Asian Drama

Post-war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.

(Source: IMDb)

Fukabori Marie is a charismatic wedding planner and company president who is relied on by everyone, regardless of whether she is her boss or subordinate. Her husband Yusaku, an unsuccessful manga artist on the verge of going out of business, and his son, Junki, who dreamed of becoming an idol but was rejected at an audition, lost his way. In addition, her father who became alone due to a middle-aged divorce also came and she had to feed three useless men!

(Source: Japanese = NTV)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 60 min.

Aired On: Wednesday

Miyuki, a single mother and nursery teacher, meets Sri Lankan Kumara while visiting Tohoku as a disaster volunteer. A year later, the two of them who fulfilled a fateful reunion are gradually attracted to each other. Straightforward and charming, Kumara quickly becomes friends with Miyuki's daughter, Maya, and eventually, the three begin to live together like a family. Miyuki and Kumara exchange promises of marriage, but it is short-lived happiness.

Shortly after submitting her marriage registration and officially becoming a couple, Kumara is questioned by the police and placed in an immigration facility and ordered to be deported to her home country for overstaying. Kumara and Miyuki are in despair after being suspected of a fake marriage at the oral hearing. Visitation at the immigration office is only for 30 minutes through an acrylic board.

Miyuki and Maya are overwhelmed with anger at the unreasonable response and frustration that they can't help, but they visit lawyer Megumi Koichiro with a little hope. The only way to save Kumara is to file a lawsuit, win over the judgment, and obtain special permission to stay. He just wants to live with his family of three... He keeps a small wish in his heart and challenges the battle against the country.

(Source: Japanese = NHK)

Adapted from the novel "Yasashii Neko" (やさしい猫) by Nakajima Kyoko (中島京子).

Episodes: 5

Duration: 49 min.

Aired On: Saturday

Miura Takahiro & Abe Shinnosuke to star in new movie "Winny" showing in spring 2020; a film director & his buddy make a movie on the developer of P2P software Winny charged for its involvement in illegal activities before being acquitted.

Momose Taro, nicknamed “Nekoben”, is described as a genius lawyer by the people around him, and yet he is a poor man who lives in a run-down apartment. To make matters worse, he is 40 and still has no luck with women. The kind-hearted Momose also adopts pitiful cats that have nowhere to go in the cases that he undertakes, and there are many of them in his Shinjuku office. On the other hand, Momose’s frequent matchmaking activities undertaken by a marriage agency keep ending in failure. But in a reversal, its employee Daifuku Ako proposes marriage to him. Love finally makes progress. At that moment, Momose receives what looks like a request by email. “Mr Momose, this is the first time I’m writing to you. I’m worried about a white cockatoo that I cannot even sleep during the day. The love for Yamada Satoshi’s Sugiyama has cooled. I’m worried about Sugiyama’s fate. Please check on it. The invisible man.” Puzzled by this sudden challenge, Momose immediately visits the home of Yamada Satoshi whose name was mentioned in the email. Yamada is a weather forecaster who goes on television, and he has a white cockatoo called Sugiyama which whom he makes his television appearances. Yamada discloses that Sugiyama has become useless because of the AD to whom he entrusts the cockatoo to while he is away. He has consulted the popular lawyer Futami Jun who is called the “prince of law”, and filed a lawsuit. Momose accepts the cockatoo from Yamada who has been treating it sloppily and starts to unravel the true identity of his client, “The invisible man” but... ~~ Adapted from the novel "Nekoben to Toumei Ningen" by Ooyama Jiyunko.

In the turbulent last days of the Edo period, Kawai Tsugunosuke, a Japanese samurai serving the Makino clan of Nagaoka, dreamt of independence from the restraints of vassalship. Despite his progressive views and his desire for his estate to remain neutral during the Boshin Civil War, he was bound by loyalty and duty to the clan and was compelled to choose sides.

Adapted from the novel "Toge: Saigo no Samurai" (峠 最後のサムライ) by Shiba Ryotaro (司馬遼太郎).

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.

9 years after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, two murder cases take place in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. The two victims are assumed to have been murdered by the same person. Both of the victims were tied all over their body and starved to death. Yasuhisa Tone emerges as a suspect in the murders. Yasuhisa Tone was just recently released from prison. In his past, he committed arson and injured someone to protect his acquaintance. Detective Seiichiro Tomashino discovers a common link between the two victims and chases after Yasuhisa Tone.

Tsubame (Kaya Kiyohara) is a 14-year-old girl. She has a crush on university student Toru (Kentaro Ito), who lives in the same neighborhood. Tsubame lives in a warm environment with her father Toshio (Hidetaka Yoshioka) and stepmother Asako (Maki Sakai), but, one day, she learns that Asako is pregnant. She feels left out because of her stepmother's pregnancy and she also feels frustrated because she can't reveal her love to Toru. The rooftop of her calligraphy class is the only place where Tsubame can find solace. There, she feels the wind and looks up at the stars. One night, Tsubame goes on the rooftop as usual. She finds a strange kickboard scooter and a mysterious old woman Hoshi-baa (Kaori Momoi) appears in front of her.

The story takes place over 5 days from March 11 to March 15, 2011. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake strikes at 2:46 PM on March 11, 2011. The earthquake triggers a giant tsunami that hits the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Toshio Izaki works at the nuclear power plant and he must make a difficult decision. Masao Yoshida is a manager at the nuclear power plant. He manages the situation as best as he can and communicates with the company headquarters. The Japanese Self-Defence Forces move in, as does the U.S. armed forces. Meanwhile, 50 workers stay at the site and fight to contain a horrific disaster. (Source: AsianWiki) ~~ Adapted from the nonfiction novel "Shi no Fuchi o Mita Otoko: Yoshida Masao to Fukushima Daiichi Genpatsu no 500-nichi" by Ryusho Kadota.

"Tora-san, Welcome Back" is the fiftieth film in the "Tora-san" series. Its release is also set to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the series. Kiyoshi Atsumi, who played the eponymous character, will appear via scenes intercut with previous films.

Yuri Ishikawa and her team try to crack unresolved cold cases in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Shikata Atsushi, Tadokoro Keita, and Kawabata Satoshi spent their childhood days as friends. As adults, they meet again due to a murder case. Atsushi works as a detective, Keita is a suspect and Satoshi is a victim. As they come face to face with the truth of the murder case, they must also confront their detested past, sealed within their minds until now.

Shikata Atsushi, Tadokoro Keita, and Kawabata Satoshi spent their childhood days as friends. As adults, they meet again due to a murder case. Atsushi works as a detective, Keita is a suspect and Satoshi is a victim. As they come face to face with the truth of the murder case, they must also confront their detested past, sealed within their minds until now.

Mr. Takano, a company employee, announces plans to take an early retirement so he can return to his home town and spend his days fishing. Su-san and Hama-chan envy his decision, and Hama-chan conspires to visit Takano, even though he...

At the foot of Mt Fuji, there is a small old-fashioned shop ‘Fuji Family’ that is a convenience store in name only. It is run by three sisters who are known in the neighbourhood as beauties. Oguni Takako (Yakushimaru Hiroko)...

On the first day of class a young teacher enters an unruly room and begins his first lecture. To gain the students' attention he relates the story of what probably led him into a life of mathematics. Told via flashbacks, the young teacher goes back to a time, probably 20 years earlier, when his mother was hired to look after a professor who suffered brain damage in an auto accident. The brain damage didn't harm the personality of the man but limited his short- term memory to 80 minutes. The accident occurred 10 years earlier, in about 1975, up to that point the professor has a clear memory of events.

The sequel to "The Rainbow Seeker (Niji O Tsukamu Otoko)" directed by Yoji Yamada. The two main caracters, Katsuo and Ryo restartes working together for a movie theater. Set in Southern Japan, the film follows their pursuing their dreams and love.

The heart-warming story of a man who runs a movie theater and tries to show great films to local people despite many hardships.

Set in the town of Furano in Hokkaido, Kita no Kuni Kara centers around the story of the Kuroita family.

Narrated by the son, Jun, the tale follows the lives of two children torn between their parents and their parents' divorce. Jun, and his sister Hotaru, grow and mature in the harsh climates of Hokkaido, and learn the ways of life through their interaction with the folk of Furano.

Borrowing a similar plot device to Memento, a Maths professor suffers from current memory loss, and can only remember events up until his accident. Everything else that is current lasts only 80 minutes, which is why he relies on little notes and his blackboards to remind himself of important current information each time he comes back to square one. A housekeeper is hired to look after him, and despite the trying times and unique circumstances, both of them manage to strike a deep friendship, through the help of mathematics - one who inspires, and the other who admires. The friendship develops further as the housekeeper's 10 year old son, nicknamed by the Professor "Root" for his square head, comes into the picture, and three of their lives become intertwined. There are many touching moments in the movie, and almost everything revolved around mathematics, food, and even baseball! But you'd come to understand that the movie goes beyond that, and clearly the message is in the philosophy of maths itself, using concepts and applying it to real life, to living life. As such, it made the mathematical concepts introduced here quite accessible and easy to understand. The formation of friendships is core to the story, and the antagonist is none other than a jealous sister-in-law trying to break up what seemed to be going good for everyone involved. I sort of paralleled it to real life, in a not-too-recent episode which I and a few friends personally encountered, and the subsequent treatment we suffered. It makes you wonder how sometimes, even though with honest and sincere intentions, and out of the earnestness in valuing a friendship, you're demonized. It's quite uncanny, but all 3 characters in the professor, the housekeeper and her son are all quite lovable, both in character and in presentation. The cinematography is brilliant too, bringing out the best in the landscapes of the town that they live in, in a picturesque like fashion. I liked the simplicity of the movie, and the feel good factor that exudes from it. It's very beautiful and poetic to watch, given its even and comfortable pace, and it's definitely one of my favourite movies.

Momose Taro is a genius like attorney. Taro's nickname is "Nekoben" ("Cat Lawyer"), because he takes on cases related to animals and has a strong affection for cats. When he sees a cat in a difficult sitation, he has no qualms about taking the cat to his office. Right now, Taro has 11 cats in his office.

A funeral for the president of a shoe company is held. While Ohkochi Susumu, the son of the deceased company president, thanks the attendees, the hearse carrying his dead father suddenly drives off. The funeral turns chaotic.

Later, Susumu goes to see Taro to ask for his help. There's an undisclosed reason why he did not report the incident to the police. Susumu tells Taro that he also received a phone call demanding 15.4 million yen to get his father's body back. Susumu then asks Taro to solve the case discreetly. Taro then uses his deductive reasoning to solve the case.

An honest, low-ranking samurai, Munezo Katagiri finds himself buffeted by the confusion of old and new in mid-19th century Japan. Facing outside pressure, the Shogunate is trying to open Japan to the West and some carefully selected Western ways, while maintaining its fragile political base. Munezo, and his colleague Samon Shimada try to maintain their footing, paying heed to the demanding moral code of the samurai while also learning new military strategies, particularly the mastery of Western artillery. But Munezo also has a personal complication. He is secretly in love--so secretly, he may not even admit it to himself--with his family's maid, the sweet and beautiful country girl, Kie. His passion leads him to rescue Kie from a loveless marriage after she leaves his household; the samurai even shocks propriety by carrying away the low-caste young woman on his back. Just as Munezo starts to get his domestic situation in something to resembling order, Munezo hears devastating news. A comrade, Yaichiro Hazama, has been caught up in a plot in Edo. Their clan has sent the rebellious samurai home in the humiliating transport of a "prisoner's basket." Munezo comes under suspicion because he and Yaichiro, the clan's best swordsmen, shared a famed instructor, but Munezo refuses to cooperate with the chief retainer's witch hunt. Tension finally leads Munezo to confess his growing affection to Kie, a development that the young woman begins to hope will lead to the abandonment of caste structures. But before Munezo can realize his romantic destiny, Yaichiro escapes. Munezo is ordered to kill him, and the loyal, honorable samurai is faced with one final challenge to his principles.

I first saw this film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in 1981 and have often looked for it since (without any luck). Of the 50 films I saw in those 16 days (including masterpieces by Angelopoulos, and Syberberg's Hitler, A Film From Germany), Yamada's simple story turned out to be my favorite. When it recently turned up in a 5-disk Yoji Yamada box set, I immediately ordered it. Well, the disk is very poor quality, a murky transfer with the widescreen compositions butchered by a truly wretched pan-and-scan job -- and yet the quality of the film still manages to shine through.

On its surface, there's nothing particularly remarkable about A Distant Cry From Spring. A widow struggles to maintain a small farm in a remote area of Hokkaido, fighting the elements and raising her young son. One brutally stormy night, a stranger appears at the door looking for shelter. Though wary, the widow offers him her hospitality. He leaves, but then returns in the spring and asks for work, desiring only room and board in return. What follows is the depiction of a slowly developing emotional bond set against a beautifully observed portrait of daily life on the farm, an endless round of backbreaking chores which constantly threaten to overwhelm the lonely woman.

There is nothing terribly surprising in the revelations which eventually emerge about the characters, but they are so finely drawn and their emotional lives resonate with such authenticity, that only a cold-blooded viewer could fail to be moved by the film's resolution.

Yamada is a master of emotional nuance and a brilliant observer of the small details of ordinary lives, which he obviously holds in some kind of awe, and in which he finds a kind of magic. He makes you feel for the characters without ever stooping to sentimentality or easy manipulation. His work deserves to be more widely known, and he certainly deserves better treatment from DVD distributors.