Details
Title: 野ブタ。をプロデュース
Title (romaji): Nobuta wo Produce
English Title : Makeover
Format: Renzoku
Genre: School drama
Episodes: 10
Viewership rating: 16.89
Broadcast network: NTV
Broadcast period: 2005-Oct-15 to 2005-Dec-17
Air time: Saturday 21:00
Theme song: Seishun Amigo by Shuuji to Akira (Kamenashi Kazuya and Yamashita Tomohisa)
Plot Overview
Introducing Nobuta
Shuuji Kiritani (Kazuya Kamenashi) is a very popular high school boy whose girlfriend is Mariko Uehara (Erika Toda), the most popular girl in school. Akira Kusano (Tomohisa Yamashita), his classmate, does not really have any friends - something that is attributed to the fact that he cannot read the atmosphere well. One day, a very shy girl, Nobuko Kotani (Maki Horikita) transfers to their school and is instantly picked on by a group of girls for her shyness. As a testimony to their youth, Shuji and Akira team up and decide to "produce" her, to make her popular. They nickname her "Nobuta".
Production of Nobuta
The various episodes deal with the pair's attempts at making Nobuta popular by making her more appealing. Amidst this, a mysterious person insidiously attempts to waylay all of Shuji's and Akira's efforts. Fortunately, the trio always manages pulls through with ingenuity.
Finale
Shuuji has to cope with his loss of popularity after he is caught out lying about Mariko and does not assist when a classmate is beaten up. Despite this, with the knowledge that his two true friends, Akira and Nobuta, will always be there for him, Shuuji gets over it. There is also the revelation of Aoi, Nobuta's first friend besides Shuuji and Akira, as the mysterious antagonist of the story. In the final episode Shuji discovers that he and his family must move out of Tokyo because of his father's job. Akira follows Shuji to his new home town and surprises him by showing up at his new school. Nobuta is left alone in Tokyo, but she has overcome her shyness, and is finally able to smile. She also becomes popular among the other students, and is no longer bullied. The end of the drama sees all three characters being able to "live wherever [they] are", having learnt the meaning of friendship and love.
Main Characters
The drama centres around 3 main characters namely Shuuji, Akira and Nobuko.
Kamenashi Kazuya (亀梨和也) as Shuuji Kiritani
Shuuji (桐谷修二) treats everything in life as a game, and thus, lives his life as a little white lie. He believes that by keeping up a "cool" façade, he can get to his goal without getting hurt. Because he chooses to hide his true self, Shuuji is, on the inside, a truly lonely person. Although he does not like Mariko romantically, he has lunch with her everyday in a bid to boost his popularity. He is only truly open to Akira and Nobuko, and considers the two as his only true friends. Always putting the feelings of others before himself, Shuuji does not have the power to say "no". He always bottles up his own feelings, and never complains.
Yamashita Tomohisa (山下智久) as Akira Kusano
Unlike Shuuji, Akira (草野彰) is not popular. Constantly on a soy milk high, Akira always finds ways to get on Shuuji's nerves. Despite this, they become good friends by the end of the series. With much money to dispense of, Akira finances most of their escapades. With no intention of following the footsteps of his father, the president of a company, Akira is a free spirit who would rather live his a life as a "dime in the street" and enjoy his youth. At one point in the story, it is revealed that Akira has affections for Nobuta. However, he does not pursue his feelings knowing that he will not be able to make her happy. He demonstrates a high prowess in karate easily beating up a bully and smashing through a set of tiles. Naturally forgiving, he is ready to forgive and forget, as long as it preserves his friendship with Shuuji and Nobuta.
Horikita Maki (堀北真希) as Nobuko Kotani
Nobuko (小谷信子) is painfully shy after initially being rejected by her stepfather at a young age. Following this, due to the fact that she finds it difficult to mix around and relate to other students, she has been continuously bullied through her school life. Because of the painful experiences she has undergone, Nobuko is cynical to the world. She believes that no matter where she is, or no matter how hard she tries, the world will still reject her. With Shuuji and Akira's help and encouragement, she begins to open up more to others. Nobuko considers Shuji and Akira as the two people who are the most important to her. At the end of the series, she has finally gathered enough confidence to smile and continue socialising, even without Shuuji and Akira.
Cast
Kamenashi Kazuya as Kiritani Shuuji
Yamashita Tomohisa as Kusano Akira
Horikita Maki as Kotani Nobuko
Toda Erika as Uehara Mariko
Nakajima Yuto as Kiritani Koji
Ukaji Takashi as Kiritani Satoru
Fukaura Kanako as Kiritani Nobuko
Okada Yoshinori as Yokoyama Takeshi
Kimura Yuichi as Sebastian
Fuwa Mansaku as Iehara Yasuo
Takuma Seiko as Kuroki Hiroko
Imawano Kiyoshiro as owner of the Gooyoku diner
Takahashi Katsumi as Hirayama Ippei
Natsuki Mari as Catherine
Yanagita Erika
Production Credits
Original writing: 『野ブタ。をプロデュース』 by Shiraiwa Gen ISBN 4-309-01683-9
Screenwriter: Kizara Izumi
Producer: Kono Hidehiro
Directors: Iwamoto Hitoshi, Sakuma Noriyoshi (佐久間紀佳)
Music: Ike Yoshihiro
Awards
- 47th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Drama
- 47th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor: Kamenashi Kazuya
- 47th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress: Horikita Maki
- 47th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Director
- 47th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Script
- 47th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Music
- 9th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (2005-06): Best Actor: Yamashita Tomohisa
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