Asian Drama

The 63rd work of NHK Taiga Drama depicts the life of Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese female poet who wrote "Tale of Hikaru Genji". This story is set in the mid-Heian period.

(Source: nhk.or.jp)

Episodes: 40

It describes how a young sumo wrestler joins the sumo world with the belief that he can get fame and riches through the sport.

Akaza Yukiko attends a high school for blind. She has amblyopia, which causes her to recognize colors only vaguely and she can recognize large letters with a magnifying glass. When she walks outdoors, she always carries a white cane. Nevertheless, she has a bright personality. One day, Yukiko happens to meet delinquent boy Kurokawa Morio. At first, Yukiko doesn’t like him, but she somehow gains an understanding of him. They become attracted to each other.

Adapted from the manga "Yankee-kun and the White Cane Girl" (ヤンキー君と白杖ガール) by Uoyama (うおやま).

Shibusawa Eiichi was born in 1840 to a farmer’s family. He grew up helping his family with work, which was to manufacture and sell indigo production and also silk farming. He left his hometown at the age of 23 and began working for the government. He later traveled to Paris and learned about banking. Upon his return to Japan, he helped build up the first modern bank in Japan. He eventually became a founder or supporter to about 500 companies and was involved with about 600 public services, including education for women.

This is a love story between Akira Kuroiwa, a 15-year-old boy who knows nothing of love, and Hijiri Suenaga, his new 25-year-old homeroom teacher. One fated summer, Akira begins to realize he has feelings for Hijiri, but Hijiri has a long distance fiancee. The story follows the pair over the course of several years.

Mikami, a journalist, and Mai, a rookie assistant director of a satellite broadcasting station, close in on the truth of the unsolved serial murders of five little girls which took place 27 years ago. At the time of the murders, DNA analysis dealt a decisive blow and a man was apprehended as the murderer. But there were several contradictory points surrounding this arrest. Mikami and Mai begin re-investigating the cases with doubts about his culpability. They are eventually faced with the chilling truth of false charges and enormous state power. However, they begin to expose the truth which was shrouded in darkness through true journalism.

Eiichi Nishio is a young actor. He is not very popular and only receives offers to play dead bodies. One day, he wanders around Nakameguro, Tokyo and recognizes the restaurant/bar Izakaya Fuji. He saw pictures of Izakaya Fuji on a woman's Instagram account and decides to go in. There, he meets Nao Omori and other actors who are all regulars at Izakaya Fuji.

Adapted from the 2015 novel "Izakaya Fuji" by Kuriyama Keisuke.

Keita Orimo (Atsushi Ito) works at an apparel company and is on the layoff list. He is divorced and has a 9-year-old daughter. Keita Orimo is also a bit old-school and carries a flip phone. One day, Keita Orimo's brain suddenly becomes like a smartphone. He can see text balloons flying by and he can even see messages for other people. His smartphone like brain leads him to get involved with trouble at his workplace.

Kouno Etsuko loves fashion and dreams of working at the editorial department of the company which publishes the fashion magazine ‘Lassy’. She has been taking the employment exam for several years. However, she is constantly rejected because the editorial department has not been hiring for some time. Even so, Etsuko perseveres and goes for the interview every year to the extent that she is now a famous person in the company. One night a week later, Etsuko receives a phone call from the human resource department about a job offer and is overjoyed. And so, she heads to Lassy’s editorial department in high spirits on her first day of work. She is told that she has got the department wrong and is designated to the very unglamorous proofreading department, which checks for misspelling, missing characters, errors or inconsistencies in the content of manuscripts before these go to print. Furthermore, Morio Toyoko, her junior from high school days, is a fashion editor. Under the assumption that she had been assigned to the editorial department, Etsuko vehemently protests to Takehara Sho-on, the head of the proofreading department. Takehara tells her that she may be able to transfer to the department of her choice if her work here is recognised. So Etsuko decides to work hard at proofreading with the goal of transferring to the editorial department. Although she starts learning the basics of proofreading, she does not have sufficient knowledge of kanji. Her exasperated seniors find her unsuitable for the job of proofreading and Etsuko pours out her frustrations about her work to Toyoko and company receptionist, Imai Seishiru. Then Etsuko gets assigned to proofread the manuscript of popular leading mystery writer, Hongo Daisaku, because she is the only one in the department who is free. Dressed in flashy clothes, she enthusiastically tackles her first job, going beyond her proofreading work to get into actual locations to verify facts. She tries to do her job to perfection for a transfer to the editorial department, but her unorthodox approach to proofreading infuriates Kaizuka Hachiro, the editor in charge. Then Hongo asks to see the person who proofread his manuscript. Meanwhile, Toyoko is told by her editor, Kamei Sayaka, to look for candidates to be the magazine’s first exclusive male model. She scouts a guy called Orihara Yukito through photographs of handsome men she found on the internet. A fourth-year university student who intends to be a writer, Yukito flatly rejects Tokoyo’s invitation to be a model since he has no interest. At the same moment, Etsuko happens to encounter Yukito …

Despite Etsuko’s worries about the gap between her ideal job and reality, she dedicates herself to the work of proofreading in her own unique way and gradually starts to realise its allure.

After an alien invasion threatens to annihilate the human race, a young Japanese girl, named Milly (Anne Suzuki), travels back in time from 2084 to October 2002, and enlists the reluctant aid of skilled Tokyo gunman, named Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro),...

Serina Hirakawa (Riisa Naka) is a deputy director at a public prosecutor's office. Her father (Yukijiro Hotaru) was a police officer, but killed. Kentaro was charged for murdering her father. Serina's father was investigating Kentaro and his involvement in a string of thefts inside of cars. Kentaro was found guilty for the murder. Serina Hirakawa admired Prosecutor Ryoji Tajima (Goro Kishitani) who extracted a confession from Kentaro.

Now, Serina works for Prosecutor Ryoji. One day, Kentaro insists he is innocent of the murder charge and kills himself in prison.

Several days later, Prosecutor Ryoji meets Attorney Kuromiya (Jiro Sato). The attorney defended Kentaro in the murder case. Attorney Kuromiya tells Prosecutor Ryoji about the real killer in the murder case. Soon, Attorney Kuromiya is found dead. Doubts about the death of Serina's father is aroused. Prosecutor Ryoji is suspected in the murder of Attorney Kuromiya. Serina is dumbfounded by the recent chain of events. She soon begins to investigate the two murder cases: her father's murder and the death of Attorney Kuromiya.

Based on Asano Atsuko's best-selling novel, Battery is all about youth and baseball. Ace pitcher Harada Takumi forms a pact with a new friend on the baseball team and strives to win the big game for his younger brother, who is terminally ill.

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

The story is set in a world where it’s possible for “doppelgangers” to split off from a human and live separately from the the original version of themselves. Murakami, a detective meets an amnesiac hospital patient named Maki during an investigation. He soon discovers Maki has the ability to communicate with spirits of the dead that tell her how to solve crimes. The pair team up to stop a mass murderer and Murakami finds himself falling in love. Eventually, Maki’s true nature is revealed, as well as her connection to Satsuki.

Based on a manga by Yua Kotegawa.

Kyonosuke Kawamura is the successor to the prestigious Kishima family. He performs as a kabuki stage actor. One day, as he is leaving the theater, Kyonosuke Kawamura hears cheers from girls who are waiting for him. There, Ayame Chiba, who also attends the same high school, approaches him and shouts out "that is not Kagamijishi and I want my money back!"

Due to excessive expectation as the successor of the Kishima family, Kyonosuke becomes sick and tired of kabuki. He plays with best friend Haruhiko Sakamoto and female fans until late into the night. When he arrives back home, his father Yozaemon, who is a master in kabuki, scolds him. An argument ensues. Yozaemon has never acknowledged Kyonosuke's efforts. That is a big reason why Kyonosuke has become estranged from kabuki. He also can't forgive his father for always placing kabuki as his first priority. His father did not show up when his mother became gravely ill and died.

Kyonosuke then meets Ayame at school. She again complains about his performance. Kyonosuke also learns that Ayame has a favorite actor. He's embarrassed by her complaints. For his next performance, Kyonosuke shows up practice, but he is chewed out by his instructor Matsukichi. Others, including Shohei Sawayama, watch this and make fun of Kyonosuke behind his back. Kyonosuke also hears from his rival Ichiya Sawayama that he was shocked at his performance. Kyonosuke feels numb.

Based on the manga series "Pin to Kona" by Ako Shimaki (first published November 2009 by Monthly Cheese!)

Kaoru dreamily gazes from her bedroom window each morning just before dawn. She can see a stretch of the beach in front of her parent's house on a hill in Kamakura but focuses upon the activity at the bus stop where Koji and his two best friends meet before going surfing. The appearance of the sun causes her to lowers the blinds and go to sleep for she suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) and exposure to the sun's rays has had the potential to kill her. At night, she walks to the train station, plays her guitar and sings songs she has written, commonly returning home just a few minutes before it starts getting light. One morning, she is at the bus stop singing when Koji arrives.

Pathologist Dr. Andou Mitsuo gets tangled into the web of the video tape and Yamamura Sadako by pure luck. Unbeknown to the circumstances of discovering the tape, Mitsuo resumed the search to find the real 'truth' that was left hanging from Takayama Ryuuji and Asakawa Kazuyuki as Sadako continues to lurk, killing more people faster in another way than by watching the tape.

While working in the leisurely atmosphere at a food company's factory, Futaro is asked to return to their corporate headquarters by his good friend. Unfortunately, he finds himself assistant to Izumi, a highly demanding expert on Italian food culture. Futaro gets off to a rocky start with his new female boss, and always seems to be saying or doing the wrong thing. He also doesn't seem to be particularly suited to his new position on the Italian Restaurant Project, considering he doesn't even like tomatoes! But Futaro may still have a few tricks left up his sleeve that he can use to win over Izumi and find success in his new job.