Curse of the Colonel 2005 and 2014. Comparisons are often made between the Hanshin Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, who were said to be under the Curse of the Bambino until they won the World Series in 2004. The "Curse of the Colonel" has also been used as a bogeyman threat to those who would divulge the secret recipe of eleven herbs and spices that result in the unique taste of his chicken. The Hanshin Tigers are located in Kansai, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan. They are considered the eternal underdogs of Nippon Professional Baseball, in opposition to the Yomiuri Giants
Bambino! soundtrack CD for the "Bambino!" TV drama. The "Bambino!" manga received the 2008 Shogakukan Manga Award for seinen/general manga along with Takeshi Natsuhara's and Kuromaru's "Kurosagi". At the 53rd Television Drama Academy Awards, the "Bambino!" television drama was awarded four prizes. They were: Best Actor (Jun Matsumoto), Supporting Actor (Kitamura Kazuki), Best Director and Special Award. Bambino! NTV broadcast the live-action TV drama from April 18, 2007 to June 27, 2007. It was broadcast in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico by TV Japan, an affiliate of NHK, from January to March 2008. "Bambino!" is written and illustrated by