TOKYO DRAMA AWARD

2014

This drama is set about one hundred years ago when modernization was blooming in Japanese society. Meiko, a girl who loves food, grows up spoiled by the delicacies prepared by her parents who run a gourmet Western restaurant. Her love of food is so strong that it amazes Yutaro, a university student boarding in Meiko's parents' home. Meiko becomes attracted to Yutaro's serious personality and her love of eating turns into a desire to bring joy to people with her cooking.
Meiko asks Yutaro to marry her telling him that she will cook for him for his whole life if only he would say ""Yes."" The two are married, but soon after, World War II begins and the couple encounters difficulty after difficulty. Even though the situation is severe, her passion for cooking makes the people around her smile and leads to an unexpected turn of events.

There are said to be over 1 million single mothers throughout Japan today.
Their average annual income is 2 million yen (19,500 US dollars). Excluding government subsidies, it is 1.8 million yen (17,500 US dollars). This is only about a third of the national household average of 5.4 million (52,500 US dollars).
These women suffer harsh financial situations as they raise their children. Words can’t describe the emotional strain they endure.
They find themselves marginalized by society and the public and caught in a circle of poverty and impoverishment, from which it is extremely difficult to find a brighter future.
This drama portrays such a single mother as its main character?a woman who loves her children in spite of their poverty and puts her life on the line to survive. As today’s society focuses on problems such as youth poverty and the increase of people who choose to stay unmarried, the issue of struggling single mothers gets pushed into the shadows. This drama brings to light the pure love that a mother shares with her children. It aims to serve as a fight song for the world’s single mothers, as well as everyone living in these modern times.

Detective Ango Ishikawa survived a gunshot on his head. He got shot during his duty and went through a near-death experience before he came back to his life with a psychic power “to talk with the dead.” He tries to listen to the voices of the dead suffering from deep regrets and chagrins as he tackles his cases. Each episode portrays his thrilling investigation led by the voice of the dead that takes him into the edge of “borders” of life and death, justice and the law, and mercy and cruelty.
Each story untangles the case through astonishing developments led by the voice of the dead who suffered unexpected death and give their message to Ishikawa to redeem themselves.
At times the voice leads him to a forbidden sphere where he struggles at the border faced with a critical choice of stepping into the forbidden or not. And his decision must be made within the time limit up to the cremation of the dead. The psychic element in the story together with the protagonist’s psychological intricacy grips the viewer’s minds with its suspense and releases them with a relieving satisfaction as each episode ends as a one-off story.

Following the release of “Double Face” in 2012 (the Grand Prix in the single drama category at the Tokyo Drama Award 2013), TBS and WOWOW have collaborated once again to create “MOZU."" While Season 1 was broadcast on TBS, Season 2 was on WOWOW. Director Eiichiro Hazumi has brought together his acclaimed production team and spent over 8 months to create this drama - based on Go Osaka's hard-boiled action novel MOZU series which many people thought would be impossible to dramatize.

It tells the story of an ace detective at the Public Safety Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department who lost his wife in an explosion, and a mysterious killer who lost his memory. The story depicts a national-scale conspiracy that is gradually exposed as the killer and the detective cross paths. This highly acclaimed drama redefines the idea of TV series, bringing you renowned actors as unique characters in thrilling action scenes with beautiful cinematography."

The glamorous world of fashion magazine editorial departments is really a den of terrifying women...
Chinami dreams of working in the fashion industry, even as she spends her humdrum days as a clerk at an apparel fabric shop. But through a quirk of fate, she suddenly has the chance to work in the editorial department of a top fashion magazine. It’s with great anticipation that Chinami steps through the door to a dazzling world she’s admired for years, but she quickly learns that it’s also a harsh world in which editorial staff and models prey on each other when one of them tries to gain even a slight edge over the others. Editorial staffers also constantly assign grades to each other in the areas of appearance, romance, work, and social position, a practice they’ve dubbed “mounting”. Struggling to survive this workplace pyramid, in which the slightest incident can change the daily rankings, is a ludicrous but undeniable reality. All the employees can do is aim for the top. In this land of women without a moral code, Chinami finds herself dealing with malicious editorial staffers, selfish models, and a tougher-than-nails chief editor. At first, she’s at the bottom of the ladder, tasked with nothing more than being a gofer, but fights solitary battler after battle with her sights set on becoming a first-rate editor. Chinami repels all manner of harassment, from jealousy and backbiting to traps and betrayals, as she holds on to her dream and climbs from the bottom rung to the top of the ladder in this shocking yet thrilling Cinderella story.

End of the Meiji-Era Period, Japanese nation was widely excited over the victory of the Russo-Japanese war. On the other hand, the field of Yanaka-Village at Tochigi prefecture was polluted by the copper poisoning from the ASHIO Copper Mine.The government advised the resident to give up their home and forcibly destroyed their houses who tried to remain in their village.
This story is a original drama based upon the historical fact highlighting a girl who has fought for this village. Her name is "SACHI NITTA" and she was born in this village and become a house keeper for HIDEKO FUKUDA's family who was a social activist. Ms. FUKUDA was introduced by Mr. SHOZO TANAKA, who was a politician also fighting for this village.
Meeting with Socialist such as SANSHIRO ISHIKAWA, SYUSUI KOUTOKU and moved among the cultural leaders such as TAKUBOKU ISHIKAWA and AKIKO YOSANO, this drama portrait the growth of this one girl who has come out from this little country village to the big capital Tokyo, living by her own struggling through this turbulent era.

Mediocre town. Mediocre landscape.
Mediocre youth. Mediocre life.
Will I ever break free from this circle of mediocrity?
Goodbye day today. Till we meet again.
I thought life would go on like that forever.

Such was the existence of main character Kota, until something unusual came upon him.
Cancer. Three months to live.
Aware of how little time he has left, Kota started to have strong feelings about life.
Live well, die well.
So began the shortest . . . and longest three months.

Today, cancer kills one out of three people in Japan. Cancer is not something unusual. It’s a common disease that can suddenly strike you and your family.
This drama sincerely and accurately depicts the lives of an ordinary man, who finds himself facing this common reality, and his family.

Back in January 2013 on Thursday Night Theater, Matrimonial Chaos depicted the realistic daily lives of two married couples who live along the bank of the Meguro River. The true-to-life romantic comedy focused on Mitsuo (Eita), a worker at a vending machine company, his careless wife, Yuka (Machiko Ono), Mitsuo’s old girlfriend, Akari (Yoko Maki), and her husband, Ryo (Go Ayano). The dialogue “I know exactly what you mean”, written by screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto, is said by all four characters and incorporated into the ending theme, Yin Yang, by Keisuke Kuwata, during which the four actors also dance bewitchingly. In fact, the ending became popular in its own right, winning acclaim from men and women of all ages and several awards even after the program had ended.
In Matrimonial Chaos Special 2014, one year has passed since the events of the series’ final episode. What is the current lifestyle of the four like? How do they feel about it? A lot happened during the last episode, events which should have made the two couples understand each other a bit more. “What is a married couple?” “What does it mean to live together?” One year later, can the four people involved answer these questions? Have each of them realized what is most important to them? And are they able to protect that? Find out as all hell breaks loose aboard the overnight Limited Express Cassiopeia!

A man played by Akira Terao, who has been in a coma for 45 years caused by a car accident at age 19, miraculously regains　consciousness.Although he is physically grown up to be 64 years old, his mind remains at 19. He gradually develops friendship with a male clumsy nurse played by Masaki Okada.
CHICKEN RACE is a human drama filled with laughter and tears, telling a story of a man who takes off on a journey to seize back his lost youth.
This is the WOWOW’s first time 4K production which allows four times higher quality image than the full HDTV.

Takeshi Kamiya (Masaki Okada) who grew up in a family of doctors kept failing to get into medical schools. Feeling frustrated, he left his father Tsukasa (Takeshi Kaga) who is a highly-respected brain surgeon at a major hospital in Tokyo. Takeshi starts to work at a hospital as a male nurse and is assigned to take care of Mamoru Tobita (Akira Terao) who has been asleep for 45 years ever since involved in a traffic accident at age 19 and has no family. Day after day, Takeshi addresses unconscious Mamoru by doing all the talk about his distress and complains. One day Mamoru miraculously awakes from coma.
With the mind of 19-year-old, still feeling young and delinquent, Mamoru gradually regains physical strength and finds out the secret behind the fact that his hospitalization fee has been paid by someone for 45 years. He agrees to become a clinical study patient at Tsukasa’s hospital. Meanwhile, Takeshi develops friendship with Mamoru, and decides to take him out of hospital for a journey to retrieve his lost youth. The journey of 64-year-old “bad boy”, Mamoru, and 27-yaer-old Takeshi, nicknamed “old man” has begun.

Mina Matsui (Sakura Ando) comes to a port town in the western Kochi prefecture to see the "happy Daruma sunset". Daruma sunset is a kind of sunset miracle, which can be seen for only 10 days in a year. She is troubled over the relationship with her boyfriend who is a divorced single father. For the life of her she has to see the Daruma sunset by New-Year's Eve.

When she arrives at the port, she meets a local fisherman Isamu Komatsu (Tsutomu Takahashi). He introduces Mina to Kimiko Hamada (Mitsuko Baisho) who is familiar with the Daruma sunset. Kimiko runs a hotel and bar. Kimiko offers to let Mina stay at Kimiko’s hotel for free.

Mina accepts Kimiko’s kindness. However, Mina is dragged into shopping and a major cleaning for New Year’s by Kimiko. Mina is bewildered by Kimiko’s officiousness but Kimiko is adored as a mother by the town’s people.

One day, Kimiko scolds an unknown child and has a run-in with the child's father (BoBA). On the other hand, Kimiko insists to see the sunset. Though reacting against Kimiko with making such a trouble, Mina notices that the affection for a child has nothing to do with ties of blood. Then Mina’s boyfriend Takayuki (Masahiro Toda) with his son Satoshi appear in front of Mina.

Can Mina see the Daruma sunset? How about Mina’s decision? It is a humanistic comedy depicting a meaning and conflict of becoming a mother.

:Risako is a high-flyer section chief at a manufacturer of sanitary products in Tokoname-city, Aichi, which is known for its traditional pottery works. With support from her husband and sister she juggles job and parenthood as a mother of two daughters, even though she was once told by her rebellious daughter “I don’t want be like you, Mom”.
Being strict and demanding not only on herself but also on others, she harshly bumps her subordinate Natsu to the general affairs division after she comes back from maternity leave but often goes home early and comes in late because of the baby. Risako begins to put more work on young Nozomi instead.
Just when Nozomi gets busier she becomes pregnant. While her boyfriend Yamauchi is unwilling to get married, she insists on having a baby as a single mother. Yamauchi asks his boss for help and immediately poor Nozomi is arranged to transfer to a related company while Yamauchi is secured to remain.
Looking at their plot Risako realizes she has been no different from them. She decides to make an action in order to get Natsu and Nozomi back to her division.
How can women contribute their fullest potential to work without losing their identities in Japanese society where “homogeneity” has long been kept with value.
This is the story that cheers up working women to step forward with confidence in themselves. Don’t leave them agonized in their careers anymore!

The story of "Porridge Seller Pilgrimage" is like watching the daily life of the community, which includes our own behavior. There is a trend we want to show off, how do we always look pure & honest, but actually we want people to see us as good people (which most of times we’re not). Artificially that we do and only we know, always makes us smile embarrassedly. All are presented in a sweet and funny characters in this series.

There’s Haji Sulam (Mat Solar), a patient and constantly smiling person who runs a business as porridge seller. Thanks to his perseverance and sincerity, he was able to enlarge the business and go on pilgrimage with his family, just what he always dreamed of. Haji Sulam live with Rodiah (Uci Bing Slamet) his wife, and his mother - Emak (Nani Wijaya). One of their neighbors, H. Muhidin (Latief Sitepu) and Hj. Maemunah (Shinta Muin), are somehow always hostile to his family. Even their child, Rumanah (Citra Kirana) was prohibited to have a relationship with Robby (Andi Arsyil Rahman), Haji Sulam’s brother-in-law. Then vilifications about Sulam’s family come. How do Sulam and his family deal with all these problems and stay positive ?

Over 2 years of airing," Tukang Bubur Naik Haji the Series (Porridge Seller Pilgrimage)" always achieved the highest ratings on national TV, stable at top 10 ratings until now. The longest drama series that has been airing at RCTI, nationwide broadcaster in Indonesia.

In 1609, an alien, Do Min-jun (Kim Soo Hyun) lands on Korea. He has managed to hide his true identity and supernatural power, and lived for 404 years on earth, but has only 3 months to go on earth and he is getting ready to return to his home planet. But his life gets turned upside down when a top actress, Cheon Song-yi (Jeon Ji Hyun), moves in next door to his apartment! He becomes sucked into a series of troubles. Min-jun has made himself a promise not to interfere with earthlings' troubles, but he is unable to leave her to her own devices, and before long realizes he is attracted to her. It is a story of pure and clumsy romance between an 'alien' with supernatural powers who lives on earth on a false pretence and a spoilt but lovable 'top actress'.
This is the first romantic comedy by Kim Soo Hyun, who gained enormous popularity for his role in "Dream High" which won the Special Award in 2011 and "Moon Embracing the Sun". His first starring film "Secretly Greatly" was also a great hit. The heroine is played by Jeon Ji Hyun of "My Sassy Girl". This is a blockbuster drama. The dazzling co-starring by the No.1 couple of the Korean films caused much excitement and recorded the highest rating of 33.2%. It was nominated to the highest number of 6 categories at the 50th Paeksang Arts Awards TV section, and won three awards including the Grand Prize. It also swept the main sections at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2014. The program was sold in 15 countries in Asia, creating much sensation across borders.
Directed by a hit maker Chang Tae You of "Deep Rooted Tree" which won the Special Award at Tokyo Drama Awards 2012.

-DVD Info-
Blu-ray SET1&DVD SET1 to be released on January 7, 2015
Blu-ray SET2&DVD SET2 to be released on February 4, 2015
Rental: Vol.1-7: Avaialble to rent from January 7, 2015
Vol.8-14: Available to rent from February 4, 2015
(Published and Distributed by NBC Universal Entertainment)

True gold, even though molten in fire, would still retain its true value. Similarly, a man with a strong heart will not be discouraged by life’s obstacles which are true measures of human value.”

　Lamyong is from a poor family and repeats the cycle of marrying a rich man and getting divorced. Gold, money, alcohol and gambling is what she values in life. She does not care about her home or her five children and lives life as she pleases, until she contracts an infection and becomes mentally ill.

　During her hardship, she turns to Wanchalerm, her eldest son with her first husband Sunt. Wanchalerm has become a monk, according to the will of his grandfather on his father's side, but kindhearted Wanchalerm leaves the monastery to take care of his mother. When Lamyong's condition worsens, she leaves home to live in an abandoned theater. It is the place of memories where she met her first love, Sunt. She passes away at the theater, and her body is discovered by Sunt and Wanchalerm.

　Despite a tough childhood without much affection from his mother at all, Wanchalerm is unalloyed and full of love. He later goes to America to study where he has a fateful encounter with a fellow country woman who becomes his companion for life.

　A blockbuster drama which recorded a rating of 20.6%, the highest among all dramas broadcast in Thailand in 2013. This is the third remake in the same name.

　Directed by Pongpat Wachirabunjong, who participated in the original version as an actor. Following "Roy Mai (Silk Trace)", the Special Award winner at Tokyo Drama Award 2012, this drama swept away domestic awards.