Asian Drama

A mother searches for her missing son after a devastating calamity, only to realize that she has died and is now confined to a realm of restless spirits.

(Source: Netflix)

Duration: 2 hr. 12 min.

Fifty-year-old Yuria has a quiet life teaching embroidery classes in her home, where she lives with her writer husband and his mother. Then one day her world is turned upside down when husband has a subarachnoid hemorrhage and upon arriving at the hospital, Yuria is met by a tearful young man who announces that he is her husband's lover.

(Source: MangaUpdates)

Adapted from the manga series "Yuria Sensei no Akai Ito" (ゆりあ先生の赤い糸) by Irie Kiwa (入江喜和).

Episodes: 10

A man becomes the new Ultraman.

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).

Takabayashi Matsuri learns that she only has 10 years to live due to an incurable disease. She decides to not dwell on her life and not to fall in love, but she meets Manabe Kazuto at a school reunion.

Adapted from the novel "Yomei 10 Nen" (余命10年) by Kosaka Ruka (小坂流加).

Matsuda Anna is a dedicated journalist who doggedly pursues the truth about a government corruption scandal even as powerful enemies seek to neutralize her reporting.

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Sagara Ryosuke is an ordinary salaryman and he works for a mid-size shipping company. He is a good natured person. His family consists of his wife Maho, high school student daughter and elementary school student son. Maho works part-time at a supermarket. They are a happy family, but, Maho and their two children suddenly disappear. There are no clues about their disappearance. Ryosuke gets the attention of the media and public. He tries to find the truth behind his family's disappearance with the help of his subordinate Ninomiya Mizuho at work.

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.

Her abusive husband is dead, killed by her lesbian friend who’d do anything for her. Now they’re running for their lives.

Adapted from the manga series "Gunjo" by Ching Nakamura.

~~ Adapted from the manga series "Gunjo" by Ching Nakamura.

Story continues from the Japanese Signal drama series. In 2021, a limousine taxi driver causes an accident on a highway and a high-level government official dies in the accident. Cold case investigation team, including Kento Saegusa and team leader Misaki Sakurai, have doubts about the case. Meanwhile, in 2009, administrative officers die consecutively in car accidents. The police announce these deaths as accidents. Takeshi Ōyama believes that these deaths were not the product of simple accidents. At 11:23 pm, a walkie-talkie turns on and makes a connection between the future and past. Kento Saegusa and Takeshi Ōyama face the threat of bioterrorism.

The story begins shortly after the finale episode of the 2018 drama, and then moves to 2020, two years later.

The story revolves around Ichiko, a woman who has been in a state of withdrawal at home for 18 years. Chatting on the internet with Ryo is the only way she can connect with the outside world. Ichiko’s mother Hasumi talks to her through the door every day, but one day she suddenly collapses.

After a sudden accident in 1995, 10-year-old Imamura Nozomi goes into a coma. Twenty-five years later, in 2020, Nozomi wakes up. Although she is 35 years old, she still acts like she's ten years old. The world has changed around her, but she lives for her future. Yuto was Nozomi's classmate in elementary school, and also her first love. He had once become an elementary school teacher, but quit after a certain incident. In order to hide his lack of confidence, he had been protecting himself by criticizing and looking down on others. When he reunites with Nozomi, he starts to take a good look at himself.

Oshi Hana is 78 years old. She realizes that she is different from the people of her own age. She tries to look younger than her age while surrounded by her husband, children, and grandchildren.

1940, Kawamoto Akiko lives in Hiroshima with her father and mother, Genkichi and Shizuko, as well as her two younger brothers. Akiko loves playing her favorite piano. As the war situation worsens, she is busy helping out the war efforts. On the morning of August 6, 1945, she disobeys her father and heads into the center of town for work. In Hiroshima 75 years later, her favorite piano remains, restored and playable following it's survival of the atomic bombing.

A couple of months have passed since the serial murder case. A new dead body is found in the same area. Detective Manabu Kagaya tries to find the truth. He goes to see serial killer Yoshiharu Urano in prison.

Continuation of the first season of Anata No Ban Desu.

It is the job of the press to cover corporate crime, government plots and society. It is in this context that young female reporter on the beat Erika rolls up her sleeves and goes to work regarding what seems to...

A few months before a law is enacted that requires the recording of all police interrogations, police officers gather at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and they receive instruction on how to treat suspects better. They observe, Yukiko Makabe (Yuki Amami) from the special interrogation team Kintori interrogate a suspect who does not show any signs of remorse. Yukiko Makabe uses sharp words and shows a lack of respect towards the suspect. Due to her behavior, Councilor Reiko Kikuchi orders Yukiko Makabe to train newcomers.

Around this time, Yuta Nomoto, who received a 12 year sentence, escapes while being transferred to prison. He breaks into a house and takes a housewife as a hostage.

Kenji Amo is a 2nd generation Japanese-American. He was born in America but went to school in Japan. He returned to America to study at UCLA. Now, Kenji Amo works as a reporter for a newspaper in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles.

Charlie Tamiya also studied at UCLA with Kenji Amo. Charlie Tamiya has feelings for Nagiko who works with Kenji Amo at the same newspaper company. Knowing that, Kenji Amo holds complicated feelings. At this time, Nagiko's friend Emi Hatanaka asks Kenji Amo to marry her. He accepts her proposal, but the Pacific War begins. Circumstances surrounding Kenji Amo changes.

Akashi Koji’s father committed suicide. His father was a whistleblower, involving a large corporation. Akashi Koji's family now faces ruin. Kitamura works at an orphanage. He approaches Akashi Koji. To protect the children, Kitamura does not mind committing crimes. Due to Kitamura, Akashi Koji thinks of taking revenge.

Kazumasa and Kaoruko are in a troubled marriage and have agreed to divorce once their daughter's elementary school entrance exams are over. However, just before they are to rehearse for the family oral interview, they are informed of their daughter drowning in a pool. Rushing to the hospital, Kazumasa and Kaoruko are met with a heartbreaking situation.

Adapted from the novel "Ningyo no Nemuru Ie" by Higashino Keigo.

Kamishima Michiko has been married for 20 years. Her husband Shunpei is the son and chef of a distinguished family which runs a traditional Japanese restaurant and they have two children. She leads a peaceful life as a full-time housewife. But one day, Yahagi Tae, a woman who identifies herself as Shunpei’s lover, appears in front of Michiko all of a sudden and tells her, “I’ve come to get your husband”. Tae says they have been in a relationship since six years ago. She presents divorce papers that Shunpei has signed to Michiko and reveals that Michiko’s late mother-in-law had welcomed their relationship. Furthermore, Michiko discovers that her husband’s restaurant is heavily in debt and on the brink of bankruptcy. Confronted with a series of unexpected truths, Michiko has Tae buy out her marriage papers with Shunpei for 60 million yen and decides that she will become the proprietress of the restaurant and put it back on track.

On December 25, it is Shuko Yoshioka's (Kazue Fukiishi) 34th birthday. She has a good time with her husband Kenichi (Munetaka Aoki), her first child Ai (Konomi Watanabe) and her second child Yu (Hinata Igarashi), but Kenichi notices something different about Shuko. He asks her if something is wrong. She tells him that she might have breast cancer. She also says that she already received a test, but is waiting for the results. Shuko goes to the hospital to find out the results of her test. She hears from the doctor that she has terminal breast cancer and surgery is not an option. That night, her husband tries to comfort her. Meanwhile, Kenichi receives the results of a check-up he received a couple of days ago. He notices that it says "needs reexamination." Kenichi goes in for a reexamination and is diagnosed with lung cancer. Like his wife, he is told surgery is not an option. Kenichi, attempting to protect Shuko, does not tell anyone about his test results.

Misawa Sanae (Saito Yuki), a newscaster for a news programme, comes to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Emergency Response Investigation Team in order to do a story on the special interrogation room where an enactment of an interrogation is underway. She feels a connection with Makabe Yukiko (Amami Yuki), the department’s only female who speaks passionately about the necessity of visualisation and being ready to fight fairly. “It seems we’ll be good friends,” she says in a loud voice and they shake hands firmly. This is what happened the day after. The Kintori receives a request to interrogate a suspect. This suspect is former hairdresser Yajima Satomi (Matsushita Yuki), who was just released yesterday morning from a women’s prison. She had served a six-year prison sentence for killing the boyfriend whom she started dating through a good friend’s introduction. In a mere three hours and fifteen minutes after her release on parole, she comes to turn herself, and says she “killed a person”. The murder weapon with Satomi’s fingerprints and skin on it as well as the dead body of a man are found at the location in accordance with her statement. However, the estimated time of death is one week ago. No matter how one thinks about it, it would have been impossible for Satomi to execute the crime while in prison. Why did she confesses to a crime that she did not commit? What truth is hidden beneath this lie!? Yukiko, who is in charge of the interrogation, attempts to determine the facts, but Satomi runs through her “confession”, and at the same time provokes a skeptical Yukiko. She finally suggests a live telecast of the interrogation as her terms to confess everything. However, Yukiko firmly refuses this. In order to get proof which will override the voluntary confession, the members of Kintori (Denden, Osugi Ren, Kohinata Fumiyo) run around to corroborate Satomi’s story on her movements in the three hours after her release. Meanwhile, Yukiko focuses on the high school graduation album that Satomi had in her possession when she turned herself in at the police station. She visits Satomi’s alma mater and obtains an unexpected clue which give her a fresh perspective in the investigation, but … They have just three days to interrogate Satomi. The Kintori make every effort to arrive at the truth in the meantime. But on the contrary, Satomi starts to confess to a second impossible crime instead of changing her confession … … ~JDrama Weblog~

Makabe Yukiko worked her way up from a rookie officer to her current investigator level. Recently, she had just been transferred to the "Emergency Interrogation Department", nicknamed as Kintori. Her colleagues are all men, and each of them have their own idiosyncrasies. Their job is to get the information from the suspects, and try to psycho-analyse them at the same time. Yukiko herself has an unsolved cold case that she is secretly investigating still... - TV Asahi

Kudo Sayaka is a 2nd grade high school student. She is a gal who wears miniskirts and has her hair dyed blonde. Even though she is a high school student, her actual academic grade level is on par with 4th grade elementary school students. During the summer, Sayaka attends a private institution. There, she meets Teacher Tsubota. Besides her mother, Teacher Tsubota is the first adult to praise her. Sayaka begins to change.

A woman named Kiwako (Hiromi Nagasaku) abducts a baby from a man whom she has had an affair with. For four years Kiwako raises the child as her own until she is arrested. The child named Erina is then returned to her birth parents, but she can't find peace. As an adult, Erina (Mao Inoue) also becomes involved with a married man and becomes pregnant. To confront her past, Erina goes to Shodoshima where she lived with Kiwako as a child. There Erina discovers a shocking truth and is forced to make a decision ...

Tono Risa is a gifted writer in her 30s. She has already made a name for herself, but actually feels that she is at the end of the road. At that moment, Kawahara Yuki, a young woman in her 20s who has come to Tokyo with the dream of becoming a novelist, appears in front of her. Tired of her title as a genius and unable to confide in anyone that she has exhausted her own ability, Risa entrusts Yuki with being her ghost writer. Risa gets distressed about pretending to be someone she is not in the shadows of her glittering career, but continues to act the way the people think of her. The talented Yuki finds the admiration she should have for Risa gradually transform into bitter animosity. Oda Hayato, a rookie editor, is the first person to discover Yuki’s talent, and become the one who understands her the most. He struggles in his attempt to make Yuki stop being Risa’s ghost writer and debut as an novelist.

The drama is based on the best selling same-titled novel by Minato Kanae, and is about two families that reside in the same upscale neighborhood. Amongst all the beautiful homes lined up in a row, there is a small house that belongs to the Endo family. Even though it is small, but it is a dream come true for Endo Mayumi. Living directly opposite them, is the elite Takahashi family. With their three gifted and smart children and a doctor husband, the Takahashis seem like a blessed and happy family. One day, Takahashi Hiroyuki is found murdered. The police suspect the murderer is someone the family knows... by ~ TBS

Like the original series, "SPEC" will revolve around a pair of police detectives as part of a special division solving difficult cases (Mishou). Touma Saya is a woman with an IQ of 201 and an inability to "read the atmosphere" in social situations. Due to a previous case, her left arm is in a sling. Her partner Sebumi Takeru used to be the star performer of the Metropolitan Police. After some incident however, he was transferred to Mishou. Those two track down offenders with special abilities(SPEC) who managed to get away with their crimes.

The ST team at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department consists of eccentric members. Akagi works as an analyst on the ST team. He won't appear in front of others, but his colleagues trust him as a leader. Yurine is tasked to manage the ST team. He experiences difficulties in dealing with the team. Meanwhile, the ST team come into conflict with other detectives at the police department over an indiscriminate gun firing case and a grotesque murder case. This forces Akagi to appear in front others. Akagi and Yurine work together to solve the case.

July 1590, Odawara. Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army had surrounded the Odawara Castle for over three months, hoping to conquer this last obstacle to his dream of the country's unification.

Standing at the gate of the castle, a lone man facing the menacing guards shouted out: "Do not throw your lives away. Treasure living!". Not long after, the castle gates opened and the reigning lord surrendered. The name of that man is Kuroda Kanbee. An excellent military strategist, he worked hand-in-hand with Hideyoshi to unify the country.

Kanbee's family had fled to Harima, and were relatively poor. As the protege of Kodera Masamoto, Kanbee was very much trusted and relied upon by his lord liege. However, Kodera was suspicious of Kanbee's father, Mototaka, thinking that he was trying to usurp his power. One day, Kodera decided to match-make Kanbee with the daughter of Kushihashi, another one of his vassals. Kushihashi's son, who was of the same age as Kanbee, intensely disliked Kanbee and objected to the match. Since this was the order of Kodera, they had no choice but to marry the youngest daughter, Teru, to Kanbee. On Kuroda clan side, in order to assuage their lord liege's suspicions, Mototaka decided to step down, and made Kanbee the head of the clan. Kanbee was but 22 years old. Kanbee and Teru were married, and they were blessed with a son soon after, but when many years had passed and yet Teru couldn't seem to conceive a second child, Kanbee decided to adopt the young children of his vassals as his proteges who became known as "Kuroda's warriors".

When Kanbee turned 30, a revolutionary young lord was slowly laying siege to all the various shogunates, aiming for a unified Japan. Harima became the place where the clash between Oda and Mori Terumoto was set. Kanbee was very attracted to Oda's unification plans, and had gone to Gifu Castle to meet up with him. There, he became acquainted with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and soon became Hideyoshi's right-hand man, marking the birth of Gunshi Kanbee.

New student Kanji transfers to 6th grade 2 class, where Ayami Mutoi (Keiko Kitagawa) works as the homeroom teacher. Students begin to talk among themselves that they have seen new transfer student Kanji in a dream. Yuiko Koto (Manatsu Kimura) also had a night mare. In her nightmare, a boy that looks transfer student Kanji appeared as a prince. Ayami Mutoi tries to keep that to herself. She actually likes the prince in her dream.

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.

People gather at a split-level flat on a backstreet of Roppongi, Tokyo, men pay ¥20,000, women ¥1,000 and couples ¥5,000 apiece to spend the hours of midnight to 5 a.m. at a sex party. A moody Neet guy empties out his bank account for this night of pleasure, and a bespectacled college student who at first impresses as mousy and shy join the party. Presiding over this orgy are a jaded manager and bartender who explain and enforce three simple rules: Take showers prior to sex, use protection and respect the wishes of the women. Most dangerously, the Neet guy is falling quietly and hard for the student, who reveals herself as the horniest of all, while never quite breaking out of her shell.

Yukiko Makabe works at the #3 Special Investigation Team of the Metropolitan Police Department. She has excellent negotiation skills. Yukiko then attempts to negotiate with a hijacker on a bus, but something unexpected happens and her mission fails. Yukiko takes full responsibility and takes a transfer to a special interrogation team "Kintori". Her boss is Katsutoshi Kajiyama and Yukiko has had a difficult working relationship with him in the past. Her other coworkers include Susumu Hishimoto, Zenjiro Nakata and Haruo Koishikawa.

A man with leather gloves asks a girl to place a can of cookies in the police substation. Because of this, a police officer dies. Tetsuji Watanabe and Daijiro Kenmotsu, detectives from the #1 investigation team, finds out the identity of the man in leather gloves. They believe the culprit is famous attorney Fujishiro who only takes on miscarriage of justice cases. Fujishiro vehemently denies his involvement in the cookie incident during his interrogation by the Kintori team. Around this time, a man turns himself in and takes responsibility for an explosion at a police substation.

Based on the same-titled novel, the drama is set in the year 1964, the year the Olympics were held in Tokyo. A nation trying to rebuild its economy post world war II, Japan was eager to show the world what it had to offer. Amidst all the excitement and enthusiasm, two fires had broken out consecutively; at the private residence of the Chief of Police, Suga Shuichiro, and then at the Nakano Police Academy. However, both incidents were hushed up, and even Detective Ochiai Masao, from Division One MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) had to find out about it from his fellow colleague. Ochiai was puzzled as to why no investigations were being carried out and it soon came to light that prior to the first fire at the Chief's home, a threatening letter had been sent to the MPD. In view of the upcoming Olympics, everyone at the MPD were feeling jittery over the letter and the arson, and thus a team was set up to ensure the safety of the public during the event. Ochiai and his team mates were to carry out the investigation secretly. Information came to Ochiai, that some 25 tubes of dynamite were stolen from a gunpowder factory. While questioning the owner, Ochiai was introduced to Shimazaki Kunio, a poor student from Akita prefecture, attending Tokyo University and working part-time there. Suspecting him of the crime, Ochiai started digging around into Shimazaki's life and was surprised to find out that his own sister, Yumi, was actually dating Shimazaki!

One day, Ryota receives a phone call from the hospital. The hospital informs Ryota that his 6-year-old son is not his biological son. After his birth, two babies were switched. Ryota and his wife become torn by the news.The couple must decide whether to take back their biological son or keep the son they have raised for the last 6 years.

A mystery unfolds with a woman named Madoka (Maki Horikita), who is a killer, and Ataru (Masahiro Nakai). The woman possesses the same extraordinary memory and deductive reasoning abilities as Ataru.

The drama has Okada playing the part of Shiba Kengo, a pure-hearted young surgeon who is dedicated to his work. He gets transferred from a prestigious university hospital to a financially troubled hospital, but there he meets a capable and cool-headed chief nurse named Kasugai Yuka (Nakatani), who teaches him the reality of the medical world. The pure Kengo must face various obstacles and challenges as he tears off the “masks” of respected professionals – doctors, nurses, and educators – and uncovers their true natures.

Actor Hasegawa Hiroki plays the manager of a major group that operates schools, while Kato Ai plays his wife and the sister of Yuka.

The murder of Emili, a young girl, leaves the inhabitants of a small Japanese village in shock. The raped body of Emily is found by the four classmates with whom she was playing. The murder is never solved. Emili's mother Asako is torn by grief and puts a curse on the four girls when they claim that they don't remember the killer's face. Each of the girls, in their own way, will do their penance for their silence. Deeply struck by the words of Asako and burdened with her curse, the four girls are forced into adulthood which eventually triggers a tragic chain of events.

Adapted from the novel by Kanae Minato.

The story begins with the disappearance of a school bus and four high school girls. Still unsolved three years later, the case gets revived when one of the girls reappears. Odagiri plays a sharp national investigator searching for the truth behind the incident, which leads back to a seemingly peaceful town.

Inspector Sugishita Ukyo, head of the Special Missions Division, returns from London and goes home in the sports car of Assistant Inspector Kanbe Takeru, who has come to meet him at Narita Airport even though Ukyo did not ask him to. However, on the way home, Ukyo notices police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department conducting a crackdown outside the agency’s jurisdiction in Chiba Prefecture and gets suspicious. The police officers that Ukyo had seen were riding motorcycles. He lies in wait in a street with a dead end, but the motorcycle police have vanished into thin air. Ukyo is mystified and begins a thorough investigation. The Head of the National Police Agency’s Secretariat, Onoda Koken, appears before Ukyo, who has a bad feeling about what is going on. He tells Ukyo that Honda Atsuto, a revolutionist and senior leader of the leftist radicals “Red Canary”, has secretly returned to Japan.

The story centers around three sisters living together, though they have very different personalities, leading them to believe they have different mothers. One day, they each receive a letter from their dead father, with each indicating the title of an erotic novel. Believing that the letters are hints about their mothers, they begin reading the books, and before they know it, they start imagining themselves as the novels' heroines.

Last Friends tackles issues that afflict the current generation. Michiru's mother has brought a man back to their home and she is bullied at her workplace where she works as a beauty parlour assistant. She starts cohabiting with her boyfriend, a good young man who works at the Child Welfare Division and the only person who can give her emotional support, but ends up the victim of domestic violence and becomes fearful of love. The boyishly charming Ruka was a classmate of Michiru's in junior high school. She has performed brilliantly as a motocross racer and aims to win the national championship, but as the story progresses, a deep worry that she can neither confide in her parents or close friends grows evident. Takeru is a hair and makeup artist acquainted with Ruka. He is a good confidant to females due to his kindness and perceptiveness, and finds himself attracted to Ruka but has a phobia of sex as a result of a past trauma. The three of them become house mates and through their associations with others, gain the capacity to be positive about life.

Happy Boys (ハッピィ★ボーイズ Happii Bōizu?) is a Japanese television comedy, following five young men who work at Lady Braganza, a shitsuji kissa (butler café). It was adapted into a manga by Makoto Tateno.

Haruko Takanashi (Fukatsu Eri) is 30. She works at a radio station. She is approaching middle management where good looks alone aren't enough. She isn't very romantic so she devotes herself to work and play and suddenly finds herself alone. Just when she has given up on romance she meets a man. She meets him at a party to which she was taken by a subordinate at work. He is 25-year-old Ichiro Kashiwakura (Okada Junichi) and is nothing out of the ordinary. They start a relationship. One day, out of the blue, Ichiro ardently proposes to Haruko. Realizing that he really loves her, Haruko says yes and they get married. But she still hasn't told him her real age.