Asian Drama

On the night of December 29th, Detective Kudo Yuji drives his car to see his mother, who is hospitalized with a serious health condition. He receives a phone call from the station police chief asking about his involvement in the creation of a slush fund. He also learns that that his mother has passed away. Yuji then accidentally hits a man with his car and that man dies. At the hospital, Yuji tries to cover up the death of the man he hit with his car by placing his dead body into his mother's casket. At that time, he receives a text message from Police Officer Yazaki. The text message warns "You killed a person. I know that."

Adapted from the bestselling Japanese autobiography of the same title, the gentle coming-of-age drama Tokyo Tower - Mom and Me and Sometimes Dad concerns an adolescent boy, Boku - Masaya, torn between the inherited recklessness of his father Oton and the inherited responsibility, wisdom and emotional strength of his mother Okan. Following a period of intensely rebellious behavior, Boku learns that his mom has contracted cancer; suddenly, his mother comes to live with him in Tokyo the entire emotional landscape of his life is altered.

Mantaro comes from a rich family in Kochi who owns a brewery but because of him being sickly, he becomes the target of bullying. As a child, he has been fascinated with plants and decides to quit school so as to head to Teikoku University in Tokyo where he studies botany and works as a research assistant with the vision of creating an encyclopedia on all plants in Japan, he works hard to realise his dream.

Mantaro comes from a rich family in Kochi who owns a brewery but because of him being sickly, he becomes the target of bullying. As a child, he has been fascinated with plants and decides to quit school so as to head to Teikoku University in Tokyo where he studies botany and works as a research assistant with the vision of creating an encyclopedia on all plants in Japan, he works hard to realise his dream.

When Narukawa Sana was only 23-years-old, she co-founded startup company Dream Pony. The company's product is an education app. Her dream was to have people all over the world use her app. Now, Narukawa Sana is 26-years-old. Her company is in its 3rd year of existence. The company grew rapidly initially, but is now experiencing a decline in its growth. Due to the slowdown, Narukawa Sana feels nervous everyday. In her personal life, she has feelings for Suzaki Ko, who is a co-founder of Dream Pony. He is unaware of her personal feelings for him.

One day, middle-aged man Kotori Satoshi begins to work at Dream Pony as Narukawa Sana’s subordinate. Before working at Dream Pony, Kotori Satoshi worked for a more traditional type company, which had a totally different work environment from Dream Pony. At first, Narukawa Sana doesn't like working with her new employee, but she gets closer to him and receives wise advise based on his long work experience. Meanwhile, Narukawa Sana continues to face hardships at work and her love life.

Yui Sakoda is a third-year high school student living in a seaside town. Her parents own a beauty salon and she dreams of going to the big city for college to learn art.

Dako, Boku-chan and Richard commit their next con on Malta Island.

He's the ultimate in cantankerous dads! Internist Kanzaki Kanichi, father of three, is a meddlesome know-it-all. He lectures not only his family and patients, but even strangers' children, and young lovers kissing on the street. His kids are on the verge of rebellion, but fortunately, their mother Miyako keeps them mollified. --KIKU-TV

Kamijo Ren is the director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Liaison Division. His father is a former police officer. An incident in Ren’s childhood triggered his thirst for power and he has his sights set on heading the police force by becoming its Superintendent General someday. Ren believes topping the faction that he belongs to is the shortcut to fulfilling his aspiration. He is driven by ambition and has no qualms carrying out work, no matter how dirty it is. His childhood friend Mizuki Sawa, a senior detective in the First Investigation Division, often opposes his stance and mindset as a detective but is the only one who knows about his past.

There is a story of a grand love torn apart by the Russo-Japanese War. It is an incomparable love story, crossing the borders of Russia and Japan and surmounting fifty years time. The true story of one woman who continued to wait because she loved, and one woman who said farewell because she loved. And a man who, bolstered by the love of these two women, struggled through the most extreme of circumstances and survived. Can you believe it? Broadcast on "Kiseki Taiken! (Miraculous Experience!) Unbelievable" in February 2004 with tears and talk throughout all of Japan, this is a true tale of the miraculous love of one man and two women that still exists even to this day

In 1996, after the collapse of Japan's asset price bubble, Shibasaki Akira works in the loan department for the Yotsubashi branch office of Aoba Bank. One day, he is sent to work at a government-run company, which is a housing financial bond management organization. The company was formed to collect non-performing loans from bankrupt housing loan companies. Workers from different banks, including Akira and ex-employees from housing loan companies, gather at the government-run company. They stand up against vicious debtors and struggle to protect the taxpayers' money. (Source: AsianWiki) ~~ Adapted from the novel "Tokkai: Bubble no Kaijin wo Oitsumeta Otokotachi" by Hidetoshi Kiyotake.

Sakurai is an aspiring actor who becomes frustrated with his life. Sakurai then decides to kill himself, but before committing suicide Sakurai heads off to a public bathhouse. At the bathhouse, Sakurai then witnesses a man named Kondo collapse and lose his memory in front of Sakurai. On a sudden whim, Sakurai switches locker keys with Kondo and pretends to be Kondo. Sakurai soon finds himself in trouble with the Yakuza.

Set in Langkawi, Malaysia, con artists Dako, Boku-chan, and Richard target the Fuu Family as their next mark. Raymond Fuu, the now - departed patriarch, has left behind 10 trillion yen, a formidable sum the enterprising trio scheme to inherit.

Single father Kenichi has raised his daughter Miki alone for the past 10 years. From when she attended nursery school until her graduation from elementary school. Kenichi is currently 30-years-old. His wife Tomoko died at a young age and he has raised Miki alone since that time. While raising his daughter alone, he has encountered various problems.

Based on novel "Step" by Kiyoshi Shigematsu.

Yusa Kiyoharu from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is a cool-headed detective who is in charge of the investigation frontline and will do whatever it takes to achieve his objectives. One day, when he wakes up in a forest, he finds a gun in his right hand, and a dead female detective lying beside him …

This woman was his superior. Did he kill her or was he set up by someone? There is a gap of several months in his memory. Yusa’s buddies turn enemies overnight and he is pursued as a murder suspect. His only partner is a teenage boy who was the female detective’s only son. Eventually, the case gets linked with the truth of the unsolved 1 billion yen heist.

Tatsuya is a veterinarian who recently quit his job. He lands a new job at Veternarian Tokumaru in Kagurazaka, Tokyo where he was born and raised. Suddenly, the owner of the hospital entrusts the hospital to Tatsuya and disappears. Tatsuya is confused, but he treats the animals with a warm heart and interacts with the animal owners.

Sosuke reaches retirement age farmed out to a subsidiary after his elite career gets derailed. Work has been everything to Sosuke and he doesn't know what to do with his free time. His complaining gradually alienates his wife Chigusa, who is busy with her work as a hairstylist. Then, a new encounter gives his life momentum.

Based on the same-titled novel by scriptwriter Uchidata Makiko.

Isayama Nami, in order to start over her life and to find happiness, married the man she fell in love with at first sight during a blind date and moved to a quiet high-end residential area. Nami isn't really good with domestic chores in general, including cooking or cleaning, but she has a very strong sense of justice and it would be very ill-advised to make her angry. She was born and raised without a single relative and had to experience a life without knowing what it means to love or be loved. By making friends with other housewives, who she occasionally saves from various predicaments, and by cuddling close to her husband, it's the first time for Nami to experience true kindness and warmth in her life.

If actresses Hirosue Ryoko, Igawa Haruka and Saito Yuki chose different paths at the turning point in their lives, what kind of life would they be leading? In this world, Hirosue did not appear in the big 1997 drama hit, Beach Boys, with Sorimachi Takashi and Takenouchi Yutaka and suddenly rise to fame. She is a struggling actress in her mid 30s who gets by on part-time housekeeping work and cannot bear to give up being an actress. Hirosue fantasises about newly married life with a handsome guy and is jealous of successful actress Takeuchi Yuko who is the same age. Although she struggles alone, she works hard at her housekeeping job every day. On the other hand, Igawa did not put out the photo book ‘Good Vibrations’ at that time and has been completely forgotten now after the end of the boom of “soothing” models. She dates actor Fujiki Naohito in an unexpected turn of events. Even though she has a taste of this little happiness, she starts to grow impatient when the relationship fails to progress toward marriage. Igawa impulsively tries to make a transition to acting despite being over 40 but... Saito was afraid to spoil her pure idol image and did not star in Sukeban Deka in 1985. She ended up a one-hit wonder and faded away. To regain her teenage years, she attends university and majors in physics with the aspiration to graduate as a female scientist. She mixes with youth around 20 and joins matchmaking parties, making the most of student life. At night, Saito runs a popular bar that even the actress Kaho patronises.

Chie (Ryoko Hirosue) enjoys happy days with her boyfriend Shingo (Kenichi Takito), but she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Chie is shaken with anxiety, but her boyfriend asks her to marry him. Chie gives up hope of having a baby due to the drugs she takes for cancer treatment. Nevertheless, she gets pregnant. Even though she is risking her life giving birth, Chie gives birth to a healthy baby. Their baby is named Hana. Chie, Shingo and Hana live happily as a family, but ...

A writer living in Mushashino, Sugimoto Ryuji's novels "Yatou Denki" and "1" were featured in the local newspaper, Koushin Newspaper. One day, an application from Shiota Yoshiko was delivered to Koushin Newspaper with the gist of its contents saying "Yatou Denki seems interesting, so I'd like to read your publication". Sugimoto Ryuji then sent a letter of acknowledgement to Yoshiko. However, in less than one month's time since the application was made, these words were delievered "Your novel is too boring so I will not purchase it anymore"

The son of the second generation owner of a traditional Japanese confectionery shop ‘Kururiya’ in Tokyo’s Kototoibashi, Kururi Takuzo was born and raised in Tokyo. He received a strict education from his father, who was a man with an old-fashioned way of thinking, and his skills in making the shop’s signature dango have surpassed his father’s. But in his personal life, he has divorced thrice and is a rather sloppy man to women. Now at the age of 55, he leads a carefree life. His hobby is to go for walks in town with the antique single-lens reflex camera that his father bought for him when he was a child, and capture the scenery of the good old-fashioned Tokyo which will change someday. In the middle of such days, Takuzo encounters women whom he is attracted to. He spends a time with each woman, talking over delicious alcohol and food while having a fleeting love. Will love work out for him?

Naomi Oda (Ryoko Hirosue) aspired to become a curator at an art gallery, but she currently works in a department store. Her job is to cater to VIP customers. She is not happy with her current position. One day, her friend since their college days, Kanako Hattori (Yuki Uchida) visits Naomi at her apartment. Kanako tells Naomi that she gets beaten by her husband Tatsuro. Her husband is an elite employee at a bank and lashes out at his wife when stressed. Naomi tells her friend to divorce her husband, but Kanako is worried that her husband would kill her if she did. Her husband's violent behavior controls Kanako. One day, Naomi happens to see a Chinese stowaway who looks just like Kanako's husband. This causes Naomi to think of a perfect plan to kill Kanako's husband. Naomi and Kanako soon carry out their plan.

Japan is in trouble. Serious trouble, to the tune of 800 trillion yen. At the current rate of national debt accumulation, the country will effectively collapse in a few years' time. The Ministry of Finance traces the beginning of the end to 1990 when a real estate cap set in motion a series of events that caused the bubble economy to burst, plunging the nation into hard economic times. But the Ministry has a crack plan to reverse all this. Into the picture comes flighty indebted bar hostess Mayumi (Hirosue Ryoko) whose mother has just passed away - or so she thinks until grave-faced civil servant Shimokawaji (Abe Hiroshi) shows up on her doorstep. It turns out her mother Mariko (Yakushimaru Hiroko) invented a time machine and traveled back in time to prevent the Finance Minister from making his disastrous policy move. Mariko has since gone missing, however, and now it's up to Mayumi to go back to 1990 to find her mom and, oh yes, save Japan. Directed by Baba Yasuo, Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust is a delightfully over-the-top comedy that colorfully and good-naturedly pokes fun at Japan's contemporary concerns and past bubble economy. Heads would burst if one tried to analyze the time travel logic or economic reasoning presented in the film, but the goal here is laughter, and Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust delivers it in large, sidesplitting portions. Director Baba contrasts the somber present with a hilariously excessive neon-lit 1990, a time when dresses were tight, eyebrows were thick, and money was everywhere for the taking. Abe Hiroshi (Trick) transforms seamlessly from a humorless, gray-haired salaryman to a goofy and irresponsible womanizer, while petite pop idol Hirosue Ryoko (Collage of Our Life) and former 80s idol Yakushimaru Hiroko (Always - Sunset on Third Street) make a formidable time-travelling mother-daughter duo. Packed with broad humor, pop culture references, and bubbly nostalgic fun, Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust is easily one of the most enjoyable and entertaining films of 2007.

Taro a 12-year-old boy hospitalized in a small seaside town, brings a bit of levity into the lives of the other patients by acting as resident DJ. Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, “Little DJ” is a compelling drama with great music from the 70's.

The show focuses on a man named Kenji and his younger sister Yasuko, whose parents died in an accident 10 years earlier. Kenji was once the leader of a gang, but in order to support him and his sister, he began making a living as a shojo mangaka. His character normally wears glasses and appears to be a gentle guy, but he throws off his glasses and reverts to his violent side whenever he tries to protect Yasuko from danger. Part of the story follows Yasuko's romance with an intelligent and good-looking man named Jun Tsubaki. Jun's older sister Erika now runs a flower shop, but Erika was once a leader of a female gang, and she used to be in love with Kenji during those days.

A man who constantly applies the brake in his life, a woman who could do with a brake in her life. It’s in summer of 2005 that the journey of their passionate love begins. Here’s a bright and breezy love story that makes us feel how wonderful it is to fall in love! Since we only have one life to live, why not do what we want and live with someone you love? A morning in early summer. The 25-year old Riichi, an instructor at a driving school, is riding coolly on his motorcycle. Isaki is a 31-year old woman who is learning how to drive there. As luck would have it, they end up meeting each other. Although the two of them had very clear plans for life up to a few years ago, reality isn’t so nice. Riichi has settled for work as a driving instructor to make his living while Isaki has been given charge of a store. Pursued by the bustle of everyday life, they’re living lives where they tend to forget to take a fresh look at things.

Gajirou Honda is a self-centered man who only cares about money and women. When he’s involved in a car accident, he encounters the ghosts of the deceased occupants of the other car, including the driver and three pole dancers. The four ghosts promise him a large sum of money in exchange for his help fulfilling their last wishes, thus allowing their spirits to pass over to the afterlife. The tasks Gajirou is required to complete for the ghosts include pole dancing, wearing a white wedding dress, becoming a heroic firefighter, and making a passionate confession to a high school boy.

Minoru Sanada (Seiichi Tanabe) is a cameraman with little skills in his profession. His wife Megumi (Yasuko Mitsuura) runs a cafe, but the cafe doesn't have any customers. Yet, the couple has 8 chidren. Kazuo Sanada (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is the eldest child in their family of 10 persons. Kazuo, as the eldest son, believes he should sacrifice his own personal interests for the greater good of the family. Kazuo falls into trouble when his uncle runs away with money stolen from a company president. Kazuo relied on his uncle a lot, so Kazuo takes a break from school and takes up part-time jobs. One week later, the Sanada family learns that Kazuo has been absent from school. They hold a family meeting because of this. At their family meeting a 11th person mysteriously appears...

When I was 17-years-old, Maria was a college student and worked as a private tutor. Her student was me. She left a last massage to me, "when you graduate from college and become an adult, can you become my lover?," and then she disappeared. 10 years later, I meet her again. She is now a suspect in a serial murder case and I am a lawyer.

Haruki Hanyu, who worked as a prosecutor, changes sides and becomes an attorney. He opens his law office "NEXUS". In court, pursues solutions where the plaintiff and defendant can come to a mutual understanding. This differs completely from Kensuke Komikado, who believes only the winner is right. At work, Haruki Hanyu has confrontation a with Machiko Mayuzumi, but still holds personal feelings for.

Sawako was dumped by her husband and since then she has raised her three sons alone. One day, she happens to meet a young man who is dying. She falls in love with him at first sight. The young man also suffers from memory loss. Sawako names him Hoshio. Taking advantage of his memory loss, she decides to make him live with her as the father of her three sons.

Now, Sawako, her three sons, her grandmother and Hoshio all live together. Sawako hopes Hoshio never regains his memory. Hoshio also begins to develop feelings for her. Whenever Sawako has troubles, Hoshio helps her out with his mysterious ability. Hoshio's past is also mysterious. A mystery that is finally revealed.

11 mysteries, 11 actors. Japan's favorite mystery author, the world of Higashino Keigo comes to life on screen through an assortment of short stories.

For every episode, there will be a different lead actor and story, it's themes varying from mystery to comedy to horror to human drama. Nakai Kiichi is the navigator as he takes you on a journey through each episode, seasoned with Higashino's authentic spices, failing your assumptions with vivid story composition and an even bigger betrayal before the finale. It's a weekly drama that will keep you hungry from episode to episode, like a special holiday event each and every time.

Hirosue Ryoko plays a pouty, blind girl with a chip on her shoulder (chips and grudges are in this quarter), whose very wealthy father has just died and left her his estate. Her mother left him years ago, taking her older brother, but leaving her behind. The sweet, but none-too-sharp brother, Reiji, writes her for years but the housekeeper throws the letters away. Now it turns out that this sweet Reiji (let's call him Reiji I), has gone to work as a cook for another guy named Reiji (Reiji II played by Watabe Atsuro), the cold-hearted head of a very successful Kabukicho host club. The girls all love him, but all he loves is his bankbook. Reiji II's life goes well until one day a rich executive's wife, who has been providing him with millions, turns out to be a poor bank clerk who has embezzled all the cash from her employer. Reiji II did not know this, but the police do not believe him and he heads off to serve six months as an accessory to the crime. The distraught, sweet Reiji I steps into the street to protest as Reiji II is driven off to jail, gets hit by a motorcycle and dies.

Six months later, Reiji II returns to find that the world of Kabukicho has turned against him and, during his incarceration, he has somehow run up a huge debt to the district's worst loan shark. As he prepares to be eaten alive by the nasty loan sharks, a private detective shows up looking for Reiji I, so he can reunite him with his long-lost sister. Somebody gets Reiji I and II confused, but Reiji II does a quick take on the situation. Seeing this as his only hope of swimming out of shark-infested waters, he takes it. He steals the identity of the other Reiji and heads off for a reunion with his newfound "sister." Bitter and angry about something as yet undisclosed, she is in no mood to be won over and slashes him on the cheek with her white cane. End of episode one. And yes, that was the best offering of the week. (Wm Penn, Excerpt from Daily Yomiuri, 2002-Jul-18).

A love story between a young man who has been forced to grow up too quickly, and a young woman with an ailment that has placed restrictions on her life. Natsuo has been looking after his younger brother and sister since the death of their parents. He has also been running the family bicycle shop. Yuki becomes the only person in the world in whom he can confide. For Yuki, Natsuo becomes the catalyst that has her trying to break out of her cocoon. -- KIKU-TV 

Hayakawa Ai (Hirosue Ryoko) commits a crime which lands her in a correction facility for juveniles. There she meets & becomes firm friends with four other delinquents & falls in love with one of the wardens, Ariake Yu (Mikami Hiroshi), an artist with secrets....

Upon getting thrown out of his girlfriend Fujiko's apartment, Hiromi (Sorimachi) decides to head for the ocean. En route, he crosses paths with Kaito (Takenouchi), an elite employee of a large multinational trading company in Tokyo who is running away from his problems at work after losing a key client. The two stumble into a quiet B&B on the beach run by the aging surfer Masaru and his high-school-aged granddaughter Makoto. Hiromi immediately applies to work there for the summer, and Kaito is forced to join him after he loses his wallet. The two share a room, with Hiromi trying to make friends, and Kaito at first resisting, unimpressed by Hiromi's devil-may-care attitude. Slowly over the ensuing episodes, Kaito becomes more and more at home in this sleepy rural town, and begins to wonder if he should give up his pursuit of success in the big city, and try to relax, and enjoy himself more. When he returns to Tokyo to finish his work, Hiromi and Makoto come to lure him back, but when he returns to the B&B, his boss and girlfriend Sakura likewise come looking for him.

Sena is a college music graduate who dreams of becoming a professional musician and a world-class pianist. Unfortunately, he has not been able to find any breakthrough opportunities and has to settle for currently teaching piano at a local piano school.

Minami is an out-of-work model. On her wedding day, she was dumped by her fiancé, and when she rushed to her fiancé's apartment, she finds out that not only was her fiancé Sena's flatmate but that her fiancé had also skipped town along with all her savings. Rendered penniless, she then moves into Sena's apartment, occupying the empty room that was her former fiancé's.

The two down-on-their-luck persons with very different personalities find themselves bonding over their similar situations in life.