Issey Ogata

Each member of a family in Taipei asks hard questions about life's meaning as they live through everyday quandaries. NJ is morose: his brother owes him money, his mother is in a coma, his wife suffers a spiritual crisis when she finds her life a blank and his business partners make bad decisions.

In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.

Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger go on thrilling make-believe adventures. But when Rudger finds himself alone, he faces a mysterious threat.

Deemo is a lonely individual who lives in solitude, playing the piano in a castle. One day, a girl who has lost her memory falls from the sky. Wanting to help her recover her memories and return to her world, Deemo discovers that a tree kept atop the piano will grow whenever the piano is played.

Prosecutor Kohei Kuryu takes charge of a case with a foreign embassy possessing the key to solve the case. Due to the extraterritoriality involving the case, the investigation has not gone anywhere. A crisis then ensues. Kohei Kuryu and his office attempt to extract the truth behind the wall of the Neustrian Embassy.

Shoji Segawa was a quiet and inconspicuous boy, but, for the first time, he is recognized by people after winning the National Middle School Shogi Tournament. At the age of 26, his dream of becoming a professional shogi player collapses due to an age restriction. After he quits playing shogi, he becomes desperate. With the support of his peers, including Yuya Suzuki, and his love of shogi, Shoji Segawa begins to play shogi again. A miracle happens to him.

Following the death of his wife professor Kyoichi leads a solitary life by the sea. A stray cat called Mii, who was being fed by his wife, not only continues to drop by, but also seems to be visiting the altar Kyoichi has set up for his deceased wife. While uncomfortable with the cat and its visits, he nonetheless takes up a search when Mii goes missing. The endeavour connects him with the town's folk and reveals that he is not alone.

Japan, 1944. Trained for intelligence work, Hiroo Onoda, 22 years old, discovers a philosophy contrary to the official line: no suicide; stay alive whatever happens; the mission is more important than anything else. Sent to Lubang, a small island in the Philippines where the Americans are about to land, this role will be to wage a guerrilla war until the return of the Japanese troops. The Empire will surrender soon after; Onoda, 10,000 days later.

A playboy-gambler friend of Tora-san’s dies and, abandoned by his mother, his little boy suddenly turns up in Shibamata. Searching for the boy’s mother, Tora-san meets a cosmetics saleslady and the three become a surrogate family, with Tora-san as “daddy”.

A reclusive illustrator falls in love with a young woman who addictively shops for clothing.

A fierce succession battle ignites at a newspaper company when the president passes away.

A re-imagination of Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s final days in power as WWII draws to a close.

Anthology film. "What's Wrong with Eating?" Numayama Kazuki is always complaining about his wife's, Atsugi Shizuka, body shape. Because of that Shizuka tries her best to restrict her diet and please Kazuki. "It's So Far Away!" Karuma Sae is an office lady who works in the city center but lives with her family in a house far away from her work. Because she is always rushing to catch the last train, she can never enjoy a decent date with her boyfriend, Oishi Mamoru. Her father is also always interfering in her life, so she can't appreciate the city life and isn't happy. "Get Ready to Drive!" Masuko is a new taxi driver in Tokyo who is very stressed from dealing with the behavior of some passengers. One night he drives a very beautiful drunk hostess home. "What Is English?" Kosaka Shigeru, a businessman, was transferred to a Chicago branch factory. He tried hard to learn English, practicing day and night, but couldn't improve as much as he expected.

When his travels take him to rural Hokkaido, Tora-san helps a cantankerous old veterinarian (Mifune) in his relationships with his estranged daughter, and a woman in whom he is secretly interested.

Kasahara Iku and Dojo Atsushi receive an emergency recall in the middle of their date as Japan is rocked by a terror attack. Their new duty is a protection detail assigned to Touma Kurato, an author. Meanwhile, the relationship between Librarians and the Media Purity Committee is also worsening. During yet another hostile confrontation, Dojo is seriously wounded. Although Kasahara is badly flustered by this turn of events, Dojo still sees fit to entrust her with Touma's protection.

A hard-working section chief, fast approaching retirement and beset by stress from all directions, joins a jazz band and reignites his youthful passion for the music, giving him a chance to set things right in his life.

This is James Miki's first directorial work, and he is also the original writer and scriptwriter. Noritaka Sakamoto was in charge of photography, and Kentaro Haneda was in charge of music direction. It depicts how an honest candidate aiming for a clean election campaign gradually collapses in the face of various realities. Kiyokawa, the mayor of Higurashi City, died at his lover's house. Yoshihiko announces that he will conduct a clean election campaign, but his sponsors and backers are reluctant.

After receiving a key to her late father's room, art museum employee Satomi traces his final days and discovers a man who found quiet comfort in language, tea ceremony and small beauty, recognizing the grace in how he lived.

The story of middle-aged Japanese woman Keiko, who has been living in a shell for decades due to a family tragedy in Kobe. The modest act of eating and the sensations it gives us provided Keiko a lifeline to survive. Unwillingly, she joins a group of Japanese women traveling to Northern Europe to participate in a kimono show in the fairytale-like art nouveau world of Riga. During her performance, Keiko suddenly comes face to face with her husband, who disappeared twenty years ago and now wants to read-dress their relationship and who Keiko has become.

After his father-in-law Makoto fractures his leg, young professional Yuta travels from his home in Tokyo to a rural town in Kyushu to take care of the older man and help out in his old-fashioned photo studio.

Subjected to harsh treatment by her husband Jiro’s family, Fujiko is devastated when Mari is kidnapped by Jiro’s relatives. With the help of her own mother, Chiyo, Fujiko regains her child. Against the advice and judgment of those around her, she chooses to raise Mari as a single mother.

Despite his efforts of living a normal life as a banker, the life of Toru, the only son of the Yubari Family, becomes disrupted by trouble brought on by his father. When his father’s battle against his rival group the Miike Family ignites, Toru becomes more involved in the turf war than he wished for.

Mugiko, an 18-year-old attempts to escape her unhappiness with village life by going to Tokyo to live and work in the geisha house run by her aunt. The daughter of a once great geisha, Mugiko is entitled by blood to train in the geishas' ancient art of classical Japanese song and dance.

Too shy to speak out the word of appreciation, too busy to show that you care... Many excuses lie between each and every couple, when they look back the distance created during the long years in which they took each other for granted... Love Letters sent from husbands to wives and from wives to husbands, quietly voice their unspoken appreciation for each other over the years that they have shared. The original idea comes from the postcard project "Love Letters at Sixty" which has brought a wave of sympathy to the precious emotions shared by many married couples.

Detective Ukyo Sugishita confronts crime on the basis of his own convictions. He has a partner that works for him in the Special Task Unit. For the first 7 seasons, Ukyo’s first partner is Kaoru Kameyama. He is a good-natured, hot-tempered, straightforward and somewhat scattered detective. Beginning in Season 8, Takeru Kanbe replaces Kameyama. Contrary to his predecessor, Takeru is a lanky, cool, conceited and confident detective. From Season 11 to Season 13, Ukyo’s partner is a young detective Toru Kai. Toru is a son of Deputy Director-General of The National Police Agency. But he became a detective by his own effort. And starting with Season 14, Ukyo’s current partner is Wataru Kaburagi, an elite bureaucrat who came to the Metropolitan Police Department on temporary assignment. As the first partner without any career of a police officer, he will face challenging cases together with Ukyo.

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)

During the Kyoho period in the reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune, there is a gang of thieves active not just in Edo but also the Tokaido and the Nakasendo, and all across the Kansai region, stealing large sums of money with skillful techniques. They only target the very wealthy and never kill or injure people. They appear with the clouds and disappear like the mist. On the night that the beautiful Ochiyo is to become the bride of a dry goods dealer, a large amount of money hidden inside the shop is stolen. The gang disappears without injuring anyone. It was a two-year plan to marry Ochiyo off so that she could bring them in. The leader of this gang is Kumokiri Nizaemon, the greatest bandit of all time. He keeps a rein on his highly-skilled and notorious followers Nanabake no Ochiyo, Kinezumi no Kichigoro, Subashiri no Kumagoro, Ingakozo Rokunosuke and others.

The 44th NHK Asadora about a man who developed an early television system.

He lost his land, his father, and was torn from his mother. Lonely and wounded, young Takechiyo thought he'd live out his days quietly as a hostage. But fate had other plans. Inspired by Mikawa warriors, he becomes a minor lord and dives into a war-torn world ruled by monsters like Nobunaga and Shingen.Life-or-death moments, miscalculations, and no time to breathe—what will you do, Ieyasu?

Iori Igarashi is a talented radiographer who believes the “truth” is definitely captured in CT and MRI images. He and radiologist An Amakasu work at a hospital’s radiology department where they determine the causes of patients’ illnesses and injuries.

Takeshiro Shikota is a 27-year-old pediatrician in Hokkaido, Japan. He was born and raised in Hokkaido. One day, Takeshiro is transferred to the newly established PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). The unit is for children under the age of 15 who require advance and intensive treatment. There, he meets Dr. Hajime Ueno. Hajime is a pioneer in his field and hopes to establish PICU all over Japan. His goal is to bring sick children to PICU as quickly as possible and accept them under any circumstances. Meeting with Hajim, changes Takeshiro life as a pediatrician.

Maki Maki, Sebuki Suzume, Beppu Tsukasa and Iemori Yutaka happen to meet and form a quartet. They even begin to live together in Karuizawa during the winter, but there is a big hidden secret.

In the age of space exploration, Romi and George flee a devastated Earth in search of a new world.

Originally a mid-level manager (Kimura Takuya) with a promising future in a big corporation and loved by his subordinates, the life of this elite employee changes dramatically one day. Having for some reason attracted the attention of the senior management, he is framed for a crime which he knows nothing of and forced out of the workplace. Even after that, he is assailed by a series of surprises and in one day, he loses his house, wealth and handphone until he is without a cent to his name. At his wits end, he comes to a park where he encounters two children. Learning from them how to survive even if he does not have money, he somehow weathers this crisis and discovers the truly important and priceless things in life. The good thing about him is that his carefree personality amazingly does not shift. It is not resentment and bitterness that become his driving force, but the love and help of the people he meets that enables him to keep go forward step by step.

About a lady and her cat. The lady's cat dies and she loses all inspiration to continue living, and doing her work from home job. One day when forced to get out of her house for a while she finds and orphaned kitten in the park. The kitten is sick and she takes the kitten to the vet. This kitten brings her out of her depression and gives her new hope.

After losing her fiancé in an accident, Saeko feels an inexplicable connection to a stranger — who, by a twist of fate, received his heart and memories.

Hayakawa Yui is a young girl whose biggest quality is to be a fast runner. She accidentally travels through time up to the Sengoku Era and falls in love.

East Shinjuku Night High School has students with various challenges. Delinquent Taketo is trapped in a negative spiral. Filipina-Japanese Angela struggles with schoolwork, while Kasumi spends all her class hours in the infirmary. Shozo had to leave school to work in his youth. With guidance from their new science teacher, Fujitake, they work on an experiment for an academic conference.

Shin Karino is an unpopular manga writer and he is single. He lives in an apartment complex that has a rule forbidding children from living there. One day, Shin Karino's doorbell rings. When he opens his apartment door, he sees a small boy. The boy is 5-year-old Kotaro Sato. Kotaro Sato tells Shin Karino that he moved into the neighborhood. Shin Karino makes a weird face, because of the rule of his apartment complex. Kotaro Sato says that he lives by himself. At first, Shin Karino is annoyed by Kotaro Sato, but residents of the apartment building, including Shin Karino, become attached to Kotaro Sato.

Nana is a servant of the Kazahaya family, She is from a samurai family. Her father was about to reveal wrongdoings within the domain but had to commit ritual suicide for a crime he hadn't done. Ichinoshin tries to correct the wrongdoings, but end up being a target himself. After finding out her father's enemy is the man behind it all, Nana decides to protect Ichinoshin and his children, as she had promised Sachi, Ichinoshin's late wife.

Private forensic researcher Nagareda Enishi (Katori Shingo) is usually very sluggish as well as sloppy, and always aloof. However, his entire demeanour changes once he is at a scene and his skills as a forensic researcher are topnotch. He stands up for the disadvantaged by using science and technology to uncover conclusive evidence and solve trivial civil cases which the police will not handle such as adultery, molest and stalking. Enishi used to be a member of the Research Institute of Forensic Science and was called an ace, but he now belongs to Chiyoda Forensic Science Institute due to some incident.

Bottakuri is a small bar located in the deserted downtown of Tokyo. In this place the beautiful sisters Mine and Kaoru, who inherited the restaurant from their late parents, serve hearty food and sake. The two sisters and their regular customers solve small problems and share wisdoms while eating and drinking. ~~ Adapted from the web novel "Izakaya Bottakuri" (居酒屋ぼったくり) by Akikawa Takimi (秋川滝美).

Seiji Hirokawa works as a university professor. One day, his sick wife dies. Several days later, the intercom bell rings at his home and he sees a strange woman's face on the intercom screen. The woman asks "Is your wife at home?" Seiji Hirokawa opens the front door, but nobody is there. The president of the university where Seiji Hirokawa works suddenly dies. An election to select his replacement takes place. The election even involves the students and Seiji Hirokawa also participates. The professors are cautious with each other and a mysterious document spreads across the university. Meanwhile, Seiji Hirokawa carries guilt over his past behavior. Before his wife passed away, he had an affair with his sister-in-law Rei Mizushima. She works as an instructor at the same university. An unidentified body is found nearby at a garbage dump

Sawamura Masahiko is a reporter with a local newspaper, Shin Kanagawa Nippo. One day, he gets an scoop on a hit-and-run case. Morimoto Atsukoa, the grieving wife of the man who died, is reportedly the culprit. Masahiko is excited by this scoop which is the first he has had in a long while. However, it is false information planted by his colleague Kirino Hiroshi. Masahiko’s university schoolmate Mitazono, who is now the chief editor of an online news website, points this out. Masahiko pursues Kirino who has disappeared. Meanwhile, Oga Masakazu, a former journalist of a national newspaper and a old friend of Masahiko’s father Ippei, visits Masahiko. Oga has started investigating whether the suicide of a former colleague Kakiuchi Tomonari was due to an incorrect story that Kakiuchi published 15 years ago.

Teacher Shinkai Kazuma is someone who isn't good at swordsmanship but secretly devotes himself to the research of youkai. One day, he catches Hina, his student, talking to a strange piece of pottery in an abandoned house. A youkai suddenly appears and Hina wishes to meet her dead mother so she can apologize to her. Kazuma and the youkai work together to fulfil her wish.

Haruka is a fisherman's daughter, who lost her home and many friends in the Tohoku earthquake. After a year living in a temporary housing, she did not want to return back to her hometown and went to Tokyo where she got captivated by a lighting store. Haruka later works at the store and decides to help the customers to find their own light in life. At the same time, Haruka slowly overcomes her emotional wounds and finds her own light.

Ishizawa Hajime works as a sales department chief for a trading company. The younger employees complain about the company, including having to work overtime and a lack of innovative working methods. Ishizawa Hajime looks at them with an intimidating glance and the young employees run away from him. One rookie employee, Mugita Ayumi, begins to work in Hajime Ishizawa’s sales department. Mugita Ayumi tries to adjust to her new work environment, but it isn't for her. The only time she can feel comfortable is eating her lunch box at her desk alone. One day, while she is eating her lunch box alone as usual, Ishizawa Hajime appears in front of her.