is a Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series created by Ai Morinaga

Ai Morinaga

is a Japanese manga artist.- Manga Works :*Kirara no Hoshi* My Heavenly Hockey Club* Maniattemasu* Strawberry chan no Karei na Seikatsu * The Tale of Yamada Family Special Edition...

. The manga series, published by Kadokawa Shoten

Kadokawa Shoten

is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...

, ran from 1996-2000 with a total of fourteen volumes. Besides, after the ending of the series. The author came out with another special volume about the other siblings within the Yamada Family called The Tale of the Yamada Family

Plot summary

Tarō Yamada is smart, athletic, and very handsome. He seems perfect on the outside, but he's actually dirt poor due to his mother's reckless spending habits and his always-gone father. Although never once does he admit it, everyone at school thinks he is a very humble rich boy because of his good looks. However, at home, he must care for his six younger siblings, who share a one-bedroom place with him and his mother.

Taiwanese TV drama

The manga was adapted into a 15 episode Taiwanese drama

Taiwanese drama

Taiwanese Drama refers to dramatic programming of television programming extended stories usually dramatizing relationships through the general range of ten to forty one-hour episodes. They are produced in Taiwan and have gained increasing popularity in the Mandarin-speaking community...

 titled Poor Prince starring Vic Zhou, Ken Chu

Ken Chu

Ken Chu |F4]]. Educated in Singapore , he speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English.-Biography:Chu was working as a waiter in Taiwan when he was discovered by Cai Zhiping, the creator of the boy band F4...

, Annie Yi, Edward Ou

Edward Ou

Edward Ou was born on 16 October 1980 in Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese actor. He graduated from from Taipei Hwa Kang Arts School in 1998. Ou is junior to other Taiwanese entertainers such as Barbie Hsu, whom he co-starred with in the Meteor Garden series, and Dee Hsu; and senior to Alien Huang, Rainie...

 and Will Liu

Will Liu

Will Liu is a Taiwanese singer and composer. He is well known for his album "Caihong Tiantang" and is known as good friends with Taiwanese artists Jay Chou and Show Luo....

. It was produced by Comic Ritz International Production (可米瑞智國際藝能有限公司) and Chai Zhi Ping (柴智屏) as producer. It was boardcasted in Taiwan on free-to-air Chinese Television System (CTS)

Chinese Television System

Chinese Television System is a broadcast television station in Republic of China .-History:Founded on October 31, 1971, CTS started off as a joint venture between the ROC's Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education. At the time of its establishment, CTS was the only VHF-supported...

 (華視) from 11 August 2001.

Japanese TV drama

山田太郎ものがたり / Yamada Tarō Monogatari : Tale of Yamada Tarō

From July to September 2007, Japanese television network TBS

Tokyo Broadcasting System

, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

 aired a dramatization of the story, starring Kazunari Ninomiya

Kazunari Ninomiya

, often called , is a Japanese idol, singer, songwriter, actor, voice actor and radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi and is best known to movie audiences for his portrayal as Private Saigo in the 2006 Clint Eastwood war film Letters from Iwo Jima.Ninomiya began his career in the...

 as Tarō and Shō Sakurai

Sho Sakurai

is a Japanese idol, singer, songwriter, actor, newscaster, host and former radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi....

 as Takuya, Tarō's wealthy best friend who occasionally offers Taro a helping hand. The Japanese version of the drama has received higher ratings and is generally more popular than the Taiwanese version. The opening theme song is "Happiness

Happiness (Arashi song)

"Happiness" is the twentieth single of the Japanese boy band, Arashi. The single was released in two editions: a regular edition containing the karaoke versions of the songs released in the single, and a limited edition containing a bonus track...

" by Arashi

Arashi

is a Japanese boy band formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on November 3, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii...

, the Japanese musical group, which the two stars are members of.

External links

• Official Website of "Yamada Taro Monogatari" on TBS