Best movies & TV Shows like Descending Stories: A Life In Rakugo

Early summer, Keiichi had just moved to a remote mountain village. As he becomes close friends with a group of girls, he was enjoying his life in the village. However when he starts to become suspicious that his friends may be deeply involved in successive murders that occur every summer, the situation around Keiichi gradually starts to turn into something more sinister.

They find that the person who attracted them to the Tomodachi Game is Tenji Mikasa. Maria Minase, who is a mysterious figure, takes part in the team which Yuichi Katagiri and Tenji Mikasa belong to. Will this test their love and trust for each other, as Yuichi gets deeper into this game of business?

Set in the late 21st century, an MRI scanner is introduced at the National Research Institute of Police Science's 9th Forensics Laboratory. The machine is able to scan the memories from even the deceased. As ethical questions arise over the machine's use, the 9th Forensics Laboratory members, including rookie Ikko Aoki and Chief Tsuyoshi Maki, struggle to solve cases.

Upon entering college, Narumi forms the Asunaro Group along with four other boys and girls. In time, she starts to date Tamotsu, whom she felt attracted to when she first saw him at the entrance exam. Although the two are happy together at first, their very different backgrounds cause them gradually to fall out and ultimately break up. Immediately following the break up, a member of the group dies a terrible death, and this brings the group to an end. The members go their separate ways, but Narumi and Tamotsu do not forget each other. Four years later, when the group reunites on the anniversary of the death of their friend, Tamotsu proposes to Narumi. The story follows the Asunaro Group members’ growth into adulthood as they struggle with the boundary between friendship and love, deal with bitter experiences, and find love for the first time.

Tramps Like Us is a Japanese josei manga series by Yayoi Ogawa. It is about Sumire, a young professional woman who takes in a younger man as a pet, and her attempts to keep her coworkers and conventionally perfect boyfriend from finding out about her pet. It also deals with the romantic attraction between Sumire and her pet. It was serialised by Kodansha and was released in 14 volumes between 2000 and 2005, with an additional side-story volume being released in 2002. The volumes, barring the side-story volume, were published in English and German by Tokyopop, French by Kurokawa and Italian by Star Comics. The manga was adapted to a TV drama series that aired in Japan on TBS in 2003, and a South Korean film due out in 2011.

Hotaru no Hikari is a Japanese josei manga series by Satoru Hiura. It has been adapted into 2 television drama series and a live action film that was released on 7 July 2012.

A story about a talented child actress who wins back her dream after retiring from acting. Keito was once a popular child actress, but she had shut herself away from society for 10 years after a traumatic acting incident. She is now 17 years old and incidentally enrolls to a free school for dropouts where she makes true friends. Together, they build trust and find the meaning of life. --NHK

By force of circumstances, a 30-year-old single man with a full-time job suddenly starts raising a 6-year-old girl. While running each other ragged, the two of them gradually grow into a "family".

The story is about the daily life of a 30-year-old new wife, Hana, who cooks “Zubora Meshi”, while her husband is on a job transfer away from home. ”Zubora-Meshi” is the corner-cutting and easy cooking people usually cook only for themselves to eat.

After a devastating earthquake strikes Makuhara the northern part of Chiba, 18 year-old Yamato, leaves to Makuhara to find his friend Kiichi who lives in the area. On his way Yamato meets Takeru, who is also traveling to Makuhara as a volunteer in the relief effort. However, when the two arrive at Makuhara they are shocked to find that the city, which is under government lock down, is intact and is managed solely by children after a mysterious virus results in the deaths of all the adults. Forced to survive on their own, the child leaders must save the city and also fight the government, which tries to hide the truth.

Dance instructor Jennifer Ellison leads her students into competitions against some of the best dancers in the U.K. in this series that shows what it takes to get her girls to the level needed to win at their shows. Ellison cares for the girls as if they were her own, but she also pushes them to achieve greatness. The troupe's ultimate goal is to get to the Dance World Cup in Portugal. Accompanying the talented children on their dance journey are driven, straight-talking mothers who are in search of trophies.

When a certain man is released from prison, he knows exactly where he's heading first. After falling in love with a traditional comic storyteller's rendition of the story called "Shinigami," he is determined to become his apprentice. The performer, Yakumo, has never taken an apprentice before, but to everyone's surprise, he accepts the eager ex-prisoner, nicknaming him "Yotaro." As Yotaro happily begins his new life, he meets others in Yakumo's life, including Yakumo's ward Konatsu. Konatsu was the daughter of a famous storyteller, and Yakumo took her in after her father's tragic death. Konatsu loved her father's storytelling, and would love to become a performer in her own right—but that path is not available for women.

WOWOW brings another Keigo Higashino novel to the TV screen with “ Whose Is the Cuckoo's Egg?”. A medical suspense drama about genetics in sport, family bonds, talents and skills, and what it means to be truly happy. Higashino delves into the lives of those struggling with the conflict between business aspirations and individual conscience in a powerful tale set against the accessible backdrop of competitive winter sports – a tale that is sure to captivate audiences everywhere.

The 95th NHK Asadora is about Sumire, a girl born in the uptown of Kobe in the early Showa period. In the wake of wartime devastation, she works hard toward making children's clothes for a living, and later establishes a first-ever children's goods store in Japan. -- NHK

30-year-old Kamata Rinko is single and a struggling scriptwriter. She has no boyfriend and keeps having night outs at drinking spots with her girlfriends Kaori and Koyuki. “If I become beautiful, a better guy will appear!” “If we grow to like each other, we can get married!” They will not stop talking about these hypothetical questions. Then a younger, handsome, golden-haired guy suddenly utters, “These “what if” women!” and the trio have to face the harsh reality that they are no longer girls. Rinko enters her 30s while still immature, seeking happiness and struggling with romance and work.

After finding his mom killed, Satoru's time-traveling ability takes him back 18 years for a chance to prevent her death and those of three classmates.

Children from influential families in politics and businesses attend the Hyakkaou Private Academy. There, the hierarchy of the students are classified by a series of games. Students that win the games are on the ruling side and the students who lose become slaves. One day, a mysterious girl, Yumeko Jabami (Minami Hamabe), is transferred to Hyakkaou Private Academy. She looks pure and pretty, but she is actually a compulsive gambler and seeks out the thrill of taking calculated risks.

In early 1965, a child violinist who was expected to be a prodigy, came up to Tokyo from Nagasaki and lived in lodgings. In the 1970s, the violinist (Suda Masaki) faced a setback during the uproar over the US-Japan security treaty. Even so, he did not cut off music. By the time he realised it, he had started singing as Grape. This is a story centred around his high school and university days surrounded by different people including friends, teachers as well as older men at his part-time job.

Junko Harumi was once a model student during her middle school and high school days. She failed to enter prestigious Tokyo University and her life has not gone smoothly since then. She has a hard time finding a job and having relationships with men. Now, at the age of 31, she works as a teacher at a private institute. 3 men, who vary in type, appear in front of her. Masashi Yakumo is smart and a cousin of Junko, Kyohei Yuri is a disorderly high school student and Kazuma Yamashita is Kyohei ’s teacher in high school.

Seto Ichitaka, a second year high school student, has liked his classmate Yoshizuki Iori since the first year. Then the two of them become committee members of the welcome party for freshmen. When Ichitaka gradually opens up to Iori, his childhood friend Akiba Itsuki shows up all of a sudden.

High school student Katagiri Yuichi cares about friendship more than money because of his mother’s teachings. One day, Yuichi and his close friends, Shiho, Tenji, Makoto and Yutori, are suddenly forced to participate in a mysterious game of wits that involves a lot of money. It is supposed to be a simple game. However, friendships are unexpectedly tested under extreme conditions which triggers paranoia. The trick to clearing the game is to trust in friends. But will Yuichi and his friends choose money over friendship?

Nao spent her formative years living at Kogetsuan, a well-established Japanese confectionery shop, where her single mother worked as a pastry chef. She is the same age as Tsubaki, heir to the store, and they become each other's first love. One morning, Tsubaki's father and head of Kogetsuan is stabbed and found covered in blood. Nao's mother is arrested based on the six-year-old Tsubaki's testimony and the little girl is kicked out of the shop. Nao's mother died while the investigation was going on, preventing the truth to emerge. Fifteen years later, the case is still shrouded in mystery. Is she really the culprit?

Shin Karino is an unpopular manga writer and he is single. He lives in an apartment complex that has a rule forbidding children from living there. One day, Shin Karino's doorbell rings. When he opens his apartment door, he sees a small boy. The boy is 5-year-old Kotaro Sato. Kotaro Sato tells Shin Karino that he moved into the neighborhood. Shin Karino makes a weird face, because of the rule of his apartment complex. Kotaro Sato says that he lives by himself. At first, Shin Karino is annoyed by Kotaro Sato, but residents of the apartment building, including Shin Karino, become attached to Kotaro Sato.

love story begins when Hirasawa Momoko, the cafe clerk at a hotel, meets a stranger on the hotel's observation deck. Even though they have just met, they repeatedly kiss. The next day, Momoko is unable to forget about it and learns that the man was Hase Kei, the elite hotelier who works at the same hotel and is too "perfect" for her.

Two assassins face off at a certain "workplace." The cool bounty hunter Chateau and the mysterious and powerful Ryang-Ha. Chateau and Ryang-Ha become enemies after this fight—at least, they should have, but for some reason Ryang-Ha takes a liking to Chateau and begins following her around. Little by little, Chateau develops a cooperative partnership with Ryang-Ha, which gets her caught up in the struggle against the organizations hunting him down. Furthermore, that battle is related to her past as well. Why did Ryang-Ha approach Chateau? What is Chateau's secret past?

Mameda is a tanuki who was born in the wrong era - all she wants is to trick humans, but that age of tanuki shenanigans is over. But one woman, a rakugo master named Bunko, shows Mameda it's still possible to cast magic on humans...only with words, not illusions. Mameda is determined to become Bunko's apprentice, but can she convince the stoic master to take her on...?

Two inseparable friends move to Kyoto to chase their dreams of becoming maiko, but decide to pursue different passions while living under the same roof.

Togoku Kyosui runs a traditional Japanese style cafe called Rokuhodo. He has a tender voice and hardly ever raises it. He is an honest person with a bright personality. At the cafe Togoku Kyosui works with three other young men. They each wear a kimono and serve drinks, meals and deserts to their customers. These 4 men interact with their customers, who all have their own problems, and provide them with comfort. While performing their jobs, they also face their own problems and grow as a person.

Shitara, a man who fell from his elite life overnight. His new "place of employment", which has lost his job, house, and wife, is a boarding house?! Under one roof, a perverted love begins from the worst encounter with one of those living there!

This drama is the tale of one high spirited, strong-willed young woman and her struggle to fulfill her lifelong ambition of becoming a carpenter and building homes. The story takes place from the later part of the Showa era to present day Heisei rule. The heroine of the story, Kawashima Urara, lost her father at the tender age of seven and this drama depicts her life as she grows from a young school girl, through puberty and adolescence and on into her adult years as an independent woman who owns her own carpentry business. As Urara grows into a beautiful and strong woman and a talented carpenter, her family around her goes through many difficult and trying times. This story of becoming an independent businesswoman in the male-dominated world of carpentry accurately reflects the lives and struggles of the young women in present day Japan who are trying to make a career for themselves in addition to balancing the demands of family obligations, friends, and lovers.

Yae, an unremarkable girl working in a café and living with a friend, finds herself unable to afford rent when her friend suddenly gets married, and she loses her job in the same day! It’s only when her boyfriend dumps her that she finally hits rock bottom.

Though handsome and successful, Satoru Mukai suddenly realizes he's been single for ten whole years and has no idea how to initiate a new relationship

Elegant in appearance, fulfilling in her career.Yet, she struggles with romantic relationships, longing for love. Married to a high-profile doctor, residing in an upscale residential area.Living like a servant, however, she yearns for freedom. Burning with ideals, assigned to the coveted criminal investigations division.But torn by a sense of duty, she seeks justice. Mistress, housewife, detective. Are they enemies, allies, or perhaps— One after another, their secrets and hidden sides are revealed. Cracks begin to form in perfect crimes, and the truth behind the incidents comes to light. Their longing for "ordinary happiness," each envisioned in their own way, drives them to madness. A thrilling suspense.

Plain-looking Tanaka-san from the accounting department is around 40 years old. She has no friends and no love life, but she does have a secret side... a super sexy belly dancer! Akari, a temporary employee, appears to be a lovable lady at first glance. Truth be told, she is increasingly anxious about marriage as she believes her “market value” depends on her youth and cuteness. Life is starting to become a struggle for Akari, who feels empty despite the slew of matchmaking parties she attends. One day, Akari learns of her colleague Tanaka-san’s true identity, which inspires her to live life in her own way. They are polar opposites, but their chemistry empowers them to blow off those who judge them. In the process, they discover their new selves.