Asian Drama

It was a pre-destined love and marriage for Sonoko and Tetsuo. They tied the knot and became husband and wife no questions asked. All is well then. Well, perhaps not. Each holds a secret that even the bonds of matrimony cannot untie. Sonoko does not know that Tetsuo makes sex dolls or Dutch wives. Sonoko has a secret too. She is about to tell Tetsuo what she has been hiding. Their marriage is already sexless. Will they make it?

Balsa and the crown prince Chagum travel together again. The young boy who survived because he was protected by Balsa, has gone through suffering and grown into a splendid crown prince. Balsa starts to expose the conspiracy that lies hidden deep in the bowels of her beautiful homeland of the Kingdom of Kambal. And then, Chagum stands up to the attack of the Talsh Empire which has targeted the New Yogo Empire. A natural disaster occurs that shakes the land. Gold birds flutter in the sky.

When a worldwide electrical outage occurs, everything that requires electricity comes to a stop. Yoshiyuki Suzuki decides to escape with his family from Tokyo, that is nearly ruined.

Four years after her journey with Chagum ended, Balsa has become an outlaw. Concealing herself in the kingdom of Rota to the west of the New Yogo Empire, she continues to be a bodyguard. One day, Balsa saves a young girl Asura who has the ability to summon Taru Hamaya, the god of devastation. Spies of the royal family are mobilised in an attempt to eliminate her. Meanwhile, in the New Yogo Empire, Chagum who is now the crown prince, has set out on a sea voyage. The Trush Empire to the south is trying to invade the north and wages war against the seafaring kingdom of Sangal as a beachhead. Chagum leads reinforcements, but this is the emperor’s ploy to expel the crown prince. Sangal falls into the hands of the Trush Empire and Chagum ends up becoming a captive.

Adapted from the novels by Uehashi Nahoko, Kami no Moribito and Sōro no Tabibito, the 5th and 6th books in her Moribito series.

The bedding shop that Terashima Yoshitaro (Emoto Akira) runs counters the flashy bargain sale of a large store with quality service. It steadily boosts sales. This is all thanks to Terashima whose only purpose in life is stashing money away. Even his wife, Mitsu (Watanabe Eri), is disgrunted with his stinginess, but carries out her duties as an obedient wife. One day, an attractive young female customer called Sugita Rieko (Ono Machiko) comes to Terashima’s shop. It is love at first sight for him. He ends up handing her the bed sheets that she wants with the words, “Pay next time.” As a result of his visit to Rieko’s apartment, their relationship deepens rapidly. Rieko goes to the salon where she works. On the way back, the two of them drink and have sex. However, as Rieko puts her body in Terashima’s hands, she is reminded of her late mother, Takako (Fueki Yuko). Her mother had been in the arms of a string of men in the small port town that was Rieko’s hometown. Although the young Rieko loathed her mother for being that way, she has been involved with men like her mother and obtained money after coming to Tokyo. This time, it is Terashima who is before her …One year later, Terashima only has aptitude for work and is a completely changed man. He neglected his business while the money he had saved has vanished in support of Rieko. Mitsu complains to him, but he holds his passbook, which no longer has any money, in his hand and declares, “What I do is my business!” At that moment, Rieko’s attention is captured by a newspaper article. It is about her first love, Kawazoe Naoki (Ozawa Yukiyoshi), who has become a university’s associate professor. Her love with Naoki had vanished like a bubble due to her mother. However, the sight of his face brings an unusual peace of mind to Rieko who has lived alone ever since she came to Tokyo. Despite the “dark past” between Rieko and Naoki that cannot be erased, Rieko has deliberately disassociated. Wanting to see Naoki, she shows up in front of him. This sudden reunion renders him momentarily speechless. Rieko regains her love for Naoki. However, Terashima is sensitive to the subtle emotional change. A hell that none of the three had imagined is about to descend upon them.

Amano Aki goes with her mother Haruko to her hometown in Kitasanriku during a summer vacation. There, she meets her maternal grandmother, Natsu, for the first time. Natsu is a woman diver aka "ama", and Aki thinks that is just so cool. Aki is a second-year high-school student, and she struggles to keep up with the fast-paced life in Tokyo. Having been confined indoors most of the time, everything she sees in the rural town is exciting to her. But most of all, seeing her grandmother diving under the fierce surf along the coastline, leaves a huge impact on her. "I think I would like to be a diver too..."

In a small town of Hokkaido, Yunni, Fusako Kurokawa (Saki Takaoka), lives a quiet life with her father. Life here is very simple, but it is good enough and she is happy enough. Days go on as usual. with some coincidence, she meets this man one day, Wataru Kadokura (Atsuro Watabe) a man who cannot speak. A very peaceful "time" now becomes part of her daily life as this strong emotion suddenly takes place in her simple quiet life. One day, Fusako falls from a horse at her work place, a stable. Luckily she suffered no severe injuries and goes back to her daily life. Beloved family and friends around her, as they have always been. She drives the same beautiful road with her Red Cherokee.

In a small town of Hokkaido, Yunni, Fusako Kurokawa (Saki Takaoka), lives a quiet life with her father. Life here is very simple, but it is good enough and she is happy enough. Days go on as usual. with some coincidence, she meets this man one day, Wataru Kadokura (Atsuro Watabe) a man who cannot speak. A very peaceful "time" now becomes part of her daily life as this strong emotion suddenly takes place in her simple quiet life. One day, Fusako falls from a horse at her work place, a stable. Luckily she suffered no severe injuries and goes back to her daily life. Beloved family and friends around her, as they have always been. She drives the same beautiful road with her Red Cherokee.

The 31st NHK Asadora Drama is Oshin. Oshin tells the story of a girl born in a very poor rural family in Japan, who through hard work and perseverance eventually triumphs over pain and adversity to achieve fame and success. Broadcast in the early 1980s when Japan had finally cast off the legacy of the post-war years and the Japanese were beginning to reap the benefits of economic development, the aim of the story was to recall the hardships the older generation had endured in order to pave the way for their children to enjoy their more affluent lifestyle. Viewers were drawn to the suffering of the main character Oshin - and then drew similarities between her story and their own home lives.

Some Japanese worried that showing Oshin abroad would give the country a bad profile - and would even be shameful because it showed the seldom glimpsed, poor, unequal side of Japan. In the event, the reverse proved true. Oshin gave viewers outside Japan - whose only image of Japan was formed by Japanese cars or electric goods, or through bitter memories of Japanese treatment during World War II - a far better understanding of the modern Japan and its people.