Asian Drama

Sequel to Kingdom (2019).

Kiryu Kaoru is a lonely robot engineer. Since he was a child, he has lived without feeling that he exists. To counteract his anxieties, he was devoted to developing his own android as another "me" in an old Western-style building that no one visits now. One day, his half-brother, who he hadn't seen for a long time, visited.

Tokita Shingo is a detective who gives up on a successful detective career. He teams up with up with rookie detective Shiina Asobu. They work on an undercover investigation into a drug case and soon find themselves in an unexpected situation.

Shinichi Tsuda, a Naoki Prize winning author, is working to publish his newest story. It revolves around Tsuyama, a driver for a call girl business in Toyama Prefecture, who comes across a mysterious counterfeit bill and has his life targeted by underworld kingpin Kurata. Is his story fact or fiction? His editor, Nahomi Torikai, decides to verify whether his latest work is mere fiction based on real-life experiences. She looks into a family that vanished, a post office worker who went missing, a shady load of cash, the whereabouts of the doves, and the fateful encounter from that night... A series of shocking facts are revealed from Tsuda’s stories. Why did the counterfeit money end up in Tsuda’s hands? What is the “ending” that Tsuda wished to portray?

Adapted from a novel of the same name.

Soma Ito is a high school student in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. She has a talent for playing Tsugaru-shamisen. The music is native to Aomori Prefecture and involves the traditional folk instrument Tsugaru-shamisen, which is a plucked three-string instrument. Ito learned to play Tsugaru-shamisen from her now-deceased mother. Due to her strong Tsugaru dialect and her shy personality, she has a hard time playing in public and also experiences difficulty in social settings. She doesn't have any friends. To change herself, Ito begins a part-time job at a maid cafe. Her father Koichi watches anxiously over her, while she works her new job. By meeting various people, Ito begins to grow as a person.

Aoi Minase is in her 40's. She works as a popular writer of romance novels. She is also a single mother, who raised her daughter alone. Her daughter is now 20-years-old. Due to Aoi Minase's success as a romance novelist, Aoi lives with her daughter in an upscale high-rise apartment building. Aoi is worried about her daughter. Her daughter doesn't have a boyfriend. Aoi Minase believes this is because her daughter is an otaku, who enjoys manga and cosplay. Her daughter does want to fall in love.

Meanwhile, Aoi’s daughter is worried about her mother. Her mother has a girl like sensibility and oblivious to the ways of the world. Somehow, Aoi and her daughter decide to meet someone to fall in love with.

Badass Makino has been on the run from Japan to Taiwan, looking for the cold-blooded killer Shima who is in self-imposed exile because of the death of a triad boss’ daughter. Makino knows the truth that the girl’s death wasn’t an accident, he decides to help Shima escape and hatches his own revenge.

Set at the end of Edo period. With the approaching threat of foreigners, the Annaka lord's Katsuaki Itakura decided to train samurais by holding an excursion running through ten Gosato (about 58 km) along the mountain road.

However, this movement is mistaken for treason by the shogunate, who decide to assassinate Katsuaki staying in the castle during the absence of samurais. Only one person, a man who knew that a crisis is approaching, in order to stop the plan, begins to run.

Adapted from the novel by Akihiro Dobashi "Edo marathon Samurai"

Junoshin Kake (Gou Ayano) is a ronin. To get hired by the Kurokaze Han, he lies and tells them that a religious group is trying to destroy them. He gets hired by the Kurokaze Han, but they learn that Junoshin Kake lied. Junoshin Kake is given the death sentence and he must think of an escape plan.

An environmental analyst is asked by the police to determine if two deaths by hydrogen sulfide poisoning are an accident - or a murder. But when he meets a young woman at both sites, a scientific mystery begins.

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.

Kozo Nakase attends meetings for single widowers looking to remarry. He meets Sayoko Takeuchi and eventually marries her. Not longer after their marriage, he suddenly collapses and dies, leaving everything to Sayako. The rest of his family, including his daughter Tomomi, are left out of his will. Tomomi hires Honda, a private investigator, to find out more about Sayoko.

Meanwhile, Sayoko works with Toru Kashiwagi, the director of the matchingmaking service. When older wealthy men register for the service, she charms them until they eventually leave everything to her. Sayoko and Toru always split the spoils 50/50. After Kozo Nakase's death, Sayoko begins attending the matchmaking meetings again. Kiharu Funayama becomes her next target, but Sayoko sincerely falls for Kiharu.

In 1947, a year heavily tinged by the scars of war, Kitazawa Taro, Mitamura Kiichi, Arikawa Nobuo and other fellow poets who would play a central role in post-war Japan’s modern poetry movement gathered for the launch of the poetry magazine ‘Arechi’. 28 years later in 1975, a 53-year-old Kitazawa works at a newspaper’s proofreading department as he continues scrape by composing poetry. Although he is not prolific as a poet, he cherishes ordinary happiness every day surrounded by his wife Haruko and their daughter Yuko and son Sho. But a big turning point comes for Kitazawa one day. He develops frequent contact with Akiko, the wife of his good friend Mitamura. Falling in love with her, he abandons his job and leaves his wife Haruko and two children behind. As he starts to live with Akiko who has also left home, he recovers an unprecedented passion and “words”. Each of them start to live the life of the “wasteland”.

The Man Behind the Scissors centers around two serial killers: mastermind Yasunaga and helper Chinatsu. The two risk being found out when the police question them as witnesses to a gruesome murder they themselves may have committed. A quirky and perplexing police thriller centered around two murderers who thrive on slicing up schoolgirls. Calculated serial psycho Yasunaga (Tokokawa) and Chinatsu (Aso), his sweet female sidekick, find themselves being questioned as witnesses to a murder when their next potential victim turns up dead...with their M.O.

Tsugumi Dozono (Nana Eikura) works at a large electronics company in Tokyo. She likes to spend long vacations at her grandmother’s house in the countryside. One day, her grandmother passes away and Tsugumi Dozono decides to live in her grandmother's house while working from home. She finds a strange middle-aged man in the house. The man's name is Jun Kaieda (Etsushi Toyokawa).

Jun Kaieda tells Tsugumi that he is her grandmother’s ex-student and her grandmother gave him a key to the annex house. Tsugumi, who does not know the exact relationship between her grandmother and Jun, begins to live with him.

Toyokawa Etsushi and Ito Hideaki appear together for the first time in what is a never-before-seen lawyer-oriented drama. The original work by Iura Hideo, "Bengoshi no Kuzu," is currently being published by Big Comic Original. Our main character, Kuzu Motohito--aka "scum lawyer"--will do just about anything if it means he can win in court. Lawyers aren't on the side of justice! The law isn't meant to punish people, it's meant to save them! At least, that's this guy's secret motto. High school drop-out, lover of money and women, rude demeanor, and a vulgar mouth. This ridiculous excuse for a lawyer (played by Toyokawa Etsushi) has his first challenge in this comedy as the character Kuzu Motohito. And then there's Takeda Masami (played by Ito Hideaki) who works with Kuzu; Takeda Masami is a wet behind the ears lawyer who is touched by the very idea of justice. Takashima Reiko plays the capable female lawyer, Kato Tetsuko. "You'll laugh, you'll cry...a satisfying Legal Human Comedy that breaks through all the rules of the legal world."

The 50th NHK Taiga drama is Gou. The story focuses on the life of Gou, a wife of the second Tokugawa shogun Hidetada. Gou was the third daughter of the daimyo Azai Nagamasa, who was married to the sister of Oda Nobunaga. One of Gou's older sisters was the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, while the other married the daimyo Kyogoku Takatsugu

One day a father with a young daughter is diagnosed as a sufferer of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The father, Kinoshita Keisuke has been separated from his wife by death and has worked at the factory's dorm with his daughter ever since. A skilled craftsman at the metalworking factory, Keisuke is a man with a sunny disposition who is also the team coach for a boys' baseball team. Surrounded by his friends of the neighborhood, he has lived happily with his daughter up until today. Things take a turn when Keisuke realizes that his forgetfulness has taken its toll. He is diagnosed as having early-onset Alzheimer's disease. His daughter, Kinoshita Miu played by child actor prodigy Ashida Mana, is a strong reliable girl on the outside but still a young and vulnerable girl on the inside. Overcoming her mother's death with her cheerful personality much like her fathers', she too must face the consequences of the sickness with her father... A father who has looked after his daughter by himself all this time and a daughter who held faith in her father even without the existence of her mother. Tied to each other by a strong bond, how will they face reality and overcome it? ~ Fuji TV

 Toward the end of World War II, middle-aged soldier Keita is entrusted with a postcard from a comrade who is sure he will die in battle. After the war ends, Keita visits his comrade's wife Yuko and bears witness to the tragic life she has led. This year's Oscar entry from Japan finds SHINDO in top form and his 49th and reportedly last film as fresh and poignant as ever. Written by Nippon Connection Film Festival

Set at the end of the Taisho era (1920s) at Ishiuchi Jinjo Higher Elementary School in the mountains of Hiroshima prefecture, there was a fervent teacher called Mr. Ichikawa (Akira Emoto). He always placed his pupils first and took any issues to heart. His warm personality is forever remembered by his former pupils. For Yoshito (Etsushi Toyokawa), who skipped town after his family went bankrupt, Mr. Ichikawa's memory remains especially precious. 30 years later, a reunion is organized to celebrate Mr. Ichikawa's retirement. Yoshito, who has gone to Tokyo but remains a struggling screenwriter, musters courage to attend the gathering where he has a tearful reunion with the teacher. Thereafter, Yoshito visits Mr. Ichikawa whenever possible, however, his advancing age means he is getting closer to the end of his life. "Teacher and Three Children" - 44th Kaneto Shindo film.

When I first read the synopsis I wasn't too sure about this film, but once I'd watched it, I was glad I had.  At first glance, I thought it would be a typically goofy Japanese comedy. But I was pleasantly surprised.Of course, I would always watch a Shindo film and know I would find much to like. In this case, it was the humanity and depth of feeling that Shindo captures throughout the film that impressed me. It is light hearted in general and has many humourous scenes, but it always comes back to the emotional needs of the characters and the goodness of character and concern for others that helps them pull through the different trials life brings.It's definitely not sugar coated. There's lots of hardship and things don't work out the way the characters might hope. I don't know if you'd call this a 'feel good' movie, but it certainly leaves you with a sense of the goodness in people however imperfect we might be.

Tooru (Kenichi Matsuyama ) spent his childhood living on the Tateyama Mountain Range with his father. He rebelled against his strict father and he now works as a trader in the financial world. One day, Tooru learns that his father has died. He travels back to the Tateyama Mountain Range for his father's funeral. Eventually, Tooru decides to stay on the mountains. He decides to takeover his father's cottage. At first, Tooru finds difficulties living on the mountain again, but soon he becomes healed by nature. A strange man then appears and introduces himself as Goro (Etsushi Toyokawa), a friend of his late father's.

Kiichiro Ota has recently begun work at an advertising agency. He is then forced to participate in the world's biggest TV Advertising Festival as a judge. There's parties held there every night and Kiichiro is paired with Hikari Ota, who shares the same family name, to act like husband and wife there.

At the festival, Kiichiro learns that if he doesn't allow the CM from his agency to win the grand prize then he will be fired. Directors from all over the world are gathered at the festival and the judges work within a hotel that is completely closed off. The directors scheme and bargain to make their agency win the grand prize.

Rival Japanese judges appear in front of Kiichiro.

Yuichi Mafune is known as a finance broker, but he's actually a conman. One day, two men show up in front of Yuichi. One man is "M" and the other is his underling Yuki Seki. They ask Yuichi Mafune to steal the "M funds". The "M funds" is thought to be a longheld legend that massive amounts of gold and other stolen loot from World War II were hidden in the basement of a Japanese bank. The loot was then taken by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces to fund secret operations.

Yuichi accepts the proposal after hearing of the large fee offerred if successful. In order to steal the "M funds," which Yuichi isn't even sure if it exists, "M" plans an unprecedented money game which brings in interests from the U.S., Russia and other places.

Set in the year 2017, the Japanese government attempts to secretly control the DNA of its people. Ryuhei Kagura is a top scientist in the field of DNA analysis. He works at the DNA analysis institution run by the National Police Agency.

When the inventor of the DNA analysis system is murdered, Ryuhei Kagura's own DNA is found at the murder scene. Ryuhei Kagura becomes the prime suspect and then he becomes a fugitive. Veteran detective Reiji Asama goes in pursuit.

One day a puppy comes to the house of Akari, who has just turned twelve and was trying hard to act strong after her mother suddenly fell ill. She immediately falls in love with the puppy and names it "Socks" after the paws which looked like they had white socks on. Akari was together with Socks day and night. However, as Akari grows up, her feelings and interests move away from Socks. Year by year, their distance grows, which also leads to her physical distance as she moves to a far-off city, and must leave Socks behind to a childhood friend. One day, Akari remembers the 10 promises that she had made with Socks and her deceased mother.

Uehara Jiro, in the sixth year at elementary school, is from a family of five; his parents who are both ex-extremists, his elder sister and a younger sister. Children look coldly at their father, Ichiro, who does not work but is quick at lashing out for anything illogical. One day, Jiro snaps at a junior high school student in the neighborhood who ridiculed his parents and causes a violent incident. Being tired of all the fuss made by the school and the response from the child welfare, the Uehara family moves to the island of Iriomotejima, father's hometown. However, the island is in the midst of a row over a development plan to build resort facilities, and the family is sucked into the mayhem. Ichiro and his wife Sakura are arrested, but they break loose. They are forced to live a life as fugitives, and are unable to live with their children. The children, however, understand that their parents do not want to succumb to the establishment and support them.

Hula Girl is a true story set in the 60s. Stricken by the recession due to the adoption of oil as a primary energy resource, the charcoal mine of Joban, in Iwaki city, decides to relay on tourism and to use the hot springs on its territory to create the 'Joban Hawaian Center', spa resort and theme park of Hawaian inspiration. To fulfill this project, the mine direction creates a hula dance troop, facing the incredulity and even the opposition of the majority of the population.

Hula Girl tells the struggle of those young women who chose to enter the dance troop.

The story concerns a boy called Shuji, growing up in a rural area of Japan where the community is divided into "Shore" and "Offshore" - the latter so-named because it is built on reclaimed land. He meets a few main...

Yokai are major figures of Japanese folklore, spirits that occupy virtually everything in the world around us. Some, such as the turtle-like Kappa, are relatively well known, but there are hundreds of others, maybe even thousands. They are the spiritual element of everything in the world around us, and as such they deserve to be treated with respect. But humanity isn't much good at respect. We consume, destroy, wear out and discard with no thought to anything but ourselves, a situation very distressing to the yokai, so distressing that the villainous Kato - accompanied by his deadly assistant Agi, played by Battle Royale and Kill Bill's Chiaki Kuriyama - has concocted an extreme response. Kato is gathering up yokai of all sorts, preying upon the harmless and the weak, and forcibly fusing them with discarded metallic junk to create vicious killing machines that he plans to unleash on humanity. And who must stop Kato's evil plot? Young Tadashi, a pre-teen boy gone to live in the country following his parents' divorce. Tadashi is crowned the Kirin Rider at a local festival, a title everyone assumes is honourary until it turns out no, it falls to Tadashi to travel to find the Great Goblin and retrieve the magical sword that is the only hope of defeating Kato.

Based on a novel by Iwai Shimako, Jiyuu Renai (a.k.a. Bluestockings) is the story of a love triangle between a man and two beautiful women. Masato Harada (Kamikaze Taxi, Bounce Ko Gals) directed the film, which is set during the days of Japan’s male-dominated Taisho Era (1912-1926), when it was difficult for women to have both love and a career. Yuichiro (Toyokawa Etsushi of Angel Dust and Undo) is the son of a wealthy merchant family, who’s happily married to Akiko (Hasegawa Kyoko of Three…Extremes). When Akiko’s friend Kiyoko (Kimura Yoshino of Ichigo no Kakera) gets divorced, Akiko decides to help her find a job in Yuichiro’s company. Akiko even lends Kiyoko her kimono for the interview. But upon seeing Kiyoko, Yuichiro is immediately smitten…

A train station attendant falls in love with the wife of the son of a powerful community leader. When Yoshimori sees how unhappy Kahori is in her new marriage, he impulsively runs away with her and her 9-year-old daughter. But nowhere are they able to find peace, for her husband is always just a step behind them.

In the middle of a bustling metropolis, how could it be that there is only one apple tree? No matter how much Hiroko jumps to try to pluck the apple, she cannot reach it. Fortunately, Kohji passes by and plucks the apple for her. Kohji is a rising young artist who because he lost his hearing at the age of 7, lives by only expressing himself through paintings. Furthermore, Hiroko is a young actress who practices acting with a drama troupe while holding a part-time job.

The two meet again and again in the park until one day, she learns that Kohji is deaf. Through their initial attraction, Hiroko begins to learn Japanese sign language in order to communicate with Kohji and as their relationship develops, several obstacles arise as well.

The life story of Ashikaga Takauji, the founder and the first Sei-I-Tai-Shogun of Ashikaga Shogunate. He was born in the late Kamakura Period, during the time of discontentment with the Hojo clan's monopoly in the Shogunate administration. Emperor Go-Daigo took this opportunity to restore back Emperor's power. After some failed earlier attempts, he succeeded eventually with the help of a few independent Samurai Lords and Takauji's betrayal of the Hojo clan. However, it was not long before the Samurai class revolted due to unfair treatment and discontentment with the Nobles' domination in the new government. As the head of Minamoto descendants, Takauji took responsibility to confront Go-Daigo and establish Ashikaga Shogunate.

Adapted from the novel "Shihon Taiheiki" by Yoshikawa Eiji.

Mitsuki Kishida and Shoko are in a marriage of convenience. Their arranged marriage was largely to satisfy their parental wishes and the general Japanese society at large. Mitsuki is a well respected doctor, while Shoko does translation work. What most people don't know is that Mitsuki is gay and even has a boyfriend named Kon that Shoko is aware of. Meanwhile, Shoko has problems of her own and teeters on alcoholism. Strangely enough affection occurs between the two ...