Sometimes Love is a Lie

Akito has been the ears and voice of his mother, Reiko, since he was a child. Reiko was born deaf and has long dreamed that her son would become a professional pianist. Akito is studying to enter a prestigious music college, but he begins to have doubts about his talent. One day, he meets Izumi, a deaf girl who plays in a street band. He is attracted to her positive nature, but his mother disapproves, fearing Izumi could hinder his success in "a world with sound." Reiko insists Akito focus on his piano, but her expectations burden him. Then Akito begins to question his mother's attitude towards life as well as his own when he discovers something new about her.

Nakagawa Arisu is in the 3rd grade of high school and 18 years old. Her mother died when she was 11 years old. She has since lived with her father, who works as a firefighter. Having been influenced by her mother, Nakagawa Arisu has dreamed of becoming a curator who travels abroad often for work. But her life changes when she learns she is pregnant. Meanwhile, Naruse Toko is about to turn 40 years old soon. She works in the art world as someone who connects art and business. Naruse Toko is dedicated to her work and she hasn't been in a romantic relationship for 10 years. Nakagawa Arisu and Naruse Toko, who are totally different people, happen to meet and their encounter changes their lives.

Reiko Himekawa (Yuko Takeuchi) is a female detective at the Metropolitan Police Department. Reiko doesn't come from an elite background, but she has risen fast through the ranks with hard work. Reiko than becomes involved in a murder case named "Strawberry Night" due to the mysterious use of those words surrounding the case.

After a life of abuse, Kiko moves to a quiet seaside town. There, she meets a young boy who, like her, has also suffered domestic abuse. Through their shared pain, they also find much-needed solace

Rage, a pimp who only loves money and himself, is sent to jail for 6 months. While he is in the jail, Rage’s partner, Reiji, dies in a traffic accident. Released from prison, Rage finds himself having lost everything but a debt of 6 million dollars. One day, Rage is visited by a lawyer that mistakes him for Reiji. According to the lawyer, Reiji’s father died and left him a large inheritance. Reiji’s only other living relative is his blind sister. Rage smells money and hatches a plan to pretend to be Reiji and steal his money.

A community is shocked when the bodies of an elderly man and the manager of a home-visit nursing centre are found. The passing of 42 elderly patients is connected to Shiba, a caretaker recognised for his affection and dedication.

Eiko Yagami (Ryoko Yonekura) is a "Marubo", a unit of Ueno Central Police Station's Organized Crime Division which deals directly with organized gangs to try and keep the peace. However, Eiko has some sidelines: she's a moneylender to her fellow police officers without charging interest in return for information and is also willing to do the odd side job for those on the criminal side for the money. One day, Kasumi (Riho Takada), who is the daughter of Senma-gumi gang's leader (Toshiyuki Nishida), is found stabbed to death. As this threatens to pit gang against gang, Eiko and the police have to hurry and find her killer.

Aya Kuramoto, a deaf and mute girl from Hokkaido, falls in in love with a doctor named Shūichi Nagai. After Shūichi leaves for Tokyo, he has an accident and loses his memory. Aya travels to Tokyo and encounters Takumi Nagai, Shūichi's brother.

To pursue her dreams, Sakurai Kazumi (Wakui Emi) quits her job and goes to New York to study jewelry design, against the objections of her naggy and stubborn but well-meaning father (Takeda Tetsuya). As part of remaking herself, she changes from spectacles to contact lenses, even though she has problems adapting to them. When she accidentally drops her contact lenses, a mysterious man helps prevent them from being stepped on, but he walks away before she can talk to him. Some years pass, and Kazumi is on a plane home after receiving a letter from her brother Taku saying their father is critically ill. She has morning sickness and has some run-ins on the plane with a sloppily-dressed man, and it is only when she drops her contacts and the man helps her in a similar way that she recognises him (Sorimachi Takashi). She chases after him and asks, "would you like to do some work (arubaito)?" It turns out that Kazumi in her last letter from New York had written that she was in a relationship with someone and that they might soon marry, but since then she has broken up with him, and she didn't want to make her father upset by coming home alone. The man, a freelance journalist named Yoshimi Kaoru, agrees to pretend to be her fiancé.

Arima Kousei won numerous piano competitions while under the strict watch of his mother. He was known as the human metronome during that time. Since the death of his mother, Kousei has been unable to hear the sound of his piano. He then meets Miyazono Kaori through childhood friend Sawabe Tsubaki. Kaori plays the violin and has a free sprit. Since meeting her, Kousei is able to face the piano again. Meanwhile, Kaori holds a secret.

A young boy in a peaceful seaside town gets more than he bargained for when he takes home a mysterious egg. When it hatches, out comes a baby turtle that grows into a new version of Gamera. But will it become powerful enough in time to defeat the rampaging monster Zedus?

Drama special "Mori Mitsuko wo Ikita Onna" follows the life of actress Mitsuko Mori and, in particular, when she 26 to 42 years old. Mitsuko Mori went through struggles to find happiness as a woman and an actress.

Orihara Yuka is an artist with savant syndrome, closely protected by her mother and her cousin. When one of her works is entered into a competition and wins first place, she is thrust out into a much wider world. She meets Sawatari Toru, a bitter reporter with a hard past, who treats her as if she were normal.

Kaede Ikushima and Jun Ichinose, a couple living together for nearly a year, appear happy but hide lies from each other. Their seemingly perfect life unravels, leading to a dramatic transformation.

This seven-episode anthology features a cast of leading actors and depicts various forms of "love," such as love almost forgotten, love between sons and mothers, and love that transcends borders.