “tipsy bathroom” experience. Visitors could take photos in a bathtub surrounded by beer-colored tiles, or join a scent experience session at a unique sink made from stacked beer crates. One thing to keep in mind, however—this bath bomb is “Don’t Drink Me”!

A drama centered on so-called “pro girlfriends” — ordinary women who date only celebrities and athletes. A university student who is a Miss Contest finalist and aspiring pro girlfriend, and an undercover pro girlfriend hiding behind the mask of a pure-hearted college girl, engage in cutthroat psychological battles and one-upmanship between women. What awaits them at the end of their swelling need for validation...?

The long-awaited drama sequel to the smash-hit original manga, which has surpassed 4 million copies sold! Ryo Hashimoto × Akari Takaishi & Director Yuka Eda A low-energy romantic comedy about a trash teacher and a negative-thinking high school girl! The original work is “A Girl Falling from the Sky and a Teacher on the Brink,” serialized in Hakusensha’s “Hana to Yume” since July 2017. This hugely popular comic series has currently reached 19 volumes. Created by manga artist sora, it has earned widespread sympathy for its well-crafted, low-energy, comedic dialogue that embraces serious themes, its uniquely listless character settings, and the precious romance between a teacher and student who never cross the line of their relationship. The comic has become a massive hit, surpassing a total of 4 million copies sold. Returning as the lead from Season 1 is up-and-coming young actor Ryo Hashimoto, who enjoys tremendous popularity thanks to his striking looks and wide-ranging talents, and who also drew attention for his role as the “good-voice guy” in the TBS drama “Maybe, I’m Hearing Love.” He plays Jin Haiba, nicknamed “Haijin” by his students, a physics teacher who is a classic “useless adult” — nicotine-addicted, a gambling addict, constantly broke, and repeatedly engaging in behavior far beyond what you’d expect from a teacher. The heroine is Akari Takaishi, one of the most noteworthy young actresses of the moment, who made her feature film debut as the lead in “Baby Assassins,” earned critical acclaim for her performances in films such as “The Witch of Marriage” and “Baby Assassins 2 Babies,” won the Best New Actress Award at the 15th TAMA Film Awards, and is also set to take on voice acting for the first time in this summer’s film “Your Color.” In this work, she continues to play Mikoto Ochiai, a high-achieving but negative-thinking high school girl. “When the time comes that I can no longer endure being this close to you...” Lesson 2 for the trash teacher finally begins!!

The junior who never gives up × the senior who can’t be won over The hugely popular GL comic that’s been creating a buzz is being adapted into a live-action drama starring Kato Shiori (Hinatazaka46) and Mori Kanna! A nonstop string of misunderstandings!! A workplace girls’ love story teetering on the edge of reason! The hugely popular GL comic “Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru” by Sal Jiang is now set to be adapted into a live-action drama starring Kato Shiori (Hinatazaka46) and Mori Kanna, airing from Thursday, July 4 in MBS’s Drama Tokku slot! From MBS, which has produced many BL works in slots such as Drama Shower, comes a new summer offering: an office GL (girls’ love) comedy. The original is a hugely popular GL comic that gained attention through its serialization on Futabasha’s “web Action” and was also published in book form. The protagonist, Ayaka-chan, is in love with her senior at work, Hiroko-senpai. She makes advances every day, but they never get through to her... Meanwhile, Hiroko-senpai, admired by everyone, is actually a serious “woman lover,” and Ayaka’s bold approaches leave her heart racing nonstop!! The two, each convinced the other is straight, keep triggering even more misunderstandings...!? This GL work has become a hot topic for its ultimate miscommunication-filled office girls’ love setting that makes you want to root for the two of them, captivating many readers. In this series, Kato Shiori (Hinatazaka46) plays Ayaka-chan, the junior who never gives up, chasing Hiroko-senpai with single-minded devotion and racing full speed down the road of first love, with the gap between her glamorous looks, outstanding athletic ability, and fearlessly bold personality creating an overwhelming presence and popularity. This marks Kato’s first starring role in a serialized drama. Mori Kanna plays Hiroko-senpai, the ace of the sales department who is skilled at her job and admired by both superiors and juniors, yet hides the fact that she’s a “woman lover” due to past trauma and has decided she must live in the shadows and keep it secret. Mori is a versatile actress who continues to captivate audiences with a wide range of roles in many works such as “Toki o Kakeru na, Koibitotachi” and “Haru ni Nattara.” This is also Mori’s first starring role in a serialized drama. Look forward to the pop, laugh-filled, heart-fluttering romance woven by these two, co-stars for the first time!

“This is definitely going to go viral!!” Once it starts, there’s no escaping! A live stream where lives are on the line!? A friendship in ruins!? Music streamer Akagi (Masanari Wada) is troubled by the fact that his channel subscriptions just won’t grow. Just when he’s getting desperate, thinking, “I have to do something…,” he hears from Shiraishi (Shunta Sono), a former teammate who is now a hugely popular cooking streamer, about a “doll that grants wishes.” It is Buaou, a magical doll handed down among a minority ethnic group in Africa... If you perform a ritual using this doll, any wish can be granted—but in return, an equivalent price is demanded. Despite the unsettling air surrounding it, Akagi decides to go through with the ritual, and reaches out to Kurotani (Yo Maejima), Aoyama (Keito Sakurai), Midorikawa (Raiga Terasaka), and Shiraishi, with whom he once worked as part of the streaming group “Five Colors.” And so, by coincidence, that “Five Colors” has reunited. Then, a mysterious woman (Yuka Hyodo) who claims to be a director for a documentary program suddenly appears... Five streamers, one mysterious woman, and an eerie magic doll— What on earth is happening? Who is behind it? And what is the purpose? Though confused by one unpredictable development after another, they continue the ritual...

Upon receiving a report of a murder, Chief Inspector Junichi Oiwa of the Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division (Takashi Naito), together with detective in charge of driving Michimichi Okuno (Nobuyuki Hanawa), rushes to the scene. The victim, stabbed to death in a back alley in Shibuya, is Kiyo Oshio (Miyu Sakihi), an employee of a food production company. Inside the bag left behind as evidence, investigators unexpectedly find a “roulette-style omikuji fortune dispenser,” the kind once commonly seen in coffee shops. It is also revealed that on the night of the incident, a mysterious woman dressed in Showa-era retro fashion was at the scene. Just then, an audio recording of a power harassment remark made by Kiyo’s boss, Nobu Yoshiyoshi Iiyoshi (Satoshi Hashimoto), president of the food production company, is leaked online. Iiyoshi is engulfed in a firestorm of criticism, and the company’s stock price plummets. It soon emerges that the source of the leak was Kiyo’s secret social media account. According to Kinya Imato (Nano), Iiyoshi’s secretary, there seems to have been some kind of trouble between Kiyo and Iiyoshi... In addition, a photo of a parfait had been posted on Kiyo’s secret account five hours before the incident, and it became her final post. Meanwhile, Detective Makoto Hirai (Yuki Saito) of the scene materials unit, who takes an interest in the Showa-era fortune dispenser, arrives at a certain coffee shop. It is a retro café with a Showa theme, run by Anko Nagai (Aki Asakura), who calls herself a “wandering pastry artisan.” It is revealed that the parfait photo Kiyo last posted to her secret account had actually been provided to her by Anko, and suspicion toward Anko quickly intensifies. But upon hearing the name Anko Nagai, Oiwa remembers a past unsolved case. It was a kidnapping case from 24 years ago, in the Heisei era, involving Anko’s family. Oiwa immediately visits the mother of the kidnapping victim, Tae Nagai (Kaoru Sugita) — and the connection between the kidnapping case and the “Showa” era comes to light!? From Showa to Heisei to Reiwa, Chief Inspector Oiwa takes on a mystery that spans the eras!

Music video from NHK’s “Masterpiece Analysis Classroom” program