is a Japanese television series which premiered on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

on October 22, 2012. This television series stars

Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...

as Fumio Kindaichi, a

salaryman In Japan, a is a salaried worker. In Japanese popular culture, this is embodied by a white-collar worker who shows overriding loyalty and commitment to the corporation where he works. Salarymen are expected to work long hours, to put in addit ...

who gets fired from his company after he was accused of being involved in commercial espionage. Coupled with a series of unfortunate accidents, Fumio suddenly loses everything he has and becomes poor.

Plot

Fumio Kindaichi is a middle management salaryman on good terms with his co-workers. One day, he is suddenly accused of stealing commercial secrets, and is fired by his company. He's even ostracized by his co-workers. Before the end of the day, he has essentially become a homeless and penniless man. Without any idea of how to survive on the streets, he has to settle in for a rough night. Fumio later learns how to earn some money on the street from two children, brothers, he meets. They lead him to a boarding house that allows him to stay for 500

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

per night. In the struggle to earn this sum of money, Fumio begins to appreciate the worth of money. He also learns that not all precious things in life can be bought with money. Despite his predicament, Fumio remains an optimistic person, and does not feel bitter over his sudden dismissal. Instead, he helps the people around him with much enthusiasm, without asking for anything in return.

Cast

as Fumio Kindaichi *

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 ...

as Kengo Moai *

Karina Nose (born February 21, 1984) is a Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan throu ...

as Saya Nikaido * Taisuke Fujigaya as Kotaro Enomoto *

Misako Renbutsu is a Japanese actress. She won the Grand Prix award at the Super Heroine Audition Miss Phoenix in 2005. Filmography Dramas * (2006) - as Rieko Ishikawa (lead) * (2008) - as Nanase Hida (Tanaka) (lead) * (2009) - as Hidemi Furusawa (lead) ...

as Yoko Hirose *

Takeshi Masu is a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 80 films since 1981. Filmography Film Television References External links Official profile * 1955 births Living people People from Tokyo Japanese male film actors Japanese male te ...

as Takeshi Fujisawa * Oshiro Maeda as Kanta Marioka * Kanau Tanaka as Ryota Marioka *

Atsuo Nakamura is a Japanese actor and politician. He has appeared in more than 50 films since 1964. His younger brother Katsuyuki Nakamura is a writer. Career Nakamura first joined the Haiyuza theatre troupe in 1962, and became famous for his starring role i ...

as Iwao Oyashiki *

Issey Ogata is a Japanese actor and comedian. He was interested in plays since childhood. After he graduated from Toyotama High School in Japan, he joined a theatrical company and appeared on the stage. Later, he jumped at the opportunity to be an entertai ...

as Osamu Zaizen *

Mari Natsuki , more commonly known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, dancer and actress. Born in Tokyo, she started work as a singer from a young age. In 2007, Natsuki announced her engagement to percussionist Nobu Saitō, with their marriage taking ...

as Ichirin Marioka *

Naohito Fujiki is a Japanese actor and singer. Filmography Drama * (1996), Guest at Table 3 * ハートにS (1996) * (1996) * * ''Shin-D Love Blood'' (1997) * (1997) * * * (1998) * (1998) * (1999) * (1999) * (1999) * (2000) * * ''LOVE REVOLUTION ...

as Toichiro Oyashiki *

Haruna Kojima is a Japanese actress, model, and former singer. From 2005 to 2017, she was a member of idol group AKB48 under Team A. Career Kojima was born in Urawa-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, and started her career as a member of Angel Eyes, an idol ...

as Moe Tomizawa (Ep.3-5, 7-10)

Episodes

Reception

The first episode of ''Priceless'' had the third-highest viewership rating of all Autumn 2012 Japanese television drama debut episodes with a rating of 16.9% in the

Kanto region Kantō (Japanese) Kanto is a simplified spelling of , a Japanese word, only omitting the diacritics. In Japan Kantō may refer to: *Kantō Plain * Kantō region * Kantō-kai, organized crime group * Kanto (Pokémon), a geographical region in th ...

, behind Aibou 11 (with a rating of 19.9%) and '' Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon'' (with a rating of 18.6%). This marks the first time that a drama starring actor Takuya Kimura had debuted with a rating of less than 20%. This low viewership rating was attributed to the fact that the drama had to compete with a popular

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

match airing concurrently on another television network, which garnered a rating of 20.1% itself.

International broadcast

It aired in Thailand on Channel 7 beginning April 24, 2015, dubbed as ''Yodchai Naiyajok ''. (''"ยอดชาย นายยาจก"'', literally: ''Super Beggar''). In Sri Lanka, it began airing in October 2016 on WakuWaku Japan with English subtitles under the title, ''Priceless: Is There Such a Thing''.

References

External links

* {{s-end Japanese drama television series Fuji TV dramas 2012 Japanese television series debuts 2012 Japanese television series endings