Asian Drama

The Earth receives an influx of X refugees, who were deported from their home planet due to a dispute. Countries on Earth agonize over how to deal with the influx of these interplanetary immigrants. The U.S. government announced that they would accept X refugees, and the Japanese government announced that they would also accept X refugees.

The X refugees transform their appearance into human beings and live among ordinary humans. Residents in the host countries are unable to distinguish X refugees by appearance, and they have no idea if any of them live among them. People become anxious, confused, and afraid of the X refugees, and they try to find the refugees who may live among them.

Sasa Kentaro is a weekly magazine journalist. For a story, he hides his identity as a journalist and approaches Kashiwagi Ryoko, who is suspected of being an X refugee. He gets close to her and begins to have feelings for her, but he's not certain if she is human.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Adapted from the novel "Rinjin X" (隣人X) by Pallus Ayako (パリュス　あや子).

A legal drama about a former manager of entertainment agency who became a paralegal of a clumsy rookie lawyer.

Episodes: 11

Duration: 58 min.

Aired On: Friday

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) submarine sank in a maritime accident near Japan. Japan was shocked by the news that the survival of all 76 crew members, including the captain, Second Lieutenant Shiro Kaieda, was hopeless. However, the crew actually survived. They were selected as crew members for a nuclear submarine built in top secret by Japan and the United States.

(Source: Japanese = silent-service.jp)

Adapted from the manga series "The Silent Service" (沈黙の艦隊) by Kawaguchi Kaiji (川口開治).

Yamihara Kokoro and Asada Toramatsu live in a town that is quite peaceful, until a serial murder case happened where the bodies all had their blood drained out. Five years have passed but the case remains unsolved. Meanwhile, Kokoro and Toramatsu have been in a relationship for a year, but are unable to get married as they are keeping a serious secret from each other. Kokoro is actually a vampire. However, she does not attack humans and live modestly. Toramatsu is a popular resident in the town and is trusted by many. After getting a divorce, Toramatsu got drunk and went back to his old house, where he met Kokoro, the current occupant. As the two continue to keep their secrets hidden, a horrific murder occurs once again in the town.

Asagi Soramame grew up in a remote countryside of Kyushu, Japan. She is an energetic and bright person. She followed her fiancé, who was also a childhood friend, to Tokyo. She had a fateful and shocking encounter with a man named Umino Oto, but they assumed they would never meet again. Now, 23-year-old Asagi Soramame meets Umino Oto again at a boarding house where they both live. Asagi Soramame has also found an interest in fashion.

Meanwhile, after graduating from a university, Umino Oto decided to pursue a career in music. His parents were not happy with his decision. He tries to become successful as a composer by creating music on his laptop, but he hasn't gotten any attention from the recording company that he is signed with. He is close to giving up on his dream. He works part-time at a cafe to help pay his bills. By meeting Asagi Soramame, 23-year-old Umino Oto is able to pursue his dream again. They fall in love with each other and encourage each other to achieve their dreams.

When a police officer is posted to a remote village in the countryside, little does he realize he's encroaching on a community of a cannibals.

Adapted from the manga "Gannibal" (ガンニバル) by Ninomiya Masaaki (二宮正明).

Physicist Manabu Yukawa returns to Japan from America. Detective Kaoru Utsumi visits him and talks about a case. The case is about a popular girl in a town who disappeared and, several years later, her body was found. A suspect was arrested for her murder. That suspect was previously arrested for another girl's murder, but he was released due to a lack of evidence. Detective Shunpei Kusanagi investigated the prior murder case. The same suspect was then released due to a lack of evidence for the most recent murder case. The released man returned to his town, where everybody hated him. On the day of the autumn festival parade, the man was killed.

Physicist Manabu Yukawa, Detective Kaoru Utsumi and Detective Shunpei Kusanagi work together on his case.

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.

Shimura Takafumi is a detective, who works under an obsessive level belief that criminals must be punished. He will resort to any means to arrest criminals. Due to his excessive behavior, he has been demoted to a special investigation team that works on unsolved cases. He is ordered to work with Kiriko.

Kiriko is known as Invisible, the crime coordinator in the underworld. She mediates transactions for organized criminals. Kiriko flies under the radar of many and even only a few in the police department are aware of her existence. One day, Kiriko suddenly offers to help the police arrest criminals. She is willing to provide information on unsolved cases and violent criminals. Her only condition is that she wants to work with Shimura Takafumi.

Shishikari is a remote island, which is behind the times. The island suffers from a decreasing population and declining industries. Keita Izumi (Tatsuya Fujiwara) begins to produce black fig on Shishikari Island. Because of his well received product, the island is close to receiving a 5 billion yen grant from the government, which is part of the goverment's policy to reinvigorate rural economy. The residents of the island are excited, but their peaceful days changes by the appearance of Mutsuo Komisaka. Keita Izumi and his friends Jun Tanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama) and Rookie Police Officer Shinichiro Moriya are suspicious about him. One night, Keita Izumi's daughter goes missing. Due to that, Keita Izumi, Jun Tanabe and Shinichiro Moriya happen to kill Mutsuo Komisaka. They decide to hide Mutsuo Komisaka’s murder to protect the future of the island and their families. It turns out Mutsuo Komisaka was a psycho killer. Police officers come to Shishikari Island to catch Mutsuo Komisaka.

Adapted from the manga series "Noise" (ノイズ) by Tsutsui Tetsuya (筒井哲也).

Fujiki Keisuke is a neurosurgeon, possessing vast medical knowledge and genius surgical skills. As a doctor, his mindset is that all people should be treated the same, even criminals. One day, Fujiki Keisuke's lover is murdered and he becomes the prime suspect. To find out the truth behind her death, Fujiki Keisuke becomes a fugitive. While on the run, he can't ignore the sick people who need help.

Adapted from a manga series "Touboui F" (逃亡医F) written by Izuki Keigo (伊月慶悟) and illustrated by Satou Makoto (佐藤マコト).

“Try stopping my murders with words.” This is the line in a letter delivered to Ippongi Toru, a roving reporter for Taiyo Shimbun’s local news desk, and the random serial murders which have shaken the Tokyo metropolitan area are described in detail. The criminal designates Ippongi and demands a public debate in the newspapers. Using a journalist’s power of words, Ippongi goes head to head with the criminal who warns of another murder. The unprecedented dialogue between the serial killer and newspaper reporter eventually rocks society.

In 2006, Sanada Rio lived in a country village where a missing person case took place. Rio later studied in the pharmacy department at a university in Tokyo. Now, at the age of 30, Rio takes the CEO position at Sanada Wellness, which is a subsidiary of Sanada Holdings. Rio’s mother runs Sanada Holdings. Rio receives attention from the media and public because of her young age as a CEO.

Rio then becomes a material witness in a series of murder cases. The murder cases took place recently and is somehow related to the missing person case from 2006. Three lawyers on Rio's side try to protect her. Meanwhile, a detective, whose first love was Rio, chases after the truth behind the cases.

Toshizo Hijikata, the “Baragaki'” of Bushu Tama, heads to Kyoto with Isami Kondo, Souji Okita, and other comrades, with the dream of becoming a samurai in his heart. Under the auspices of the Tokugawa Shogunate, he formed the Shinsengumi, with Kamo Serizawa as its chief, to protect the city.

As vice-commander, Hijikata leads the organization with unparalleled skill and strict laws, and the Shinsengumi shows all-around success in suppressing the anti-shogunate forces. Hijikata had a fateful encounter with Oyuki and was attracted to each other, but the tide of the times is tilting towards overthrowing the curtain. The unknown love and battle of the men who burned their lives with swords now open the curtain.

Adapted from the novel "Moeyo Ken" by Ryotaro Shiba.

On Christmas morning, Fujino Ryoko finds her classmate Kashiwagi Takuya’s dead body at their snow covered school. The police and the school conclude that Kashiwagi Takuya died by suicide. At that time, an anonymous letter is delivered to Fujino Ryoko. The letter states that Kashiwagi Takuya was murdered by a group of students including Ooide Shunji. The media and SNS begin to question whether Kashiwagi Takuya really died by suicide or was he murdered. The school principal tries to take control of the narrative, but this leads to a more chaotic situation.

Fujino Ryoko is disturbed by people's reaction to Kashiwagi Takuya’s death. She asks for a trial and an unprecedented school trial begins.

On Christmas morning, Fujino Ryoko finds her classmate Kashiwagi Takuya’s dead body at their snow covered school. The police and the school conclude that Kashiwagi Takuya died by suicide. At that time, an anonymous letter is delivered to Fujino Ryoko. The letter states that Kashiwagi Takuya was murdered by a group of students including Ooide Shunji. The media and SNS begin to question whether Kashiwagi Takuya really died by suicide or was he murdered. The school principal tries to take control of the narrative, but this leads to a more chaotic situation.

Fujino Ryoko is disturbed by people's reaction to Kashiwagi Takuya’s death. She asks for a trial and an unprecedented school trial begins.

Television news reports that a young woman has been kidnapped and her belongings sent individually to her family. Zaizen Shota, the CEO of Zaizen Corporation, recalls an eerily similar case from 18 years ago. Then, as an investigator at a private detective agency, a man called Tanioka Soichiro asked him to find his daughter, Tanioka Nanae. In that case, Nanae's kidnapper also sent photos and cuttings from her dress, underwear, and nails to Tanioka.

As a result of Zaizen's tampering in the Tanioka case, a suspect was never caught. Now Zaizen’s beloved daughter Mika goes missing and he too receives pieces of her belongings.

Meanwhile, Zaizen's wife and Mika's mother, the beautiful Yuko, is anxiously holding on to a secret that she cannot tell anyone.

As Zaizen investigates Mika’s disappearance on his own, he begins to learn about Yuko’s past while his life spirals out of control.

Hanai Sota is 22-years-old and a university student in the veterinary department. Since he was little, he has always loved animals. His apartment is full of animals that needed help. One day, Hanai Sota saves a dog that was being used in experiments. To save more of the animals, he sets up the "Inubu" club. His friend Shibasaki Ryosuke, among other people, joins the group. Shibasaki Ryosuke also loves dogs and is a student in the same veterinary department as Hanai Sota. They work hard to protect the animals. 16 years later, a report comes out. The report is about Hanai Sota, who was arrested.

Mizuguchi Saki is an outstanding fashion magazine editor who grew up in a modern and liberal family. She meets Obara Koichi who is the ace of the Air Rescue Wing of the Air Self Defence Force. He grew up in a strict military family and is the classic straight-laced guy. Although Saki and Koichi are polar opposites, the two of them quickly get married without dating, believing that they would start a happy life as newly weds after a lavish wedding ceremony. However, as they begin living together in the same house, their differences in lifestyles and values result in differences in opinions and huge fights. Saki and Koichi soon decide to get a divorce. But the couple have difficulty breaking the news of their decision to their families, colleagues and friends who celebrated their marriage and looked forward to the future. They thus start activities behind the scenes to prepare for their divorce.

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.

A 65-year-old salaryman Etsuki Tomokazu who is approaching retirement, comes home one day to hear a shocking declaration from his wife Yuko who is near 70, “I’m pregnant!” The couple struggle with whether to have the child given the physical risk of having a baby at such a late stage in life. As first-time parents, they fail and go back and forth for everything in an antenatal class with young couples.

A school gourmet comedy set in the 1980's. In one junior high school, teachers and students continued a quiet battle. That is, who will eat the school lunch?

Hiroshi Kataoka works at a bank. He receives a promotion to manager of the Kamata branch. He is also informed that the Kamata branch will be shut down and he does not have to work hard. After the branch's shutdown, he will work again at the bank's headquarters. Hiroshi Kataoka is embarrassed by the situation. He sees the branch employees work hard and they do not know the branch will close. Hiroshi Kataoka is conflicted between his job and his employees.

Continuation from season 1.

Saionji Hajime serves the wealthy Ijuuin family. He graduated at the top of the London school for butlers. As the perfect butler, housekeeping skills and management of the mansion go without saying. He mastered martial arts and also has knowledge of all sorts of genres including science and history. Saionji has established a firm relationship of trust with Yuriko, the widow of the head of the Ijuuin family. He abides by the wishes of the inquisitive Yuriko and independently investigate difficult case. No matter how capable he is as a butler, he should be an amateur at investigating cases. However, nothing is impossible for Saionji who brilliantly figures out the mystery with his knowledge and skills.

Shirato Takamasa is a detective at the Investigation Cooperation Section of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. His job is to catch wanted criminals by only relying on their faces. One day, he sees Sunami's face who was a senior detective, but had a mysterious death 4 years ago.

Daisuke Goura is clearing his late grandmother's belongings and comes across an autographed copy of And Then by Sosuke Natsume. When he visits Biblia Antique Books for an appraisal, he meets the store's beautiful young owner Shioriko. Just by taking the book into her hands, Shioriko instantaneously reveals that it hides a secret that Daisuke's grandmother took to her grave: She once had a love affair with the owner of the book, and that man could probably be his grandfather. Impressed by Shioriko's analytical skills, he cuts a deal with her to help out at the store since she cannot do any heavy lifting due to a recent leg injury. As they are drawn to each other and become more intimate, Shioriko shares a surprising secret with Daisuke: Someone who is after her rare copy of The Final Years by Osamu Dazai, has been continually threatening her – and to make matters worse, he was the cause of her injury. Who is this mysterious man? And what happened to Daisuke's grandmother 50 years ago? The secrets of the antique books are to be revealed.

Young Public Prosecutor Okino Keiichiro is assigned to the department of Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office which deals with violent cases. He is thrilled to work with Mogami Takeshi whom he admires. One day, an elderly money lender is killed and Matsukura Shigeo is identified as a suspect. He borrowed money from the victim. In his past, Shigeo testified in a female middle school murder case. Takeshi is aware of the heavy grief carried by the deceased girl's family and he tries his best to prove Shigeo's guilt.

Mare is an elementary school student. She lives with her family in the city, but, right before her father goes bankrupt, they run away and settle down at a fishing village in Noto. The family rents a couple's home who run a salt pond. Mare's father starts a new business, but it also fails. Her mother supports the family by working at the salt pond. 8 years later, Mare, about to graduate from high school, decides to work for the Wajima local government. She wants to have a steady job, unlike her father. Her job is to support people who move to Noto.