Pinko Izumi

1944, in the depths of World War II. Toyomatsu Shimizu is a completely typical barber from a remote sea-side town who lives frugally but happily with his wife Fusae and their five-year-old son. Eventually, though, the army beckons and he is drafted. One day an officer on the battle-field orders him to kill a captive U.S. soldier. Although Toyomatsu lacks the spirit to kill the man, and only wounds him in the arm, the victorious U.S. soldiers will not accept this, and Toyomatsu is arrested and tried as a war-criminal. And he receives the cruelest sentence possible...

The story follows the teacher and students of the Ryubetsu Handicapped High School.

A young martial arts student gets caught up in a series of Kung Fu adventures with a woman who manages a Chinese restaurant.

Graduating at the top of her class, elite detective candidate Jun Shibata is transferred to the section that handles cases deemed "unsolvable" by the department. Her partner, though a well-respected and experienced detective, has grown complacent after unsuccesfully pursuing these cases that many consider an exercise in futility. With her upper class breeding, her colleagues don't expect much from her either, but she suprises them all with her motivation and astounding powers of deduction. Well-constructed mysteries and colorful characters abound in this stylish and edgy police drama.

After a chance encounter with Hiroshi's father on a bus, Tora decides to get serious and reflect on the mortality of man. His plans are derailed when a beautiful lady starts working at Toraya.

Oshin comes from a family of poor rice farmers. Her father and brother must work in the fields and her grandmother and mother, who is expecting another child, barely have enough to eat. In order to make ends meet for her family, 7-year-old Oshin gives up school and decides to become a servant in the household of a wealthy family, where she faces trials and tribulation beyond her worst fears.

A young girl named Oshin is sent to work for another family, because of her own family's financial condition. Nevertheless, the young girl lives strongly.

In 1947, in Kobe, Japan, a local street gang fights for their survival when its turf is overrun by United States occupation forces and international gangs.

Set in Sapporo during the oil crisis of the early '70s, the film centers on the Hokkaitei soba stand run by a stoic patriarch and his perky wife. One New Year's day, a haggard-looking mother and her two adorable moppets poke their heads into the restaurant and ask for a single bowl of kakesoba. Noticing that the trio is looking a little low in the heels, she puts in an extra scoop of noodles. The youngest boy declares that the soba is delicious. The next year, the same threesome appears again asking for one bowl of kakesoba. This time the old man dumps in two helpings. He is struck by how much the youngest looks like their own son who was hit by a truck three years previous. The following year, the three return and this time the mother tells her story...

Rennyo was the key figure responsible for the restoration of Shin Buddhism in Japan, in particular the Honganji lineage that had a slump in its fortunes during the Middle Ages. According to the legend, his motivation was a pivotal childhood incident at the age of six when his mother summoned him and told him about his destiny to revive the fortunes of the Honganji school to which he was the next in line. She then mysteriously disappeared from the temple. Taking her words to heart, from a background of great poverty and hardship, at the age of 16 he set out to spread the word across the land.

Reconstruction, in the form of episodes, of the most bizarre crimes that occurred in Japan after World War II.

A bruised and battered corpse in Shibuya, Tokyo has the attention of the local cops. A veteran detective is assigned to the case. The last utterance of the victim is one clue that detective Imanishi has to work on. Yet, the case becomes more tangled quickly. Elsewhere, a prodigy named Waga Eiryo is composing an orchestral piece. Remake of The Castle of Sand (1974).

The unexpected death of Fujishima Motoharu, president of a medium-sized firm, triggers a fierce battle over his estate inheritance among family members.

This is James Miki's first directorial work, and he is also the original writer and scriptwriter. Noritaka Sakamoto was in charge of photography, and Kentaro Haneda was in charge of music direction. It depicts how an honest candidate aiming for a clean election campaign gradually collapses in the face of various realities. Kiyokawa, the mayor of Higurashi City, died at his lover's house. Yoshihiko announces that he will conduct a clean election campaign, but his sponsors and backers are reluctant.

Oshima, a rich girl married Shinzo, and her cousin girl Sawa has been jealous of Oshima deeply. Sawa cursed Oshima so Shinzo could not hold her and do anything at all. Shinzo hated Oshima, and he made love with Sawa.

Traces the rise of the company Suzuki Shoten from the 1880's to 1919. After the death of her husband, Yoni Suzuki and her general manager built the company from a small sugar importer into Japan's largest trading and manufacturing company.

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.

A family drama series that follows the lives of the Okakura family, focusing on the parents and their five daughters. It explores personal struggles, and societal issues through the interactions and conflicts among the family members.

Oshin is a Japanese serialized morning television drama, which aired on broadcaster NHK from April 4, 1983 to March 31, 1984. The series follows the life of Shin Tanokura during the Meiji period up to the early 1980s. Shin was called "Oshin", which is an archaic Japanese cognomen.

Daimon Michiko is a 37-year-old freelance surgeon who is part of a questionable “doctor placement service” that has her wander from hospital to hospital. The harsh environment at the hospitals led many doctors to retire from their positions, forcing hospitals to make use of said program to fill the empty spots at least temporary. However, Michiko doesn’t look like a doctor at all with her flashy clothes and eccentric attitude. In the first episode she raises objections to a certain operation which is planned to be done by the head of a hospital who hasn’t performed an operation for a very long time. This causes Michiko to incur odium at the hospital, however, everyone becomes frozen when Michiko points out the outdated skills of the director. She also holds a scrupulous compliance when it comes to her working hours, never does any unnecessary chores that don’t require a medical license, and couldn’t care less about the power struggles within the hospitals. Nobody knows how she acquired such a top-level skill that allows her to claim exorbitant sums as reward, but her private life is an even greater mystery to everyone around her. Tanaka plays a rookie surgeon, Uchida an anesthetist, Kishibe the head of the placement service, and Ito the head of the surgical department of this institution.

Massan is based on the lives of Masataka Taketsuru and his wife Jessie Roberta "Rita" Cowan, a Scotswoman Taketsuru met while studying abroad.

Saigo Takamori, the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture). His simple honesty caught the attention of its charismatic feudal lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira. Nariakira’s assertion that the love of people is what will enrich and strengthen the nation captivated Saigo who took on Nariakira’s secret mission and eventually became a key person for Satsuma. Not a portrait of him survives today and much of his life is a mystery. He is a man who was twice exiled and thrice married. He overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate with exceptional bravery and action. Although he accomplished the restoration, he lost his life in a fight with the new Meiji government.

Focusing on the life of Nene, the good wife who supported Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the world of the Warring States and the rise and fall of the Toyotomi family are depicted from the perspective of a woman.

A sharpshooting rookie and a veteran with a brilliant track record are paired to solve a number of different cases. The two incompatible women clash about everything, and we see them developing a friendship, hating one another, working as team, laughing and crying as they follow the trail of clues set by a serial killer.

Eijiro Saito is a graduate of the prestigious Eidai Medical School and is sent to Eidai Hospital as a trainee doctor. There, under the supervision of Dr. Shiratori at the surgery department, Eijiro trains hard with Dekune and Munekata. But all they seem to do is take care of menial work for low hours and low pay. So low in fact bad that they have to do part-time work at other hospitals just to make ends meet. Eijiro picks Seido Hospital, run by Dr. Hattori, for his part-time job. The surgery is like a battleground. Eijiro is very impressed by his senior Dr. Ushida and the nurse Kaori. But one night, when he is on duty, Eijiro runs from the surgery leaving a badly injured patient behind! It is the story of an intern doctor and the various problems and contradictions of the medical industry. -- TBS

As Haru emigrates from Japan with her family to the coffee plantations in Brazil, Natsu is left behind in the care of spiteful relatives. Losing all contact, each must make her own way in an unforgiving world. Hardships abound in the struggle to survive in war-torn Japan and in the face of anti-Japanese sentiment in Brazil, financial ruin, familial pressure, abandonment and lost love. However they also experience the precious joy of survival and success. Now, after 70 years, Haru comes back to Japan to find her estranged sister.

"Satomi Hakkenden" tells the tale of eight samurai brothers and their adventures, with themes of loyalty and family honor, as well as Confucianism, bushido and Buddhist philosophy. "Satomi Hakkenden" is based off a 19th century 106 volume epic novel written by Kyokutei Bakin. The novel was written over a period of 30 years. Kyokutei Bakin had gone blind before finishing the tale, consequently, dictating the final portions to his daughter-in-law Michi.

A politician gives a speech in a shopping district full of shoppers. Suddenly, a man wielding a knife bursts out from among the shoppers and tries to kill those around him. To stop the man, Masako Murata (Pinko Izumi) tries to approach him, but her friends stop her. Meanwhile, a woman, who looks like a homeless person, appears in front of him and tells him "if you want to kill, then kill me." The man is about to stab her, but the woman opens her eyes. At the moment, blood bursts from the man's arm. The woman is about to kill him, but Masako Murata stops her and the woman leaves. Later, Masako Murata finds the woman collapsed on the street. Masako decides to take the woman to her house. There, Masako sees that the woman is injured in her back and also notices heavy despair in her eyes. The woman's name is Sana (Yuriko Ono). Sana is a ninja that has arrived in present day Japan. She now follows Masako Murata as her new boss and attempts to eradicate evil that is rampant in modern society.

Tetsuo, the son of a bicycle shop owner, and his sister Hanako rescue Megumi Kuroki and Kiyotaka Sawada from a gang of bikers. As a thank you, they are invited to Kiyotaka's home. The siblings, who fell in love at first sight with Megumi and Kiyotaka, hope this will be the perfect opportunity to be alone together. However, the Sawada family is the home of the president of a major bicycle manufacturer, who brought down Tetsuo's father, Taichi, from his position at the company. Hanako soon develops feelings for Kiyotaka, and Tetsuo, wishing for his sister's happiness, fights against pressure to prevent their arranged marriage. Meanwhile, Kiyotaka's father, Ryuichi, the company president, invites Tetsuo's mother, out to apologize for his past treatment. The two eventually disappear. Tetsuo and Hanako search for their mother but find only Ryuichi, who has been burned beyond recognition and Shizuko is missing. The key to uncovering the truth lies with Taichi's sister, Sumire, but...

Shingo Katori stars as Kuramatsu, a manager- foreman for Kumagaya Construction. In order to solve an acute energy shortage in the Kansai region, Kansai Electric Power decided to built a massive hydroelectric dam on the upper Kurobe River. However, the project requires the drilling of a huge tunnel that some, including Kuramatsu, believe is impossible.