Yuko Asano

Acting

Yuko Asano

Born

1960-07-09 (66)

Place of birth

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

Known for

Acting

Credits

90 titles

Yūko Asano is a Japanese actress and singer. She won the award for best actress at the 19th Japan Academy Prize for Kura. Her biggest hit was "Sexy Bus Stop" released in 1976. It reached the No. 12 position on the Oricon chart list.

Known for

SMAP×SMAP poster
8.5

SMAP×SMAP was an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it aired from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday. The show's usual ratings were higher than 20%, which is considered high since most variety shows range from 10-20%. Each episode begins a variety of skits, comedic performances, and/or games.  These are followed by Bistro SMAP, in which the SMAP members compete against each other to impress celebrity judges with their gourmet cooking.  Last is a musical performance by SMAP which may include celebrity guests, as well.

SMAP×SMAP

1996

Himawari poster
8.0

The story follows Minamida Nozomi, the charming female protagonist whose company's performance deteriorates due to the collapse of the bubble economy and who is forced to quit her job as she is prevented from getting married and starting a family. However, after her younger brother is involved in a theft incident within her family, she decides to become a lawyer. She passed the difficult bar exam and faced the harsh reality of legal training in Fukushima.

Himawari

1996

Teruteru Kazoku poster
8.0

The 69th NHK Asadora Drama, based on Rei Nakanishi's novel, is about the Iwata family living in Ikeda, Osaka City between 1950s and 1960s. The story is told through the eyes of the youngest daughter, Fuyuko. The family runs a bakery. The mother, Teruko, is a very energetic woman who is determined to make her dreams come true. Responding to Teruko's expectations, the eldest daughter becomes a figure skater and the second daughter becomes a very famous professional singer. In contrast, Fuyuko finds her joy in bread making.

Teruteru Kazoku

2003

Mission To Kill poster
7.0

Continuation of the popular series of films about the assassins in Edo. This show marks the return of the jidaigeki series "Hissatsu Shigotonin," which has had several seasons between the 1970s and the 1990s. The franchise came back in 2007 with a one-shot special, but this is its first full season since 1992. Makoto Fujita returns as the protagonist Nakamura Mondo, one of the "shigotonin," a team of hired assassins.

Mission To Kill

2009

Renovation Like Magic poster
7.2

Thirty-year-old Koume Shingyouji leaves her job at a major building firm to join family-run Marufuku Builders. There she teams up with Gennosuke, the Fukuyama family’s eldest son, and starts working on renovations. Koume and Gennosuke start their renovations by taking the measure not of rooms, but the thoughts and feelings of their clients: What does home mean to them? How do they want to live? What do they value? The team’s empathetic connection is what makes their work, work.

Renovation Like Magic

2022

Ooku poster
8.0

The mini-series revolves around the harem of a shogun in the Edo Period in Japan. The women jostle and compete with one another and with their lord and on occasion even wield more power than their master.

Ooku

2003

Film credits

2010s · 10 titles

SPEC: Heaven poster
7.2

Saya Toma is a female detective with an IQ of 201. Takeru Sebumi is a career detective with a distinguished background. They work on cases by postulating the "SPEC" of the unknown criminals and then deduce the criminal's unknown "SPEC" to make arrests. A mystery occurs when bodies are found on a cruiser in the ocean. Saya Toma and Ryo Kase of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department are brought in to solve the case.

SPEC: Heaven

2012

SPEC: Close~Incarnation poster
7.3

Mysteries are revealed like the words "Simple Plan," "Third Secret of Fatima" and also the mysterious white man which are all mentioned in the movie "SPEC: Heaven".

SPEC: Close~Incarnation

2013

SPEC: Close Reincarnation poster
7.2

Mysteries are revealed like the words "Simple Plan," "Third Secret of Fatima" and also the mysterious white man which are all mentioned in the movie "SPEC: Heaven".

SPEC: Close Reincarnation

2013

Botchan poster
8.3

Botchan (Kazunari Ninomiya) has sense of strong justice and does not lie. He is offered a teaching job at a middle in a small village far away from his hometown of Tokyo. Botchan accepts the position and begins to work as a math teacher. The assistant principle there wields absolute power. Botchan has a hard time dealing with his fellow teachers and the students.

Botchan

2016

Ōoku poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Ōoku

2016

Professor Eiko poster
NR

The body of a professor is discovered at a university lecture hall suspended from the ceiling of the stage, with a series of mysterious numbers written on the curtains nearby. Professor Eiko, a law professor at the university well versed in criminology, is asked to assist police in the investigation, and he uncovers clues that point to him as a suspect. Why is he being set up? As he and his assistant work to decipher the code left on the curtains, another professor at the university is murdered. And yet another mysterious code is left at the scene of the crime.

Professor Eiko

2016

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Ghost Writer's Homicide Coverage 2 - Writing About a Celebrity's Crime

2015

Premium Stage "Hamlet" poster
NR

This work by British director John Caird is one of the four major tragedy by William Shakespeare. In this performance version, the title role will be played by Uchino, uncle Claudius and father's ghost will be played by Hayashi Kunimura, Ophelia will be played by Shihori Kanjiya, Gertrude will be played by Yuko Asano, and Horatio will be played by Yukiya Kitamura.

Premium Stage "Hamlet"

2017

海の斜光 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

海の斜光

2014

Innocent Musicale poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Innocent Musicale

2019

2000s · 8 titles

Sky of Love poster
7.7

Mika is a fresh high school student who starts texting a mysterious boy. She is shocked when he reveals who he is - Hiro, a delinquent attending her school. What she doesn't know is that Hiro isn't as bad as he seems.

Sky of Love

2007

Dora-heita poster
5.4

A new magistrate in the town of Horisoto—widely reputed to be the most lawless township in Japan, uses guile and his opponents' own misperceptions and prejudices to defeat his enemies and uproot corruption.

Dora-heita

2000

My Sister, My Love poster
5.6

It is a taboo story about love and incest between twins. It's not about sex, it's about the feelings the two have for one another and how society views them.

My Sister, My Love

2007

Nobunaga's Coffin poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Nobunaga's Coffin

2006

Run Ichiro Run poster
8.5

Various individuals named Ichiro undergo life-changing events while being inspired by the baseball player Ichiro. A heartwarming movie about the people who root for the baseball player Ichiro, and their struggles to make their own dreams come true.

Run Ichiro Run

2001

Ōoku supesharu ~ mō hitotsu no monogatari ~ poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Ōoku supesharu ~ mō hitotsu no monogatari ~

2006

Song of Love poster
NR

What happens when young people meet amidst the warmth, soft breezes and gentle waves of Okinawa? This is a romantic love story about a young college student on break from Tokyo who meets a handsome dive employee on the beach. --groink

Song of Love

2006

Kanna's Big Success! poster
1.0

Kanna is extremely beautiful. No one could pass by without having a second look. The truth is, she was so ugly that she spent her entire savings on whole-body plastic surgery. Since she became beautiful, Kanna has been leading the happiest life, until someone shows up to reveal her makeover.

Kanna's Big Success!

2009

1990s · 11 titles

Bloom in the Moonlight “The Story of Rentaro Taki” poster
6.5

A dying pianist composes one final song for his childhood friend.

Bloom in the Moonlight “The Story of Rentaro Taki”

1993

Shingo's Ten Duels poster
NR

The classic tale of the shogun's illegitimate son Aoi Shingo is told in three parts as he strives to become the greatest fencer in Japan, while his father Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune seeks to reunite with his lost son. When the secrets of Shingo's birth are revealed to him, it sets off a series of events that bring him to cross swords with members of the shogun's inner circle in a series of duels that could change the destiny of Japan.

Shingo's Ten Duels

1990

The 8-Tomb Village poster
6.8

A band of samurai warriors places a curse on a family fortune thus frustrating the heir 4 centuries later.

The 8-Tomb Village

1996

Fusa poster
5.9

Period piece about a samurai who marries a mysterious beautiful young woman who claims to have lost her memory.

Fusa

1995

Sea of ​​Wandering poster
9.0

Set in Osaka just after the end of the war, the story depicts an unconventional merchant who returns from evacuation. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Teru Miyamoto, and the screenplay was written by Eizo Sugawa, who also wrote "Horagawa". The director is Takeichi Saito, who also directed "Kawachi no Osan no Uta: Yokita no Ware". Kozo Okazaki, who worked on "I am a Cat," is in charge of the cinematography.

Sea of ​​Wandering

1990

世にも奇妙な物語 秋の特別編 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

世にも奇妙な物語 秋の特別編

1990

The Inugami Family poster
NR

When wealthy pharmaceutical magnate Sahei Inugami dies in 1949, his family gathers for the reading of his will, only to discover that his enormous fortune has been left under extraordinary conditions. Detective Kosuke Kindaichi is drawn into the inheritance dispute when the family begins to turn against itself and a series of murders follows. As Kindaichi investigates the Inugami family's tangled relationships and long-hidden secrets, the mysterious return of Sahei's grandson Sukekiyo—whose face is concealed behind a white mask after suffering severe injuries during the war—adds another layer to the deadly mystery.

The Inugami Family

1990

Kura poster
7.5

In spite of a longstanding tradition forbidding women from working in a sake brewery, Retsu, a young blind woman, challenges herself to overcome her disability in order to save her family's sake business.

Kura

1995

The Seven Chefs poster
8.0

Traveling chef Ryuji is called back to Tokyo to help save his late teacher’s restaurant. With the help of his close friend Kinu, Ryuji must complete the training of Wataru — the apprentice chosen by his late teacher to become the next master chef — in the art of culinary excellence and running a successful business.

The Seven Chefs

1997

Tales of the Bizarre: Vol. 1 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Tales of the Bizarre: Vol. 1

1991

Love Song of the Old Capital poster
NR

In Kyoto in 1944, poet Tomohiko Nagata meets Shizue, the wife of Kyoto University assistant professor Takeichi Naito, during a lecture. Drawn to poetry and classical literature, Shizue becomes Nagata’s devoted pupil, but their relationship gradually grows beyond that of teacher and student. As rumors spread among Kyoto’s literary circle and reach her husband, jealousy and resentment tear through the Naito family. For their daughter Momoyo, the affair becomes a painful shock, yet Shizue finds herself unable to give up her love for Nagata.

Love Song of the Old Capital

1997

1980s · 14 titles

Kizu poster
10.0

Once again, director Shunichi Kajima and star Takanori Jinnai are teaming up to create a new type of yakuza film that stylishly depicts the short but vibrant life of legendary urban yakuza Takashi Hanagata.

Kizu

1988

Goryokaku poster
NR

After the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, there was a series of battles fought while the former supporters of the Tokugawa shogunate retreated to the north where they actually started a sovereign nation that was recognized by more than one European country. Survivors of the Shinsengumi were among the followers of Enomoto Takeaki who took them to the northernmost island of Ezo where they fought their final battle at the star shaped fort, Goryokaku. The Japanese Civil Wars fought in the name of the emperor signaled the complete end of the feudal system and Japan’s entry into the modern world as those brave samurai tried to halt progress and learned that the age of modern warfare and weaponry had passed them by. Swords were no match for rifles and cannons, nor was any man a match for the power of the imperial flag. Japanese loyalty to the emperor has long defined the nation and culture despite the changing times.

Goryokaku

1988

Surgical Designs in Flames poster
10.0

A story of the skilled brain surgeon, Todo, whose talent and ambition are put to test through a series of high risk surgical procedures.

Surgical Designs in Flames

1986

For Business poster
8.0

Two TV salarymen uphold their duty by taking on a rival talent agency during the late-'80s bubble economy.

For Business

1986

The Legend of Kentauros poster
4.0

The Centaurs are a racing team of 93 bikers from the port city of Yokohama who are named after the legendary Greek horse/men. Arthur and Ken fall out over their love for the same lady deciding to settle their competition with a race.

The Legend of Kentauros

1987

Be-Bop High School 2 poster
6.5

Teen thugs Hiroshi and Toru get caught in a street war when their prized school trousers are forcefully taken from them by punks from a rival school.

Be-Bop High School 2

1986

You Gotta Chance poster
NR

The story of Tamikawa, a professionally and artistically burned out singer, who embarks on a search for a director named Goda. During the journey, the man not only experiences a lot of adventures, but also tries to find himself and answer the question whether he still sees his career in show business.

You Gotta Chance

1985

cf Girl poster
7.0

The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Takashi Kitajima.

cf Girl

1989

Eavesdropping Woman poster
NR

Yoko Shintani, an instructor at an aerobics school, secretly enjoys eavesdropping on the rooms next door. She eavesdrops on the frequent comings and goings of men by her neighbor, the model Reiko Saegusa. She relieves her frustrations as she is approaching marriageable age and her dissatisfaction with the school by eavesdropping. However, Yoko is also being watched by the photographer's assistant Naito through a telephoto lens. One night, Yoko hears Reiko's death throes. Thinking that Reiko has been murdered, Yoko calls the police, but...

Eavesdropping Woman

1986

The Thief and the Expelled Master poster
NR

The original novel is by Shugoro Yamamoto. It depicts a friendship that transcends social status and age, featuring the captivating monologue by Kunie Tanaka and moving expressions of the soul. When the thief Denkuro (Tanaka Kunie) sneaks into a dilapidated mansion, he finds a young samurai (Furuoya Masato) sleeping there. Despite being threatened, the young samurai remains unfazed and helps Denkuro when he falls into a hole in the floor. Denkuro receives a pair of straw sandals from the young samurai who says he hasn't eaten anything for three days, and the next morning Denkuro goes out to buy food and prepare breakfast. From that day on, Denkuro takes care of the naive and helpless young samurai, nicknamed "Nobusan."

The Thief and the Expelled Master

1987

No artwork available
NR

An office worker who releases his frustrations by maliciously bullying his good-natured boss has a bizarre experience in a mountain hut.

Bullying is Costly

1986

No artwork available
NR

TV movie by Banme Takahashi.

あじさい色のレディ

1988

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Onna no Naka no Kaze

1988

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

おんな霧隠才蔵 戦国忍者風雲録

1982

Series credits

SMAP×SMAP poster
8.5

SMAP×SMAP was an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it aired from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday. The show's usual ratings were higher than 20%, which is considered high since most variety shows range from 10-20%. Each episode begins a variety of skits, comedic performances, and/or games.  These are followed by Bistro SMAP, in which the SMAP members compete against each other to impress celebrity judges with their gourmet cooking.  Last is a musical performance by SMAP which may include celebrity guests, as well.

SMAP×SMAP

1996

Himawari poster
8.0

The story follows Minamida Nozomi, the charming female protagonist whose company's performance deteriorates due to the collapse of the bubble economy and who is forced to quit her job as she is prevented from getting married and starting a family. However, after her younger brother is involved in a theft incident within her family, she decides to become a lawyer. She passed the difficult bar exam and faced the harsh reality of legal training in Fukushima.

Himawari

1996

Teruteru Kazoku poster
8.0

The 69th NHK Asadora Drama, based on Rei Nakanishi's novel, is about the Iwata family living in Ikeda, Osaka City between 1950s and 1960s. The story is told through the eyes of the youngest daughter, Fuyuko. The family runs a bakery. The mother, Teruko, is a very energetic woman who is determined to make her dreams come true. Responding to Teruko's expectations, the eldest daughter becomes a figure skater and the second daughter becomes a very famous professional singer. In contrast, Fuyuko finds her joy in bread making.

Teruteru Kazoku

2003

Mission To Kill poster
7.0

Continuation of the popular series of films about the assassins in Edo. This show marks the return of the jidaigeki series "Hissatsu Shigotonin," which has had several seasons between the 1970s and the 1990s. The franchise came back in 2007 with a one-shot special, but this is its first full season since 1992. Makoto Fujita returns as the protagonist Nakamura Mondo, one of the "shigotonin," a team of hired assassins.

Mission To Kill

2009

Renovation Like Magic poster
7.2

Thirty-year-old Koume Shingyouji leaves her job at a major building firm to join family-run Marufuku Builders. There she teams up with Gennosuke, the Fukuyama family’s eldest son, and starts working on renovations. Koume and Gennosuke start their renovations by taking the measure not of rooms, but the thoughts and feelings of their clients: What does home mean to them? How do they want to live? What do they value? The team’s empathetic connection is what makes their work, work.

Renovation Like Magic

2022

Ooku poster
8.0

The mini-series revolves around the harem of a shogun in the Edo Period in Japan. The women jostle and compete with one another and with their lord and on occasion even wield more power than their master.

Ooku

2003

Everyone’s Demoted!! poster
6.3

Hiroshi Kataoka works at a bank. He receives a promotion to manager of the Kamata branch. He is also informed that the Kamata branch will be shut down and he does not have to work hard. After the branch's shutdown, he will work again at the bank's headquarters. Hiroshi Kataoka is embarrassed by the situation. He sees the branch employees work hard and they do not know the branch will close. Hiroshi Kataoka is conflicted between his job and his employees.

Everyone’s Demoted!!

2019

Hottokenai Majotachi poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Hottokenai Majotachi

2014

The Quiz Show poster
8.0

The Quiz Show features tormented characters in twelve episodes, with one common thread – the mysterious relationship between the deviant Producer and enigmatic Host of The Quiz Show.

The Quiz Show

2008

Dakishimetai! poster
NR

Asako Ikeuchi and Natsuko Hayakawa have been close friends for more than 25 years. Natsuko's husband Keisuke had affairs, so she asks Asako to let her stay at her house. Keisuke was once Asako's boyfriend. They will soon be 30 years old. There are other nice guys around Asako. It's a drama about their love and friendship.

Dakishimetai!

1988

Fukuyadou Honpo: Kyoto Love Story poster
6.8

Fukuyadou Honpo is a traditional Kyoto sweet shop with 450 years of history. This romantic drama depicts the careers, love lives and dreams of three sisters.

Fukuyadou Honpo: Kyoto Love Story

2016

Medaka poster
9.5

Takako Meguro, a typical office worker known to her friends as Medaka, starts a new career as a night school teacher when her company restructures. At first, she's not so crazy about her new job and gets by with a minimum of effort. But as she continues, she finds out it's quite a challenge after all. Her students range from a high school dropout to a salaried worker, and also include a self-employed fellow, and a cabaret hostess, in short, a motley crew! What's more, half of them are older than her and, to make matters worse, one of them is a elementary school classmate. But a certain turn of events results in Medaka's becoming a really dedicated teacher! Although she's surprised herself at this change of character, her trials are just about to begin.

Medaka

2004

長男の嫁 poster
6.0

No synopsis available yet.

長男の嫁

1994

Shinryochu In The Room poster
NR

Ryo Tenma (Goro Inagaki) works as a psychoanalyst in the counseling office of a high school. He listens to students, teachers and sometimes even students' family members to solve their problems. Nevertheless, Ryo Tenma carries heavy emotional wounds himself and as he tries to help others, he also works to overcome his own emotional issues.

Shinryochu In The Room

2013

Onna Keiji Mizuki: Kyoto Rakusai Sho Monogatari poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Onna Keiji Mizuki: Kyoto Rakusai Sho Monogatari

2005

Tokyo Air Raid poster
7.0

When Sakuragi Haruko's father's factory is bombed, Oba Hiroto stops Haruko when she tries to rescue her father from the fire. They meet again a few years later when Haruko is working as a nurse and Hiroto is brought in as a patient with a heart condition. The second couple is a Korean man, Boku Hitoshi, and another nurse, Yamada Kazue

Tokyo Air Raid

2008

Light My Heart! poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Light My Heart!

1989

Untouchable poster
6.0

When reporter Narumi Ryoko loses her job at a first-rate publisher and ends up at a trashy tabloid called "Shukan Untouchable." She now chases celebrity scandals and sensational stories, but she hasn't lost her sense of duty or her persistence. While investigating her stories, she tends to notice details that imply some hidden truth beneath the surface, leading her to probe deeper into dangerous secrets. --Tokyograph

Untouchable

2009

Dokyuusei poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Dokyuusei

1989

Shinai Naru Mono e poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Shinai Naru Mono e

1992

OLにっぽん poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

OLにっぽん

2008

Legal Eagle, First Class poster
4.7

The story centers around the employees of a legal document firm. Tamura Katsuhiro is a young man with a strong sense of justice. Although he believes that the law isn't always right, he becomes an administrative scrivener with the goal of manipulating the law in order to protect the weak. On the other hand, Sumiyoshi Misuzu, a former delinquent who hates to lose and who is now a capable scrivener. Katsuhiro and Misuzu are always at odds, but they gradually come to understand each other. --Tokyograph

Legal Eagle, First Class

2010

Housewife & Detective poster
NR

This comical suspense drama centers around Kaoru, a divorced female detective, and Hinako, a housewife married to a detective. Hinako can't keep her curious nature bottled and is constantly trying solve the cases her husband talks about at the dinner table. Kaoru inevitably sees what she is up to and tries to keep her from getting in the way, but sometimes the determined housewife suprises everyone with her simple observations!

Housewife & Detective

1999

No artwork available
NR

In this engaging comedy, a husband and wife enter a journey of self-discovery when they enter their child into a drama school. Just where does a parent's dream for their child's success end and the child's own future aspirations begin?

Children of Promise

1997

Gentler than the Rain poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Gentler than the Rain

1989

Freezing Point 2001 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Freezing Point 2001

2001

君の瞳をタイホする! poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

君の瞳をタイホする!

1988

Bring Me to the Hotel poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Bring Me to the Hotel

2001

The Last Lawyer poster
NR

Ishida Ryoko, a failed law student turned bank debt collector, tracks down her final target: Yudo Kazuaki, a bankrupt attorney who prioritizes helping the poor over making a profit. Unable to collect his debt, Ryoko refuses to leave his side, effectively becoming his shadow. Despite their "debtor vs. collector" dynamic, they realize they share a deep-seated mission to defend the innocent and protect the weak. This unlikely duo soon teams up to serve as the "last lawyer" for those with nowhere else to turn.

The Last Lawyer

2003

Poka Poka poster
NR

A show that features a mix of comedy sketches, celebrity interviews, and interactive segments with the audience. Known for its upbeat, light-hearted vibe, the program frequently features popular comedians and entertainers.

Poka Poka

2022

A Woman Like The Devil poster
NR

The film tells the story of Aya, a woman suffering from congenital heart disease who has inherited a vast fortune. She marries the seemingly gentle and considerate Haruki, only to find herself trapped in a nightmare of his brutal abuse and humiliation. Pushed to her breaking point, she eventually kills Haruki and carefully stages his death as an accident. However, her relief is short-lived, as chilling supernatural events begin to haunt the house in the wake of the crime.

A Woman Like The Devil

2005

Ai to Fukushu no Umi poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Ai to Fukushu no Umi

1988

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

山村美紗サスペンス 黒の滑走路

—

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

山村美紗サスペンス 京都・源氏物語殺人絵巻

2010

I Am Your Ancestor poster
NR

" I Am Your Ancestor " (Ore wa Gosenzosama) is a 14-episode television drama produced by Office Henmi and broadcast on the Nippon Television Network every Sunday from 20:00 to 20:54 ( JST ) from December 6 , 1981 to March 14, 1982 .

I Am Your Ancestor

1981

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

白衣の天使は見た!外科病棟殺人カルテ

2008

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

農家の嫁は弁護士!神谷純子のふるさと事件簿

2005

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

財務捜査官 雨宮瑠璃子

2004

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

刑事の妻〜デカツマ〜

2005

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

花嫁のさけび

2008