Iwata Takanori is an award-winning Japanese singer, dancer, and actor. He was born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on March 6, 1989, and made his debut in the entertainment industry in 2010, as a member of the J-Pop group, Sandaime J Soul Brothers. He made his acting debut a year later, taking his first role in a television drama. In 2014, he debuted as a member of the boy band, EXILE and debuted as a member of the male dance crew, ®AG POUND, in 2015. In 2021, he made his debut as a solo artist with the release of his first single, “korekara”. Since his debut as an actor, he has appeared in a number of theatrical productions, films, and television dramas, including “The Master Plan” (2021) and “Re: The End of the Tiny World ~Half A Year Later~” (2021).

Iwata Takanori

Fuji TV

Michi Yoshino (Nao) is 32 years old. She works in the sales department of a construction company. Her life is comfortable and trouble-free. But there is just one problem: her husband. She married the shy and reticent Yoichi Yoshino (Eita Nagayama) five years ago. He works as a manager at a struggling cafe and loves her very much. But he doesn’t want to have sex with her. And whenever she tries to instigate intimacy, he shies away from the situation. Two years have passed since they had sex, and she feels somewhat neglected and frustrated by the situation.

One evening, when she was supposed to meet her husband, she finds herself drinking a can of beer alone outside. And she happens to meet her company’s boss, Makoto Niina (Iwata Takanori), who is also outside at this time. Makoto Niina is everything her husband is not: He is outgoing, popular, and successful. He is married to Kaede Niina (Minami Tanaka), a senior editor at a fashion magazine. But like Michi Yoshino, Makoto Niina is not satisfied with his marriage: Kaede Niina is always “too busy” to be intimate with him. As Michi Yoshino and Makoto Niina chat, they learn one another’s marriage secrets. Could this lead them to a dangerous encounter that could threaten both of their marriages?

This drama was based on a manga series by Haru Haruno that was first published in 2017.

“Even If You Don’t Do It” is a 2023 Japanese drama series that was directed by Hiroshi Nishitani.

Even if You Don’t Do It

The Forbidden Couple

Katsuragi Hayame (Nikaido Fumi) is a housewife living an uneventful and unspectacular life with her husband. But when the latter comes home one day and abruptly drops a bombshell – telling her he has met another woman and wants a divorce – he whole, mundane world falls to pieces. Without thinking, she walks out of the house intending never to come back. But fate has more misery in store for her: A thief robs her of all the money she has on her – leaving her homeless and penniless.

Destiny isn’t done with her yet, though. As Katsuragi Hayame wallows in self-pity, she encounters a bratty male high school student that she once humiliated named Issei (Maeda Gordon). He mischievously tells her that if she plays a game with her, he will give her a place to stay. She plays along, but their personalities clash. As they get to know each other a little better, Issei finds himself drawn to the older woman – but soon finds that he is not the only one vying for her heart!

“Promise Cinderella” is a 2021 Japanese drama series that was directed by Shosuke Murakami, Junichi Tsuzuki, and Shinichi Kitabo.

Promise Cinderella

Growing up without parents, it was as if Kida (Iwata Takanori) and Makoto (Mackenyu) were destined to become lifelong friends. With no one to depend on but each other, the two boys quickly formed an unshakable bond. Spending their lives as outcasts, it wasn’t difficult for them to spot a kindred spirit in Yocchi (Anna Yamada), a transfer student who, like them, had no one around to care for her. Welcoming Yocchi into their little “family”, the three friends grew up happy enough; but that happiness wouldn’t last forever.&nbsp;

Suffering an incident at the age of twenty that would radically change their lives, Kida and Makoto vowed then and there to someday have their revenge on those who had shattered their peaceful little world. Though both determined to exact their revenge, the paths Kida and Makoto chose to take to get there were vastly different. Working as a “dark negotiator”, it has taken Kida years to firmly establish himself at the top of the criminal underworld. Meanwhile, Makoto has taken a different route, rising through the ranks of the corporate world to eventually become the CEO of a well-established trading company. Though one rules the underworld and the other reigns atop the higher echelons of respectable society, both seek to exact the same revenge.&nbsp;

After years of intricate plots and complex schemes, the two friends find the time to make their move has finally arrived. With a setup more than ten years in the making, the two friends exact their revenge with a play so powerful, it brings the entire nation to its knees.

Adapted from the novel, “The End of the Tiny World” by Kaoru Yukinari, “The Master Plan” is a 2021 suspense film directed by Yuichi Sato.

The Master Plan

🤜🏻 Loyal Friends Team 🤛🏻

Six months ago, life went dark for the underworld negotiator Kida (Iwata Takanori) when his lifelong friend and fellow former outcast Makoto became embroiled in a deadly plot. Makoto had risen to become the head of a powerful trading firm, but the events that unfolded on Christmas Eve put an end to all that. Since then, Kida has continued to drift through life without a single bright spark to light up his life. Nobody cares if he lives or dies except his underworld boss, who values Kida’s inimitable skills.

But now, half a year later, the past catches up with Kida once more. He has been asked to help with a case he is reluctant to have anything to do with. But things take a turn for the strange when he meets a woman named Michiru (Matsui Airi) who sends him back to his younger years when she says: “One day is enough to change the world” – the catchphrase of a close friend of Kida and Makoto’s long-lost friend. Kida hasn’t seen that friend since the latter mysteriously vanished when Kida was 20. Could this woman have a connection with Kida or his long-lost friend?

This drama is the follow-up to the 2021 Japanese movie “The Master Plan.”

“Re: The End of the Tiny World ~Half A Year Later~” is a 2021 Japanese drama series that was directed by Makoto Kikukawa.

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