There are a wide variety of interesting Japanese series on Netflix. The following are some of the best ones to watch right now!
Erased
Genres: Drama – Suspense
Themes: Time travel
Our rating: 4.7/5
Satoru Fujinuma, a young man living in Chiba, has an ability known as “revival” that sends him back in time to just before a life-threatening incident, giving him the opportunity to prevent it from happening.
When Satoru’s ability sends him back eighteen years to when a stranger murders his mother in her own home, Satoru has the opportunity not only to save his mother but also to prevent a kidnapping that took the lives of three of his childhood friends.
Adapted from the manga of the same name, Erased is a tragic and touching series that is not to be missed.
Alice in Borderland
Genres: Thriller – Mystery
Themes: Survival game – Alternative universe
Our rating: 5/5
Ryôhei Alice, a high school student who is crazy about video games, is seen as a failure and does not appreciate the world in which he lives.
To escape from their current society, he and two of his friends, Daikichi Karube and Chôta Segawa, imagine that they are living in a post-apocalyptic world.
One evening, while waiting for the first train, they are transported to a parallel universe while watching fireworks.
As they explore the world they had dreamed of, they realize they are stuck there.
Even worse, games are organized every day in this world and they have no choice but to participate. The reward? The right to stay alive…
Alice in Borderland is a thrilling but cruel series. The constant pressure of death on the players leads them to make many sacrifices and perform brutal acts.
Followers
Genres: Drama
Themes: Social media – Social life
Our rating: 4.5/5
Natsume dreams of becoming a professional actress, but her life is far from the limelight.
She works various odd jobs and fills in for models who are late for photo shoots. Her destiny changes, however, when she meets a very popular photographer named Limi who makes her the new star of the Japanese social scene.
But things are not as good as they seem. Although her new life has its advantages, Natsume will be confronted with its many negative points.
The series deals with the impact of social media through the viewpoints of mostly female characters. It offers a very interesting critique of society while highlighting women.
Million Yen Women
Genres: Drama – Mystery
Themes: Collocation – Books
Our rating: 4/5
Shin Michima is an unsuccessful novelist who lives almost completely cut off from the world.
One day, five women show up at his home. They have all received a letter offering them the opportunity to live with Shin for rent of one million yen per month (about $7,200).
While Shin did not send these letters, he is forced to accept them as tenants.
While the women live with him, he has to respect certain rules.
He can’t ask them anything about their daily lives or their pasts, he is not allowed to enter their rooms, and he must prepare meals so they can all have dinner together.
This mysterious series does not just tell about daily life in this strange living arrangement. Little by little we discover more about each of the characters, especially elements of the life of Shin, the most banal character in the series.
The Naked Director
Genres: Biography – Comedy
Themes: Pornography – Economy – Society
Our rating: 4.2/5
Toru Muranishi is a door-to-door salesman who sells English encyclopedias to people who don’t necessarily need them.
One day his company is forced to close. At the same time, he discovers that his wife is cheating on him, and he hits rock bottom.
Then he has an epiphany: sex sells in Japan, and it’s a growing market that he’d be foolish to ignore.
The Naked Director takes a deep dive into the changing pornography industry of the 1980s. This biography of the famous Toru Muranishi, who revolutionized pornography in Japan, shows its good and bad sides. It is not an erotic series; it focuses mainly on the industry’s impact on society and the economy.
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories
Genres: Social life
Themes: Food
Our rating: 4.1/5
The setting is Shibuya, Tokyo. In an alleyway in a busy district, there is a small restaurant like no other.
Open from midnight to 7 am, the restaurant can only seat 12 people.
The owner of the restaurant doesn’t have a pre-determined menu, but he can cook just about anything his customers ask for as long as he has the ingredients.
In this special atmosphere, simple but true bonds are formed between the owner and his customers, who each have their own unique story.
Midnight Diner is a light and chill series, perfect if you want to relax with a reality series.
Good Morning Call
Genres: Comedy – School – Romance
Themes: Friendship – Love triangle
Our rating: 4/5
When her parents move to the country to take over her grandparents’ farm, Yoshikawa Nao finally gets to live in her own apartment.
However, she will have to share it with a rather unusual roommate – Uehara Hisashi, the most popular boy in her school.
Though they are required to keep their living arrangement an absolute secret, the two young people will have to face many different problems together.
Good Morning Call is adapted from a shôjo, which is a manga for young girls. It may therefore seem a bit sappy, but it is still fun and enjoyable to watch.
Scams
Genres: Drama
Themes: Scams – Economy
Our rating: 4.1/5
Kusano Makoto has just graduated from a prestigious university and takes a job at a big company.
Everything seemed to be going well for him until the economic crisis of 2008 breaks out.
After getting fired from the company, he finds himself unemployed even though he has not finished paying back his student loan.
Even worse, his father falls ill and has to undergo expensive treatments that are not covered by his insurance.
Makoto has no choice but to accept a proposal from an old friend who introduces him to a gang of crooks.
A reflection on Japanese society, this short series is both dramatic and comic.
Kantaro the Sweet Tooth Salaryman
Genres: Comedy
Themes: Food
Our rating: 4.2/5
Ametani Kantaro is a salaryman, or an office worker, who works for a publishing company.
He is very productive and hard-working – so much so that his colleagues are always singing his praises.
But Kantaro is hiding a secret. He only does his work so efficiently and quickly so that he can have time for his favorite hobby.
He enjoys pastries and other sweets almost to the point of excess, and he even has a blog about them.
In order to continue to discover or rediscover delicious sweets in his spare time, he must continue to be an exemplary employee at all costs.
This is the perfect drama for fans of sweets and humor! This lighthearted comedy will also help you discover many Japanese and Western pastries.
The Journalist
Genres: Drama
Themes: Journalism – Politics – Society
Our rating: 4.3/5
Matsuda Anna is the local correspondent for the daily Toto.
She is considered a straight-talking newswoman who is constantly trying to expose the problems of contemporary Japanese society.
After discovering that the government has secretly altered official documents, she sets out to expose the truth at all costs. But this will not be an easy task…
Released in 2022, The Journalist will take you on a quest for the truth.
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