is a
television drama series
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular su ...
, broadcast by
TBS from April to June 2009.
Jun Matsumoto
is a Japanese singer, actor, radio host, and model. He is a member of the boy band Arashi, and is Arashi's concert producer as well as production advisor for other groups. He is best known to Japanese television drama audiences for his portraya ...
plays the lead role of Vito, a half-Filipino, half-Japanese man who always smiles despite all of the problems and difficulties he faces. The series focused on foreigners and mixed race children who suffered from racism.
Synopsis
Vito Hayakawa has a Filipino father and a Japanese mother, but he was born and raised in Japan and has never visited the Philippines. The ever-smiling Vito works at Machimura Foods during the day, and at night, he works a part-time job trying to make his dreams come true. One day during an incident at a book store, he meets a girl named Hana Mishima, who lost her ability to speak due to an accident. But even though she can't speak, Vito is drawn to her beautiful smile. However, Vito becomes wrongly suspected by the police for a crime, and after meeting the lawyer Kazuma Ito, the issue begins to grow... Together, Vito, Hana, and Kazuma will go through challenging times and have to overcome many obstacles.
Cast
*
Jun Matsumoto
is a Japanese singer, actor, radio host, and model. He is a member of the boy band Arashi, and is Arashi's concert producer as well as production advisor for other groups. He is best known to Japanese television drama audiences for his portraya ...
as Vito Hayakawa
*
Yui Aragaki
is a Japanese actress, model, singer and occasional radio show host. She has been selected several times as the most desired girlfriend and the most desired female celebrity face in Oricon's yearly survey.
Early life
She was born on June 11, 19 ...
as Hana Mishima
*
Eiko Koike
is a Japanese actress.
Biography
Koike starred in Kunitoshi Manda's film '' The Kiss''. She appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2012 television drama ''Penance,'' and co-starred in Junji Sakamoto's ''A Chorus of Angels'' with Sayuri Yoshinaga. She ...
as Shiori Machimura
*
Hidenori Tokuyama
is a Japanese actor and singer. A fan of tokusatsu, Tokuyama has had a role in several series, most notably Sou Yaguruma/ Kamen Rider TheBee/Kamen Rider KickHopper in ''Kamen Rider Kabuto'' and Hiroto Sutō/Go-on Gold in '' Engine Sentai Go-onge ...
as Kinta Kawai
*
Suzunosuke as Kenji Kazima
*
Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
is a Japanese actor. Ikeuchi's mother is Salvadoran and his father is Japanese. He is an avid martial artist, notably holding a black belt in judo, and is also a keen fisherman.
Career
Ikeuchi played a supporting role as General Miura in Wilso ...
as Detective Takayanagi
*
Kiichi Nakai
is a Japanese actor. His name was given by Yasujirō Ozu. His father, Keiji Sada, also a movie actor, died when Nakai was only two years old. Nakai started his acting career while he was still in university and was awarded the Rookie of the Ye ...
as Kazuma Ito
*
Masanobu Katsumura
Masanobu (written: , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese ''kugyō''
*, Japanese painter
*, Japanese samurai
*, Japanese ''daimyō''
*, Japanese print designer, book publisher and ...
as Keisuke Kashiwagi
*
Gin Maeda
(born February 21, 1944) is a Japanese actor. He had a regular role in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' films, beginning with the first in the series (1969), as Sakura's husband.
Filmography Film
*''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series (1969–2019), Hiroshi S ...
as Sosuke Machimura
*
Ayumi Ishida as Midori Machimura
*
Toshiyuki Kitami
Toshiyuki is a masculine Japanese given name.
Written forms
Toshiyuki can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples:
*敏幸, "agile, happiness"
*敏行, "agile, go"
*敏之, "agile, of"
*敏志, "agil ...
as Detective Furuse
*
Shun Oguri
is a Japanese people, Japanese actor and Voice acting in Japan, voice actor, son of stage director Tetsuya Oguri, and the youngest of 3 siblings, including older brother Ryo, who is also an actor.
He started in small roles as extra in the works ...
as Seiji Hayashi
Awards and nominations
13th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix
Spring Awards 2009
* Best Drama: Smile
* Best Actor: Jun Matsumoto
* Best Supporting Actor: Kiichi Nakai
* Best Supporting Actress: Yui Aragaki
See also
*''
Hana Yori Dango
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio. The story takes place in the fictional Eitoku Academy, an elite school for children from rich families. It tells the story of Tsukushi Makino, a girl from a middle-class ...
''
*''
Arashi
is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 199 ...
''
*''
Bambino!
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by . It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine '' Big Comic Spirits'' from December 2004 to February 2009, with its chapters collected in 15 volumes. A second manga series, title ...
''
*''
Gokusen
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by . It was serialized in Shueisha's ''You'' from 2000 to 2007, with its chapters collected in 15 volumes. The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a yakuza boss and tea ...
''
*
Filipinos in Japan
Filipinos in Japan (, ''Zainichi Firipinjin'', ) formed a population of 341,518 in December 2024 individuals, making them Japan's fourth-largest foreign community, according to the statistics of the Philippines. Their population reached as high ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smile (2009 Tv Series)
Kin'yō Dorama
2009 Japanese television series debuts
2009 Japanese television series endings
Television shows written by Eriko Shinozaki
TBS Television (Japan) dramas