Acting
Hiroto Miyama is an unconventional young lawyer who dances to his own tune and gets a little obsessive. For one thing, he’s only interested in criminal cases, and he will never give up in his pursuit of the truth even if offers only a 0.1% chance of being discovered. Japan’s 99.9% criminal case conviction rate leads the world, attesting to a “highly reliable” judicial system. In other words, once a crime suspect is indicted, prosecutor arguments tend to be accepted hook, line and sinker. In the face of those 99.9% odds, there’s no money in being a defense lawyer specializing in criminal cases, but for Miyama, that’s where the interest and kernels of truth lie. From unexpected places, the mold-breaking Miyama stakes his reputation on a prayer of a chance as he clashes with hotshot lawyers who’ll go to any lengths to win in this gloriously fun, legal mystery.
Hanzawa Naoki works as a loan manager at the Osaka Nishi branch of Tokyo Central Bank. One day, Hanzawa makes a loan contract for 500 million yen with Nishi Osaka Steel Company. Hanzawa didn't want to approve the loan, but he had to due to the branch manager's order. Nishi Osaka Steel Company seems financially stable, but the company actually hides massive amounts of debt through fraudulent accounts. The company is caught. Three months later, Nishi Osaka Steel Company goes bankrupt. The bank's branch manager is Asano. He is an ambitious man and tries to shift the blame to Hanzawa. Hanzawa then attends an inquiry about the loan failure at the bank's headquarters in Tokyo. Hanzawa denies fault and promises to retrieve the 500 million yen loan. He did this because it's the only way for Hanzawa to survive as a banker.
Based on true story of the wife of Ando Momofuku, the businessman who founded Nissin Food Products Co. Ltd. and the inventor of instant ramen, the 99th Asadora follows the life of Tachibana Fukuko, a young woman who tries to survive tough times in Osaka with her husband from before WWII to the rapid economic development era. Together they overcome various setbacks before they succeed in creating instant noodles. (Source: MDL)
Shūichirō Kiriyama works at the Limitation Task Force, the place where the cases which have reached the statute of limitations are destroyed. Getting bored of his job, he decides to find a hobby, because it seems important to him to have a hobby. So he decides to puzzle out the unsolved cases on his free time, helped by his coworker Mikazuki, who seems to have a crush on him.
The heroine Balsa is a skilled bodyguard and a masterful spear-wielder. One day she rescues Prince Chagum who has fallen into a river. The prince is carrying a mysterious spirit egg in his body, and is in danger of being assassinated by his father, the Mikado, who fears this will damage his imperial prestige. Balsa embarks upon a perilous journey when she accepts the queen’s plead to protect her son from her husband.
Promoted to lead anchor of a struggling news program, a journalist pushes the boundaries to investigate and expose truths others want buried.
Heisuke teaches at his alma mater, an all-boy’s Buddhist high school and leads a very ordinary life, except for the fact that he is still tortured by the memory of an unfortunate incident that took place there involving him and his school 14 years ago. In hopes of closure, he strikes upon a plan to jointly hold this year’s Culture Festival with a nearby girl’s school, with which there are chilly relations. Determined at all costs to make the event a success, Heisuke finds himself dealing with a constant stream of problems along the way.
When 21-year-old Kohei learns he has six months to live, he recruits his friends to form a group of cat burglars who steal for the good of the community.
A school teacher visits the home of a boy who's been absent from school for a long period of time, unaware of the horrific tragedy which occurred in the boy's household many years ago.
The story begins with the disappearance of a school bus and four high school girls. Still unsolved three years later, the case gets revived when one of the girls reappears. Odagiri plays a sharp national investigator searching for the truth behind the incident, which leads back to a seemingly peaceful town.
1989: 64th and last year of the Showa era. A girl is kidnapped and killed. The unsolved case is called Case 64 ('rokuyon'). 2002: Yoshinobu Mikami, who was the detective in charge of the Case 64, moves as a Public Relations Officer in the Police Affairs Department. His relation with the reporters is conflicted and his own daughter is missing. The statute of limitations for the Case 64 will expire in one year. Then a kidnapping case, similar to the Case 64, takes place. The rift between the criminal investigation department and police administration department deepens. Mikami challenges the case as a public relations secretary.
The Japanese 38th South Pole research expedition team are at the Dome base. Located 1,000 km away from the main Showa base at an altitude of 3,800 m, it is called the most inhospitable place on earth with an average temperature of -54 deg Celsius. No living thing or even a virus can survive in such an environment. Three of the seven-member expedition team are researchers and the remaining four are support personnel. However, they are common men who have to live together in the confined space of the Dome base for one year.
Kasaki the hitman needs to set scores with his target Ri after the syndicate hunts him and blackmails his childhood friend to kill him.
Prayer Beads, also called "omoinotama" or "nunju" in Japanese, are the small wooden beads strung on a loop used in Buddhist worship. The number of beads is typically 108, corresponding to the 108 earthly desires or sins that the beads have the power to extinguish. "Prayer Beads" is a series of 9 episodes of 30-minute dramas strung together, with the characters in each episode designing one thread of fate. The short independent episodes are skillfully linked together to become one story. The protagonists' dreams and fears and feelings about this life are all taken up and spun around to reach a dramatic conclusion in the final story.
A young girl, who lost her father at her early age, is kidnapped by a school teacher. He strips, binds and attempts to rape her. For the next few days she tries to escape but in vain. Later, she becomes used to the life with him. Even when she has a chance to run, she chooses to stay. Slowly, their relationship becomes a creepy half-paternal, half-romantic liaison.
Salaryman Kashiwagi Kyosuke is left with massive debts after being deceived by a business partner. Desperate, he discovers a surprising talent for pachislot and hopes to pay off his debts through his winnings. After meeting a mysterious girl named Kurumi, he learns her analytical winning strategies and begins winning consistently—but unexpected challenges soon arise.
After a convenience store robbery, three unidentified men hold a group of people hostage in a hospital. Inspector Ishida and Captain Tohno handle the negotiations while one of their colleagues, Lt. Ando, tries to find out why the men decided to take the hospital hostage. Through flashbacks, relevant information is revealed to the audience. When the negotiations are finished, most things seem to be fine until they lose track of the criminals. Then, the story unveils from a different perspective, its roots in feelings of love and vengeance.
High school seniors Mikayo, Chuko and Kei are forced to join a historical research club to fulfill a graduation requirement. Their teacher, Mr. Kachi, plans a mandatory club trip to a small village called Oshakabe in Yamagata prefecture to study remnants of an ancient clan of warriors called the ochimusha who displayed legendary cowardice in battle. When they arrive, the local villagers hold a special ceremony and construct a "super shrine". As a result, an 800-year seal is broken, unleashing a curse that causes the ochimusha to rise from the grave.
Suzume Katagura, a bored housewife, spends her days doing chores and taking care of her husband's pet turtle. One day, she sees a wanted ad for spies. Hoping for some excitement in her life, she decides to give them a call.
Based on the Maicching Machiko Teacher Manga.
