From Tokyograph:

The highly anticipated “Gokusen: The Movie” opened on 409 screens in Japan this past weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, more than 402,000 fans saw the film in theaters, earning “Gokusen” close to 490 million yen.

According to a statement by distributor Toho on Monday, the movie is projected to gross more than 4 billion yen by the end of its run.

In comparison, the “ROOKIES” movie opened several weeks ago on 428 screens, and it earned over 1.2 billion yen in its first two days.

On the 11th, at the opening day stage greetings of Gokusen THE MOVIE, taking place at Tokyo’s TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills, Nakama Yukie (29) and Kamenashi Kazuya (23) made an appearance. Nakama, who plays Yankumi, the story’s protagonist, said, “I think, from the bottom of my heart, that the series continued for seven years thanks to everyone’s efforts.” Kamenashi, appearing after four years since the drama, said, “I’m proud to be able to participate in a work that has history.”

Source

From Tokyograph:

With “Gokusen: The Movie” less than a couple months away, a new announcement has revealed that six more actors from the drama’s earlier seasons will be returning, including Shun Oguri and Mocomichi Hayami.

The movie is already known to focus on the cast of the show’s third season, which aired in 2008. It was previously announced that Yuya Takaki, Haruma Miura, and Yuta Tamamori are part of the main cast. At the end of last month, it was also revealed that the second season’s Kazuya Kamenashi was added to the cast.

Now, the number of returning alumni has again increased, adding three students each from the drama’s first two seasons. Oguri will represent the first season, along with Yuma Ishigaki and Hiroki Narimiya. From the second season, Hayami will be joined by Teppei Koike and Keisuke Koide.

Although all six played delinquent students in their respective seasons, they have grown up to become respectable members of society. Together with Kamenashi’s character, who has become a teacher in training, these graduates will lend their support to the beloved teacher “Yankumi,” played by starring actress Yukie Nakama. This movie is said to be Nakama’s last time to take on this role.

Filming for the movie finished on May 13. The picture opens in theaters on July 11.

From Tokyograph:

It was made known on Tuesday that Kazuya Kamenashi (23) will appear in a guest role in the new TBS drama series “MR.BRAIN” that stars SMAP’s Takuya Kimura (36). It will be the first time the two act together in a project.

Kamenashi expressed his happiness about the opportunity. “I’m really happy to be called upon for my senpai’s drama. On the set, I’m quite nervous but having fun. I’m grateful towards Kimura-kun.” He also explained, “I couldn’t have imagined acting together with Kimura-kun. I have to work hard and do my best.”

Kimura was also positive. “I was really happy to hear that Kamenashi was coming in. I hope that he enjoys this view of the world.” He then added in a compliment, “And above all, Kamenashi looks good in whatever he wears.”

The series, which premieres on May 23, features Kimura as a neuroscientist who helps solve cases for the National Police Agency. Kamenashi will appear in the third episode (June 6), playing the role of a young elite doctor of a university hospital where a murder takes place.

More info is here at Yorokobi no Uta.

From Tokyograph:

Kazuya Kamenashi is making his big screen debut in the upcoming “Gokusen” movie, it was announced on Wednesday. Kamenashi previously co-starred with Yukie Nakama in the second season of the television drama in 2005.

In the drama, Kamenashi played the role of Ryu Odagiri, the delinquent leader of Class 3D. Now, Odagiri is returning four years later as a teacher in training, teaming up with his former teacher “Yankumi” (Nakama).

The movie’s cast also features students from the show’s third season and subsequent special, including Yuya Takaki, Haruma Miura, and Yuta Tamamori. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11.

No word yet whether or not Akanishi will be in the movie.

It was announced on the 12th that Kamenashi Kazuya (22) will be starring in a new drama titled “Kami no Shizuku” (”Drops of God”) which will air on Tuesday nights at 10:00 starting in January and NTV. In the story, depicting human relations with a wine-theme setting, Kamenashi will challenge his first time playing the part of a salaryman, Kanzaki Shizuku, who, after the sudden death of his wine-critic father, must challenge his adopted brother in order to inherit his father’s wine collection.

“Kami no Shizuku” is based on a popular manga currently being published in Japan.

From Wikipedia:

Kanzaki Shizuku (神咲雫), is the son of a recently deceased, world renowned wine critic Kanzaki Yutaka (神咲豐多香) who owns a vast wine collection. In order to take ownership of his legacy, he must find 13 wines, known as the “12 apostles” and the “Les Gouttes de Dieu” that his father described in his will. He has a competitor called Toomine Issei (遠峰一青), a renowned young wine critic, who is his father’s adopted son.

Shizuku has never drunk or has any previous knowledge about wines, but with strong senses of taste and smell, plus knowledge gained from his time with his father, and with support from his friends and colleagues like sommelier trainee Shinohara Miyabi (紫野原みやび), Shizuku submerges himself in the world of wines and tries to solve the mysteries of the 13 wines and defeat Toomine Issei.

(Source 1, Source 2)

(Video downloads at Yorokobi no Uta)

Post has been edited. Sorry for my earlier mistake.

Guh. Finally, one of the boys is actually doing something.

So, apparently (and I say ‘apparently’ because the only source I actually have is a fuzzy flv file containing 2.3 seconds of someone who looks like Kame and a bunch of Chinese bloggers making that connection), everyone’s favorite little turtlepear was in Yokohama this Sunday, October 12, for the YOKOHAMA International Triennale of Contemporary Art. He participated in a fashion show, featuring the Hermès Autumn/Winter 2008 collection, wearing this outfit and strutting his stuff with the world’s fashion elite.

(Source of outfit image)
(Video downloads at Yorokobi no Uta)

It’s that time of year again: when thousands of Japan’s citizens cast their vote for the country’s best jeanists (i.e. the two people who look the best in jeans).

Yeah, I don’t get it either, but whatever.

For the third year in a row, Kamenashi Kazuya won this revered title by a landslide, beating his competition by over 4,000 votes. He was joined, again, by Koda Kumi, who was voted Best Female Jeanist for the third time. If the two continue winning this prestigious award for a couple more years, they’ll become “Eternal Best Jeanists” and be ineligible for the award.

(Source)
(Video downloads at Yorokobi no Uta)