Last Friends
From DramaWiki
Contents
Details
- Title: ラスト・フレンズ
- Title (English): Last Friends
- Format: Renzoku
- Genre: Friendship, human drama, gay/lesbian
- Episodes: 11
- Viewership rating: 17.7 (Kanto)
- Broadcast network: Fuji TV
- Broadcast period: 2008-Apr-10 to 2008-Jun-19
- Air time: Thursday 22:00
- Theme song: Prisoner Of Love by Utada Hikaru
Synopsis
Last Friends tackles issues that afflict the current generation. Michiru's mother has brought a man back to their home and she is bullied at her workplace where she works as a beauty parlour assistant. She starts cohabiting with her boyfriend, a good young man who works at the Child Welfare Division and the only person who can give her emotional support, but ends up the victim of domestic violence and becomes fearful of love. The boyishly charming Ruka was a classmate of Michiru's in junior high school. She has performed brilliantly as a motocross racer and aims to win the national championship, but as the story progresses, a deep worry that she can neither confide in her parents or close friends grows evident. Takeru is a hair and makeup artist acquainted with Ruka. He is a good confidant to females due to his kindness and perceptiveness, and finds himself attracted to Ruka but has a phobia of sex as a result of a past trauma. The three of them become house mates and through their associations with others, gain the capacity to be positive about life. --jade_frost
User/Viewer Ratings
Cast
- Nagasawa Masami as Aida Michiru
- Ueno Juri as Kishimoto Ruka
- Eita as Mizushima Takeru
- Watanabe Tetsushi as young Takeru (ep7,SP)
- Nishikido Ryo as Oikawa Sosuke
- Mizukawa Asami as Takigawa Eri
- Yamazaki Shigenori as Ogura Tomohiko
- Nishihara Aki as Hiratsuka Reina
- Ranka Rea as Mita Sayuri
- Hirano Sayaka (平野早香) as Okabe Mayumi
- Baisho Mitsuko as Aida Chinatsu
- Nagashima Mitsuki as Kishimoto Shogo
- Shibuya Takeru as Higuchi Naoya
- Kitami Toshiyuki as Endo Kenichiro
- Ito Yuko as Shirahata Yuko
- Tanaka Tetsushi as Hayashida Kazumi
- Asaka Mayumi as Kishimoto Yoko
- Hirata Mitsuru as Kishimoto Shuji
Guests
- Gamo Mayu (蒲生麻由) (ep1,4)
- Higashi Yuki (ep1,7,10,SP)
- Nomura Erika (野村映里利) (ep1)
- Hamada Michihiko (浜田道彦) (ep1,11)
- Kiyomi Jun (キヨミジュン) (ep1)
- Natsukawa Asaki (夏川亜咲) (ep1)
- Mai (舞雪) (ep1)
- Komine Yuko (小峰悠子) (ep3)
- Kawamura Saori (川村早織梨) (ep4,7)
- Kanako (かなこ) (ep4)
- Shimizu Kazuhiro (清水和博) (ep4,8)
- Yoshida Tomokazu (ep4)
- Nishida Saki (西田早希) (ep4)
- Ishii Haruka (石井春花) (ep5)
- Uchikura Kenji (ep5-6,8,SP)
- Motokawa Ransho (ep6-7,SP)
- Watabe Aya (渡部彩) (ep7)
- Horiguchi Takayoshi (堀口敬巧) (ep7)
- Miyagi Arisa (宮城有沙) (ep7,SP)
- Uemura Kihachiro (植村喜八郎) (ep8)
- Nakazawa Junko (ep8-9)
- Asaki (ep8)
- Komizu Aya (小水彩) (ep8)
- Tashiro Mai (小水彩) (ep8)
- Wasamoto Nahoko (和佐本菜穂子) (ep8)
- Okumura Mao (奥村真央) (ep8)
- Takada Makiko (高田麻紀子) (ep8)
- Nanjo Chihiro (南條千尋) (ep8)
- Takeshima Yasunari (ep9-10)
- Ebina Kiyokazu (蝦名清一) (ep9)
- Mimura Takayo (ep9)
- Yoshimura Tamao (吉村玉緒) (ep10)
- Tsuchida Ashimo (土田アシモ) (ep10)
- Takishita Tsuyoshi (滝下毅) (ep10)
- Yoshino Yoshiko (よしのよしこ) (ep10,SP)
- Daiya (ダイヤ) (ep10)
- Nagano Satomi (ep11)
- Haruki Misayo (ep11)
- Shirai Keita (白井圭太) (ep11)
- Okazaki Hiroshi (岡崎宏) (ep11)
- Mori Fujio (森富士夫) (ep11)
- Matsuyama Hisako (ep11)
- Omori Akemi as Nagatani Shizue (ep11)
Production Credits
- Screenwriter: Asano Taeko
- Producer: Nakano Toshiyuki
- Director: Kato Yusuke (ep1-3,8,11), Nishisaka Mizuki (ep4-5,9-10), Endo Mitsutaka (ep6-7,SP)
- Music: Izutsu Akio, S.E.N.S.
Episode Information
| Episode | Subtitle | Ratings (Kanto) |
Ratings (Kansai) | Ratings (Nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The troubles we keep to ourselves: DV, pregnancy, and forbidden love |
13.9 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 02 | A life-and-death secret | 15.9 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 03 | A love that eats away life | 15.6 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 04 | A bond torn apart | 15.9 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 05 | A night of shock | 19.9 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 06 | A desperate getaway | 17.2 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 07 | A harsh reality | 16.0 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 08 | Last letter | 18.8 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 09 | Your life | 18.0 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 10 | Love and death | 20.7 | ??.? | ??.? |
| 11 | To the future | 22.8 | ??.? | ??.? |
| Average | -- | 17.7 | ??.? | ??.? |
| SP | The love of young people who live the moment | 17.4 | ??.? | ??.? |
Source: Video Research, Ltd.
Awards
- 1st Tokyo Drama Awards: Best Youth Drama
- 1st Tokyo Drama Awards: Best Actress - Ueno Juri
- 12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Annual): Best Supporting Actor - Nishikido Ryo
- 12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Annual): Best Supporting Actress - Ueno Juri
- 57th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Drama
- 57th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress: Ueno Juri
- 57th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor: Nishikido Ryo
- 57th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Director: Kato Hiromasa, Nishisaka Mizuki, Endo Mitsutaka
- 57th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Script: Asano Taeko
- 57th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Theme Song
- 12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Spring 2008): Best Supporting Actor: Nishikido Ryo
- 12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Spring 2008): Best Supporting Actress: Ueno Juri
Notes
- Immediately after each episode aired, a special spin-off movie centered around Takigawa Eri titled "Eri - my Love" aired on FujiTV On Demand. Although a fee is usually charged, "Eri - my Love" was provided free for one hour after Last Friends aired.
The production staff for the spin-off series included the following.
- Screenwriter: Tani Kazutoshi (谷和俊)
- Producer: Watanabe Kouya
- Director: Endo Mitsutaka, Moriwaki Tomonobu, Miyaki Shogo
External Links
| Winter 2008 | Fuji TV | Summer 2008 |
| Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi | Thursday 22:00 | Code Blue |