Asian Drama

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).

Adapted from the novel "Shylock no Kodomotachi" (シャイロックの子供たち) by Ikeido Jun (池井戸潤).

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.

Unconventional banker Hanzawa Naoki, has been successful in exposing numerous irregularities at his bank, the Tokyo Chuo Banking Corporation. As a result, he is seconded to the Tokyo Central Securities (TCS) , to head their Corporate Development Department. Soon after, the TCS is involved with a hostile takeover by a large IT company. With the share purchase price expected to surpass a 100 billion yen, it is a deal worth an unprecedented amount to TCS. Unbeknownst to Hanzawa , the bid will incite a competition war with a new bank. Will he be able to overcome the problems plaguing the TSC and inflict twice the pain on those making unreasonable demands?

When a Japanese housewife has an affair while her husband is hard at work providing for the family the phrase goes 'heijitsu hirugao tsuma.' When a Japanese woman sleeps with a married teacher she is shunned and shamed and has to change her name and residence. yet, that is not their end. There is more to come.

Seri, an unknown yet talented female chef from the country, arrives in Tokyo to work at French restaurant, Etoire, but discovers that they have gone out of business due to the departure of their main chef. Together with the restaurant's former manager, she opens a French restaurant of her own and begins to recreate the flavors her late father mastered as a famous gourmet chef. Unfortunately, Etoire returns with an unscrupulous manager, and to make matters worse, Seri learns that it happens to be owned by her birth mother living in Paris who she hasn't seen since she was a child. Seri wonders if her passion and skill will be enough to succeed. --TBSCast:

Ieji Hisashi was involved in an explosion that occurred in a town during a job assignment away from his family, but miraculously returns to life from a 3-month coma. However, he is told by the brain surgeon, Tsukuba Yoshiaki, that he is suffering from higher cerebral dysfunction due to the effects of the accident and has a fuzzy memory of the recent five years. He used to have a glamorous life as a sales representative for a securities company, but the damage to his brain has also affected his work. He is transferred to the unimportant Thirteenth Sales Department from the star department, the First Sales Department. Hisashi has to live a corporate life that is a stark contrast to the past. The only things he has left are dim recollections and a mysterious bunch of 10 keys. Even so, I have my dear family, he tells himself. He unlocks the door and steps into an empty house in a quiet residential neighbourhood. It suddenly starts to rain. He hurriedly takes in the laundry and when he is ironing the clothes, his daughter, Subaru, and ex-wife Kaoru, return. They are alarmed that he is here. This is the house where Kaoru, whom Hisashi divorced five years ago, and Subaru live. It is not Hisashis home any more. Because of his fuzzy memory and forgetfulness, Hisashi writes down things that occur daily in a diary as he tries to retrieve the past little by little. However, he is occasionally under illusion that his routine more than five years ago is the existing reality. This time, he ended up coming back home to Kaoru and Subaru. He hastily hands back the key and heads for the house he should return to where his current family waits. It is an ordinary home where he lives with his wife, Megumi, and their 4-year-old son Yoshio. However, Hisashi sees the faces of Megumi and Yoshio as masks. He can neither tell their facial expressions nor their emotions, let alone his love for them. This distresses him. On the other hand, he feels love for Kaoru and Subaru. What sort of days did he have in those five years which are a blank to him? Hisashi decides to set out on a journey to find his past self, relying on the bunch of keys that he has. He becomes aware that he was a cold, career-minded man before the accident while he visits people connected with his past. The persona that is gradually revealed is beyond the imagination of his present kindhearted self.

Taro Sato (Yusuke Kamiji) has been poor all his life. Since the death of his wife, his situation has become even more desperate as he has to raise his three kids by himself and has no real marketable skills. So when he applies for a job that he doesn't expect to get, as a chauffeur to a rich young woman, he's surprised when he does. His employer is Alice (Aya Ueto), your usual spoiled rich kid. Her father is a hotel magnate and her mother a popular actress. She's never wanted for anything her whole life and expects to get everything she wants. She and Taro have nothing in common, and, at least in the beginning, all they do is get on each other's nerves.

In ancient Rome, bathhouse architect Lucius (Hiroshi Abe) becomes famous with designing the original "thermae" (bathhouse). He receives an order to build a thermae in the colosseum to help gladiators recover from their wounds, but faces difficulties. Thus, Lucius travels again to modern day Japan through the time slip. He meets Manami (Aya Ueto) again, who is now a reporter for a magazine which covers bathroom. With the help of the flat face Japanese tribe, Lucius again designs a new thermae. Meanwhile, Emperor Hadrian (Masachika Ichimura) wants to keep the peace with the thermae, but the Senate wants to extend the land by using force. Emperor Hadrian and the Senate now have a confrontation and Rome becomes divided. 1. Filming began April 6, 2013. Shooting will take place at Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, Cinecittà film studio in Rome, Italy, and a hot spring in Japan. "Thermae Romae II" is thought to be the first Japanese film to shoot in Bulgaria. An estimated 5,000 foreign extras are participating in the filming of "Thermae Romae II" in Bulgaria.

The drama tells the story of Yamaguchi Yoshiko, a Japanese woman born and raised in China during the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. She debuts as the Chinese singer and actress Li Xianglan (Ri Kouran in Japanese), in the hopes that her efforts will work towards the benefit of both Japan and China. Hiding her true nationality, however, she slowly discovers herself becoming a puppet of the Japanese military's propaganda efforts in Manchuria, starring in "national policy" films that humiliate the Chinese people. But billed as the "star of Greater East Asia," her popularity soars across borders to Japan, where she holds a concert that draws thousands to the Nihon Gekijou Theatre and leads to a riot that injures several people. Based on her autobiography, this is the story of her personal struggle amidst military strife between her two homelands.

A high school student's mother passes away leaving her alone with her grief. The girl, Marimo, discovers the name of a father she never knew. Marimo sets off to meet him, but is completely shocked when she finds someone very different from the father she envisioned. Her father, Shinpei, a 38-year-old would-be private detective, is shocked too, and doesn't believe her until he sees the paperwork. With Marimo muttering "The worst father in the world"and Shinpei lamenting the loss of his freedom, these two are about to learn how difficult and rewarding a father/daughter relationship can be.

Hina, a student at Nikko High School, goes out one evening with her classmate Beniko. They get split up and Hina ends up in a strange meeting with a man named Ikumi in a game arcade. The next day, Ikumi turns up as the new teacher at her school. Ikumi doesn't seem to recognize Hina but the wheels of fate are slowly moving to reunite them in what is a passionate story of forbidden love. One of the main underlying themes of this drama is death. Another important theme is the struggle Hina and Ikumi have in trying to realize the difference between love and dependence... or is there a difference? Not just a remake of the 1993 version; it takes place at the same school, but with different characters and situations. "This is a hauntingly dark drama...ala 'emotional screwed up' but the storyline is very good."

Amamiya Kuniyuki is the unemployed son of a tonkatsu restaurant owner. He finds a job that requires a married person, so he lies by saying that he has plans to marry, and he is forced to keep up the charade using Hida Haruno, a part-time worker from the restaurant. The relationship between the two is the key of this romantic comedy, though the series also focuses on family and friendship through Nakai's interactions with the other characters.

Kaneko Misuzu Monogatari (TBS Drama Special, 09 July 2012) tells about the brief life of poet and songwriter Kaneko Misuzu (real name, Kaneko Teru). The story starts in the spring of 1920, Kaneko Teru (Ueto Aya) has just graduated from high school. She is young and vibrant and has dreams of becoming a poet. Her cousin, Masasuke (Imai Tsubasa) is very fond of her, and yearns to tell her of his feelings. However, he does not know the awful truth about his adoption, and that he is actually the younger brother of Teru. Feeling that Masasuke and Teru are getting too close for comfort, Masasuke's adoptive father tries to separate the two. Later on, Teru will also be forced into an unhappy marriage with a man she does not love... ~ earthcolors

The story focuses on 26-year-old Rika (Ueto), a single editor who is unskilled in love. The story starts when a man (Uchino) appears before her, telling her that he is her husband from 10 years in the future. He informs her that she will meet the young version of himself in a few days, but begs her not to marry him.

A smash hit manga spikes its way onto the TV screen for the first time! Kozue, a positive and cheerful high school girl devotes her entire energy toward her school volleyball team. Extremely severe practices designed by the strict head coach Inokuma, highly competitive matches against the toughest top players, friendships and rivalry among teammates with strong characters…. Can Kozue's genuine love toward volleyball make the impossible come true?

The drama is based on the best-selling serial novels by Nonami Asa, about the lives of two ex-convicts after their release from jail. Komoriya Hako took the rap for her first love, and was sent to jail for seven years. Eguchi Ayaka was serving time for killing her abusive husband. The two met in jail and became fast friends. Ayaka drew strength from Hako's innocence, and regained her will to live. She was released earlier than Hako, as she only had to serve five years, and went on to work at a bakery in Yanaka, Tokyo. Hako's family had disowned her, and wishes nothing to do with her. She moves into her dead grandmother's little place in Yanaka. With each other's support, both Ayaka and Hako start to rebuild their lives. One day, Hako's brother comes to visit and says to her, "I am getting married, and I wish to have your name removed from the family register"..

Fuji TV will air a 2-hour special episode called “Zettai Reido ~Mikaiketsu Jiken Tokumei Sousa~ Special,” which is set one month after the events of the first series. ~ Tokyograph

Personnel transfers take place at the metropolitan police department and Sakuragi Izumi is called upon by Nagashima Hideo who had been transferred to the special crime investigations prevention department. At the same time, the special investigations team members are transferred to other departments, each struggling to settle into their new environment. Izumi teams up with ace sergeant Takigawa a man with extensive knowledge and experience in the field. While Takigawa is not completely convinced about their partnership, he takes leadership and sternly instructs Izumi. One day, suspicious death accidents occur consecutively and the bereaved visit the jurisdiction to request a reinvestigation. Soon, it becomes apparent that each and every one of the accidents were caused by defected products from various corporations. Takamine Ryoko notices a certain pattern to the accidents and begins to suspect a chance of "corporate blackmail". Can the team solve the mystery in time to save the next victim? ~ Fuji TV

Sakuragi Izumi (Ueto Aya) is a new police sergeant with the Special Investigations Office, which was set up within the Metropolitan Police in November last year. The new investigation team uses DNA analysis and the latest in forensics science to investigate cold cases as well as cases suspected to involve missing persons. ~ JDrama Weblog

Oharu is an excellent cook and recognized for her skills. Due to her cooking talents, she marries Yasunobu, who is an heir in the Funaki family. The Funaki family serves as the cook for the Kaga Domain. Nevertheless, Yasunobu himself is a terrible cook. With the help of Oharu‘s mother-in-law Mitsuru, she begins to teach Yasunobu how to cook.

Sasamoto Sawa is a happily married housewife of 5 years, who works part-time as a cashier at a supermarket. Takigawa Rikako is also a housewife who had recently moved into the neighborhood. Rikako is the wife of the editor of a huge publishing company, and together with their 2 daughters, they live in a newly constructed home. Even though they seemed like a nice happy family, Rikako is actually having affairs in the afternoon, while her husband is at work and her kids are at school.One day, Rikako is with one of her numerous lovers, a young man by the name of Hagiwara Tomoya, but while in the supermarket's carpark, a high school student, Kentaro, tries to rob them. The police shows up and Rikako needs to cover up the fact that she was having an illicit rendezvous with Tomoya. Spying Sawa leaving the supermarket for home, Rikako quickly pulls Sawa to her side and claims that she was actually at the supermarket with Tomoya to meet up with Sawa, as the three of them had pre-arranged to have coffee together. Sensing Rikako's desperation, Sawa decided to fall in with the act, and backs up Rikako's story. While sorting out the case with the police, Kentaro's form teacher, Kitano Yuichi, shows up to bail his student out. After this chance meeting with Kentaro, Sawa finds herself unable to forget Yuichi, and soon, the two of them become lovers...

In ancient Rome, architect Lucius (Hiroshi Abe) is too rigid in his ways and unable to keep up with the fast changing times. Because of this, Lucius loses his job. A friend then takes Lucius to a bath house to cheer him up. There at the bath house, Lucius slips through a time portal and arrives at a bath house in present day Japan!

The story is set in the Meiji period and revolves around the young daughter of a poor family in Yamagata Prefecture who’s sent away to work for a wealthy family to earn a living. The overarching theme of perseverance through hardships became a trademark of the Oshin character, which made the original series incredibly popular throughout Asia and throughout the world, reaching viewership numbers that have yet to be matched. The original drama spanned most of Oshin’s life, but the movie will focus on her childhood.

Hanzawa Naoki works for Tokyo Chuo Bank as the head of the Loans Division at their Osaka Nishi branch. The overbearing branch manager, Asano, forces him to award an unsecured loan of 500 million yen to Nishi Osaka Steel. On the surface, Nishi Osaka Steel seems like a very reputable company, but in actual fact it is a company in deep trouble. Debt-ridden, the company accountants resort to window-dressing the financial statements in order to hide the truth from the public. Three months after the loan, Nishi Osaka Steel goes bankrupt and the ambitious and power-hungry Asano makes Hanzawa the scapegoat for the 500 million loss. Hanzawa is called to Tokyo to answer to the internal investigations team, where he vehemently denies responsibility for the loss, and swears to recover the 500 million yen. That is the only course of action for Hanzawa, if he wants to survive in the banking industry.

Takenouchi plays an aquarium employee named Kengo, who seems ordinary at first glance but actually possesses a secret that he would sacrifice everything in order to protect. Meanwhile, Ueto plays Risa, a young woman working in the sex trade in order to pay off her brother's debt, though her situation has led her to contemplate suicide. These two characters, both full of despair, meet each other and end up entering a contract marriage purely for its benefits. However, as they overcome various troubles, their relationship begins turning into true love.

Domoto Akari is a rookie attorney, so-called "Hokaben," a hot lawyer just out of the oven. Sugisaki Tadashi is her boss at the big law firm, but he has lost his passion for work, and is as cool as ice. These two meet as the only two attorneys at the Pro Bono (For Public Good) section, which the firm created to fulfill their social service obligation.

The law will protect the weak-rookie attorney Akari still believes in the idealistic dream.

The law will not protect the weak, and it can even be a weapon to kill people-experienced Sugisaki has seen the limit of the law. Clients after clients looking for saviors come to them for help, but the realities in front of them are too harsh to face. Will they give up or will they face the reality and fight?

22-year old Kawano Ayu was brought up way out in the country. She's a rough-mannered tomboy. When she meets Tetsu, a divorced beautician, the two fall in love and get married. Immediately after their happy new life begins, they are visited by a 5-year old boy, Yuki, who claims to be Tetsu's son. Ayu reluctantly becomes the boy's mother, but has no idea how to raise a child. What's more, at kindergarten, she must confront the elegant mothers of the neighborhood. Ayu's humorous life as a rookie mother begins.

Losing her mother at a young age, Misaki Yoko was raised amongst three brothers. Yoko is a slightly boyish girl who is bullheaded and hates dishonesty. Ever since she was young, she enjoyed the company of boys over girls. She starts a band with four of her boy friends and becomes the lead singer. Then one day, one of the members of the band, Tsukasa, gets a job at a bank in Tokyo. Due to Tsukasa leaving town, the band breaks up, and though Yoko finds herself lonely, she puts on a strong act in front of Tsukasa. She can't tell Tsukasa how she truly feels for him. On the day Tsukasa leaves for Tokyo, Yoko goes along with the band members to the airport to see him off. The guys get excited when they see some cabin crew ladies and Yoko has no idea why. She reminds them that even she can wear a uniform, but the guys only make fun of her. That's when Tsukasa tells Yoko he wonders what she'd look like dressed in uniform. This is when Yoko decides she wants to work as a Cabin Attendant.

Episodes: 11

"Ace", an all time favorite comic book that sold 15 million copies is finally dramatized! A positive success story of an ordinary high school girl who gradually discovers her hidden talent of tennis through severe trainings designed by her strict coach. Can she every become an "Ace" tennis player?

Hiromi Oka decides to join the high school tennis club from the moment she saw the star player Reika's (Matsumoto) excellent and smashing play. However, once the tennis lesson began, Hiromi finds herself bored in the succession of simple practice swings. One day, Munakata becomes appointed as the new head coach of the tennis team. His special training was nothing but original, extreme, and severe. In addition, he suddenly chose Hiromi, a tennis beginner, to be the member of the up coming tennis tournament Not only Hiromi, but also her teammates become confused and take the odd situation unfair. Jealousy of her friends and teammates mounted, and they started to talk behind her back. Finally, Hiromi decides to leave the team and run away from the uncomfortable reality, but the coach strongly refused. Instead, he gave her an even more severe and personalized training.