Asian Drama

How will popular actor Sugisaka Hana spend her filming break? This is the 4th season in this omnibus series that focuses on how an actor spends their vacation in between the filming of dramas and movies.

On the morning of her break from filming, Sugisaki Hana listens to the horoscope on the radio. “If you are a Libra, tidy up all your clutter today. Your lucky item is a round object!” Hearing this, she tries to clear her laundry, but the washing machine just won’t work. Sugisaki has no choice but to go to the laundromat which she is unfamiliar with and does not know how to pay the 300-yen charge. What she brought with her is a credit card and a 1,000 yen note. Sugisaki follows another laundromat user’s suggestion to get small change from the vending machine outside. However, she ends up getting entranced by the voice of a street musician that she happened to hear and buys a CD with those 1,000 yen…

How will popular actor Sugisaka Hana spend her filming break? This is the 4th season in this omnibus series that focuses on how an actor spends their vacation in between the filming of dramas and movies.

On the morning of her break from filming, Sugisaki Hana listens to the horoscope on the radio. “If you are a Libra, tidy up all your clutter today. Your lucky item is a round object!” Hearing this, she tries to clear her laundry, but the washing machine just won’t work. Sugisaki has no choice but to go to the laundromat which she is unfamiliar with and does not know how to pay the 300-yen charge. What she brought with her is a credit card and a 1,000 yen note. Sugisaki follows another laundromat user’s suggestion to get small change from the vending machine outside. However, she ends up getting entranced by the voice of a street musician that she happened to hear and buys a CD with those 1,000 yen…

Sousuke Aoyama is a college student who suffers painfully from the loss of his parents in a traffic accident. He meets Kozan Shinoda, a suibokuga (India-ink painting) artist, at an exhibition. Kozan becomes interested in Sousuke and surprisingly accepts him as his disciple. However, Kozan's niece is dismissive of Sousuke and declares to compete with Sousuke for the "Kozan Award." Although Sousuke seemed uninterested in painting at first, he gradually becomes drawn to it by each stroke he draws...

Adapted from the novel "Sen wa, Boku wo Egaku" (線は、僕を描く) by Togami Hiromasa (砥上裕將).

Nakagoshi Chikara is married and has two children. His family lives together at a complex in Tokyo. He introduces himself as a novelist, but he is actually a ghost writer and writes essays for famous people. He is usually busy with his writing and doing house chores, but, when he sees people who need help, he can't ignore them. He approaches those people and asks them if they are doing okay and if they have a problem.

Nakagoshi Chikara is married and has two children. His family lives together at a complex in Tokyo. He introduces himself as a novelist, but he is actually a ghost writer and writes essays for famous people. He is usually busy with his writing and doing house chores, but, when he sees people who need help, he can't ignore them. He approaches those people and asks them if they are doing okay and if they have a problem.

Eight years ago-a boy who got lost in a festival surrounded by the suspicious light of blue lanterns. Everyone wears a mask and continues to dance silently. It was a festival that no one should ever enter-the boy meets his grandfather, who should have died there. "Naoya, you couldn't come to such a place ..." Naoya Fukamachi, who became a college student, lived with loneliness. Naoya has been able to understand people's lies since the day of the Blue Lantern Festival. When a person tells a lie, his voice is distorted and sounds strange. Parents who noticed Naoya's ability kept Naoya away, and Naoya also lived without making a close human being. Meanwhile, Naoya is interested in Akiyoshi Takatsuki, a handsome associate professor of "Folk Studies II" who somehow attended. Takatsuki's words had no "lie" at all, and his voice reached his ears comfortably. Takatsuki has a complete memory ability that can instantly memorize everything he sees, and is only interested in strange phenomena in the world. For some reason, Naoya is attracted to Takatsuki. One day, a mysterious incident occurs over "Kokuri" at an elementary school where Marika Hirahara and Kazuo Manabe work. "I'm taken to Mr. Kokuri ---" Naoya is surprised by the words of a child he happens to meet. The voice was not distorted at all. In other words, a real mystery is happening?! "Wonderful!" Takatsuki, who gets excited about an unexpected mysterious phenomenon, and Ruiko Ikukata, a graduate student in the Takatsuki laboratory who watches over Takatsuki like a guardian, pursue a mystery together as an assistant for some reason. Naoya who will be different. Is there a real mystery? A human mystery sent by an associate professor with perfect memory and a lonely college student who understands lies. Opening dignifiedly!

Born in Osaka in 1937, Kawahara Kimiko is the eldest of 3 sisters. At age 9, she moves with her family to Shigaraki in Shiga Prefecture. Growing up surrounded by the local Shigaraki pottry, she decides to become a ceramics artist. Even though she is passionate, she faces many setbacks as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry. This drama follows her life from childhood to marriage to a pioneer career in the ceramic arts.

Born in Osaka in 1937, Kawahara Kimiko is the eldest of 3 sisters. At age 9, she moves with her family to Shigaraki in Shiga Prefecture. Growing up surrounded by the local Shigaraki pottry, she decides to become a ceramics artist. Even though she is passionate, she faces many setbacks as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry. This drama follows her life from childhood to marriage to a pioneer career in the ceramic arts.

Iga Ken works at a family restaurant. He is sincere, but rigid in his ways. He can't even fake smiles for his customers. Kan doesn't have a good reputation with his co-workers or customers, but Kurosu Kanako recognizes something in him. Kanako is a mysterious woman. She tells Kan that she is going to open a French restaurant soon and that "The staff needs originality. You will be a good serviceman."

The French restaurant is located in a cemetery, which is itself away from the busy streets and residential areas. The staff at the French restaurant do not appear suited for such a restaurant. Kawai Taichi was once an apprentice to become a hairdresser. Tsutsumi Keitaro worked as the manager of a rice & beef bowl restaurant for 5 years. Ozawa Yukio worked as a chef, but all of the restaurants where he worked went out of business. Lastly, Yamagata Shigeomi worked as a sommelier after he retired as a bank executive. Why does Kanako gather these people? Will the French restaurant open?

Himokura Tetsu is a scientist who specialises in the study of parasites. He loathes people and is very sadistic. Tetsu bought a huge botanical garden in Hakone which he converted into his home and lab. He holes up in the conservatory where he researches his favourite parasites. His right arm is fitted with a black robotic hand. However, it is not known how this artificial hand came about. He is an eccentric genius who solves a series of difficult cases with astounding scientific methods.

Endo Kenichi is rumoured to have announced his retirement from acting. Staff head somewhere to uncover the truth, only to see a shocking sight. Endo has concealed his identity and been working at little-known as well as famous hot springs in various regions across the country as a male attendant. He pokes his nose into the affairs of the imperfect beauties he encounters there and runs around trying to solve their problems. However, he loses his heart to them and gets involved in trivial incidents. Why on earth is he doing this?

Shoko Takanashi, a scandalous former attorney, takes control of a minor law firm and drives them to "V"ictory no matter how precarious the lawsuit. Amidst chaotic human drama, a legal tale of justice and tears emerges.

Wakaba is a 2nd-grade high school student in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. When Saki was little, she admired the cheerleading club "JETS” from Fukui Chuo High School in Fukui Prefecture. She dreamed of joining the "JETS,” but she thought it was impossible for her to join and enrolled at another high school. One day, a transfer student from Tokyo talks to her and proposes cheer dance together. Together with their friends, they setout to become a top cheer team.

For the past 2 years, Prosecutor Takemura Ririko has worked in the Yokohama District Public Prosecutor’s Office. Ririko, who is a hard worker and has a strong sense of justice, is not good at her job. Ririko grows as a prosecutor and a woman after being in charge of multiple cases.

Hiroto Miyama is a poor lawyer who takes on criminal cases, but unable to make money. He pursues the truth for the 0.1% out of Japan's 99.9% conviction rate. One day, Hiroto is scouted by Haruhiko Madarame. Haruhiko Madarame is the head of Madarame Law Firm which is one of the biggest law firms among the 4 big law firms. Hiroto Miyama begins to work with Atsuhiro Sada. Atsuhiro Sada is a lawyer specializing in civil cases and makes lots of money for the law firm. He doesn't have any interest in criminal cases which can not make money.

iki Ogawa (Jun Shison) yearned to live the life of a lovely girl and moved to the city from the countryside because of this. She holds a job at a fashion mail order company. Miki Ogawa also has a secret. She is transgender. Although, she has a pretty woman's appearance, her gender is male. One day, Tadaomi Goto (Keita Machida) appears in front of Miki Ogawa. They graduated from the same school. Tadaomi Goto is flustered by Miki's different appearance, but they happen to live together.

Members of the Science Research Institute including Sakaki Mariko from the Kyoto Prefectural Police Crime Lab try to solve cases by using forensic medicine, physics and chemistry. Sakaki Mariko goes by the motto "Science never lies."

Kahoko Nemoto is a naive 21-year-old university student. She relies on her mother, Izumi (Hitomi Kuroki), for everything in her life. Her mother wakes her up everyday, picks up her clothes, while Kahoko Nemoto has never done housework or driven a car. One day, Kahoko Nemoto meets a young man who grew up in a completely opposite environment.

Toyama Kinshiro is a 30-year-old newly-appointed police chief at Kitamachi Police Station who firmly believes his mission as a policeman is to listen to every voice of innocent citizens and protect the peace in the community. He comes off as aloof and a bit quirky at first, but in fact he has brilliant investigative instincts and spots clues that no one else can detect. Unlike his elite career bureaucrat colleagues, Kinshiro doesn't dress or act like a stereotypical Chief Police. Rather than sitting behind a desk, Kinshiro leaves the office and literally goes around town to do the investigation work, and go the extra mile to solve any crime regardless how small or trivial. However, his unorthodox approach generates a lot of antagonism from his subordinates at Kitamachi Police Station.

The 95th NHK Asadora is about Sumire, a girl born in the uptown of Kobe in the early Showa period. In the wake of wartime devastation, she works hard toward making children's clothes for a living, and later establishes a first-ever children's goods store in Japan. -- NHK

Hiroto Miyama is a poor lawyer who takes on criminal cases, but unable to make money. He pursues the truth for the 0.1% out of Japan's 99.9% conviction rate. One day, Hiroto is scouted by Haruhiko Madarame. Haruhiko Madarame is the head of Madarame Law Firm which is one of the biggest law firms among the 4 big law firms. Hiroto Miyama begins to work with Atsuhiro Sada. Atsuhiro Sada is a lawyer specializing in civil cases and makes lots of money for the law firm. He doesn't have any interest in criminal cases which can not make money.

Kurata Kenta lives with his father, Taichi, his mother, Keiko, and his younger sister, Nana in an isolated home in the suburbs. He works as an unpopular commercial designer. Kurata Kenta possesses a timid personality, which he picked up from his father. Kenta doesn't like his father. One day, while waiting for the train, Kenta warns a man who pushed a woman and cut in line. Kenta is surprised that he spoke out with his normally timid personality. After that incident, Kenta's family home is targeted by an unknown person with flowers from their garden being pulled out and the seat of a bicycle being torn. Also, Kenta's younger sister Nana is stalked by her ex-boyfriend. Kenta and his family try to find out who is responsible.

Based on the novel "Yokoso Wagaya e" by Jun Ikeido.

Kitamura Kazuki and Hamada Gaku will be co-leads in the upcoming BS Sky Perfect! drama series "Hamon" which will be shown from 9 January at 9pm on Fridays. The drama which is based on the 51st Naoki Award winning novel by Kurokawa Hiroyuki, features Kitamura as a smart and well-built gangster who works together with a consultant at a construction company (Hamada) to expose the evil deeds of bad people in Osaka. As the story will not be a replica of the novel, Kurokawa expressed great anticipation in that the drama will be very interesting since it is produced by Sky Perfect and will have a larger degree of freedom.

Adapted from the 2014 novel "Hamon (Yakubyō-gami Series)" by Kurokawa Hiroyuki.

Rookie detective, Sahara Natsuki, is assigned to the Investigation Division of Ginza police station. Here he has an unexpected reunion with his father and veteran detective, Akimura Shimao, whom he has been estranged from since his parents' divorce. They find themselves unwilling partners, butting heads repeatedly. Over time, however, Natsuki learns more about how to be a good detective from his father and possibly how to let go of their past as well.

Iwata Koichi and Kagawa Midori are second-year students at Tozaiyama High School. One day, while coming home from school, they discover a shooting star rising up in the sky. The next day, Midori sees a shining figure in school and everyone on the school grounds starts talking about a ghost. At that point, a mysterious transfer student called Yamazawa Norio suddenly arrives at the school and moves in to live next door to Koichi. Strange things begin to happen frequently around Koichi whenever Norio appears. The reason and objective of Norio’s arrival in this world is gradually revealed.