Akiha extols the virtues of the single life and has no desire for marriage. But then she encounters a sudden proposal from Shu, a handsome company man whom she just met. Shu has an urgent need to be officially designated as “married” when he floats the fake marriage proposal. For her part, Akiha is hurting for the money to care for her sick grandmother and keep her family business afloat. So a bargain is struck. Shu agrees to take over her debts if she will marry him. After a rocky start, however, Akiha gradually finds herself drawn to Shu’s kind and gentle nature. But then she learns the true reason behind their marriage in this disarmingly poignant romantic comedy about love built on a lie.

A sweltering summer evening in 1965, legendary mahjong master (or “janshi”), Shigeru Akagi, challenges Japan’s richest and most powerful underworld kingpin, Iwao Washizu, to a special game of “Washizu rules mahjong” in which Akagi must stake his own blood against the assets of his opponent. A cop dedicated to taking Washizu down and an up-and-coming crime syndicate leader named Ohgi, are hoping Akagi is talented and crazy enough to win. On this night, mahjong history will be made.

Do you have a teacher you will never forget?
An ordinary looking school and a typical classroom. So many students have passed through it over the years; as have many battle-scarred teachers. A message on the blackboard embodies three dramatic periods in Japan’s postmodern history. There was the time just after World War II, the economic miracle that followed, and the recent devastating earthquake and tsunami. Viewed from three fascinating and iconoclastic teachers living through these three revolutionary milestones moments, here is a story that drives at the heart of education. What did these children learn? What were the adults able to impart to them? What does it mean to be Japanese? And what are the hopes and dreams of people of all ages?

Despite a reputation as a brusque and ill-mannered man, Kenichi Tottori, a.k.a. “Dolittle” is also a brilliant veterinarian with the habit of asserting that “Veterinary practice is a business.” Outwardly, he is quick to excoriate pet owners for their utter lack of understanding and careless treatment of their pets, but invariably finds himself rescuing not only the “voiceless animals” whose pain and anguish he deeply understands, but even heals the spiritual afflictions of their owners. The result is a moving drama that brings into bold relief the issues that pet owners and veterinarians face, and evoking the sacred importance of life.