Best Japan Drama TV Shows

2023 • Rating 8.8 • animation, action & adventure, drama

Decades after her party defeated the Demon King, an old friend's funeral launches the elf wizard Frieren on a journey of self-discovery.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Elves, Way Of Life, Magic, Immortality, Friendship, Slice Of Life, Female Protagonist, Based On Manga, Combat, Human Relationship

Time: Year 2023, 2020S, 2023-09-29

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Atsumi Tanezaki, Kana Ichinose, Chiaki Kobayashi, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Hiroki Touchi, Yoji Ueda

2009 • Rating 8.7 • animation, action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

Disregard for alchemy’s laws ripped half of Edward Elric’s limbs from his body and left his brother Alphonse’s soul clinging to a suit of armor. To restore what was lost, the brothers seek the Philosopher’s Stone. Enemies and allies – the corrupt military, the Homunculi, and foreign alchemists – will alter the Elric brothers course, but their purpose will remain unchanged and their bond unbreakable.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Politics, Supernatural, Remake, Revenge, Travel, Steampunk, Conspiracy, Based On Manga, Alchemy, Military

Time: Year 2009, 2000S, 2009-04-05

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya, Shin-ichiro Miki, Fumiko Orikasa, Megumi Takamoto

2000 • Rating 8.6 • animation, comedy, drama

Makunouchi Ippo is an ordinary high school student in Japan. Since he spends most of his time away from school helping his mother run the family business, he doesn't get to enjoy his younger years like most teenagers. Always a target for bullying at school (the family fishing business grants him a distinct odor), Ippo's life is one of hardship. One of these after-school bullying sessions turns Ippo's life around for the better, as he is saved by a boxer named Takamura. He decides to follow in Takamura's footsteps and train to become a boxer, giving his life direction and purpose. Ippo's path to perfecting his pugilistic prowess is just beginning...

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Action & Adventure

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family

Plot: Rags To Riches, Friendship, Sports, Based On Comic, Tournament, Based On Manga, Championship, Combat Sports, Comradeship, Shounen

Time: Year 2000, 2000S, 2000-10-03

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Kohei Kiyasu, Rikiya Koyama, Wataru Takagi, Keiji Fujiwara, Jurota Kosugi, Hidenobu Kiuchi

2026 • Rating 8.6 • animation, drama, sci-fi & fantasy

In a world where only witches can cast magic, they must avoid being seen by ordinary people while casting. While Coco does her chores, she daydreams of becoming a witch. When a young witch named Qifrey visits her village, Coco uncovers the “absolute secret,” becomes Qifrey’s apprentice, and begins her studies. This is the story of children who encounter despair, yet reach out toward hope.

Genre: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night, Family

Plot: Witch, Magic, Based On Manga, Fantasy World, Seinen, Anime, In A World Where Only Witches Can Cast Magic, They Must Avoid Being Seen By Ordinary People While Casting, While Coco Does Her Chores, She Daydreams Of Becoming A Witch

Time: Year 2026, 2020S, 2026-04-06

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Rena Motomura, Natsuki Hanae, Hibiku Yamamura, Kurumi Haruki, Hika Tsukishiro, Yuichi Nakamura

2026 • Rating 8.3 • animation, sci-fi & fantasy, drama

At an afterlife agency where angels guide lingering souls, Tetsuo and Misaki take on any challenge to help the dead find peace in their own offbeat style.

Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Comedy

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Afterlife, Based On Manga, Anime, At An Afterlife Agency Where Angels Guide Lingering Souls, Tetsuo And Misaki Take On Any Challenge To Help The Dead Find Peace In Their Own Offbeat Style

Time: Year 2026, 2020S, 2026-04-16

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Chikahiro Kobayashi, Megumi Han, Mamoru Miyano, Kazuhiko Inoue, Kensho Ono, Yuki Ono

2019 • Rating 8.1 • animation, drama, sci-fi & fantasy

When a sickly young girl suddenly becomes obsessed with inventing new things, her family and friends are all puzzled. "What has gotten into Myne?" they wondered, never dreaming that the answer is not a "What" but a "Who": Urano Motosu, a book-loving apprentice librarian who died in an earthquake in Tokyo who somehow found herself in Myne's body! And since Myne's world is still in a medieval stage, where books can only be owned by the elite, the new Myne intends to do everything she can to bring her beloved books to the masses in the time she has left.

Genre: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Magic, Work, Reincarnation, Slice Of Life, Religion, Based On Manga, Medieval, Anime, Josei, Isekai

Time: Year 2019, 2010S, 2019-10-03

Place: Japan, Japanese, Tokyo

Cast: Yuka Iguchi, Show Hayami, Mutsumi Tamura, Takehito Koyasu, Megumi Nakajima, Tsuyoshi Koyama

2023 • Rating 7.7 • sci-fi & fantasy, drama, action & adventure

After surviving Godzilla's attack on San Francisco, Cate is shaken yet again by a shocking secret. Amid monstrous threats, she embarks on a globetrotting adventure to learn the truth about her family—and the mysterious organization known as Monarch.

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Teens

Plot: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Secret Organization, Family Secrets, Family Drama, Spin Off, Kaiju, Based On Movie, 1950S, Search For Father, Godzilla

Time: Year 2023, 2020S, 2023-11-16

Place: Japan, United States Of America, English, Japanese, Spanish

Cast: Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett

1976 • Rating 7.7 • animation, action & adventure, drama

Italy is in a deep depression, so to support her family, Marco's mother goes to Argentina to work as a domestic. But after she writes to her family that she is sick, her letters stop coming. So Marco decides to go to Argentina to look for her. He travels across Argentina to find her, meeting many wonderful people, and having many adventures during his journey.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Drama, Family

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family

Plot: Based On Novel Or Book, Andes Mountains, Mother Child Separation, Anime, Search For Mother, Traveling, Kodomo, Trip To Argentina, White Monkey, World Masterpiece Theater

Time: Year 1976, 1970S, 1976-01-04

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Yoshiko Matsuo, Kazuyuki Sogabe, Yukiko Nikaido, Kiyoshi Kawakubo, Akiko Tsuboi, Noriko Ohara

2012 • Rating 6.7 • animation, comedy, drama

Ichigo Hoshimiya is a regular, ordinary middle school girl. But when her best friend Aoi invites her to join the idol training academy, Starlight Academy, her whole world is turned upside down. As she encounters all kinds of rivals and learns what it takes to be an idol, she uses her Aikatsu Cards to challenge countless auditions.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Kids, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: High School, School, Shoujo, Card, Anime, Idol Group, Based On Card Game, Music, Idol, Ichigo Hoshimiya Is A Regular

Time: Year 2012, 2010S, 2012-10-08

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Sumire Morohoshi, Ayaka Ohashi, Azusa Tadokoro, Aya Suzaki, Minako Kotobuki, Tomoyo Kurosawa

1971 • Rating 6.4 • action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy, drama

Takeshi Hongo is a promising young man with a passion for motorcycle racing. However, his dreams are suddenly ruined when he gets kidnapped by Shocker, the evil secret organization planning to dominate the world. After being remodeled into a cyborg, Takeshi escapes and swears to protect the world from the inhuman monsters.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama

Style: Cerebral, Futuristic, Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night

Plot: Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), Cyborg, Martial Arts, Monster, Hero, Secret Organization, Villain, Biker, Superhero, Tribe

Time: Year 1971, 1970S, 1971-04-03

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Ryutaro Imai, Maho Horiguchi, Kenta Mishima, Rina Onuki, Miki Yagi, Yuki Furukawa