A modern retelling of the classic 1887 Francis Burnett story, The Little Princess, about a precocious young girl of wealthy upbringing who one day finds her life turned upside down and all her privileges taken away when the family goes bankrupt. Cast into the role of a penniless servant, Seira fights on, never losing her pride, cheer nor compassion come whatever adverse circumstances. An inspirational and timeless story sure to be the purest and most heroic told this year.

Angered by his boss, a strident and selfish production company employee, Takasugi, quits his job as a director and finds himself saddled by a 10 million yen ($100,000) debt. He decides to hatch a plot, conspiring with a former assistant director friend named Sonobe, to kidnap a very rich family’s beloved dog for ransom. But then a mysterious woman, Natsuko, shows up as well as the son of the family whose dog they plan to kidnap, both wanting in on the plot. Then things really take a complicated turn when Takasugi is marked by a real kidnapper to take the blame for a separate child kidnapping in this thrilling, humor-filled and moving suspense.

For generations, the blue-blooded Homonji family has been devoted to a pure and rigorous pursuit of knowledge in all forms, regardless of the powers that be or the fortunes of the aristocracy with whom they sympathize. But now, inheriting the pedagogic mantel of the family as its 89th master is Sharaku Homonji, a super genius with an IQ of 246, and a man with time on his hands. “Ah, I’m so bored. Isn’t there a puzzle I can solve?” Sharaku goes in search of “worthwhile” mysteries to crack, putting his super genetic brain to the test.

In an office, she can perform better than anyone, but when it comes household chores, she’s totally useless. She’s a single woman pushing 30 named Mei Aihara, and her room is a mess. Appearing one day at her doorstep is Nagisa Shigino, a much-in-demand “super domestic helper” who can do the cooking, cleaning and washing with masterful perfection. And Shigino is… a middle-aged man. For Mei, a woman who lives for her career, the encounter with Nagisa plants in her first-time thoughts of “marriage,” “family” and “future.” Gradually, something resembling feelings of “love” begin to germinate.

Nagi Oshima is a 28-year-old employee of consumer appliance maker, with silky straight hair and a peculiar personality, feeling she must try her hardest to “read the room” so as to interact well with others. But her striving to adapt to others leads her one day to hyperventilate and collapse. “I need to rethink my life!” she proclaims, physically and mentally exhausted. So she decides to give up everything and “reset” her life. She quits her job, terminates her condo lease, breaks off all contact with her boyfriend and everyone she knows, and goes on a solitary search to discover the “freedom” to enjoy her own life. This even means undoing her straight perm and letting her natural curly hair flow, something she’s always harbored a complex about. Moving to a new neighborhood and new life, however, presents both new and old challenges. She meets the man living next door, someone she might define as “too free” and re-encounters her boyfriend, from whom she’d hoped to escape. A romantic comedy straight from the heart that extolls the virtues of self-acceptance and living true to oneself.

Looking for a job, Hana gets work at the Andrews Department Store, but her boss hates her and gives her impossible work to do. However, her bubbly nature and creativity soon bring success to every job she is assigned, and the president even wonders if her mysterious charm can rally the company and pull them out of their financial difficulties. But the President and Ryou, his straight-laced son, have different ideas about running the company. Perhaps if she finds true love for Ryou, she can soften his hard heart. Anything seems possible with Hana’s never-ending optimism, which is the basis for this heart-warming and humorous story of the power of positivity!

The setting is Futakotamagawa Gakuen High School. Upset that the baseball club has been forced to suspend its activities after a scandal caused by one of its members, the boys have slipped into delinquency. This is an inspiring story of blood, sweat and tears as Kawato, the dedicated schoolteacher, tries to open up communications with the toughs through baseball, and we see the boys clawing their way back from delinquency as they set their sights on Koshien despite their lack of skill.

With a title inspired by “Stomiiformes”, an order of deep-sea ray-finned fish called, this story follows Tomioka, a late-night security guard at a supermarket who laments his drab and solitary life. Feeling it unnatural to exist alone, he wishes upon a shooting star one night for a true friend. Soon, a mysterious woman appears in his life. She is Azusa, a next door neighbor who instantly falls in love with him. But as the kind of social awkwardness, Tomioka is obtusely unaware of her feelings for him. Can love bloom between these two? Especially when compounded by the sudden emergence of a homeless guy, who calls himself a “life wanderer”, and then an enigmatic death threat in the form of a letter that reads: “You will lose your mind within a year and die”. Life is suddenly turned upside down.

This delicate love story transcends the spoken word as it depicts the lives of an aspiring young actress and a painter who lost his sense of hearing during childhood. As their relationship develops, the audience learns the true power of sign language and experiences the couple’s growth first-hand through the progression of their visual communication.

Fashionista Kurumi Mashiba works as a publicist for a popular online home décor company. When she launches a social media account to promote the company, she ends up amassing 100,000 followers and becomes a fashion influencer in her own right. But she’s so wrapped up in work that she forgets to renew the lease on her apartment and finds herself thrown out onto the street! Help comes in the form of Kouko Saotome, an older female friend and successful food stylist who lives in a luxury apartment in the heart of trendy Omotesando. Kouko invites Kurumi to move in with her, but it turns out she doesn’t live alone. And so, the stylish Kurumi finds herself living with an eclectic group of men and women very different from her. Don’t miss this heartwarming series packed full of love in all its many forms!