Asian Drama

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Episodes: 10

Adapted from the novel "A2Z" by Yamada Amy (山田詠美).

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Shibuya Haruko is a high school student, with an ordinary life. She happens to meet Kanna Kenichi and falls in love with him at first sight. Meanwhile, Kenichi has just dropped out of high school. He was known as a studious student up to this point. Kenichi meets Mayumi, who seems like a femme fatale. He falls in love with her.

Adapted from the manga series "Georama Boy Panorama Girl" by Kyoko Okazaki.

18-year-old Saito Mifuyu is a simple girl who grew up in Nagano. After her mother’s death, her father brings his lover over which displaces Mifuyu in her own home. She arrives in Tokyo following an invitation from her late mother’s younger cousin Kashimada Naoko to come over to her house for a while. It is a house blessed with “wealth” that she herself cannot obtain even if she wishes for it. Thinking this outrageous, Mifuyu starts seeking to fit into the Kashimada family, and in the process completely changes into a “pitcher plant girl” who plays on the desires of her prey to attain her goals.

Haruka is a promising athlete, but she gets into an accident and is left paralyzed from the waist down. Haruka becomes frustrated with her situation and closes her mind to others. By meeting people who view disabilities as individuality traits, she attains a new dream in the sport of paracanoe.

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Sakagami Takumi, a high school student, is assigned to his class’s Community Outreach Committee. One day, his homeroom teacher also assigns his classmates Naruse Jun, a girl who is unable to speak because of a past trauma, Tasaki Daiki, a former ace player on the baseball team, and Nitoh Natsuki, a cheerleader and straight-A student, to the Committee. Each one of them harbors feelings that they "long to shout" in their hearts. Because of their homeroom teacher's foresight, their class ends up having to perform a musical at the exchange party, but nobody in the class seems willing. But as they see Jun courageously making an effort to communicate her feelings by singing, Takumi and the other classmates who were reluctant begin to participate in a positive way.

The day of the performance arrives. Will they be able to convey their true feelings they have locked away in their hearts?

In the spring, when Kashiwazaki Yui and her 3 years old son were coming back home from kindergarten, she let go of her son's hand for a moment and then he was gone. 9 years later, her son appears in front of her again.

Takada Yu is an employee of a development firm. His father has favored his high-achieving older brother and been indifferent to Yu since young. So Yu craves for his father’s love and wants his recognition somehow. Then one day, Yu encounters a woman. Although it was the worst possible meeting, he gradually starts to have romantic feelings for her through work and an unexpected development. But ironically enough, she turns out to be the girlfriend of his older brother. Yu begins to realize what he truly treasures and matures as a person as he struggles with this complicated romance and with his older brother and father.

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?

Kiira (Mirei Kiritani) seems like an ordinary young girl, who likes to talk with her friends and to dress up. Her ultimate goal is to become the world's best baker, but what differentiates her from others is that she is a vampire. She has never told anyone her secret, including her childhood friend Tetsu, whom she played with everyday and liked as a child. After her parents died when Kiira was only 12-years-old, she had to go live with her relatives and lost contact with Tetsu.

Now, 8 years later, Tetsu appears at the bakery where Kiira is working part-time. Kiira is ecstatic to see her first love again. Soon, they are dating and Kiira dreams of having a family with Tetsu. Kiira also becomes filled with worries because she is vampire.

A story about the sales manager of a major electronics manufacturer who confidentially forms a team to prevent the company from going bankrupt under the company chairman’s direct command. The “reconstructing team” comes to contend with a Japanese skilled technician, the sales manager’s former colleague, who got laid off eight years ago and is now working for China’s largest electronics manufacturer.--NHK World Premium

In Iryu 2, Asada Ryutaro wages a new battle against the realities of Japan's medical care system. The government has drafted legislation to tackle the recent inflation of medical fees; hospitals have entered an era in which they will go bankrupt if they aren't independently run. At the same time, hospital mergers and takeovers are also taking place. Additionally, the obstetrics and pediatrics departments are being closed in succession, and there are inadequate doctors in the region - issues that are closely related to these hospital management problems. Now, hospitals, like the average corporation, face collapse if they are not profitable.

High school detective Kudo Shinichi and his childhood friend, Mori Ran, hear a male voice shout right after coming out of a nail salon on the first floor of an apartment building. When they rush over to the scene at the entrance of an apartment, cameraman Tsuboichi Yuhei is bleeding from his forehead and his assistant Kishi has collapsed. Shinichi and Ran burst into the apartment to discover that Aida Momoko, the model who lives there, has died. An investigation is conducted. Kishi gives evidence that he had been hit with what seemed like an iron bar by a man who darted out of the room. Tsubouchi says he would like to have the murderer arrested. He is the dead Momoko’s brother-in-law. Shinichi feels something is wrong with Tsubouchi and Kishi’s statements. If the attacker was the same person, he should have struck Momoko with the bar too, but Momoko was strangled by a pair of hands. This makes Shinichi turn his suspicion toward Tsubouchi. Will he be able to expose the murderer’s secret trick and arrive at the truth?

Women today can sometimes forget about their gender, as they devote themselves deeper and deeper into their career. Among such women, some suffer overwork, unbalance of hormones, hair loss and the likes. In fact, few women even experience the growth of a thick mustache! According to a survey, there have been results indicating that about 60% of women feeling that they were “turning male” in the past. At 29, these women only had to be concerned with marriage or work, but at 39, the time limit draws nearer, with increased concerns of pregnancy, divorce, aging parents, and change of job. "Last Cinderella" will depict the reality of these women, who try their best to live each day to their fullest. Playing the main character, a 39 year old female hair stylist Toyama Sakura is Shinohara Ryoko. Sakura meets a handsome younger man, Saeki Hiroto at a party and is drawn to him. A BMX rider since age 20, Hiroto’s income is dependent on his performance, which means that his pay is unstable. As he gets to know Sakura, he is slowly drawn to her as well. Then there is Tachibana Rintaro, Sakura’s boss and good friend, Takenouchi Miki, Sakura’s best friend who suffers from a sexless marriage, and Hasegawa Shima, the other best friend who is addicted to sex, and finally a regular customer to the hair salon, Ooami Chiyoko who is in love with Rintaro. It’s a modern heart-thumping love comedy

Maki’s mother commits assault and Maki is temporarily placed in the children’s orphanage, Kogamo no Ie. Post is a young girl who reigns as the leader at Kogamo no Ie. While she has lost her parents, she is remarkably strong, resilient and positive. There is also Piami and Bonbi who respect Post. These girls, who each have different backgrounds, do not appear sad and seem quite indifferent. When asked for the reason for the queer nicknames they call each other, Post replies that they have cast away everything they received from their parents including their pasts as well as their names. Even if they constantly think about their parents, there will be no happiness. She advises Maki to leave the past behind. Bravado is the only weapon to protect themselves in this harsh, cold world. However, Maki believes that her mother will come to get her.

'Subete wa Kimi ni Aeta Kara' follows various different people and couples in 6 loosely connected stories. All of the stories are set at Tokyo Station and take place just before Christmas. The different characters range from a company president who distrusts human beings, to a train driver who just received the shocking diagnosis that he has only half a year left to live. # "Eve no Koibito" ('Christmas Eve Lover') - A company president (Tamaki) meets a woman (Takanashi), who just lost a beloved person, in a restaurant at Tokyo Station. He thinks that all women only like his money and enjoys being alone. She originally moved to Tokyo to become an actress, but now she is planning to go back to her hometown right after her short play at an orphanage. # "Enkyori Renai" ('Long Distance Relationship') - A love-dovey couple that is going through a long distance relationship. She (Kimura) is an aspiring fashion designer in Tokyo and he (Higashide) is a construction worker in Sendai. Will their hectic schedules allow them to at least meet each other on Christmas? # "Christmas Present" - Ichikawa plays a woman who works in an orphanage. That day she is waiting for the new mother of the 7-year-old Akane to come and pick her up. # "Nibun no Ichi Seijin Shiki" ('A Half Coming-Of-Age Ceremony') - A train driver (Tokito) who cannot bring himself to tell his son that he only has half a year left to live. The train driver's wife is played by Otsuka. # "Christmas no Yuuki" ('Christmas Courage') - A part-timer (Honda) at a cake shop has a crush on her senior at work, but she lacks the courage to approach him. # "Okurete Kita Present" ('Belated Present') - The owner of the cake shop at Tokyo Station (Baisho) gets reminded of a promise that she made with a certain someone (Kobayashi) 49 years ago.

37-year-old Hasumi Rika is the customer centre supervisor at a medium-sized mail order company. Her father has passed away and because her younger sister married first, she lives in the family home with her mother. She has always thought to herself that it is her part to look after her mother Tomoko in her old age.

One day, Rika is invited by her yoga instructor Kiyota Etsuko to attend a marriage hunting party and finds herself paired with Sakamoto Eikichi, a man who does not even maintain his nostril hair. Meanwhile, Tomoko suddenly declares that she is remarrying. Worried about her mother, Rika accesses the marriage hunting website she has used. She is initially doubtful but arranges to meet a man who sent her an email. She gradually gets into the “marriage hunting market” and becomes involved in it. At first, she makes light of it, thinking that a person like herself will be able to find a good partner immediately. But she sees with her own eyes the marriage hunting situation of a female around 40 and is made to realise her own value on the “market”.

However, her competitive spirit and the encouragement of fellow marriage hunters makes her continue marriage hunting. As Rika does so, she learns what kind of person she is, what she truly wants and what really matters in life. Just as she is starting to look once again at the marriage and future that she wishes for …

Masayoshi Hayakawa (Joe Odagiri) was once a popular member of rock band "Out of Justice," but after the breakup of the band 13 years ago Masayoshi Hayakawa's life has become a mess. He drinks alcohol a lot now and does a live 30 minute radio show in the early mornings, while occasionally attending fan meetings.

One day, Masayoshi Hayakawa meets two young girls, and a young boy, all in middle school, and learns that he is the father of the girls. He begins to take care of the girls and boy, but has to hide their existence from his management office, who are just looking for an excuse to drop him from his contract. Through the children, Masayoshi Hayakawa is able to grow as a person and mature.

High school student Shinichi Kudo (Junpei Mizobata) and childhood friend Ran Mouri (Shiori Kutsuna) are private detectives.

Right after they leave a nail salon on the first floor of a mansion they hear a man screaming. When Shinichi and Ran arrive there, cameraman Yuhei Tsubouchi (Akira) and an assistant lie on the ground bleeding. The owner of the house and model Momoko Aida are dead.

The investigation begins. The cameraman's assistant testifies that he was by an iron-bar by a man who came from another room. Yuhei, who is Momoko's brother-in-law, asks the detectives to catch the criminal. A puzzling aspect about the case is that the criminal used an iron-bar, but the model was strangled to death. Can Shinichi uncover the truth?

A former psychologist, who has the ability to recognizes lies through behaviour and mimic, now works as a detective. He uses his ability for solving difficult cases.

A young woman named Izumi suffers the loss of her boyfriend Junichi, who died from a fatal motorcycle accident. The shock from her boyfriend's sudden death causes Izumi to lose her memory from the time of the accident. A lawyer named Makiko then helps Izumi to remember the final moments of her boyfriend's life.

39-year-old Ogata Satoko is a highly capable psychiatrist who is single. She's forthright, a caring older sister and reliable in her job and in private. Her interests are staying in luxurious Japanese inns and watching stand-up comedy videos.

Satoko hasn't had a boyfriend in the past five years. Nevertheless, she derives satisfaction from work and isn't worried about her finances. Among her good friends that she hangs out with are 35-year-old Morimura Nao, her junior who proclaims that she won't marry, and 39-year-old Oikawa Sadao, her peer since high school. Satoko is happily enjoying the single life.

At an alumni reunion as everyone is on the verge of 40, Takeuchi Mizue, her good friend since high school who is now a full-time housewife, rushes Satoko into action. "If you want children, you should marry now" and "It's women's happiness", but both are lost on Satoko, who isn't convinced.

One day, Satoko attempts to cheer up Nao, who is downcast over a shocking incident, and goes to her favourite hot-spring inn. There she coincidentally encounters a breakup between a handsome but somewhat odd man, Okamura Keitaro, and his girlfriend.

Kuryu Kohei is an unconventional prosecutor at the Josai branch of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. One day Kuryu is asked to take on a case which his colleague, Shibayama, prosecuted. The case looks simple with a confession by the accused, but the accused changes his plea at the first hearing and now claims his innocence.

Kuryu is faced with Gamo Kazuomi, an attorney who prides himself with the highest number of winning acquittals for criminal cases in Japan. While Kuryu is puzzled by the appearance of such a high profile attorney for a relatively minor case without publicity, Gamo steadily drives Kuryu into a corner with his unperturbed and varied tactics.

Meanwhile, Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting the special investigation on the a bribery case of Hanaoka Renzaburo, a major Diet member. Unbeknownst to Kuryu, it turns out that the adjudication of the case holds the key to a bribery case of Hanaoka Renzaburo. Kuryu and Hanaoka had an encounter in the past, but Kuryu concentrates on bringing out the truth of his case and with his legal aide Amamiya.

Five years after leaving Josai bureau, Kuryu Kohei, who has been working in Sapporo, Hokkaido, is transferred to Nijigaura, Yamaguchi (a fictitious town, its real name is Nijigahama), a quiet place on the seaside where he arrives precisely when the first murder in eleven years has been committed. Soon, Takita Akihiko, the most beloved and influent person of the town, is suspected and Kuryu has to deal with this problem, as the other members are too frightened to take any action.

An SP in which the atmosphere of the renzoku series is kept, even though the cast has been almost entirely replaced. The fact that the story is located in the countryside gives the little bit of originality this episode needed. And it is with great pleasure that we meet again several characters of the renzoku series who make an apparition as guests.

Kurosaki is a young man whose family was destroyed by swindlers. He gows up and become a swindler himself, known as Kurosagi. He swindles other con artists and returns the money to the original victim. He works with the master swindler Katsuragi Toshio even though Toshio had a hand in the destruction of Kurosaki's family.

He's life begins to change when he meets Yoshikawa Tsurara, a young law student who disapproves of his disrespect of the law.

Kohei Kuryu is a former juvenile delinquent who drops out of junior high and goes on to earn a high school equivalency diploma. After passing the law board exams, Kuryu becomes a prosecutor. Not your typical prosecutor, which is quickly seen through the clothes that he wears, Kuryu possesses quick instincts and a kind of cleverness that only someone raised on the streets could have.

Maiko Amamiya is a shrewd public prosecutor who has her eyes set on passing the exam to become a deputy prosecutor and tries her best to be noticed by her boss. Kuryu, on the other hand, after earning a reputation for doing top-notch work, is transferred to Amamiya's division, and finally opens his eyes to the possibility of promotion. Unfortunately, his unprecedented work behavior abruptly brings things to a halt.

Although earning a reputation as a bad apple, the influence from Kuryu's strong pursuit of justice slowly begins to change things around him. This drama is filled with it all; love, laughs and lots of emotion.

Five young people together attended the same high school. Later, they realize that some things are still the same and some things have changed a lot (loves, betrayal, friends, etc.) You will wonder who Shinichi will end up with at the end, Tsuyumi or Junko?

Tatsuya was killed in a car accident and his spirit lives in Hikata - the one who killed him in the accident. Since then, he had a hard time trying to change his girlfriend's perception of "him" or "Hikata" while still trying to protect her.

Episodes: 13

Duration: 54 min.

Aired On: Monday