I Want to be Loved to Love
Motoharu Akiyama is an elite pilot who has just completed astronaut training at NASA. Something happened in his past that caused him to go out searching for the meaning and purpose of life. However, he hasn't been able to find a satisfactory reply and the void in his heart has only expanded. But Akiyama has a meeting that changes his life. He meets Reiko Nishina, a director at an investment bank, who is looking at investing in an attempt at the first Japanese space shuttle launch. Although the meeting was pure chance, it affects Reiko greatly. She realizes that although it looks like she has everything, there is something she wants that she doesn't have. And this meeting has an effect on those around them also...
Mika Umeda
Aya Takei
Yoshinori Kobayashi
Hidetomo Matsuda
Yoshiko Hoshida
Morinaga Yoshiro
Casts & Crew
Kenji Sakaguchi
Hitomi Kuroki
Also Directed by Yoshinori Kobayashi
Kiyoshi, a brilliant detective, inquiries on mysterious cases with his childhood friend, Ishioka, a novelist.
This mystery special consists of three thrilling stories by three notable writers.
When a devoted detective probes the suspicious death of her father, she uncovers massive corruption and finds herself in grave danger.
“Zouka no Mitsu” portrays the story of a beautiful criminal (Dan), who makes incomprehensible demands, saying, “If you want to pay, you decide the amount.” Tanabe will play the role of detective Hashiba, who tracks the criminal down.
A pet groomer at a salon in Shirogane, Nogami Meiko has a lot of celebrity dog-lovers as customers. She cheerfully serves customers with care, and her skills are tried and tested. The salon's owner, Kotomi, has a strong faith in her, and she is admired by her colleagues. Meiko leads a quiet and fulfilling life... however, there is another side to her. She has a plan for revenge that she must accomplish. In truth, when she was 19, she was imprisoned for murder but there was also another side to this case. And just as she's about to execute her plan, she meets a man named Mashima Takuro. She acts mysteriously around him and for some reason, he makes her feel better. Is he the only miscalculation to her? Or a reckoning?
Monster parents-a neologism that denotes parents who repeatedly make unreasonable demands to their children’s school and prevent it from functioning normally. Takamura Itsuki is the ace lawyer of a major law firm. One day, she is assigned on a case requested by a school board, and learns of the existence of "monster parents." She meets a parent who wants the school to fire a teacher with a dialect for fear that he may exert bad influence on her child, a parent who insists that her son get a regular position on the soccer team, a parent who refuses to pay the lunch fee because it doesn’t taste good and so on. She is, at first, reluctant about this case, but gradually becomes determined to solve the problems.
Suzuki is an eccentric at university hospital who has been conducting a research to come up with a miracle drug for cancer on his own. One day, Suzuki finally succeeds in developing a new type of anticancer drug that completely hinders the self-renewal of all cancer stem cells. However, his colleagues do not seem to share his excitement, and he is not even allowed to carry out clinical trial on humans. Suzuki is disheartened and completely at a loss by this but then he comes across a girl, Manami, who is suffering from terminal cancer. With help from her, he successfully carries out clinical trial. Yet, things take an unexpected turn. What will become of Suzuki, Manami and all the others around them? What is the fate of this new drug? Pandora's box released all the evils as soon as it was opened. What is it that is ultimately left inside?
A young daughter (Mana Ashida) supports her father (Etsushi Toyokawa) who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Also Directed by Hidetomo Matsuda
Based on the novel "Tsuyoki Ari" by Seicho Matsumoto In her past, Isako Sawada ran a restaurant. She then met Nobuhiro who is 31 years older than her and an executive of a corporation. They eventually married. Nobuhiro owns a large mansion and his money is managed by housekeeper Saki Tsubaki. Isako Sawada doesn't like that arrangement, but she hides her contempt because she has a plan. Her plan is to become a widow in 3 years and inherit one billion yen from her husband. Isako Sawada schemes to have Nobuhiro die in an apparent natural manner and she is having a relationship with another man.
Ring: The Final Chapter is a television series, produced in Japan, based on the Ring movie series. There are a total of 12 episodes in the series and a sequel was made called Rasen, consisting of 13 episodes.
Japanese-American track star Mizuki Ashiya transfers from a school in California to Japan, but not to just any old school. The school is Osaka High School - an all male high school! Mizuki Ashiya must disguise herself as a boy, all to get closer to her hero Izumi Sano, a high jump athlete who attends Osaka High. Now with short hair, flattened chest and deeper voice, Mizuki becomes roommates with Izumi Sano, but trouble soon starts to brew. Izumi Sano discovers by accident that Mizuki is a girl and falls in love with her, but Mizuki is unaware of the fact. Complicating things, fellow classmate Shuichi Nakatsu starts to develop feelings for Mizuki, unaware that she is a girl!
This renzoku follows four women in the "around 40" generation. Shifumi is an attractive woman who stole her classmate's boyfriend in high school, and despite criticism from others, she got married and had a child. However, she soon divorced and currently keeps a younger boyfriend. Three of Shifumi's former classmates: ordinary housewife Makiko, work-focused doctor Neri, and housewife Miwa. Miwa is having an affair with Shifumi's ex-husband Keishi (the boyfriend Shifumi originally stole from her.) Eventually, the various secrets and lies kept by the four women all come to light.
Nobuko Sawaguchi is a surly, unattractive housekeeper in her mid-thirties. However, in actuality, she is a beautiful woman, but she hides this fact using her makeup because of a traumatic past experience. One day Nobuko is sent to housekeep for the Uehara family, known for its tremendous wealth. In the Uehara family, there is a massive quarrel over each member’s future succession and inheritance. In the middle of this hectic situation, Nobuko is asked by the daughter called Akemi to protect her.
Journalist Maebata Shigeko, young Tsukada Shinichi and elderly Arima Yoshio all suffer from and become involved in a serial kidnap and murder case. Shinichi first discovers a cut arm and handbag from the murder case. Elderly Yoshio's granddaughter is a murder victim. Based on the novel "Mohouhan" by Miyuki Miyabe.
Hosted by veteran comedian Tamori, "Bizarre Tales 2002 Spring Special" presents five tales. 1. Mushi Game (Ignore the Game) - starring Uchiyama Rina 2. Okashina Machi (Funny Town) - starring Yanagiba Toshiro 3. Tokage no Shippo (Lizard's Tail) - starring Kashiwabara Takashi 4. Yogisha no Otoko (Man's Night Train) - starring Osugi Ren 5. Manhole - starring Kagawa Teruyuki
Nobuko is a plain, unattractive woman with disheveled hair, and is hired as a housekeeper in the Inamura residence in Tokyo. The Inamuras are a family of six. The father, Tatsuya, is the head of a university hospital's department of internal medicine. He lives with his wife Haruko, their three sons, and Tatsuya's mother, Shigeko. Although the Inamuras appear to be a happy family, Nobuko soon uncovers the truth.
Takanashi Shoko is a former lawyer. She was disbarred from the law profession due to an incident. Later, she persuades a university professor, who is accredited as a lawyer, to open a law firm. Takanashi Shoko hires a lawyer and assistants to work at the law firm. The team goes after legal victory. They go up against a large firm in a civil suit. While working on the suit, the team experiences difficult situations.
In a modern society in which violent crimes are on the rise, there is a team that tries to resolve cases without bloodshed. It is the metropolitan police's special team, known by the abbreviation SIT (Special Investigation Team). The SIT doesn't get into action after a case but heads to the site just as a crime is being committed. They are on the front-line of risky missions, facing off against criminals; tenaciously conducting negotiations with criminals. As a result of the rigid police hierarchy that can curb the conduct of negotiators, the SIT is also a male-dominated society controlled with strict discipline. There is one female negotiator, Usagi Reiko, who bravely fights at the frontline. She is isolated in the male world of the SIT but courageously fights against crime as well as her organisation.
Also Directed by Yoshiko Hoshida
The tale of hardship, love, determination and life of Mineko, a young maiko (apprentice geisha) in the Gion district of Kyoto.
Beppu Sumire is a wedding planner who works for True Love Bridal (TLB), a well-established wedding hall. Her late mother, Sakura, showered love on her and would always tell her that she is lovely. After she passed away, Sumire lived with her father, Tetsuro. Sumire gave up on her own romance long ago because of her disappointing looks. But she works hard with a smile even when she gets scolded by her stern superior, Umemiya Hitomi, her impertinent junior, Sudo Yuri, pins trouble on her, and her relationship with her father is not working out, in order to bring smiles to many people’s faces.
Mieko (Hitomi Kuroki) is a housewife with some problems. Her husband (Masahiko Nishimura) is indifferent to her and her daughter Sayako (Hiroko Kurisaki) refuses to go to school. One day, Mieko meets Kaori (Tae Kimura) who is divorced. Mieko and Kaori worked at a same company years ago. Kaori tells Mieko that how she was swindled out of money by a man and, because of this, Mieko loans money to Kaori. Due to the loan, Mieko, herself, begins to do part-time work at a convenience store. While at work, Mieko catches a shoplifter Yukimi (Shizuyo Yamazaki) in the convenience store. It turns out, Mieko and Yukimi get along great. Mieko, Yukimi and Kaori decide to go to a karaoke room together. At the karaoke bar, the women hear the song "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple and decide to form a rock band!
Has one person changed your life? A proud but lazy loser, Takumi dreams of getting rich as he gambles his girlfriend's money away. One day, he is rescued from a fight by a strange young man named Tokio. Tokio tells a weird story -- that he is Takumi's son from the future and has come to save his old man from a tragedy! Before this can sink in, Takumi's girlfriend disappears. Can they save her? Or will the future change for the worse?
Yuka, a troubled young woman who suddenly begins working part-time as a high-class call girl, finds unexpected romance while on the job.