Ken Yasuda

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

How do you like Wednesday? was a Japanese television variety series that aired on the HTB network in Hokkaidō, Japan, and on other regional television networks in Japan. The program debuted on HTB on October 9, 1996. The series was one of the first local variety programs to be produced on Hokkaido; prior to this series' launch, local variety programs in Hokkaidō were virtually non-existent. The program also had a significant influence on other local programs in other regions in Japan, most notably Kwangaku! in Kansai and Nobunaga in Tokai. The series achieved a record 18.6% viewing share on December 8, 1999, the highest share for a late-night program on a local TV station. Production of the weekly regular series ended in September 2002, though new limited-run series were produced on average of every 18 months; the latest series was shown on HTB in late 2005, eight episodes in length. Most of the series have been rerun under the names of Dōdeshō Returns and Suiyō Dōdeshō Classic.

Izumi Sakuragi is a new police sergeant with the Special Investigations Office, which was set up within the Metropolitan Police in November last year. The new investigation team uses DNA analysis and the latest in forensics science to investigate cold cases as well as cases suspected to involve missing persons.

The 78th NHK Asadora is Hitomi. The series takes place in the old shitamachi area of Tokyo, and in these most recent episodes, 20-year old heroine Hitomi becomes the force around which her divorced mother, long estranged from her own father, is forced to reconcile and renew a sense of family camaraderie. This is not particularly easy, given the trifling issues and problems of modern day life that beset each of the characters, and the drama unfolds with a light comedic touch. Hitomi's upbringing is the issue that is constantly brought into focus. The family reconciliation is made possible, ironically through the death of Hitomi's grandmother. Hitomi seizes the opportunity to travel to her funeral from Sapporo. Once there, she sets out to realize her dream of becoming a dancer, all the while interfering with and disrupting her grandfather's life.

An eccentric genius and a demoted special forces officer team up in Tokyo's Unidentified Crimes Unit to tackle criminals with supernatural abilities.

How do you like Wednesday? was a Japanese television variety series that aired on the HTB network in Hokkaidō, Japan, and on other regional television networks in Japan. The program debuted on HTB on October 9, 1996. The series was one of the first local variety programs to be produced on Hokkaido; prior to this series' launch, local variety programs in Hokkaidō were virtually non-existent. The program also had a significant influence on other local programs in other regions in Japan, most notably Kwangaku! in Kansai and Nobunaga in Tokai. The series achieved a record 18.6% viewing share on December 8, 1999, the highest share for a late-night program on a local TV station. Production of the weekly regular series ended in September 2002, though new limited-run series were produced on average of every 18 months; the latest series was shown on HTB in late 2005, eight episodes in length. Most of the series have been rerun under the names of Dōdeshō Returns and Suiyō Dōdeshō Classic.

Izumi Sakuragi is a new police sergeant with the Special Investigations Office, which was set up within the Metropolitan Police in November last year. The new investigation team uses DNA analysis and the latest in forensics science to investigate cold cases as well as cases suspected to involve missing persons.

The 78th NHK Asadora is Hitomi. The series takes place in the old shitamachi area of Tokyo, and in these most recent episodes, 20-year old heroine Hitomi becomes the force around which her divorced mother, long estranged from her own father, is forced to reconcile and renew a sense of family camaraderie. This is not particularly easy, given the trifling issues and problems of modern day life that beset each of the characters, and the drama unfolds with a light comedic touch. Hitomi's upbringing is the issue that is constantly brought into focus. The family reconciliation is made possible, ironically through the death of Hitomi's grandmother. Hitomi seizes the opportunity to travel to her funeral from Sapporo. Once there, she sets out to realize her dream of becoming a dancer, all the while interfering with and disrupting her grandfather's life.

An eccentric genius and a demoted special forces officer team up in Tokyo's Unidentified Crimes Unit to tackle criminals with supernatural abilities.

The story is set in an ancient time, when the whole country was covered in thick forests. A mysterious plague breaks out, resulting in countless deaths. A pure young man named Yoshihiko becomes chosen as a hero, and he sets out on a journey in order to save a village. He has two goals – to bring back the legendary plant that can cure the plague, and to rescue his father Teruhiko who left to find the plant but never returned.

Oomae Haruko is an A+ Temp worker who never cracks a smile or minces words, and leaves work on the dot. But her cynical nature indicates she has something painful to hide. Satonaka Kensuke has just been promoted to head S&F's new Marketing Division. Saddled with a rag-tag group of subordinates, he is struggling to lift his division off the ground. When Oomae is placed in Kensuke's department, she finds herself doing more work than she's ever done before. This is a timely drama that examines the different attitudes toward temp workers and regular employees, and the ways to overcome frictions in interpersonal relationships. This follows an October report on labor conditions by the Labor Ministry, which showed that, after regulations were relaxed, the proportion of regular employees to Temps had doubled compared to that of eight years ago.

In 18th-century Edo, Tsutaya Juzaburo rises from a poor background to become a leading publisher. Despite political changes threatening his career, he works to shape Edo’s cultural scene through innovative books and collaborations with artists.

SixTONES' first TV variety show features fun challenges, quirky projects, and a gourmet segment, creating an entertaining and unpredictable mix of humor and surprises with popular guest appearances.

Rakugo has the image of a humorous story, but it is also a treasure trove of “scary stories”. Among them, this work boldly arranges a performance in which "human fear" stands out, and does it in an omnibus format. There are four rakugo plays that will be drawn as a drama this time: "Kokoro", "Tatsumi's Tsuji Zou", "Konya Takao", and "Miyatogawa (upper / lower)".

In Tokyo, a murderer leaves his signature, an `X`on the dead body. When found, the mark appears eerily similar to that of the one seen on the body of the dead wife of Detective Genji Ando. Banned from the investigation, he secretly reaches out to Jin Jinbo, an associate professor at the medical school`s genome analysis lab. Who better than a DNA expert to identify this potential serial killer?

In a moment of despair, Ryu Narutaki finds himself saved by Korean boxer Johan Hwang. As their wounded souls draw closer, their fates cruelly intertwine.

Mini-drama with a historical character having a smartphone.

Gengo Matsunaga, once known as Phoenix, was the greatest samurai fire-slayer in all of Edo. After leaving fire-slaying, Gengo is approached with an offer from the Shinjo Domain. Encouraged by his wife, Miyuki, he sets out to rebuild a fallen firefighting brigade. Gengo gathers a group of misfits, the Ragged Fire-Slayers, as they investigate mysterious fires started by the arsonist Kitsunebi.

In Notsu, Oita Prefecture, there are many people with supernatural powers. High school student Yoshio Kamogawa (Shota Sometani) is one of them and can read other people's minds. Yoshio uses his powers for trivial reasons.

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.

Tsukuda Kohei was once a researcher with the Aerospace and Science Exploration Agency and now runs Tsukuda Industries, a small factory which was left by his father. Although his relationship with his teenage daughter Rina is somewhat strained, business at Tsukuda Industries has gradually started to improve. But Tsukuda puts too much effort into his dream of developing a rocket engine and business declines little by little. One day, a major client suddenly declares that it is dropping Tsukuda Industries. Then, Tsukuda Industries gets sued by a big rival company, Nakashima Industries, for patent infringement. Tsukuda Industries’ reputation is hurt and financing from banks is also in a desperate situation. In the midst of this, Teikoku Heavy Industries, one of Japan’s leading corporations, offers to buy a patent which Tsukuda Industries possesses for 2 billion yen

Shinigami-kun, alias grim reaper #413, is a rookie who pronounces the death of those scheduled to die and brings souls to the nether world. He would appear with the signature phrase “Congratulations! I’m here to call on you” although it is hard to say how this can be a happy occasion, and watch over the dying. To a grim reaper, persuading people attempting to commit suicide and preventing unforeseen deaths is also an important task. But because #413 is new to this grim reaper work, he has a tendency to lean towards humans in his judgments, break the rules of the nether world and get reprimanded by his superior.

Genius brain surgeon Keisuke Fujiki finds himself falsely accused of pushing his girlfriend off the hospital rooftop to her death. A wanted man, he abandons his name and status, starts going by Kensuke Narumi, and becomes a fugitive trying to uncover the truth behind his girlfriend's demise.

Hotaru works for a famous interior design company. It's a glamorous job, but Hotaru's private life is totally the opposite of glamorous. She lives alone, and when she isn't working, she's mostly lazing about her rented house in training wear. She's really not interested in doing anything, much less dating. "I'd rather lay around than fool around," is her motto. One day her landlord's son comes to inspect the rental property, not knowing that someone is living there. He is shocked at the mess, but not as shocked as Hotaru, as he turn's out to be her fastidious boss, Takano.

Follows the story of love, friendship and growth of six young men and women who move from countryside to the big city of Tokyo, each with their own dreams and aspirations. Among them is Sugihara Oto and Soda Ren. After her mother died, Oto was raised by adoptive parents in Hokkaido. Although she has given up on having any high hopes or big dreams for her future, she still remains positive and faces life with optimistic attitude. One day, she finds out the fact that her adoptive parents are planning to marry her to the wealthy man in town in order to solve their financial debt. Soda Ren was raised by his grandfather in Fukushima. Ren works hard on one job after another in order to earn the money to buy back his grandfather's land so that they can start farming again. By chance, Oto and Ren meet in Hokkaido and they decide to move to Tokyo to find new life to change their fate and future. However, as soon as they arrive Tokyo, they get separated in the crowds...

Edawakare is the driver of Sentaxi, a marvellous vehicle which is able to take a passenger back to his or her “life’s turning point”. His cool appearance is at odds with his talkative, meddlesome, sweet-toothed character. He gives advice to passengers who are flustered after failing in their life’s choice.

When Kirisawa Shogo was a high school student, he was a brilliant amateur boxer. He won 4 boxing tournaments and he seemed to have a bright future in the sport. During his university student days, he quit the sport of boxing. Life went on for Kirisawa Shogo. But, after his beloved wife died, his life has now become a total mess. He doesn't have any hope or desire to live. He just spends his days working part-time jobs to make a living. One day, his friend asks him to coach the boxing team at the high school where they attended. Kirisawa Shogo accepts the coaching position. Being around the young boxers, who work extremely hard, Kirisawa Shogo begins to feel alive once again.

In a local shopping street in Nano prefecture, far from the metropole, young Tokino Mitani runs a clocksmith that she inherited from her grandfather all by herself. Her main job is to repair watches and clocks, but she is about to start a side business, a service to break alibis for a fee of 5000 yen per case with a guarantee that the fee is billed only when the alibi is broken. . One day, Tokino meets Yoshiyuki Saji, a detective who is newly assigned to the prefectural police department. Saji cannot break a very solid alibi at a case he is working on and secretly asks Tokino to break it. The case is very challenging, but will Tokino lead him to solve the case!?

When Koichi was 9-years-old, Koichi's father was accused of killing his wife and youngest child. He was also accused of committing suicide. In reality, Koichi's father was framed for the murders and Koichi saw the person who killed his family. He told a cop that his father didn't kill anyone and he saw the killer, but nobody believed him. Afterwards, his relatives called him a liar and he grew up with the nickname of Liar. Koichi eventually moved overseas and changed his name. He became a swindler.

A young man has college and a failed business behind him. Unemployed and planning his next steps he is lodging with is mother, a small business owner. His sister and her family also move in with the two, albeit temporarily. She sees him as a loser and a lush and wants him out. She also whispers in their mother's ear to ask him to leave the house in order to find his own way and begin the rest of his life. She probably has noble intentions, but is she right and will she succeed?

The newest installment in Fuji TV's "Ooku" series is about the women linked to the Tokugawa shogun line. This time, the focus is on Isonomiya Tomoko and her political marriage to the 10th shogun, Tokugawa Ieharu.

Kokoro Kurosawa used to be a contender for the Olympic Judo Team, but she had to give up on her dream due to an injury. In the end, she ends up working at weekly manga magazine "Vibes." The publishing industry is going through a turbulent time due to ebooks. Members of the editorial department struggle to come up with ways to sell more manga books. She learns about editing from her senior editors and becomes fascinated with the edition world, interacting with manga writers, and discovering new manga artists. But what surprises her the most is that in a competitive world such as manga publishing, not all dreams come true, and even when they do, they come with a price...

Tamako works for a company in the restaurant business. She experiences betrayal from Makoto, a chef she recently hired. Rumors then spread at work about her. Tamako decides enough is enough and quits her job. She decides to open a restaurant and run it from a woman's perspective. Tamako soon learns that Makoto has opened a luxurious restaurant across the street from her modest restaurant.

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.

Detective Suzunosuke Shikahama is currently suspended from work after a screw up. He gets together with Haruhi Mabuchi from the Administration Bureau, Sesuna Tsumiki from the Community Safety Bureau, and Ruka Kotori from Accounting. All from different departments and carrying their own baggage, the four join forces. They’re not exactly what you would call champions of justice. They’re not even ambitious enough to go for success. All they want is the truth.

Ippei Ohmori, "the worst man in Japan" who hates his family and children, and aspires to become a politician. While trying to improve his image to win the election, Ippei gradually comes to face his family problems and eventually stands up to change society as well.

A former child star, working under a false name, is tasked with managing a team of troubled talents in a struggling department, all while hiding her past and facing a tough boss.

Ririko Takemura has worked as a prosecutor at the Yokohama District Public Prosecutor’s Office for the past 2 years. She is 29-years-old and single. Even thought she is not good at her work yet, she tries hard. Dealing with the various cases, Ririko Takemura grows as a prosecutor and a woman.

Ryota, a timid salaryman who has difficulties fitting in at home and work has his average life changed after his estranged father falls ill. Along with his wife Sae and their only child Moe, he travels to his father's country town, where he begins to uncover his father's mysterious past spent searching for a mythical creature.

Twenty-five years after a college student vanishes—leaving only the first joint of her finger behind—the case remains unsolved. Her twin brother, now a local police officer, is forced to team up with a transferred elite cop he doesn’t get along with. When a call leads them to search for a missing elderly man, they uncover clues that may finally unravel the long-buried truth.

Plain-looking Tanaka-san from the accounting department is around 40 years old. She has no friends and no love life, but she does have a secret side... a super sexy belly dancer! Akari, a temporary employee, appears to be a lovable lady at first glance. Truth be told, she is increasingly anxious about marriage as she believes her “market value” depends on her youth and cuteness. Life is starting to become a struggle for Akari, who feels empty despite the slew of matchmaking parties she attends. One day, Akari learns of her colleague Tanaka-san’s true identity, which inspires her to live life in her own way. They are polar opposites, but their chemistry empowers them to blow off those who judge them. In the process, they discover their new selves.

Shinichiro Kosaka is a detective of the major cases unit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and on the path to become captain of the unit when he makes a mistake during an investigation. Kosaka was subsequently demoted to precinct duty, where he finds his new colleagues taking on small cases tirelessly with a sense of justice untinged by workplace politics and internal disputes.

A woman’s dead body is found in an apartment in Kokubunji, Tokyo. The decayed body seems like a half year has passed since its death and it is damaged by domestic cats that ate the body. The woman's death is thought to be a "lonely death" (someone died naturally without anyone noticing for a long period of time). Detective Ayano has doubts about that conclusion. The cats seemed like they were not house trained, which is odd for domestic cats. Detective Ayano wonders whether the cats were really owned by the dead woman. Detective Ayano then finds Suzuki Yoko’s bankbook in an empty fishbowl. It seems like the dead woman is 36-year-old Yoko.

A reclusive genius astrophysicist takes on the challenge of transforming a struggling wheelchair rugby team into Japan’s champions, discovering teamwork, resilience, and purpose along the way.

Yurina, a mystified high school girl, casually downloaded a mysterious app. Since then, whenever Yurina is in trouble, a silent, mysterious old man servant appears and helps her! Adapted from the manga "Shimobee" (しもべえ) by Murata Hiroyuki (村田ひろゆき).

TEAM NACS tries out film directing for the first time! Introducing 'N43°'! From Hokkaido to you - a message card from the five members of TEAM NACS. Each member has written and directed a different short movie for this 5 movie omnibus, where the keyword is their beloved native island of 'Hokkaido'! Witness each of their individual creative skills, and watch as their unique perspectives are put on display. Every part of these 5 stories, down to the themes, casts and genres, varies greatly in order to give you a continuously engaging and fun viewing experience! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be shocked, moved and refreshed by this new film series!

TEAM NACS tries out film directing for the first time! Introducing 'N43°'! From Hokkaido to you - a message card from the five members of TEAM NACS. Each member has written and directed a different short movie for this 5 movie omnibus, where the keyword is their beloved native island of 'Hokkaido'! Witness each of their individual creative skills, and watch as their unique perspectives are put on display. Every part of these 5 stories, down to the themes, casts and genres, varies greatly in order to give you a continuously engaging and fun viewing experience! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be shocked, moved and refreshed by this new film series!