Asian Drama

"Tora-san, Welcome Back" is the fiftieth film in the "Tora-san" series. Its release is also set to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the series. Kiyoshi Atsumi, who played the eponymous character, will appear via scenes intercut with previous films.

Rei Kiriyama is a 17-years-old shogi player. He debuted as a professional shogi player when he was in middle school. He lives by himself in Tokyo, because his parents and younger sister died in a traffic accident when he was little. One day, Rei Kiriyama meets three sisters who are his neighbors. The three sisters are Akari Kawamoto, Hinata Kawamoto, and Momo Kawamoto. This is his first meeting with someone outside of the shogi world in many years. Having meals with the Kawamoto family brings warm feelings to Rei Kiriyama. As Rei Kiriyama continues his shogi career, his interactions with his neighbors allow him to grow as a shogi player and as a person.

Kiriyama Rei is a 17-years-old shogi (Japanese chess) player. He debuted as a professional shogi player when he was in middle school. He lives by himself in Tokyo, because his parents and younger sister died in a traffic accident when he was little. One day, Kiriyama Rei meets three sisters who are his neighbours. The three sisters are Kawamoto Akari, Kawamoto Hinata and Kawamoto Momo. This is his first meeting with someone outside of the shogi world in many years. Having meals with the Kawamoto family brings warm feelings to Kiriyama Rei. As Kiriyama Rei continues his shogi career, his interactions with his neighbours allow him to grow as a shogi player and as a person.

During the Sengoku period, the Ii family governs the Totomi region. Due to many past wars, there are no more male successors left to become a lord. Naotora Ii (Kou Shibasaki), the only daughter of the lord, now becomes a lord. She faces a difficult period. The constant love from her fiance, whom she became engaged with at a young age, helps her to keep moving forward.

Fukami Noa (Ashida Mana) loves big cars because of the influence of her father, Shiro (Harada Ryuji). He is the third generation owner of Fukami Motors, a car repair shop. One day, her father suddenly commits suicide, leaving her shocked. Noa is told by Katsuragi Ippei (Iwaki Kouchi), a former Tokyo Metropolitan Police detective who is her father’s acquaintance, that he did so to assume responsibility for the disappearance of 300 million yen in corporate pensions that his father had left to him. Kuwata Renji (Okamoto Kenichi), the sharp company president of the investment advisory firm, Best Advisers, is the mastermind. Vowing the seek revenge on Kuwata, Noa hits difficult management books to build up her knowledge and works out a plan to recover the pension money. Then she takes the position of company president. She announces to the employees that she will get back the 300 million yen that was stolen and turnaround the business. Although Katsuragi detests kids, he decides to make use of his detective skills and intuition to give Noa a helping hand. Noa gathers together his elderly friends with special skills; former trading company employee, Kuramochi Eisaku (Maeda Gin), locksmith Kashima Tokichi (Kurosawa Toshio), electrical engineer Midorikawa Daimaru (Ono Takehiko), and former actress Miwa Nagisa (Ishida Ayumi) and challenges Kuwata … …

Fuki who lives with her grandfather Shoei in Taketomi Island, Okinawa, dreams of becoming a photographer. In her childhood, her mother Masami left Fuki to live in Tokyo. Although Masami has not come back, Fuki receives birthday cards from Masami every year on her birthday. On Fuki's fourteenth birthday, Masami promises to confess everything when Fuki becomes 20 years old. After her graduation from high school, Fuki moves to Tokyo to work as a camera assistant. Fuki starts off her hectic life in Tokyo, and soon, her nineteenth birthday comes. As usual, she receives a birthday card from Masami. A year later... Uploader's Comments: If you're looking for a relaxing film, this might be you're looking for. I just wish they'd toned down the dorama shenanigans that really spoils the later part, at least for me. But Yu is, as always, sweeter than sugar and could probably melt all the ice of Antarctica if she wanted to. So that lessens the blow considerably. Many thanks to Stythe for once again being the hero we need but perhaps doesn't quite deserve... closedeyes.gif

Saburo, an ordinary high school student, travels back in time to the Sengoku era (1549). He encounters a young lord who looks exactly like him and is told, “Be my substitute. I’m the eldest son of the Oda family, Oda Nobunaga.” After the young lord leaves, Saburo is mistaken for Nobunaga by a vassal and taken to the castle. He starts to live as Oda Nobunaga from this day. The young samurai of the Oda family, which is merely a minor feudal lord, set out towards the extraordinary dream of unifying the whole country through the power of Saburo.

Saburo, a person from modern times who has no experience killing people, does not understand the willingness of the warlords of the Sengoku era to lay down their lives for their family. It is the same for the vassals too. They have had a hard time understanding Nobunaga’s actions ever since the ill-mannered, wilful Saburo took over. Despite this “generation gap across space and time”, they are soon on the brink of achieving their dream.

Taisho era: The son and heir to a liquor store with a passion for making whiskey travels alone to Scotland to learn more. The drama shows a unique way of viewing Japanese virtues, and cross-cultural hospitality, while gaining an understanding of the differences between Scotland and Japan. The drama offers a unique view of growing up "Japanophile."

In the year 1590, powerful daimyo Hideyoshi Toyotomi nears his plan to unify all of Japan, but he comes across a floating fortress known as Oshi Castle. Nagachika Narita, in charge of defending the castle, must use his army of 500 men to combat Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army of 20,000.

The 45th NHK Taiga Drama is Komyo ga Tsuji.

Kazutoyo lived during the end of the Sengoku period (1546-1605). He was the first feudal lord of the fief of Tosa on the island of Shikoku. He served Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Chiyo (1557-1617) was his wife, and was known in history for her dedication and devotion to her husband (like Matsu was to Toshiie in Toshiie to Matsu). She is the daughter of a samurai who served the feudal lord Asai.