TOKYO DRAMA AWARD

2021

Life is a grand comedy. This story opens with a certain roundabout "short comedy skit" delivered by a comedic trio struggling to make their big break. But pay attention to those 2 minutes as grand foreshadowings might be in store for the remaining 54 minutes of the episode!
Since they started dreaming of becoming comedians, 10 years have passed and now they're 28 years old. The youth that gave them the privilege of talking endlessly about their dream is long in the past, and the moment for the comedians to give up on it has finally arrived. At this period, a woman emotionally scarred finds out about them and somehow begins to rely on their presence to nourish her soul. Bemused at her behavior is her younger sister who lives with her.
"This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out...".5 men and women can't help but say so. However, the days marked by sorrow were a "grand prelude" to a spectacular future...
"A wonderful life that turned out just the way you dreamed of it as a child." No one is able to make their dream come true that perfectly! Men who abandoned their dreams and women who dropped out of society. Their past tragedies are about to turn into future comedies as the story of their late 20s and final vestiges of their youth begins!

A fast-paced, story-a-week series about two police officers who must do everything they can to solve crimes and apprehend the criminals within a 24-hour time limit. The No. 4 Mobile Investigative Unit is a temporary unit newly established by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in an attempt to reduce the police force's long working hours. The Unit's mission is to patrol neighborhoods with undercover police cars, and when there is an emergency call, they are to be the first to rush to the scene of the crime and quickly conduct the initial investigation. Kazumi Shima (Gen Hoshino) is called up to join the Unit and told to buddy up with Ai Ibuki (Go Ayano) – a troublemaking police officer from Okutama who was initially vetted off the candidates list.
On the first day of the mission, Ibuki is surprisingly polite and makes a good impression on Shima. However, Ibuki causes problems at a crime scene soon after, and the two continuously bump heads as they investigate. Will the two officers with completely opposing personalities be able to overcome their differences and learn to trust each other as buddies?

Based on Jun Ikeido's popular novels, "The Lost Generation Strikes Back" and "Icarus-Flying on Silver Wings," Masato Sakai plays the role of a convention-busting banker hero, Naoki Hanzawa. At Tokyo Chuo Bank, Hanzawa uncovers the injustices of Managing Director Owada in the previous season's final episode. This story begins with his demotion-being sent off to a subsidiary, Tokyo Central Securities, to take responsibility for his impertinence. When a huge M&A deal comes in, in a full-scale conflict with Chuo Bank over the acquisition of IT company Spiral, Hanzawa uncovers the windowdressing settlement of the buyer, Cyber Acrobatics. Hanzawa jumps at the chance to put his rivals at Chuo Bank in their place and secures "double revenge" toward Deputy President Mikasa and General Manager Isayama. Having saved Tokyo Chuo Bank from possible ruin, Hanzawa gets his old job back at the bank. But soon, he is faced with the unenviable task of restructuring Teikoku Airways, the nation's largest air transport company, on the verge of bankruptcy. A government task force led by Akiko Shirai, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, demands that the bank writes off 50 billion yen in Teikoku Airways debt. Both Minister Shirai and powerful ruling-party Secretary General Minobe stand in his way. Meanwhile, Hanzawa discovers Minobe's fraudulent past with Chuo Bank and Teikoku Airways... Will the maverick banker-who bet his pride, his sense of justice, and his entire soul on the bank-ultimately prevail and show his enemies that deception deserves "double revenge?"

The souls of a gung-ho young detective (Haruka Ayase) and an intelligent, sadistic killer (Issey Takahashi) switch! Like the ancient legend passed down for generations on Amami-Oshima island about the sun and the moon, this bizarre exchange of souls sets the stage for a thrilling story that turns everything you thought, you knew about men and women and good and evil on its head.
With roles, gender, language, behavior and lifestyle all reversed, their lives are filled with a tense pressure where no mistakes are allowed. "From chasing to being chased, from being chased to chasing." The ultimate battle between the detective and the murderer whose roles are completely reversed is totally unpredictable. Meanwhile a second bizarre murder takes place. While investigating the case, the police close in on a third person as the prime suspect.
Who's the real killer? Can they switch their souls back to before? As they confront the soulswitch and murder together, the two natural enemies stumble onto an unexpected truth. This drama about what happens when fate and love collide is non-stop entertainment!

Towako Omameda has been married and divorced three times.
A restaurant owner, a photographer, and a lawyer, the three exes are totally different from one another in many ways, and reasons for divorce were also different in each case.
Towako has not met the exes for a long time, but she happens to meet them again. The exes meet each other for the first time, and to her surprise they get along well. The three exes sometimes collude, sometimes collide. They keep a close eye on Towako not to let her have a new relationship. They all still care for her, although she doesn't seem to feel the same way. "My Dear Exes" is a heartwarming comedy about four kind hearted souls that invites viewers to think about the meaning of family and the paths we choose in life to make us happy.

The revival of a timeless masterpiece that portrays ambition, love, and hatred over riches and power in the political and financial world!
Japan during the post-war high economic growth period. Daisuke Manpyo, the head of Hanshin Bank, the tenth biggest bank in terms of deposit, is the leader of the Manpyo consortium that owns the bank as well as many other businesses. He learns of the government's plan to reconstruct the city banks from Mima, his eldest daughter Ichiko's husband and an elite bureaucrat of the Ministry of Finance. To ensure the survival of his empire, Daisuke plots the merger and acquisition of the major banks.
Other members of the Manpyo family include Yasuko, Daisuke's wife; Teppei, his eldest son and the senior executive director of Hanshin Steelworks, a backbone of the Manpyo consortium; Ginpei, Daisuke's second son who works at Hanshin Bank; Daisuke's second and third daughters Tsugiko and Mitsuko; and Daisuke's mistress, Aiko, who has lived in the family home for many years. Teppei and the others are resentful of Aiko's power in the household and her influence over the interpersonal relationships of the family members, fueling their ambition and greed. Furthermore, Teppei, who hopes to expand the business by building a steel mill, aggravates his conflict with Daisuke over the financing of the project.

"Ryuko Kanbo" (Influenza) is a drama based on a novel of the same name by Naoya Shiga, a Japanese writer who painted an intelligent and insightful portrait of life during the Spanish flu pandemic a century ago. The story follows a novelist's emotional turmoil under the threat of deadly infection, from ongoing feelings of distrust, to eventual recovery of confidence in others.
The protagonist lives in an idyllic suburban village near Tokyo with his wife, his 4-year old daughter Saeko, and two housemaids. Having lost his first daughter years earlier, he is very nervous about Saeko's health even in normal times. Then in 1918, when illness starts spreading globally and cases are reported in Japan, his apprehension escalates. He firmly forbids all family members to go out to see an annual play by a touring theater. But Ishi, one of the family's young housemaids, disappears after leaving to gather firewood. When she returns, the raging patriarch angrily questions her but she insists on her innocence. He cannot believe her and demands her self-quarantine from his Saeko. Yet things take an unexpected turn....

Komari Sano (Suzu Hirose), born in 1928, has always had a dream to become a pilot, under the influence of her father. Orphaned by WWII, she is now living with her aunt Chiyo (Yasuko Matsuyuki), who manages a restaurant. While Komari spends busy days helping her aunt, one day, she overhears a heated talk by Shizuo Matsuki (Hidetaka Yoshioka) from one of the restaurant's guest rooms. "I want to get the Japanese sky back into the hands of the Japanese!" After the end of the war, the GHQ banned Japan from all aviation activities. In addition to that, Jiro Shirasu (Naohito Fujiki), Aide to Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, stands against Matsuki. However, in 1951, Matsuki's enthusiasm succeeds in overcoming the difficulties and finally, the first Japanese airline company named "Japan Civil Airline" is established. During those days, Komari makes a fateful encounter with a young man, Yuki Mishima (Kentaro Sakaguchi). He is a subordinate of Matsuki and aspires to become a pilot. Mishima tells Komari that the newly established company is looking for "Air Girls". She realizes that this is her big chance to fly and applies for the highly competitive position. It is a cutting-edge and extremely popular job. In the turbulent post-war era, Komari, who has overcome countless difficulties, strives together with her friends and colleagues as one of the first Air Girls.

Toshima Ward, Tokyo. Former university lecturer and now a translator, Ryosuke lives in a small Western-style building behind the Kishimojin Temple. He's been living by himself after his wife's death and does housework and cooking perfectly. But his job style is free-spirited. His editor in chief, Nomura is always tearing his hair out as Ryosuke never meets the deadline. In addition, his neighbor Mitsuyo, visits his house every day saying that his late wife asked her to take care of him. Meanwhile, Ryosuke's only daughter, Yuriko, lives in a peaceful town in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture. Her husband, Shigeyuki is a teacher and also Ryosuke's former student. One day, Yuriko returns to her father's house. Ryosuke is surprised at her sudden return. Yuriko refuses to say why. All he knows is that Yuriko hadn't decided how long she'd stay. Up until this day, they had never bonded and had much conversations, leaving them uneasy. The life of a father and a daughter begins. The time they spend is tense but warm and calm… however, clock was ticking for Yuriko. She's been given just a short time to live. What's the determination Yuriko hides inside? When Ryosuke finds out her determination, he….

At the 200th short-term course of the introductory course, which is served by a ruthless instructor, Kimichika Kazama, students are exposed to intense training every day from 6 o'clock in the morning. The strictest thing is to adhere to the rules. The action is always under surveillance, and someone's mistakes are jointly liable. Mobile phones have also been confiscated and permission is required to go out. Students from various backgrounds are gathering for various motives at the police academy, where the ultimate test that can be said to be painful awaits.
In addition, there are various conflicts that students have in the extreme state of a police academy. Kazama, an instructor who thinks that a police academy is a place to screen out unsuitable people, is a ruthless man who gives a dropout notice as soon as a student has trouble. In addition, he always gives the students only commands that are difficult to understand and leaves the place. In order to survive the survival game called "Kyojo" that is sifted one after another, the secrets and thoughts of the students swirl, and various incidents occur. There are 30 classmates at Kazama Kyojo. How many students can get a diploma by surviving to the end without being screened out?

Owner-chef Onodera Kiyoshi (played by Kusanagi Tsuyoshi) lost his Italian restaurant in the Ojika Peninsular by tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Disappointed, he gave himself up to drink. He was living a self-destructive life of despair when he caused a motorcycle accident. He was taken to a hospital where he met doctor Sasaki (played by Kunimura Jun) who came from Tokyo to support areas affected by disaster. He made a promise with the doctor. Later he bumped into his high school classmate Yoriko (played by Yada Akiko) in temporary housing and cooked peperoncino for her. And he started building a new restaurant. His wife Akari (played by Yoshida Yoh) always supported him. He planned a party by inviting the friends he made after the disaster to his restaurant on March 11 exactly 10 years after the disaster. To his friends who were perplexed by the sudden invitation, Kiyoshi began to talk about his intention. The party went on and each person's secret story for the 10 years came to be known. This makes you think that you can live your life with a positive attitude even if you have difficulties. This ia an ensemble drama of the highest quality.

In an old town Kyoto, there is a doctor who works at his own clinic. His name is Kuukichi Kakinoki and he's so kind enough to meet any patients’ requests such as buying meals, dealing with Bon-sai and so on. One day, his daughter Miyako visits him for the first time in 12 years. Since he has never contacted her after he divorced his ex-wife, he is so surprised that Miyako turns 20 and becomes the brilliant lady now!
One day, Miyako suddenly proposes "I will stay Kyoto for a while!" To her sudden proposal, Dr.Kakinoki is puzzled…. Then, the father and the daughter start to live together. However, their parent-child relationship is not so easy. For example, Dr. Kakinoki's childhood friend, Junpei misunderstands Miyako is his girlfriend and exposes his some secrets. That makes their relationship more complex...
What brings Miyako to Kyoto? What's Miyako's secret?
This is a heart-warming story that the father and the daughter repair their family relationship step by step through their communications with kind neighbors at the beautiful and cultural old town Kyoto.

The little Sad Bear lives alone in a small mountain lodge and works at a fish processing factory. Because he is still small, there are many things that he cannot do well. At such times, he always says "I’m sad ..." At the fish processing factory work, he catches only two salmons while the daily quota is 20 salmons. Or, even he tries his best, he gets washed away by a current. And his salary is reduced for a lost basket. One day he receives an envelope from the factory for a work accident. He is very happy to open it. But only four acorns come out from inside as the accident compensation. "I’m sad ..." But when he nibbles the acorns, he becomes a little happy ... "Delicious ..."
These are heartwarming short stories depicting the daily life of the Sad Bear. A college girl, Kuribayashi san, helps him in various situations. Shimadera san, a senior colleague at the factory, looks scary but turns out to be a very kind man. And a hunter, Gonzo, is aiming to hunt down the Sad Bear. The Sad Bear lives on with the kind help from people around him while sometimes he gets nearly killed by the hunter.

At the age of eight, Park Joo-hyung (Song Joongki) was adopted by an Italian family. He later joins the mafia and is adopted by Don Fabio, head of the Cassano Family. Renamed "Vincenzo Cassano" he becomes a lawyer, a consigliere for the mafia, and Don Fabio's right-hand man. After Fabio dies, Paolo, Fabio's biological son and the new leader of the Cassano Family attempts to kill Vincenzo. He then flees to his motherland South Korea to collect the gold that he has hidden in the old building "Kumga Plaza" but a Korean conglomerate Babel Group tries to demolish the building. So using "mafia way", Vincenzo cooperates with strange neighbors of the Kumga Plaza and gives an unrivaled conglomerate a taste of its own medicine with a side of justice. Meanwhile, a skillful female lawyer Hong Chayoung, who overreacts often, goes against Vincenzo's way of giving the justice but gradually she falls into the attractiveness of Vincenzo.

Chia-Ling is ready for life after 40! A stable relationship, a career change, love and support from her family and finally getting her own house, what's not to like about 40? Just when she ventures into this new stage of womanhood, she was told by her doctor that she is showing signs of early menopause. As the clock is ticking, she feels more pressured to figure out what she wants for her life. Yet, she is not the only one! Her father's health is slowly deteriorating. Realizing time is not on his side, her father reconnects with his first love again, leaving Chia-Ling's mother upset and furious.
As Chia-Ling deals with her peculiar family, what she does the first is to buy the ghost house and tries to reform the house. However, everything goes into a catastrophic level.

Tine is a university student and cheerleader in college, while Salawat is one of the campus'most popular guys. When Tine is chased by Green, who he does not reciprocate feelings for. So Tine asks his friend what to do and his friend suggests him "Why don't you pretend that you actually have a boyfriend? Green would give up on you." He ends up begging Salawat to fake date with him in order to chase Green away. However, Sarawat always gives a blunt reply and he is not a very social person so Tine gets irritated by him but if this mission fails, it means more aggressive approach from Green so Tine finally gets Sarawat to be his fake boyfriend. Tine and Sarawat gradually break ice and become intimate. Tine is tossed by Sarawat's "not so fake loving gestures" and before a "happily ever after", there is the process of falling in love, and the slow realization that somehow they aren't pretending anymore. Somehow, they do not want to.