Half Blue Sky

July 1590, Odawara. Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army had surrounded the Odawara Castle for over 3 months, hoping to conquer this last obstacle to his dream of the country's unification. Standing at the gate of the castle, a lone man facing the menacing guards shouted out: "Do not throw your lives away. Treasure living!". Not long after, the castle gates opened and the reigning lord surrendered. The name of that man is Kuroda Kanbee. An excellent military strategist, he worked hand-in-hand with Hideyoshi to unify the country.

Set in the mid-Edo period, this drama follows Sachi, who works as an apprentice at the Osaka Tenma kimono merchant Isuzuya and strives to carve a way to success despite the challenges she faces.

Based on the jidaigeki novel, Semishigure, written by Fujisawa Shuhei. Duty and honor were the principles of the samurai, but just like others throughout history, greed and power motivated some while friendship, truth and love guided others. This is the story of Bunshiro, a true warrior who survives tragedy in his youth to become a great swordsman and defender of the weak, and Fuku, the love of his life. They first fall in love as teenagers, but her poverty and his tragedy separate them. After a corrupt official forces Bunshiro's father to commit suicide, he is treated like an outcast. Later, the same official tries to use Bunshiro in a plot to kill Fuku, who has become a wife of the local lord, but he turns the tables, saving Fuku and her child and uncovering the corruption. Many years later Bunshiro and Fuku meet again to reminisce about their lives, and the love that remains smoldering in their hearts.

Shibusawa Eiichi was born in 1840 to a farmer’s family. He grew up helping his family with work, which was to manufacture and sell indigo production and also silk farming. He left his hometown at the age of 23 and began working for the government. He later traveled to Paris and learned about banking. Upon his return to Japan, he helped build up the first modern bank in Japan. He eventually became a founder or supporter to about 500 companies and was involved with about 600 public services, including education for women.

A 38 years-old single woman Mugimaki Satoko’s life has completely changed after being diagnosed with a "lifelong" illness. She is forced to quit her job and finds an old housing complex with a monthly rent of 50,000 yen. With her landlord living next door and a sketchy cook, Satoko encounters "medicinal cuisine," a way of eating seasonal food to maintain bodily functions. A story that will warm you from the bottom of your stomach, just like a bowl of rice porridge, is about to begin!

Riki, who works as a temp, is distressed when her colleague invites her to earn money by donating her eggs. However, after taking the interview, she realizes it’s not for egg donation but for surrogacy. A former ballet dancer, Kusaoke Motoi, and his wife, Yuko, are looking for a surrogate mother to bear their child in exchange for high rewards.

A popular English teacher, Mizuguchi Risako has been kidnapped three days before the high school's graduation ceremony. Four high school seniors received a mysterious challenge letter, asking them to solve the mystery of the kidnapping case within 72 hours. The four students are Kurokawa Yoshiki, his childhood friend Takahata Ayane, sports all-rounder Ogita Junpei, and school's beauty contest winner Komatsu Mio. The four students were wondering why they're the only ones who received the letter, but later gradually found out the "other face" of Mizuguchi which she has been hiding.

An enthusiastic 28-year-old detective Yasunaga is assigned to work with a notoriously geeky 43-year-old rookie, Totori. Totori became a detective because of a secret "motivation," despite his previous outstanding career as an animal ecologist. Together with Yasunaga, the unusual rookie detective uses logical thinking and experiments to solve seemingly perfect crimes. Detective Totori and the Perfect Crimes uses a reverse format where the crime scene is presented at the start of each episode. This entertaining human crime drama, created by a talented young Japanese scriptwriter is masterfully filled with cunning suspects and witty conversation.