Yamakura of the Kobe Fire Department aspires to wear the vaunted “orange” uniform of an elite rescue force that only 3% of all firefighters can attain. But to do so, he and his fellow trainees must suffer through the most rigorous training. As Yamakura and his fellow trainees grit their teeth and complain, their superior officer, Sakurai, impresses upon them the lessons of the Great Hanshin Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake) 20 years ago as “the only time we ever lost.” What hap-pened on the front lines of rescue that day and in the aftermath? What raced through the hearts and minds of rescuers as they tried to get a handle on unimaginable disaster? The shocking facts pour from Sakurai’s mouth in hopes of preparing the recruits for the unforgettable event that awaits them.

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?

"I" Takaya Kamikawa is a self-avowed thief who earned the moniker "King of Thieves". Receiving some information from his lawyer boss, Yanase, "I" is lining his pockets with ill-gotten wealth that he exacted from local gangsters. Suddenly, the go-it-alone thief finds himself in a crazy situation where he must play the role of father to a set of twins, and is forced to sign a contract with them that he will stop being a thief. Whenever the precociously meddlesome twins cause or get involved in any trouble at school or in the community, it is "I" who is invariably suspected. Can genuine family bonds actually grow out of such fabricated circumstances in this delicious combination mystery and drama for the whole family.

1944, in the depths of World War II. Toyomatsu Shimizu is a completely typical barber from a remote seaside town who lives frugally but happily with his wife Fusae and their 5 year-old son. Eventually, though, the army beckons and he is drafted. One day an officer on the battlefield orders him to kill a captured American soldier. Although Toyomatsu lacks the spirit to kill the man, and only wounds him in the arm, the victorious Americans will not accept this, and Toyomatsu is arrested and tried as a war criminal. And he receives the cruelest sentence possible...

Nanami is a 35 year-old house wife who lives in the suburbs with her husband, Wataru, and their two children. Wataru’s parents renovated their house so Wataru’s older brother and his family could live with them. However the brother is being sent to Osaka by his company and Wataru’s father asks if Wataru and his family will move in. Nanami doesn’t get along very well with Wataru’s mother, and isn’t very happy with the idea. But the rent they will save can go towards buying their own home and the mother-in-law can help with the kids so she can start working again. Wataru uses these possibilities to persuade Nanami and they move in. But is it the start of a host of problems...?

Noriko, who is building her career as a nurse, starts work at a large hospital. Naoe is a skilled doctor but he believes that medical treatment should be handled as a business. Noriko, however, does not agree. Another young doctor has a very good reputation and his more compassionate personality clashes with Naoe’s. Despite Naoe’s strict treatment of Noriko and others, she begins to see a hidden kindness in him. She begins to like him as more than just a colleague, but she senses that he is hiding something. However, she will soon find out that his secret threatens more than she could possibly imagine.

A young autistic woman, Mayuko, who has difficulty understanding and processing human emotions, meets with a young former psychiatrist, Shinichi, who is still getting over the unexpected death of his longtime girlfriend. Shinichi begins to help her with her skills of human interaction, but as he gets to know Mayuko better, he finds that she may be helping him to remember the feelings of love that he has forgotten in his grief.

Even though he failed his entrance examination, Shumpei scouts out the entrance ceremony of Waseda University and determines in his mind that he will devote the next year studying to get into the university. As he is leaving the campus, Momoko, an energetic freshman, suddenly drafts Shumpei against his will to help her sell school maps to fellow freshmen. Although annoyed by her overbearing persistence, Shumpei eventually befriends Momoko; but her doctor-boyfriend and his hang-ups about his former high school sweetheart keep them from getting any closer.

Abandoned by his mother and having had to fend for himself, Ryuu is one of many Japanese youths that have turned to a life of petty crime in order to survive in Japanese society. Life on the streets has given him a tough exterior, but it is his kind heart and his dislike for what he has become that wins over a local beauty and helps him take his first steps towards a better life. When an overzealous and less than ethical police inspector fingers Ryuu for a crime he didn’t commit, he is resigned to accept his fate. However, help emerges to give him the strength to fight for his freedom from an unexpected source: a victim of one of his past crimes.