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Manga-Based Live-Action Jin Sequel to Air in 80 Nations

posted on by Xueying Yue

The sequel to the popular TV series JIN from TBS will air in 80 countries including the United States, Russia, South Korea, and several European countries after it premiered in Japan on April 17. It is the first time in the history of TBS that such contracts were signed before the show premiered. According to the data provided by Video Research, the award-winning show once achieved a record viewer rating of 25.3% in Tokyo's Kantō region, and was well-received both domestically and overseas.

The JIN television series adapted from Motoka Murakami's manga of the same name. The story follows a brain surgeon named Jin Minakata (played by Takao Osawa) who is transported back in time to the Bakumatsu era, the period that spelled the end of the shoguns' rule over Japan. While struggling with a lack of medical facilities and saving as many lives as possible, Jin became friends with historical figures such as Sakamoto Ryōma (Masaaki Uchino) and Katsu Kaishū (Fumiyo Kohinata), and got involved in a revolution that changes Japan's history forever.

JIN won the MIPCOM Buyers Award for Japanese Drama in 2009 for its popularity overseas. Although overseas viewers usually are not be able to watch the show before it is off the air in Japan, the sequel to JIN will be broadcasted in Taiwan six days after it airs in Japan, and Hong Kong viewers will be able to watch the show in May.

Producer Akihiko Ishimaru expressed his excitement about simulcasting the show in overseas regions: "We've put a lot of efforts in the finale of this show. Japanese people always have a positive attitude, cherish life, cherish people around them…that's the kind of spirit we, as a nation, are proud of and want to show the rest of the world."

The main cast remains the same from the original series. Actor and former recordholding swimmer Takahiro Fujimoto will join the group as Saigō Takamori, one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history. Shinsengumi commander Kondō Isami will be played by Kazufumi Miyazawa, the vocalist of the rock band THE BOOM. The new episodes will tell the story following the end of last season. The first 125-minute episode, aired at 9:00 p.m. on April 17 to record ratings.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web


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