Asian Drama

A shocking incident is the start of a tragic chain of events that befall an ordinary family of four: Maehara Akio, his wife Yaeko, their son and Akio’s elderly mother, Masae. Akio is a commonplace company employee but has to carry his family’s tragedy on his shoulders as a psychological battle unfolds between himself and Kaga Kyoichiro. In order to get the Maeharas back to being a genuine family, Kaga disentangles the complex web of family interactions with his keen perception. Just when it is determined that the case has been solved.

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Drama series depicts the life of Ieyasu Tokugawa (January 31, 1543 - June 1, 1616).

Takechiyo (later becomes Tokugawa Ieyasu) was born as the son of a poor and powerless daimyo. Takechiyo lost his father during a war. He grew up lonely and away from his mother. Takechiyo didn't have a clue about what his future would hold. He then has a dramatic meeting with young Oda Nobunaga.

Drama series depicts the life of Ieyasu Tokugawa (January 31, 1543 - June 1, 1616).

Takechiyo (later becomes Tokugawa Ieyasu) was born as the son of a poor and powerless daimyo. Takechiyo lost his father during a war. He grew up lonely and away from his mother. Takechiyo didn't have a clue about what his future would hold. He then has a dramatic meeting with young Oda Nobunaga.

Mystery writer "M" has a girlfriend of 5 years named "F". After a trivial tiff on the night of Halloween, "F" goes off the radar for a good 3 weeks. At the suggestions of those around him, "M" starts to search for "F" but gets a shock to find out from those around her that "F" is actually different from what he has always known.

Adapted from essay "Subete Wasurete Shimau Kara" (すべて忘れてしまうから) by Cinder (燃え殻).

Naruse Tsukasa works as a detective. He is enthusiastic about his job. To catch criminals, he sometimes breaks rules that detectives should follow. Naruse Tsukasa works on a voice phishing case that targets elderly people. He targets a suspect without a warrant. Due to his, Naruse Tsukasa gets transferred to the police musical band.

A year after the celebrated cracking of "The Glorious Team Batista" case, the talented medical staff at Tojo University Hospital once again finds itself embroiled in a web of intrigue and scandal. The scandal occurs this time in the ER when a mysterious letter arrives for Dr. Kimiko Taguichi. The letter reads: "Chief Surgeon Hayami of the Emergency Center has a collusive relationship with a medical supplies maker. And the head nurse is in on it with him." An unimaginable truth then awaits. ~~ Adapted from the novel series "Team Batista" (チーム・バチスタシリーズ ) by Kaido Takeru (海堂尊).

Yasuo grew up as an orphan. He married a woman he loved and they had a son Akira. Yasuo's life seemed great at the time, but his life totally changed after his wife died in an accident. Since that time, Yasuo, who never experienced his parents' love himself, has to raise his son Akira alone.

Adapted from the novel "Kite" (とんび) by Shigematsu Kiyoshi (重松清).

Niina Masayoshi is the leader of DCU. The group was newly created by the Japan Coast Guard and stands for Deep Crime Unit. Their mission is to find evidence and dead bodies hidden underwater, that are crucial to solving criminal cases. Niina Masayoshi never gives up investigating the truth.

9 years after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, two murder cases take place in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. The two victims are assumed to have been murdered by the same person. Both of the victims were tied all over their body and starved to death. Yasuhisa Tone emerges as a suspect in the murders. Yasuhisa Tone was just recently released from prison. In his past, he committed arson and injured someone to protect his acquaintance. Detective Seiichiro Tomashino discovers a common link between the two victims and chases after Yasuhisa Tone.

A few years ago, a group of struggling students at a low-ranked high school made it into Japan’s top college, Tokyo University, thanks to Kenji Sakuragi, a down-on-his-luck lawyer-turned-teacher. But since he left, the school has been on a downward spiral. Now they’ve wooed him back and he’s determined to turn things around again – this time with the motto: “Times are tough! So get a move on!” Students are overwhelmed with choices and desperate for something to hold onto. With his profound belief in their ability, Kenji offers a ray of hope. ~~ Adapted from the manga "Dragon Zakura 2" (ドラゴン桜2) by Mita Norifusa

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

Kuwano Shinsuke, a successful architect, is well-to-do, knowledgeable and good-looking. He is now 53, still lives alone in the same apartment, which has the latest gadgets, and enjoys single life. Although he fell for Hayasaka Natsumi, the doctor who treated him and changed his perspective toward marriage, and even dated, they later broke up. So Kuwano’s heart is shut firmly to love again. He is even more eccentric now, and feels a little anxious when he thinks about the future. One day, the wheels of fate start to move all of a sudden after a chance encounter with some women.

After Tamiko Kazami 's husband passes away, she works their dairy farm. People around her oppose her, but she places her cattle out to pasture which her late husband persisted. Tamiko's situation is not very good. Her father-in-law's chronic disease gets worse and she must do all the labor by herself. One night, a man comes to stay the night because of a broken bike. Tamiko asks him "Please work here."

During the Late Tang Dynasty, a manor is invaded by a demon cat and a sense of unrest befalls the capital of Changan. A poet is charged with investigating the case and meets up with a monk. The two work...

Yohei is a middle school teacher married to Miyoko. For the first time in 25 years, they begin to live by themselves after their son marries and moves out. One day, Yohei finds divorce papers which Miyoko keeps hidden, but he doesn't have the courage to ask her about it and agonizes over the papers. His involvement with students and associate in a cooking class, allows Yohei to recognize the concept of an ideal family. He takes new first steps with Miyoko.

Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko (Yoko Maki) and he has an 11-years-old son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa). His mother Yoshiko (Kirin Kiki) lives alone at her apartment. One day, Ryota, his ex-wife Kyoko, and son Shingo gather at Yoshiko's apartment. A typhoon passes and the family must stay there all night long.

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.

Tsukuda Kohei, a man who gives up his career as a researcher to succeed his father's manufacturing factory strives with his workers to overcome the troubles and pursue their passion in manufacturing. Though Kohei quits research at the Space Science Development Agency to succeed Tsukuda Manufacturing, he cannot leave behind his passion for developing rocket. The cost for developing rocket engine has put Kohei's company in serious financial trouble. While he scrambles for funds, their rival company - Nakashima Industrial - sues Tsukuda Manufacturing for patent infringement. The company's reputation soon goes down and banks refuse to finance them, but then one of the leading companies in Japan, Teikoku Heavy Industries, offers to buy a Tsukuda's patent for 2 billion yen. Although the company is heavily in debt and desperately needs the cash, the patent is what the engineers put their dreams. Kohei - a president who is responsible for the living of his workers - faces a difficult judgement to make.

On 9 August (Showa 20) 1945, one streetcar starts to run on the streets of Hiroshima which has been devastated. The surviving employees of the electric tram company had begun recovery work since the day after the atomic bomb was dropped. The bent tracks were hammered down and the overhead wires were set up again. A mere three days after the bombing, they manage to resume service on a section of the route. The drivers are young girls in their mid-teens who work while studying at the company’s girls school for home economics. Working in place of the males who have gone off to war, they are crew of the streetcar and even in charge of driving. 16-year-old Amada Toyoko (Kuroshima Yuina) is one of them. Born in a farming village in the outskirts of Hiroshima, Toyoko had heard that she could study while working, and came to Hiroshima. She was driving during the morning shift on the day that the atomic bomb was dropped, but miraculously survived although she was thrown out of the streetcar. Now she stands at the driver’s seat with her head wrapped in a bandage. The car is filled with people who are going in search of family members. Everyone clings to hope and stares ahead. Then the end of the war greets them. The streetcar continues to run on the streets of Hiroshima which has lost everything.

“Once the streetcar runs, Hiroshima will come to life again!” Matsuura Akitaka (Abe Hiroshi), the head of the electric tram company’s electrical section and a widower with three children, is tasked with restoring the main routes within one month. The streetcar which travels the forlorn streets becomes the hope of Hiroshima before anyone realises it.

Shimura Kingo fails his duty to protect the life of the Shogun‘s chief minister, and spends his life tracking down the assassins. However, all but one of the assassins die before Kingo can reach them. Still, Kingo presses on.

The story is about a set of twin baby boys who were created/cloned in the laboratory as a part of gene altering/gene therapy experiment. Because of the nature of the project, the twins were born with superior physical strength, supernatural powers and extremely high IQ. Unfortunately, the twins were separated at birth. One of the brothers, Sei, grew up to be an elite bio-chemistry scientist in America. He was assigned to a project where he has to travel to a small island in Japan to investigate an unidentified virus that is spreading on the island. By a freak of nature, he found out that he has a twin brother, Rin, whose evil, dark personality is entirely opposite of him.

What is going to happen when they finally meet face to face? WHat are their true identities? Why were they separated at birth, what other secrets are hidden from them? Does the fast spreading virus has anything to do with the twins? Who created them? And why?

In 1976, on the southern island of Yamijima, the sea turns red, a siren begins wailing -- and all but one of the inhabitants disappear. The sole survivor is discovered with his mind gone and his eyes bulging with terror. Twenty-nine years later, Shinichi, a mild-mannered freelance writer, comes to live on the island with his grown daughter, Yuki, and his young son, Hideo. Shinichi hopes that the change of scenery will heal his sickly son. They are greeted on their arrival by the kindly Dr. Minamida, but the other inhabitants stare at them blankly, sullenly. Their house, deep in the forest, has not been inhabited in years -- and looks it. A neighbor lady comes calling and offers Yuki advice with a frazzled urgency: Don't walk alone at night, don't go to the steel tower on the hill -- and if the siren on the tower sounds, don't go outside. Yuki learns that her new home has other . . . peculiarities, including a sinister folk religion, strange graffiti, and an eerie folk song. Meanwhile, Hideo keeps wandering off. Then one day the siren starts wailing . . . and Yuki finds out what all the warnings really mean.

Etsuko runs a quaint little cafe located at the tip of Cape Myogane in Chiba Prefecture. Joined by her devoted nephew Koji, she has heart-warming exchanges with the people who gather there day after day.

Constantly on the run from a vicious loan shark, two small-time con artists, Take and Tetsu, plan their biggest and most complex con yet in order to get revenge and retire from a life of crime. However, things get complicated when they cross paths with Mahiro, a young woman that Take inadvertently orphaned during a job gone awry years ago. Seeing Mahiro down on her luck, Take tries to relieve his guilt by taking her on as a partner, while hiding his true identity. But as his plan unfolds, Take discovers that he isn't the only one with a secret.

Seri, an unknown yet talented female chef from the country, arrives in Tokyo to work at French restaurant, Etoire, but discovers that they have gone out of business due to the departure of their main chef. Together with the restaurant's former manager, she opens a French restaurant of her own and begins to recreate the flavors her late father mastered as a famous gourmet chef. Unfortunately, Etoire returns with an unscrupulous manager, and to make matters worse, Seri learns that it happens to be owned by her birth mother living in Paris who she hasn't seen since she was a child. Seri wonders if her passion and skill will be enough to succeed. --TBSCast:

In ancient Rome, bathhouse architect Lucius (Hiroshi Abe) becomes famous with designing the original "thermae" (bathhouse). He receives an order to build a thermae in the colosseum to help gladiators recover from their wounds, but faces difficulties. Thus, Lucius travels again to modern day Japan through the time slip. He meets Manami (Aya Ueto) again, who is now a reporter for a magazine which covers bathroom. With the help of the flat face Japanese tribe, Lucius again designs a new thermae. Meanwhile, Emperor Hadrian (Masachika Ichimura) wants to keep the peace with the thermae, but the Senate wants to extend the land by using force. Emperor Hadrian and the Senate now have a confrontation and Rome becomes divided. 1. Filming began April 6, 2013. Shooting will take place at Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, Cinecittà film studio in Rome, Italy, and a hot spring in Japan. "Thermae Romae II" is thought to be the first Japanese film to shoot in Bulgaria. An estimated 5,000 foreign extras are participating in the filming of "Thermae Romae II" in Bulgaria.

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.

A man's body is found under the statue of a giraffe with wings in the Nihombashi area of Tokyo. A suspect named Yashima has a car accident and falls unconscious while he is attempting to run away. Yashima's lover Kaori comes from Fukushima and tells detectives that he is absolutely not a criminal. Meanwhile, Detective Kyoichiro Kaga's (Hiroshi Abe) investigates and uncovers a point of contact between the dead body and Yashima. A hidden fact of the victim is revealed which even his children did not know about ...

Upon entering high school, two best friends named Hana and Alice notice a boy a year older them while waiting for the train, and they both develop a pretty strong crush on him. One day while secretly following him home, Hana witnesses the boy walk right into a wall and pass out. When he wakes up, she lies and convinces him that he must have amnesia, because he doesn't remember the fact that she was his girlfriend. After this, hilarity ensues as the two girls attempt to run with the lie. Of course, complications soon arise.

Saijo Mie is the new concierge at a hotel. She receives unreasonable requests from different guests everyday. Sugawara, her superior tells her that there are three words that a concierge should never say, “No” “It’s not possible” “I can’t”. It is not just the guests who come to the concierge desk that aggravate Mie. Those pampered guests who stay in the hotel’s suite rooms also give her tall orders beyond all imagination. Will Mie be able to deal with the challenges posed by these troublesome characters?

A unique duo of a beautiful female magician and a strange physician are back! After two successful TV series, a record high DVD sales record in the newly released drama category, a smash hit theatrical movie, the best selling novelized book, etc., the show has made a come back to a weekly prime time slot. The drama takes place at a remote mountain village bound by convention. In each episode, a beautiful female magician and a strange physician witness various supernatural phenomena far beyond their imagination. Just as the previous series, the two will try to investigate and seek what lies behind these paranormal events and logically prove what the tactful trick would be, only, if any. Now reaching its third series, the drama assures an ever more emphasis on the performance of the unique casting, stronger and original scripts, and more fun delving into the mysteries of this favorite title! -- TV Asahi

Although her father was a great magician, Yamada Naoko is merely a competent magician who utterly lacks showmanship. She has a hard time making a living, and is constantly behind on her rent. That's where Ueda Jiro comes in. Ueda is a professor of physics who is also an author of books debunking the psychic and supernatural. People with problems of a supernatural nature seek out his assistance. But who ends up doing most of the work? Yamada may not be the best magician, but she has a genius for seeing through other people's "tricks," and Ueda uses this to his advantage. Their strange and often very funny partnership is the real reason people get hooked on this series.

Although 23 year old Yamada Naoko (Nakama Yukie) is a "super" magician, she is continously fired and constantly hounded by her landlady for the rent being late. After being fired once again, her boss shows her an ad of a physics professor, a non-believer of all things magical, offering money to anyone who can prove to him that magic is real. Desperately needing the money, Naoko accepts the challenge, which is how she comes to meet Professor Ueda (Abe Hiroshi). Falling prey to her simple magic tricks, Ueda is impressed, and enlists Naoko to help him uncover the tricks behind a local cult. Their hilarious antics, along with those of police officer Yabe, leads them onto further mysteries, all with tricks needing to be solved and revealed!

"Tenchijin" centers on the life of Naoe Kanetsugu, a samurai who lived in the 16th century in Echigo Province in north central Japan. Kanetsugu was trained by Uesugi Kenshin, who taught him that living one's life with honor and integrity was more important than winning battles. After Kenshin's death, Kanetsugu continues to loyally serve the Uesugi family, supporting Kenshin's son Kagekatsu and the people of Echigo.

The story takes place during Japan's tumultuous 19th century Meiji Period and is told through the military officers and brothers, Akiyama Yoshifuru and Akiyama Saneyuki and the poet Masaoka Shiki who used their ingenuity to fight an uphill battle during the Russo-Japanese War.

No Longer Human" tells the story of a young man who has felt since childhood utterly alien from others around him. Since that time he has learned to put on a face to hide his alienation. He feels incapable of belonging to the human society, especially so by society's refusal to take him seriously. He then follows a descent into alcohol, drugs, & suicide ... Yozo Oba (Toma Ikuta) was born into a wealthy family in Tsugaru. As a child he practiced smiling to hide his true feelings and to get along with others. His classmate Dakeichi found out about Yozo's eccentric behavior and told others about him. But Dakeichi also told Yozo a strange prediction about his life ... that he will become popular with the ladies and draw beautiful pictures. During Yozo's high school years he moved to Tokyo. In Tokyo he meets Horiki (Yusuke Iseya), a guy six years older than him. Horiki is known for being a player and one day drags Yozo to the Blue Flower Bar run by Madame Ritsuko (Michiyo Ookusu). At the bar there is poet Chuya Nakahara (Go Morita) who proclaims "war is brown like the color of shit". Yozo doesn't say anything as he takes in the environment. Yozo starts to drink more often and starts to live the fast life like Horiki. Like Dakeichi's prediction, Yozo also becomes popular with the ladies and always has a woman next to him. But, Yozo starts to become sick of this lifestyle. At a cafe, Yozo meets Hisako (Shinobu Terajima) a women who lets him drink without paying. Yozo senses that Hisako feels a heavy sense of loneliness like himself. One day Yozo and Hisako attempts to kill themselves out in the Sea of Kamakura. Hisako dies, but Yozo survives. His family then takes Yozo to a sanitarium ...

In ancient Rome, architect Lucius (Hiroshi Abe) is too rigid in his ways and unable to keep up with the fast changing times. Because of this, Lucius loses his job. A friend then takes Lucius to a bath house to cheer him up. There at the bath house, Lucius slips through a time portal and arrives at a bath house in present day Japan!

Naoko Yamada a a self-proclaimed “super magician” repeatedly finds herself enlisted to help a self-proclaimed “genius physicist” and skeptic named Jiro Ueda as he attempts to expose fraudulent spiritualists and others who seem to have mysterious powers.

The drama focuses on 45-year-old Tsuboi Ryota, the coordinator of a large CM company who is receiving a request from one of their clients to change some parts of their new CM. However, he’s unable to really explain to the director what changes should be made exactly. At the same time, he receives a call from his older sister, who tells him that his father has collapsed while golfing in Nagano and that he was admitted to a local hospital. In a hurry, Ryouta decides to go to Nagano, his birthplace.

Tsuboi Ryota is a good man. Nobody can really hate him, which is why the coordinator between his company and their clients seems like the perfect job for him. However, he frequently finds himself stuck in a dilemma, whether that’s between his wife and his daughter, his older sister and their mother, or his family and work in general.

Adding some mysterious, almost fantastical elements to this family drama are Miyazaki as a puzzling young woman Ryota happens to meet at the hospital and Natsuyagi as his father who strongly believes in the existence of a tiny fairy-like race called the ‘Kuna’.

Episodes: 10

In the late 1930's (Show Period 14), two sides in Japan are conflicted between joining Germany and Italy in a military alliance. At this time, Isoroku Yamamoto, who strongly opposed the alliance, is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet. The following year, on September 27, Japan, Germany and Italy form the Axis alliance.

Isoroku Yamamoto leads the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The attack's main purpose is to gain an early peace settlement. The surprise military strike appeared successful and caused massive damage, but US aircraft carriers were not damaged in the assault. After the attack, the Axis alliance initially saw advances without any defeats.

By April 18, 1942 (Show Period 17), formations of U.S. B-25B bombers, flown from an U.S. aircraft carrier, attacked the Japanese mainland for the first time. The Japanese military responded by carrying out their Midway operation, but the mission failed, and the Japanese military lost 4 aircraft carriers.

The U.S. army were encouraged by their victory at Midway and proceeded to carry out a landing operation on Guadalcanal. The Japanese and U.S. military fought fiercely. Besides the toll from fighting the U.S. military, the Japanese military suffered from starvation, dehydration and diseases while on Guadalcanal. The Japanese military were nearing collapse on Guadalcanal before Isoroku Yamamoto gave the order to withdraw to save more lives.

After the completion of the withdrawal from Guadalcanal, Isoroku Yamamoto flew on an airplane to make moral boosting visits to soldiers on the front line. His plane would be intercepted by the U.S. military.

Emi Hosho (Eri Fukatsu), a not so successful lawyer, is assigned to the one of the most unusual of cases. Her client is accused of murdering his wealthy wife and he his alibi is that he was staying at an inn while suffering from "kanashibar" (sleep paralysis). The only witness able to corroborate his alibi is the 500-year-old ghost of the Sengoku period military commander Rokubei Sarashina (Toshiyuki Nishida) - who sat on the accused's chest all night long.

Attorney Emi Hosho travels to the inn to investigate further. Emi Hosho also falls into "kanashibar" and soon discovers the 500-year-ghost sitting on her chest. Knowing that the ghost is the only witness who can support her client's alibi, she grabs his hand and pleads with him to testify in court.

When bento shop owner Hikaru Oshiro learns that a group of high school students have no place to practice music he takes it upon himself to build a studio beneath his store. The only stipulations he placed upon the students were that they be respectful to others, do well in school, and empathetic towards others.

A phone conversation occurs between a man and a woman. They both state their love for each other and that they will do this so they can be together. The woman is in a hotel room with a view of the port. The man is inside of a parked car with a view of the ocean. A man named Colonel appears and hands the man a box with a loaded gun inside. The Colonel states "its a present from the witch".

The woman's name is Meiko (Michiko Kichise) and she is the young wife of Takamitsu Temiyako (Takamitsu Temiyako) - president of a large medical corporation. The man in the parked car is Dr. Tokito Takahiko (Hiroshi Abe) an employee of the large medical corporation. This evening, Meiko and Tokito will implement their plan to murder Meiko's husband and frame his death as a suicide.

In the Ningyo-cho area of Nihonbashi, Tokyo - a woman was murdered. Detective Kaga Kyoichiro, who just transferred to the Nihonbashi police precinct, is placed in charge of the murder case. With virtually the entire residents of Ningyo-cho's shopping street emerging as suspects, Detective Kaga must use his keen sense of deductive reasoning to uncover the truth.

Former yakuza Haruo is finally released from prison after completing his sentence. With nine years worth of prison gratuities in hand, he stops at a restaurant to enjoy a good meal, but all of his money ends up being stolen. With nothing left, he spends the night at a net cafe, and he manages to look up his old friend from his yakuza days. When Haruo visits the next day, he learns that his old girlfriend Mariko was living with another man, but later died of illness. Haruo, who had committed murder 9 years earlier to earn the money for Mariko's medical treatment, is shocked and angered. He decides to track down that other man, who runs a bakery with his wife and daughter Sachi. Haruo later runs into Sachi at the park, but he has yet to find out the truth about her.

Higashigaoka Junior High School is in turmoil as one of the pupils, Noguchi, who had been bullied, attempted suicide last term. On the first day of the new term, a substitute teacher arrives to take the second year class. When the teacher, Murauchi (Hiroshi Abe), introduces himself, the pupils are surprised by his stutter. He has a speech impediment. Unable to speak eloquently, Murauchi faces his pupils with 'words of truth'. His first instruction to the pupils is to return Noguchi's desk and chair to the original place in the classroom. Every morning Murauchi greets the empty desk, "Good morning, Noguchi." This causes a ripple beyond the classroom and among other teachers and parents, but Murauchi will not stop doing it. Eventually the day comes when Murauchi must leave.

Makabe Rokurota (Hiroshi Abe), a loyal retainer of Princess Yuki-hime (Masami Nagasawa), has been commissioned to transport Yuki-hime and Akizuki's ample treasury of gold bars safely to the politically stable Hayakawa. They disguise themselves as humble firewood peddlers, hiding the gold bars inside the logs they are carrying so as to pass safely through roadblocks set up by Yamana, which is under the control of Takayama Gyobu (Kippei Shiina), whose attire bears a striking resemblance to that of Darth Vader.

Along the way, Rokurota comes across Takezo (Jun Matsumoto) and Shimpachi (Daisuke Miyagawa), who have escaped from forced labor in a gold mine. Takezo and Shimpachi first frown on joining the journey, but eventually agree to help out in the hope of escaping Yamana's oppression and cashing in on the gold reward Rokurota offers them.

A hopeless woman and a hopeless man.

A woman that loves the man whatever happens, and a man that can't exactly express his feelings and just turns over the table - out of irritation, short temper, and sometimes love. Would being together become a nightmare, or a love that will sustain them to live with happiness and hope for a better tomorrow?

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.

Shinsuke Kuwano (Abe Hiroshi), a successful architect at 40, enjoys living by himself. He doesn't like people but somehow is able to design wonderful houses for them.

He has a routine of making himself a delicious dinner and then relaxing to classical music in his easy chair. (He likes to pretend he is the conductor.) One night, he plays the music loud enough to make his next door neighbor, Michiru Tamara (Kuninaka Ryoko) knock on his door to complain. When Kuwano answers the door, he suffers a terrible stomach pain and collapses to the floor. Lucky for him, his neighbor Michiru is nice enough to accompany him to the hospital, where he is treated by Dr. Natsumi Hayasake (Natsukawa Yui). He is really rude to Natsumi, but she is still determined to treat him.

Afterwards, Michiru and Natsumi become part of Kuwano's life. They make friends with Kuwano's colleagues Eiji (Tsukamoto Takashi) and Maya Sawazaki (Takashima Reiko). They all enjoy talking about how strange and eccentric Kuwano is. Is it possible that someone would ever want to marry him?

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.

Yumi (Takeuchi Yuko) is a 23-year-old office worker. Out of the blue, she is fired from her job. A few days later, wearing kimono, she is rushing to an interview for some part-time work at a publishing company. She was at a friend's wedding that went on a bit longer than expected and she has no time to change from her kimono.

In another room at the publisher, popular comic book writer Reijiro Sakurai (Abe Hiroshi) is having an editorial meeting with some staff. He is planning to lock himself away at a hot spring for the next three months to concentrate on his next project. Yumi stumbles into the room, looking for somewhere to change out of her kimono. Sakurai comments that if Yumi were to join him he wouldn't mind being away for so long...

The 42nd NHK Taiga Drama is MUSASHI. Many Japanese history buffs are familiar with The Book of Five Rings written by Miyamoto Musashi in the 17th century. Musashi's treatise on strategy and the way to lead instantly became the business executive's bible when the translated version hit the bookstores more than three hundred years later.

In 2003, the story of this legendary swordsman-philosopher-painter comes to life in the NHK Taiga Drama MUSASHI. Based on the famous biography written by Yoshikawa Eiji, this taiga drama boasts a list of stars that reads like a Who's Who of screen and television.

Orphaned before he was ten years old, Musashi (his real name is Takezo, so you'll hear his childhood friends call him by that name) grows up skilled in the martial arts. During the Battle of Sekigahara, he fights on the side of the losing Toyotomi forces, but eludes the enemy as they hunt down the vanquished soldiers. He then spends years wandering the countryside mastering the sword, becoming a stronger samurai. As his fame spreads throughout the nation, men seek him out to test their skills against him--most notably Sasaki Kojiro who faces Musashi in the ultimate Duel at Ganryujima.

This is a love comedy that takes you behind the scenes of the latest bridal businesses, as well as the human drama of engaged couples, seen through the wedding planners' eyes, as they help to put on weddings.

Toru Oomori works in the accounting department of a medium-sized firm. Unable to escape restructuring by his company, he gets sent to work at an affiliated company, "Sweet Bridal," as its president. Toru realizes his days as a salaried worker are numbered. That's why he's determined to increase sales, and regain lost ground. But there's just one major problem though... An incident that happened one year ago makes work here, very miserable.

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.

The drama tells the story of a hostess turning 30 years old.

A man is found dead in a office of Takayanagi Ballet Company. The suspect is a female dancer at the ballet company. The Takayanagi Ballet Company insists that the incident is a self defense case, but after an investigation there's doubts in that claim. Then, the director of the Takayanagi Ballet Company is poisoned to death. Are the cases related? ~~ Based on the 1989 novel "Nemuri no Mori" (Kaga Kyoichiro Series #2) by Higashino Keigo