Asian Drama

Following Zeni no Senso and Uso no Senso, Wana no Senso is the third work of the "war" series. The drama centers around Washizu Toru, a parliamentary secretary who is betrayed by a member of the Parliament, to whom he has devoted 20 years of his life, and decides to take revenge on the politicians who wield power over him.

Satoru Matsudo moves to Tokyo in hopes of becoming an actor. He has trouble breaking into the industry, but his luck begins to change when he finds an airplane ticket belonging to a talent agency CEO. Time passes, and Satoru makes a name for himself as an actor. He gets a call from America. Hoping it is a Hollywood offer, he instead hears about his estranged older brother.

10 years since that day. Life is simple and difficult. Onodera Kiyoshi, the chef and owner of an Italian restaurant, lost his restaurant in the tsunami and became addicted to alcohol. He rebuilds the restaurant and invites his friends to a party on 11 March, 10 years after the disaster. Kiyoshi begins to explain his intention to his friends who are confused by the sudden invitation. As the party progresses, hidden stories of the decade following the disaster begin to emerge...

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.

Nagisa is transgender. She grew up in Hiroshima as a man, but now lives in Shinjuku, Tokyo as a woman. Due to an incident, she begins to live with middle school student Ichika, who is a distant relative. Ichika has been neglected by her mother Saori. From living in solitude by herself, to now living with Ichika, Nagisa develops maternal instincts for the first time.

Ittetsu and Maitsuko are married, but they are not just any normal couple. They robbed a bank and took a cool million or two from the capitalists. Then they duly vanished. Years have passed and their children have congregated to divide their parents' money, but first there is the matter of arrangements and a funeral.

The Bastard and the Beautiful World is an omnibus film consisting of four episodes. (1) Fujiko is running as fast as she can, being chased after by a creepy masked man called Mad Dog. They meet a talented pianist on the way. (2) A mysterious relationship between a little girl, Utagui, who eats songs to live, and an artist who can't sing anymore. (3) A married couple sets off on a journey to find the right arm of their dead son. They finally reached a beach in Okinawa and find...? (4) Bastards comes together on a night dance floor for a show.

When Koichi was nine years old, his father was accused of killing his mother and younger sibling, before committing suicide. In reality, Koichi's father was framed, and Koichi saw the person who killed his family. However, the police didn't believe his testimony, and his relatives called him a liar. He never gave up his story, though, and so grew up with the nickname "Usotsuki" (Liar).

Eventually, Koichi moved overseas and changed his name, becoming a professional swindler. One day, Koichi finally meets his family's killer again. He then returns to Japan to take his revenge.

At the exit of the Shiga Central Prison located by the banks of Lake Biwa, stands a lone man who had just been released from the prison. He is none other than Takuma Yoshito, a man who had been convicted of a crime he didn't commit. 10 years ago, Takuma was trialed and found guilty of rape and attempted murder and was sentenced to 15 years jail. However, 10 years into his sentence, the victim woke up from her coma and was able to confirm that her attacker wasn't Takuma. So, Takuma has been exonerated from the crime and is now a free man. Takuma is actually a topnotch criminal profiler called specialists in Japan, and at the time of his arrest, he was attached to the Kyoto Prefectural Police. Takakura Kiichiro, the deputy of the Kyoto Prefectural Police, comes to greet Takuma to inform him of his reinstatement to the Special Investigations Task Force.

Strange cases of resurrections start occurring in a small isolated village, people being dead for days or decades, suddenly coming back to their families. The Ministry of Health decides to send a team to investigate the case, among whom is Heita, who was born in the region. He meets with Aoi, a childhood friend who was engaged to his best friend before this one died. Heita tries to understand what's happening in the village while Aoi hopes that her fiancée will also return.

Kubota Shu, who runs a temporary employment agency, is clubbed to death with a bat. A metal bat believed to be the murder weapon as well as something that looks like an old toy are found at the crime scene. Takakura Kiichiro (Osugi Ren), the commissioner of the Kyoto Prefectural Police, orders Takuma Yoshito (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi) to go to the crime scene. Takuma and the other members of the Special Investigation Unit begin the investigation. They learn that the old toy is part of a set of seven “Protect Kyoto” character figurines of different occupations which were made while Takuma was in the Kyoto Prefectural Police’s Public Relations Division some 10 years ago. This time, the toy placed at the crime scene stands for public prosecutor. Oddly, Kubota was a former senior prosecutor of the Kyoto Public Prosecutors’ Office. Takuma says this is a case that he must solve and tells his regular partner, Anegakoji Chinami (Minami Kaho), that he is dissolving their partnership. He starts to investigate on his own and discovers that a “Protect Kyoto” character figurine wearing a police uniform was left at the scene of the murder of Chinami’s husband, Takehiko, who had been a police officer. There is a ring of truth to what the prisoner, Sagami Wakahiro (Kamikawa Takaya), had previously talked about. “The case of Anegakoji-san’s husband 12 years ago and your wrongful conviction are connected.” Suspicious of Takuma’s actions, Chinami presses him for an explanation, and gets the truth out of him. Takuma does not want to get her involved because he does not know what danger lies ahead. But she gets the upper hand and begins to investigate the case 12 years ago with Matsubara Yuiko (Ashina Sei), Horikawa Kohei (Hiraoka Yuta) and the rest of the Special Investigation Unit. They identify several cases where the character figurines were left behind at the crime scenes. What is the association between the figurines which Takuma made and these cases? As Takuma and the members get to the bottom of the matter, they come to the least expected person. In addition, the shocking truth regarding Takuma’s conviction is revealed … …

Shiraishi Tomio graduated from Tokyo University and works for a foreign securities firm. He has a beautiful fiancee, Aoike Kozue, and life has been smooth sailing. However, one day, his father Takao commits suicide, leaving behind a lot of debts. As the joint guarantor, all of Tomio's savings are spent on paying off the debts. In addition, he is pursued by moneylenders. He loses everything. His money, job and fiancee … and becomes homeless. The path he chooses is that of the moneylenders who drove him to the very bottom. He ends up going to work for Akamatsu Daisuke who runs Akamatsu Finance. Akamatsu Finance looks like a normal company on the outside, but lends money at high interest rates behind the scenes. Tomio wants to regain everything that he and his father lost in their lives because of money, with money. Deciding that he will endure any kind of hardship for the sake of money, Tomio goes to great lengths to do whatever it takes to achieve his aims, even the illegal. He meets Konno Mio, the daughter of his debt-ridden high school teacher. She makes him realise before he is aware of it, that he has been obsessed with money, and special feelings start to blossom between the two of them. Furthermore, Tomio's former girlfriend, Kozue, who has complicated love-hate feelings for him shows up again. The three soon develop a complex romantic relationship. Faced with the truth of his father's death, Tomio plots a heroic revenge. But will he be able to regain all that he has lost?

"Fuyu no Sakura" is described as a pure love story with similarities to the popular Korean drama "Winter Sonata" (titled "Fuyu no Sonata" in Japan). Kusanagi plays a gentle glass craftsman in Yamagata who has no experience in love. Imai plays an older housewife with a husband and daughter who goes on a trip alone to Yamagata, hoping to see sakura trees blooming in winter. She gets into an accident, but is saved by Kusanagi. He ends up tending to her, and the two are soon drawn to each other.

At present, over 47% of the male population in Japan aged between 30 ~ 34 are single. While for women, the no. goes up to 60% for those in their late twenties. It is not that they are unable to get married. Rather, they all choose to remain single, as they believe that marriage is not the be all and end all. Life holds more promising things beyond marriage, and thus they are all celebrating life as a single. This drama takes a look at life from the perspectives of these men and women. Hoshino Mamoru is the President of a film production company, having taken over the position from his father. He is an excellent creative director, but he detests chaos and hence prefers to remain single. His brother, Susumu, works at the same company, taking care of the business side of things. Currently undergoing divorce proceedings, Susumu has had to move out of his marital home. Haruno Yuki is disillusioned with men, after having gone through several failed relationships. She wasn't making great strides in her career either, and so one day, she decided to quit her job and pursue her dream of becoming a scriptwriter. In order to pay the bills, she takes on a part-time job at a maid agency. Before she knows it, she gets her chance to make her dream come true! It could be Fate, or just plain coincidence, but the 3 of them are plunged into each other's lives; The "Affluent Single", the "Divorced Hero" and the "Marriage Refugee". Will a pivotal moment happen upon them? Will the "Affluent Single" decide to give wedded bliss a chance? --Fuji 

Katsuya Maruyama (Hiraoka Takuma) is a middle school student boy full of obscene thoughts. He then meets Tatsuo Shimoi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), a single father who moves into the same apartment complex. Tatsuo Shimoi is a bit of an enigma, not getting along with the housewives in the apartment complex and doesn't appear to work.Through meeting the mysterious single father, Katsuya grows as a person.

Toru Nakamura and Maki Sakai play middle scool student Katsuya Maruyama's parents. the shooting began on June 13 and will be finished on July 25. the movie will be completed in December, 2012.

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.

The story follows a family of Japanese immigrants who crossed over to America 99 years ago. Kusanagi plays both the young Hiramatsu Chokichi (later taken over by Nakai) and his son, Ichiro. When the war breaks out the Japanese immigrants face racism and segregation. Ichiro pledges his alliance to America and gets sent to Europe, second son Jiro stays back with Ichiro's beloved Shinobu (who he has a crush on) and tries to protect his parents' farm. Their two sisters Shizu and Sachie are sent back to Japan and have to experience the horrors of war, one in Hiroshima and the other in Okinawa.

Based on the hit South Korean movie, My Sassy Girl, the character backgrounds and plot details will be changed for the drama. While the protagonists in the original film were college students, this time the pair will be a marine biology professor, Masaki Saburo, and Takami Riko, an aspiring writer

Autism is not easy to understand because if there are ten autistic people, there are ten cases. You have to learn each case otherwise you'd be lost completely. Here's a 31-year old autistic man whose intelligence is only of a 10-year old child. Due to the lack of understanding, people around him get confused and sometimes mad at him. His family watches over him warmly, and with the help of his childhood friend, he opens up his world little by little, but basically he just keeps on walking his own way. This heartwarming drama follows his life and how people around him change their views and actually learn from him.

Dong Gu is not your average Madonna fan. Listening to the Material Girl's second album (and applying a little lipstick) allows the young teenage boy to escape into his imagination, away from his dysfunctional family - his pathetic alcoholic father, a former boxer, is prone to violence, his older brother is beginning to resemble the old man, and his mother has fled family life to work at a Disney-esque amusement park. Things aren't much better at school, where he's bullied for his effeminate tendencies. But once again, fantasy comes to the rescue in the form of a young male teacher who, Dong Gu imagines, beckons to him during class. But when a wrestling coach discovers the boy's natural talent, and a potential goldmine in those stocky thighs, Dong Gu starts training, striving to win a competition for the cash prize that will allow him to realize his ultimate fantasy: becoming a woman.

Sosuke Nakata is just your everyday salaried worker. There is really nothing special that stands out about Nakata. He is a serious guy, whose life mostly consists of going back and forth to the office each day.

Suddenly one day though, Nakata just happens to meet a certain woman by a coincidence she is the top star, Hikaruko Kirishima. Just by talking to her, Nakata is left standing feeling as he has just seen a dream.

Several days later, Kirishima calls an emergency press conference. And there she announces: "I am now dating a gentleman by the name of Sosuke Nakata, a salaried worker, whom I intend to marry." An announcement about their "relationship" out of the blue! More than that, this top star's boyfriend is just your typical salaried worker!! What does Kirishima have up her sleeve as she hides behind her intrepid smile?!

Nakata obviously has no idea about what happened at the press conference. He also doesn't know what lies ahead for him at work, and about Hikaruko's true intentions.

~~ Remake of the American movie “Nothing Hill” [1999].

Episodes: 11

Duration: 45 min.

Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

Aired On: Thursday

Ratings: 7.2

Naomi Shimizu is a young career woman working for Enrico Dandolo, an Italian fashion house. That is until one day the company declares bankruptcy. Accustomed to living in luxury she tries to make a run for it with the last remaining company asset, a red Alpha Romeo sports car. Unfortunately she recklessly collides with a bicycle messenger. Lacking any funds to pay for a settlement, she ends up having to work as a bicycle messenger.

After graduating from college, Yuuji lands the job of his dreams at the company that manufactures his favorite running shoes. The complete sincerity and selflessness that Yuuji shows everyone he meets causes many to dismiss him as naive or simply stupid. But when his good deeds start paying off, his co-workers begin to come around to the idea that nice guys don't have to finish last.Theme song: Serori (Celery) by SMAP, adapted from manga "Ii Hito " by TAKAHASHI Shin.