Asian Drama

Komukai Riko is the family's second daughter, with an elder sister who is sturdy and a younger sister who is more free-spirited. Riko was working briefly in Tokyo when she returned to her parent's residence after her grandfather died.

While rummaging through her stuff on the roof where the family has gathered for the first time in four years, Riko comes across a half-completed plastic model. Riko was guided by Yassan to the Yajima model shop where her grandfather used to go, and she decided to make her first plastic model.

Riko, feeling that she knows a little more about her grandfather and family, resolves to spend the summer at her parent's house so she can do what her grandfather regrets.

(Source: Japanese = Natalie.mu)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 30 min.

Airs On: Friday

The story follows Fushiki, a newbie employee from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare who is assigned to the department to work alongside Yukimura Kai, an 88-year-old vampire detective who still looks 18 due to his immortality. Together, they will investigate a series of murders by the “Ram Killer” that have been occurring every Christmas in the year of the Ram over a period of 70 years.

(Source: Drama-Otaku)

Episodes: 12

Duration: 30 min.

Airs On: Friday

Since his wife died, Masahiko has raised his daughter Hitomi by himself. Hitomi is now all grown up and an adult, but they still live together and rely on each other. On New Year's Day, they talk with each other like they usually do, but they both reveal bombshell news. Hitomi tells Masahiko that she is going to get married in 3 months. Masahiko tells Hitomi that he was informed that he has only 3 months left to live. They are both shocked by each other's news.

Masahiko is strongly opposed to his daughter's marriage because her future husband is an unpopular comedian and is 10 years older than her. Meanwhile, Hitomi tries to persuade her father to get medical treatment. Because they want each other to be happy, they can't give up their position and try to persuade the other person. In the end, they decide they don't want to waste the next 3 months and write down things they want to do. Hitomi writes down things she wants to do before she gets married, and Masahiko writes down things he wants to do before his death.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Episodes: 10

Airs On: Monday

Set within the highly competitive animation industry. People in that field work hard to receive the title of "haken," which is given to the most popular animation.

Saito Hitomi works on her first anime as a director. She struggles along with her colleagues to make the animation film, while dealing with various difficulties. Meanwhile, Ouji Chiharu is an animation director and has made hit movies in his past. He teams up with Producer Arishina Kayako to make his first animation film in 8 years. Saito Hitomi and Ouji Chiharu now direct films that are set for release on the same date. Who will get the title of haken?

Adapted from the novel "Haken Anime!" (ハケンアニメ！) by Tsujimura Mizuki (辻村深月).

Miyu and Shuya are high school students. They have dated for 2 years. Miyu and Shuya have a promise that no matter what, they will watch a movie together on the first day of each new month. When Miyu and Shuya are on their way to the movie theater, Shuya suddenly cancels their date. Shuya seems like he is hiding something and he acts nervous. Later, Miyu goes to the place where she is supposed to meet Shuya, but she witnesses Shuya getting into a car accident. She panics, but when she wakes up she finds herself on the morning of the accident. Miyu keeps waking up on the day when Shuya got into an accident.

Adapted from the novel "Kimi ga Otoshita Aozora" (君が落とした青空) by Sakura Eeyo (櫻いいよ).

A large monster attacks Japan, but dies suddenly. It's only a matter of time that a gas explosion will take place from the carcass of the monster, which could cause the country to collapse. Tatewaki Arata is assigned to lead a special force team into the critical area. Amane Yukino appears in front of Tatewaki Arata. She is the secretary to the environment minister and also the ex-fiancee of Tatewaki Arata.

Following the ascension to power of Taira no Kiyomori, the Minamoto clan is exiled. Minamoto no Yoritomo meets Masako, the sister of Hojo Yoshitoki and later marries her. Following this marriage, the gears of Yoshitoki's destiny begin to turn.

Yoshito grew up with his mother Yasue after his father passed away. His mother ran a yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant that his father had left behind. Yoshito enjoyed eating his mother's cooking and their restaurant was loved by many people. Things changed after popular food critic Furuyama Tatsuya published false statements about their yakiniku restaurant. Due to that, their restaurant saw a sharp drop in customers. Yasue worked hard to recover business for the restaurant. Due to Yoshito's behavior in wanting attention from his mom, Yasue decided to shut down the restaurant.

18 years later, Yoshito lives alone and he works as a freelance writer. One day, he takes work for a new online foodie website. He works with editor Takenaka Shizuka. Their first assignment involves yakiniku. Around that time, Yoshito hears that his estranged mother Yasue has collapsed.

Hajime works in the I.T. department of a newspaper company. He has worked there for 7 years. He often neglects his work and he is more interested in writing manga. His colleague at the newspaper company is Yutaka. He insists to Hajime that he values life more than his job, but he doesn't look happy to Hajime. Looking at his colleague Yutaka, Hajime suddenly wonders if his life is okay like this or will he become a person who does his job well.

Based on manga "Hatarakazaru Monotachi" by Sarenda Hashimoto.

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?

Kaei is a successor to the prestigious Karasuma family. Upon finishing his studies in the UK, he returns to Japan only to be surprised by his strange new butler, Soma Kisaragi. With the help of his trusty butler, he protects his family from a dangerous conspiracy!

Kakei Shiro is a 45 year old lawyer who works at a small law firm. He is a good cook and a meticulous and thrifty person who keeps the monthly food budget to 25,000 yen. Shiro’s daily routine is to leave work on time and head to a discount supermarket nearby. His partner Yabuki Kenji is the affable hairdresser in his 40s. The two of them share a two-bedroom apartment and the finer points of two men living together comes up at the dining table every day. Although the two of them have been in a relationship for three years and Shiro's parents know he is gay, Shiro never shares the fact that he is gay or Kenji is his partner to anyone.

Episodes: 12

Kakei Shiro is a 45-year-old attorney who works for a small law firm and lives with his lover, Yabuki Kenji, a hairdresser.

Kakei Shiro's regular routine is that after work, he buys groceries at a mart, which has discounted prices and does not go over a certain budget. Afterwards, he goes home and makes dinner, which usually includes rice, soup and three side dishes. When dinner is about ready, Yabuki Kenji comes home from work. While they eat, the two men talk about pretty much everything.

One day, when Kakei Shiro and Yabuki Kenji are out in public, Kenji's customer comes up to them and asks, "Is he your boyfriend who is a lawyer?" Kakei Shiro is embarrassed. Unlike Kenji, who is open about his sexual orientation, Shiro does not tell people at his law firm that he is gay.

The series is full of love, friendship, humor, everyday worries and the crumbs of life. Everything in the background is accompanied by delicious Japanese dishes and recipes for their preparation.

(Source: IMDb)

Episodes: 12

Hasumi Kyoko is a former lawyer who quit her job when she became a mother. Her husband is an elite prosecutor who works as the leader of a special investigation department at the Tokyo District Prosecutor's Office. However, he is charged with corruption and gets arrested. A scandal with another woman is also revealed. Kyoko's life as a "good wife" begins to change. To protect her children, she decides to work again as a lawyer. She is hired temporarily at a law office and begins to work as a lawyer for the first time in 16 years.

In a society in which justice is awfully subjective, and the possibility of finding the truth is so complicated, detective Yugami simply chases after the facts of various cases. He will casually approach potential suspects and talk to them in order to attain new information. All he is looking for are the facts. He feels that there is no point in following the rules, nor trying to read the atmospheres of the environment he's in. For him, resorting to unique and illegal investigations is not out of the ordinary. To assist him, he also has a sidekick, Torao Hanyu, who's a serious detective with a completely different personality. For Yugami, he simply wants to arrest as many criminals as possible through his illegal investigation style, so Torao's existence becomes a bother for him. Two detectives with absolutely nothing in common, somehow try to combine their skills in order to combat the enemies of society.

Legal apprentice Okumori Rei is on the verge of getting married when he is cornered by someone due to a past secret. Eight years ago, during the summer when Rei was a third-year junior high school student, he killed his father Kosuke and made it look like he went missing in order to protect his mother Akiko from domestic violence. This became the secret between him and his mother. Rei aspired to be a lawyer and had lived without getting deeply involved with anyone. That was until he met Tachibana Saya at law school. She is like a sudden light that illuminates his dark life and the two of them soon fell in love. However, right after Rei’s marriage to Saya is decided, he starts receiving ominous messages from someone who knows his secret.

Surgeon Daimon Michiko is sent to Totei University Hospital this time. Although it reigns as the top university hospital in the country, the hospital’s reputation has suffered greatly from various cover-ups, medical malpractice and fighting factions. Furthermore, the person who has snatched the seat of the new hospital director with the plan of reestablishing the hospital’s brand and gaining great power, is none other than the strategist Hiruma Shigekatsu, who has a longstanding grudge against Michiko. At Totei University Hospital, the medical departments have weakened as the administrative department increases control. Only doctors who have powerful brands are kept to run the hospital, which has transformed into a mere business organisation. What will Michiko stand up against in a power game rife in the healthcare setting?

Sakisaka Kento is a lawyer with an outstanding career. He seems cool and handsome, but he is a zealous person who will confront things that are unreasonable and wrong head-on. There are times when he values the words of a single person and not a lawyer. Sakisaka is regarded as the ace of the law firm, but his only weak point is a lawyer at the same firm who also happens to be his ex-wife Natsume Yoshie. He has been raising their daughter Mizuki as a single father since their divorce. A stylish lawyer who holds her head high, Yoshie is down-to-earth and a perfectionist. These two rival lawyers often have well-reasoned legal arguments regarding the cases of their clients. However, when they wander off topic, they will call each other “papa” and “mama” the moment they lose their cool and start quarreling like a couple.

Episodes: 9

Duration: 42 min.

Aired On: Thursday

“Love Stories From Fukuoka” is a series of real-life stories submitted by viewers in Fukuoka about their personal experiences with love, loss and longing. All the stories are based in Fukuoka, the capital city of the Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu Island. The stories feature many actors, celebrities and athletes who have ties to Fukuoka, including a few members of the popular Japanese girl group AKB48.

Akina (Umika Kawashima) and Takumi (Kodai Asaka) have been dating since high school. Akina started working as a bus tour guide in Saga Prefecture after graduating from high school. On the other hand, her boyfriend Takumi stayed in town, got a job in a factory. Being 1 hour train ride away from her boyfriend, romance oriented Akina struggled not to miss her boyfriend Takumi so much. But one day, on their date, one Akina’s action made Takumi’s mind to end their relationship. Was Akina the only one who was madly in love?! Three years later, Akina was living changing job to jobs, not having a particular goal in her life. She still had a feeling for Takumi, and one day her friends announced her the shocking news about him. Takumi was dealing with a disability. Leaving everything behind, Akina goes to see him. Can she get close to Takumi’s deeply hurt, closed heart? The second chapter of their romance begins!

Budokan is an upbeat touching story that revolves around a fictional idol unit NEXT YOU struggling for a break in the industry and striving to perform at the famous Nippon Budokan–one of the most revered concert venues in Japan reserved only for the best performers. The story will cover various topics surrounding idol's career such as scandals, inner conflicts, romance, etc., giving a realistic glimpse to the idol world. Will the girls of NEXT YOU be able to eventually build up fame and shine on the grandest stage of Budokan?

~~ Based on a novel by Asai Ryo.

Budokan is an upbeat touching story that revolves around a fictional idol unit NEXT YOU struggling for a break in the industry and striving to perform at the famous Nippon Budokan–one of the most revered concert venues in Japan reserved only for the best performers. The story will cover various topics surrounding idol's career such as scandals, inner conflicts, romance, etc., giving a realistic glimpse to the idol world. Will the girls of NEXT YOU be able to eventually build up fame and shine on the grandest stage of Budokan?

~~ Based on a novel by Asai Ryo.

The dashingly handsome Kishi Keiichitaro is Sobokai First General Hospital’s only pathologist. Described as intensely eccentric and very sharp-tongued, he is an extremely outstanding doctor. He would clash with the other party no matter who he or she is, for the sake of medical justice and the lives of patients. He is considered a nuisance by the doctors around him, but they never go against his judgments. Because he does not mince his words, he makes nothing but enemies. Rookie neurologist Miyazaki Chihiro, who works at the same hospital as Kishi, is lectured by a senior doctor Kosaka Hidetoshi every day. She has reservations about his emphasis on work efficiency but cannot refute.

Adapted from the manga series "Fragile - The Finds of Pathologist Keiichirou Kishi" by Kusamizu Bin and Megumi Saburou.

Episodes: 10

Duration: 56 min.

Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

Aired On: Wednesday

Ratings: 7.5

Popular actor Rengo Shiraki dies suddenly. Due to his sudden death, unpopular actor Daiki Kawata attracts the spotlight due to his close friendship with Rengo. Did Rengo Shiraki commit suicide or was he murdered?

Rengo Shiraki, a popular movie star, is found dead-along with a suicide note-by his best friend, Daiki Kawada, a struggling actor who dreams of achieving the fame and fortune Rengo has enjoyed. The suicide note prompts Daiki to write and publish Rengo's biography, the success of which unwittingly throws Daiki into the limelight. Struggling to come to terms with Rengo's suicide as well as with fame he can not really call his own, Daiki sets out to discover the truth behind his friend's death.

Rengo Shiraki, a popular movie star, is found dead-along with a suicide note-by his best friend, Daiki Kawada, a struggling actor who dreams of achieving the fame and fortune Rengo has enjoyed. The suicide note prompts Daiki to write and publish Rengo's biography, the success of which unwittingly throws Daiki into the limelight. Struggling to come to terms with Rengo's suicide as well as with fame he can not really call his own, Daiki sets out to discover the truth behind his friend's death.

Mashiro Moritaka ("Saiko"), with his superb drawing skill, is invited by his writing genius classmate Takagi Akito ("Shujin") to tread the difficult path of the mangaka. His sights are set on his naive yet earnest joint dream with Azuki Miho, who is aiming to become a voice actress. Saiko and Shujin team up as writer and artist, aiming to be serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, make a hit, and then release an anime. They bring their manuscripts into editors and set off on the road to becoming pro manga artists.

Adapted from the manga series "Bakuman." (バクマン。) written by Ohba Tsugumi (大場つぐみ) and illustrated by Obata Takeshi (小畑健).

Nishiuchi Mariya stars as a novice concierge in a luxury hotel who strives to see her customers smile. The heroine with never-give-up attitude who doesn't say "no" to customers tries her very best to solve problems with support from her seniors. The drama brings heart-warming one-off episodes every week to viewers.

Toko has finally got her dream job as concierge at "Hotel Vollmond". One day, fashion designer and customer, Sachi, requests Toko to change the flowers at her party venue, which Toko promises to do without due consideration. With the help of her senior, Honjo, she manages to keep her rash promise, but Honjo starts to question why on earth Washio chose Toko as concierge in the first place. Toko, then, gets enthusiastic about supporting a customer who plans to propose to his girlfriend.

Murasaki Wakako, a 26-year-old OL loves nothing more than delicious food and drink. Wakako's favorite thing to do for relaxation is to go off by herself after work and go to various places to eat and drink, even if she's never been there before. The moment Wakako is able to taste the pairing between the food she wants to eat and the perfect accompanying drink, the happy sound of "Pshuuu" leaves her lips. Now, then. Where shall we drink tonight?

Adapted from the manga series "Wakakozake" (ワカコ酒) by Shinkyu Chie (新久千映).

Ichinose Ryo works as a salesperson for Hashiba Sales Service, a subsidiary of the mid-sized electronics manufacturer, Hashiba Electronics, which prides itself on its long history. One day, he is ordered to transfer to the company’s headquarters. Why him when he has no strong points? Hashiba Electronics designs products which its subsidiary is responsible for manufacturing. The group’s share of the market is now being lost to emerging foreign companies and it is in financial difficulty. The new company president, Matsumoto Kiyoomi, who has come from America, has his eye on Ichinose’s perseverance as a salesperson and intends to make a five-member team contemplate strategies to improve the management of the group. Ordered to submit a proposal, Ichinose and the members head to Vietnam in search of ideas for cost-cutting measures. He finds out about a new business plan, a license business in Vietnam. However, that is when he learns of the ongoing bribery behind the contract work between headquarters and subsidiary as a result of the license business. Ichinose’s former boss, Taki Shinsuke, is aware of this bribery, and had promised to keep quiet about it in exchange for a director’s position at Hashiba Electronics. Determined to push through reforms in order to correct company’s way of doing things and fulfil his own and the other members’ dreams, Ichinose gets close to but a series of big hurdles stand in his way.

The drama is based on the same-titled manga which showcases a very unorthodox hero that uses every dirty little trick to resolve the open cases. Kurokouchi Keita is the black sheep of the police force. He works alone, and doesn't think twice about extorting money from the dirty politicians by getting hold of their achilles heels. Using the money and whatever bits of information acquired through underhanded means, he gets closer and closer to the ultimate unresolved crime of the Showa era; the 300 million bank heist. One day, the new rookie Seike Mayo, is assigned as Kurokouchi's partner. Excellent, but naive, she is the exact opposite of Kurokouchi, but nonetheless, the duo combi relentlessly chase down the criminals.

The drama is based on the same-titled manga which showcases a very unorthodox hero that uses every dirty little trick to resolve the open cases. Kurokouchi Keita is the black sheep of the police force. He works alone, and doesn't think twice about extorting money from the dirty politicians by getting hold of their achilles heels. Using the money and whatever bits of information acquired through underhanded means, he gets closer and closer to the ultimate unresolved crime of the Showa era; the 300 million bank heist.One day, the new rookie Seike Mayo, is assigned as Kurokouchi's partner. Excellent, but naive, she is the exact opposite of Kurokouchi, but nonetheless, the duo combi relentlessly chase down the criminals. --TBS

Haruki Hanyu, who worked as a prosecutor, changes sides and becomes an attorney. He opens his law office "NEXUS". In court, pursues solutions where the plaintiff and defendant can come to a mutual understanding. This differs completely from Kensuke Komikado, who believes only the winner is right. At work, Haruki Hanyu has confrontation a with Machiko Mayuzumi, but still holds personal feelings for.

A detective, who has been put on suspension due to a particular incident, unfortunately meets a woman... This woman happens to be able to “see” things, or in other words, has a special ability called a “vision.” She is shaken by her ability that she had suddenly gained one day, as she sees the images of murders... How did she develop this ability called “vision”!? What exactly is hidden in her past!? Strange incidents begin to happen around the two, and as they decide to team up in solving these cases.

A series of suspicious deaths, starting with that of her boyfriend Kawazu Masayuki, prompts mystery novelist Yuki Rikako to investigate. She discovers that all the victims were once passengers on the same cruise ship a year ago and involved in an accident that left one man dead. Rikako must find out what really happened during that outing before more casualties result.