Asian Drama

Hokkaido, Japan: An old woman -- formerly a man -- lives by a lake in the northern reaches of Japan, gazing at Nakajima Island in its center where her daughter's body was found long ago. She hasn't been able to visit for almost 50 years. Tokyo: A middle-aged man lives on an island where criminals were once exiled in the past, earning a sparse living as a cattle herder. He is descended from such exiled criminals. He raised his only daughter by himself after losing his wife in an accident. One day, the daughter comes home from the mainland, seemingly pregnant but unwilling to explain.

One young female and one middle-aged male police officers head to a house after a neighbor reported a stench coming out of it. Once inside, they encounter a world beyond their imagination.

Ayaka lives with roommates. One day, she is caught in the rain while waiting for her boyfriend when she happens upon an umbrella that had been thrown away. She picks it up but, after that, she is nowhere to be found.

A young woman’s visit to her grandparents’ home leads to the discovery of what’s brought them happiness, a revelation that will lead her to question her choices, sanity and reality itself.

Aika and Tomoki were members of an acting troupe who pretend to be brutally murdered in order to get revenge. However, a detective who was conducting an investigation into assaults on the homeless rushed to the scene, thinking it was a real murder. While arguing with the detective, another incident occurred where a homeless person was assaulted. Due to their interference with the investigation, the troupe of performers who got involved with the case decide to cooperate. In order to track down the culprit, Tomoki takes on the role of a homeless person, living in the park and initiating a sting operation.

(Source: Drama-Otaku)

Episodes: 7

Duration: 30 min.

Airs On: Friday

A story about the friendship between a 17-year-old high school girl and a 75-year-old lady who met through BL manga.

Adapted from the manga series "Metamorphose no Engawa" (メタモルフォーゼの縁側) by Tsurutani Kaori (鶴谷香央理).

A daughter films her nonagenarian father supporting her mother with dementia. The result is a heart-warming and moving documentary depicting a family amidst an extremely aging society.

A young nursing school student visits her grandparents in the countryside. They enjoy a reunion while she feels increasingly uncomfortable. There is something in the grandparents' house. One day, she finds out the truth that turns her "happy" daily life into horror.

A young man lives in an apartment by himself. One day, strange things begin to happen to his closet.

N/A

Katagiri Kyosuke, who moved to Tokyo from the countryside to attend university, is in a long-distance relationship with “Sacchan.” However, by chance, he ends up having a physical relationship with the married woman who lives near to his apartment. Thus begins a story surrounding an immoral love triangle… Kyosuke, who doesn’t understand love, must choose between a girlfriend from his hometown or a married woman in the city. What is the fate of this destructive love affair?

(Source: Drama-Otaku)

Adapted from the manga series "Dear Sa-chan" (さっちゃん、僕は。) by Asaga Iori (朝賀庵).

Episodes: 10

Duration: 30 min.

Airs On: Tuesday

Shirasaki Yuki, a rookie actor, finally lands an audition and is chosen to star in a BL drama alongside current superstar Hayama Asami, who was also his senior at university. Feeling anxious and troubled before his first major role, Shirasaki is approached by Hayama with the proposal to form a “romantic relationship for the sake of character development” until the filming concludes. Their pseudo-romantic involvement off-screen leads to a moving and beautifully crafted love story exploring the intricacies of relationships within the entertainment industry and among actors.

(Source: Drama-Otaku)

Adapted from the manga series "25 Ji, Akasaka de" (25時、赤坂で) by Natsuno Hiroko (夏野寛子).

Episodes: 10

Duration: 30 min.

Airs On: Friday

Yuka, who lost her father when she was young and was raised by her mother alone, receives all of her mother's love and grows up to be a devoted, energetic, and kind child. Yuka's dream is to build a happy family. Yuka is attracted to Nakamura Kosei, who grew up in similar circumstances to her and is devoted to his family, and begins dating him.

Then, her mother takes her last breath, and Yuka, who is left alone for the rest of her life, marries Kosei. She comes forward to become a liver transplant donor for Kosei's mother, Seiko. However, it was all a sham marriage for an organ transplant to her mother-in-law. She learns that she was deceived and is forced to divorce, but she becomes pregnant with Kosei's child, and after much trouble, she gives birth and decides to raise him alone.

Then, one day, five years have passed since her liver was taken away, and she meets Kosei by chance... She feels resentment towards Kosei and his family for insulting her late mother and her beloved son and is overflowing with anger so she decides to take revenge on her Nakamura family.

(Source: Japanese = NTV)

Adapted from the web manga "Kanzo wo Ubawareta Tsuma" (肝臓を奪われた妻) written by JYUN and illustrated by Mana.

Episodes: 10

Duration: 30 min.

Airs On: Wednesday

Adapted from the manga series "RoOT of Oddtaxi" (ルート オブ オッドタクシー ) written by Konomoto Kazuya (此元和津也) and illustrated by Abaraya Takeichi (肋家).

Episodes: 1

While Nishimura Kanade was a 3rd grade middle school student, her father, who worked as a prosecutor, died in an incident. After her father’s death, she and her mother moved to her moved to her mother’s hometown in Nagano Prefecture. Nishimura Kanade wanted to become a prosecutor like her father, and she entered law school at a national university in Nagano Prefecture. There, she had 4 friends, including Nogi Masaki. They became really close friends and shared memorable experiences together. Due to a case involving a death, their relationship ended.

12 years later, Nishimura Kanade is now 35 years old and works as a prosecutor in the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors’ Office. Her boyfriend is Okuda Takashi, who works as a doctor, and they live together. One day, one of her law school classmates, who disappeared after the death case, appears in front of her. Nishimura Kanade must confront the suspicious death case from her law school days. This leads her to examine the truth behind her father’s death from 20 years ago and also the secret faces of her friends.

(Source: Japanese = TV Asahi)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 54 min.

Airs On: Tuesday

The 63rd work of NHK Taiga Drama depicts the life of Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese female poet who wrote "Tale of Hikaru Genji". This story is set in the mid-Heian period.

(Source: nhk.or.jp)

Episodes: 40

When Kiriyuu Aoi was a child, her mother died, and her father then raised her alone in their suburban town. During the year 2008, a series of murders took place. One of the victims was the younger sister of a classmate that Kiriyuu Aoi liked. Kiriyuu Aoi was the person who found the body of her classmate's younger sister. Kiriyuu Aoi was so traumatized by the discovery that she lost some of her memories just before the incident. Making things worse, Kiriyuu Aoi’s father was arrested as the serial killer. With no one left around her, Kiriyuu Aoi left her hometown. Now, 16 years later, Kiriyuu Aoi has become a detective. She returns to her hometown to prove her father's innocence, but another incident takes place. Detective Kiriyuu Aoi and her buddy detective Kosaka Kei chase after the truth behind the case. She soon learns the hidden faces of her ex-classmates from her youth.

A love story unfolds about 7 people, including Kume Masakazu. They are in their 30's, live in Tokyo, and have their own views on love and friendship. Kume Masakazu is single and 33-years-old. He works as a struggling screenwriter. He doesn't have a girlfriend, because he has decided to cut off contact with a woman after meeting them 3 times. Because of his tendency to run away from love, his friends call him the "Man Without Love."

(Souce: AsianWiki)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 54 min.

Two years ago, Noda Tetsuya worked as a doctor. He was a medical intern trained by cardiac surgeon Terashima Koichi. One day, Koichi and his wife were murdered. At that time, Tetsuya lost his right hand. Koichi and his wife left behind their 8-year-old daughter Terashima Yui.

Now, Noda teams up with Yui to lead an illegal secret surgery team, whose ultimate purpose is to find the truth behind the death of her parents. The team consists of 7 members. Noda is called Teacher and Yui is called Dr. Chocolate. She is only 10 years old, but she is a genius in the medical field. She was strongly influenced by her father and acquired advanced medical techniques through her interest in her father's work. To hire the black market surgery team, a fee of 100 million yen in cash is required as well as an NDA requirement and chocolate. The team are able to save the lives of patients no matter the circumstances, but a newspaper reporter begins to chase after them.

Story follows the life of Inotsume Tomoko, who dreams to be a lawyer.

(Source: Japanese = nikkansports.com)

Episodes: 130

Duration: 15 min.

Airs On: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Minami Hinako is the company president of Office CAT, a mysterious detective agency that accepts requests from women who wish to have help with their relationship issues. The company’s objective is not just to facilitate a breakup for the client, but to “abduct” the targeted individual. Otherwise known as “Thief Cat” Minami Hinako has a 100% robbery success rate. She skilfully manipulates her appearance and personality to make the target fall for her, thus tearing apart relationships between men and women. One day, the company receives a request from a woman named Hayakawa Risa, asking for help in stealing away her abusive boyfriend.

(Source: Drama-Otaku)

Adapted from the novel series "Dorobo Neko Hinako no Jiken Bo" (泥棒猫ヒナコの事件簿) by Nagashima Emi (永嶋恵美).

Episodes: 10

Duration: 54 min.

Aired On: Sunday

Takeno Seigi runs "Koi no Mi", a nearly bankrupt cake shop in a shuttered shopping street. Since he was a child, he had loved the cakes his father made, and together with his wife, Aya, he inherited the shop from his parents, whom he lost at an early age. However, he ends up resorting to committing evil deeds in order to protect his cherished shop and family.

N/A

Episodes: 10

Duration: 30 min.

Aired On: Friday

Mochizuki Seitaro was full of enthusiasm as a pyrotechnist, but 1 year later (after the season one finale), his enthusiasm for his work has gone away. He hardly goes out, and he lives like a recluse. His fireworks store, which has been passed down for generations in his family, is still open but in danger of going out of business.

Meanwhile, Mizumori Hikari works part-time as a pyrotechnist at a different fireworks store. In the midst of all this, for the first time in a while - a quarrel breaks out between Wataru and Seitaro. Then, a mysterious woman, Fumiko Noguchi, suddenly visits the shop and not only asks to become Seitaro's apprentice but also suddenly proposes to him. Seitaro, Hikari, Fumika, and Wataru will live under one roof.

(Source: natalie.mu, AsianWiki)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 30 min.

Aired On: Saturday

Kuroba Miko is a mystery writer. Her books are popular and she has written bestsellers since she made her debut, but she is unable to write anymore. She currently works as a commentator for TV show. Morino Toru is a detective. Due to an incident, his arrest rate has plummeted and he is unable to solve cases anymore. Kuroba Miko and Morino Toru both suffer from the yips and they happen to meet at a sauna facility. They become good friends and solve cases together.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 58 min.

Airs On: Friday

Sakuragi Miyabi is a high school student in Aomori. She lives with her lawyer grandfather and she receives special education from him in the field of law. Sakuragi Miyabi soon becomes the youngest person to pass the bar exam on their first try. A decision is then made to send Sakuragi Miyabi to her grandmother in Tokyo, who works as a director of a law office. Sakuragi Miyabi begins to work as an apprentice lawyer at her grandmother’s law office. Despite her position, she still has the mindset of a teenager and she sometimes has disagreements with senior lawyers. Meanwhile, Sakuragi Miyabi begins classes at her new high school in Tokyo. She hides her lawyer job from people at her high school, but she eventually begins to give counseling at her school on law matters.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 60 min.

Airs On: Friday

At the end of the year, a poison gas terror attack takes place at a terminal station in Tokyo. 666 people die or are injured in the attack.The terror attack's number of victims is related to the "number of the beast" and the case is given the name "The Beast." The person who carried out the attack is a 25-year-old popular actress, Kotone Kido, who died at the terminal station. Kotone Kido had a childhood friend named Hajime Kanzaki. They were not blood-related, but they were very close like a brother and sister. Now, Hajime Kanzaki is 33-years-old and works as an undertaker. He wants to find out why his childhood friend committed the mass murder, who made her do that, and was there a chance she could have been stopped. While he investigates, he is killed by someone. At that time, he travels back in time and meets Kotone Kido again.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Adapted from the manga series "From the Fust" (君が獣になる前に) by Sano Takashi (さの隆).

Episodes: 10

Duration: 40 min.

Airs On: Saturday

Oba Nana is the middle child among three sisters. She is 29 years old, single, and works hard at her job. She receives a promotion at her job to become the youngest assistant manager, but she feels anxious due to her friends getting married and having children. Her two sisters are 39-year-old Narusawa Mutsuki and 19-year-old Oba Hatsumi. Narusawa Mutsuki works as a certified accountant. She is currently separated from her husband due to her husband's infidelity. Oba Hatsumi feels unease with people her age who have their own life goals and pursue their goals. In order to comfort her feelings, she meets a man from a dating app.

One day, these 3 sisters face a big situation when their father suddenly goes missing. Due to that incident, they gather together.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 54 min.

Aired On: Friday

The story centers on Asakura Sumire, a marriage swindler who has seduced many men with her beauty and skilful techniques. Sumire targeted men who made a fortune through illicit activities, and she operated in the shadows as a "Miss Target," ensuring that her chosen targets never escaped. However one day, she decides to give it all up and earnestly begin searching for a partner through marriage activities! Armed with her skills at her advantage, she enthusiastically enters the marriage market to meet a wealthy man... who is the person she is destined to meet at the end of her serious marriage search?

(Source: Drama-Otaku)

Episodes: 10

Airs On: Sunday

Duration: 54 min.

Kojima Toru is a medical school student, but he is bored with his life that always seems the same. One day, he meets an architect, Asano Shifumi, and he is invited to her office. He enjoys a pleasant time with her. They drink coffee and listen to music. At that time, he sees a black and white photo of the Tokyo Tower on her office wall. He asks her if she likes the Tokyo Tower, and she replies that she does not because it looks lonely to her. Kojima Toru loves the time he spends with her. A couple of days later, he visits her office again and tells her that he wants to know more about her.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Adapted from the novel "Tokyo Tower" (東京タワー) by Ekuni Kaori (江國香織).

Episodes: 10

Duration: 30 min.

Aired On: Saturday

Ratings: 7.9

Takara Keisuke was a detective who chased after a major scammer. Now, he works as a police officer at a police box located along a shopping street. He appears like an ordinary police officer who is friendly with the people in the neighborhood, but Keisuke Takara has a hidden side. He is also Scammer K who targets bad people that are able to avoid the law.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 54 min.

Aired On: Friday

Japan has a conviction rate of 99.9% for criminal cases that goes to trial. A lawyer is able to defeat those odds and obtain an acquittal for his client, even though there's conclusive evidence that says otherwise. Sometimes, due to minor things, good and evil can switch sides and good people can become bad people.

(Source: AsianWiki)

Episodes: 10

Duration: 54 min.

Aired On: Sunday