A Stalker's Guide: Matsumoto Jun

I've been watching Asian dramas since 2008 and the first drama was Hana Kimi. People call me "nolife", "dramaotaku", "drama addict", "weirdo" and many other names ~

This is the first time I'm writing something to MDL... Something that isn't commenting or reviewing or recommending dramas. Though this might include all of those... That's right! I'm writing A Stalker's Guide to THE Matsumoto Jun that pretty much everyone loves. 

Let's Start ~~ !

I'm sure all of you drama watchers know this name or at least recognizes the face. Just in case you don't know I'll be nice and reveal it: Matsumoto Jun ~ *KYAAAAA* He's one of the most famous actors and singers in Japan. He's under Johnny's Entertainment and belongs to 5-member boy group called ARASHI alongside with his group members Ohno Satoshi, Sakurai Sho, Aiba Masaki and Ninomiya Kazunari. They debuted in 1999 but Matsumoto Jun, also known as MatsuJun has been active since 1997. Okay, now you have basic info about who he is and what he does. Let's continue ~

The very first drama I saw by MatsuJun was Gokusen. Okay, I admit... Back then I thought that he was Mizushima Hiro who was my very first drama crush since I saw Hana Kimi. I searched out some of his dramas with major and minor roles and stumbled upon Gokusen. After googling and finding out that he wasn't Mizushima Hiro but Matsumoto Jun my soul was sold.

Now 4 years later it's easy to say which one is which and they don't look alike at all... I wonder why that drama newbie in 2008 thought they looked alike...? Okay let's move on and I'll present you some of the best characters Matsumoto Jun has played since 1997. Counting from his MDL page, he's acted in 24 dramas and 10 movies (including all the guest roles). That's pretty huge amount considering that he's not even 30 yet. I'm sure he'll stick around for many many years to come ~~ And just a little note: I have not watched all of his dramas or movies so I'm sure I've missed some great characters. >.<

Bokura no Yuuki - Young and innocent Jun

This was the very first acting role by Matsumoto Jun. He had the side role in this drama as the cute Mori. He was 14 at that time. It was such a small side role that I honestly don't remember anything about his character. All I remember is the haunting opening song by KinKi Kids. Let's move to the next one ~

Gokusen - Quirky, lazy and smart yet attractive Jun

dat smirk

I'm pretty sure that Gokusen was THE Drama that made MatsuJun who he is now! So, this was my first Matsumoto Jun drama ever and I'm more than happy that I stumbled upon this drama back in 2008. Like the drama's info says, this drama has 3 seasons and this one was the very first one and aired in 2002. He was 18 at that time and graduated from high school in 2002. Same age than I am now 10 years later in 2012... >.< I'm sure all of you know this feeling? Thanks to this drama, he won his very first award at 33rd Television Drama Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. 

Anyway, I'm a diehard fan of Gokusen! I mean the drama version. I've never read the manga or watched the anime. I've watched all the seasons 3-4 times and I'm not even lying. I actually feel like watching them now also.

Kimi wa Petto - Cute, dorky, fluffy and smexy Jun

"Welcome Home, Master"

Wouldn't you want to hear and see that every time you get home from school/work/anywhere? I know I sure would love to ~ In Kimi wa Petto MatsuJun totally stole my heart forever. He plays a "dog" named Momo in this drama. Yeah, go read the info so you'll know. I absolutely adore this drama. I've seen it 2 times and I have it on DVD just in case I want to watch it again and again in HD. I know there's a Korean movie version of this but I haven't seen it yet...

you bet I would too !

This drama didn't give him any awards as long as I know but it sure won a place in my heart and in my favorite dramas. Did I say how much I love this drama? It has Matsumoto Jun at his best in my opinion. In this drama you also get to see how great dancer he is ~ His character is a human who is a "dog" and I really liked the way he actually acted like a dog would act - gives his paw, washes the face of the owner, begs for food, has fluffy hair that the owner can pet and brush and what's the best: he even barks in the drama.

Let's continue ~

Hana Yori Dango 1-2 - arrogant and self-centered, rich spoiled brat yet still so lovable Jun

This is a drama that everyone has heard about. If you haven't... don't confess and just live in a lie. This is a drama that absolutely every drama addict should watch. I've watched it 2 times and out of all the adaptations based on the manga of the same name; this one is the best. Though I haven't seen the Mainland China version but I heard that it's only loosely based on and has a totally different story than 3 other versions has. The 3 versions are Meteor Garden (Taiwan), Hana Yori Dango (Japan) and Boys Over Flowers (South Korea). The war between the fans of these versions is never going to stop, though... But in all honesty, I liked HYD the best.

"Did you just hit me?!"

This is the drama what made Matsumoto Jun famous in Japan and worldwide. Though he was that already... Well more famous then. He won Best Supporting Actor from 47th Television Drama Academy Awards in 2005 (Season 1) and 10th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Winter) in 2007 (Season 2) and in 2008 he won GQ Japan Men of the Year 2008 Awards. So this drama basically is the drama that made him into everyone's dream ~

This drama had so many funny and emotional scenes so I'm gonna put some pics from those that are the most memorable ones to me. ~

best way to start a first date, eh?

Other great dramas and movies by Matsumoto Jun that I have seen: 

Bambino! - This is a drama that many doesn't know about. Maybe because it's not really a romantic drama? Watch this if you want to see an enthusiastic and cocky Matsumoto Jun cooking some great food. It makes you hungry ~~ Another names from the drama cast: Karina, Sato Ryuta, Mukai Osamu and Kitamura Kazuki for example. 

Smile - Matsumoto Jun plays Hayakawa Vito who is half-Filipino and half-Japanese. Though you can see that from the synopsis... I have no idea how dark Filipino people really are (as I've never seen one before) but I think MatsuJun did great job and he has some sexy tan in this drama ~~ I really liked this drama and it's pretty simple yet still so beautiful.

Saigo No Yakusoku - To be honest: I remember nothing about this special. That's how confusing it is. But there's some great cast members. Besides MatsuJun, there are rest of ARASHI members and Kuroki Meisa and Fujiki Naohito for example.

Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku - This is a drama for those who wants to see MatsuJun playing a "tsundere" character. I really have no idea what tsundere means... But for those who knows the meaning; good for you ! The chemistry between the characters is good but not the best. I really love how Takeuchi Yuko portrayed her character and the daughter, Mio, was excellent. It's been 2 years since I watched this one so my memory isn't the best... But the music is still clearly in my head ~~ *starts humming ARASHI - Love Rainbow*

Lucky Seven - Ever wondered what would MatsuJun be playing a detective? Watch this and you'll know ! Though I gotta admit... I was expecting to see more action and not so much comedy that this drama has. The cast in this one is superb; you have MatsuJun, Eita, Naka Riisa, Oizumi Yo and Matsushima Nanako (who played the sister of MatsuJuns character in HYD) plus some many great guests.

Like every fangirl or fanboy has that certain actor they likes thanks to one certain feature I also have one. Besides MatsuJun's looks and acting skills the best feature I like about him is the voice and the lips. ~~

WARNING: This video contains spoilers from Kimi wa Petto ! I'm posting the video so you can see why I love him so much. ~~

And to end this Stalker Guide - the only music video from ARASHI that I was able to find... Damn you Johnny's Entertainment for not having official channels on youtube >.< I know I know it's not from MatsuJun drama but what can I do D:

Hope you enjoyed this Stalker's Guide to Matsumoto Jun ~ I know I enjoyed while making this one ^^ Thanks for reading and stuff. As you can see this was my very first article here on MDL so please tell me how to improve my writing and refresh my memory to make better Stalker's Guides next time ~~

If there is an actor or an actress that is worthy of a Stalker's Guide in your opinion, and you have watched enough dramas of his/hers to prove it, please contact Elisabetta about it.