Best movies & TV Shows like Ties of Shooting Stars

A young ad executive's life has been turned upside down when a vicious client ruins his three billion yen project. Through his chance meeting with the disgruntled daughter of his enemy, he plans a vengeance scheme. The young woman agrees to play the victim of his bogus kidnapping. The movie is based on the novel Geimu No Na Wa Yuukai ('The name of the game is kidnapping') by popular mystery novelist Keigo Higashino.

After the death of her husband, the mother of Julie, Jack, Sue and Tom begins to suffer from a mysterious illness. Aware that she is going to have to go into hospital she opens a bank account for the children, so that they can be financially self-sufficient and will be able to avoid being taken into care by the authorities. Unfortunately she also dies and Julie and Jack (the older, teenage children) decide to hide her body in the basement so that they can have free reign of their household. Soon Tom has taken to dressing as a girl whilst Sue has become increasingly reticent, confiding only to her diary, meanwhile Jack and Julie sense an attraction developing for each other. However Julie's new beau, Derek, threatens to unearth the many dark secrets within this family as he becomes increasingly suspicious of Jack.

Energy-conservative high school student Houtarou Oreki ends up with more than he bargained for when he signs up for the Classics Club at his sister's behest—especially when he realizes how deep-rooted the club's history really is. Begrudgingly, Oreki is dragged into an investigation concerning the 45-year-old mystery that surrounds the club room. Accompanied by his fellow club members, the knowledgeable Satoshi Fukube, the stern but benign Mayaka Ibara, and the ever-curious Eru Chitanda, Oreki must combat deadlines and lack of information with resourcefulness and hidden talent, in order to not only find the truth buried beneath the dust of works created years before them, but of other small side cases as well.

A man's body is found under the statue of a winged kirin in the Nihombashi area of Tokyo. A suspect named Yashima has a car accident and falls unconscious while he is attempting to run away. Yashima's lover Kaori comes from Fukushima and tells detectives that he is absolutely not a criminal. Meanwhile, Detective Kyoichiro Kaga's (Hiroshi Abe) investigates and uncovers a point of contact between the dead body and Yashima. A hidden fact of the victim is revealed which even his children did not know about...

An illegal biological weapon K-55 is stolen from a university lab. The university lab can't even call the police because the secret nature of the weapon. The school lab then receives a message stating that the entire country is now being held hostage and they must pay a ransom of 300 million yen.

Set during World War II, the film follows a young brother and sister as they attempt to survive the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe City.

Masaya is a university student, but he attends a school that's not his ideal school. His days are generally gloomy. One day, he receives a letter from serial killer Haimura. He was convicted for nine murders and received the death penalty. Back when Haimura was committing his murders, he ran a bakery store. At that time, Masaya was a middle-school student and a customer at his bakery store. According to the letter, Haimura confesses to having committed eight murders, but he insists that he did not commit the last murder. Masaya begins to investigate the last murder case involving Haimura.

This is an episode of Galileo in name only, since this story focuses exclusively on Utsumi Koaru, played by Shibasaki Kou. The eccentric scientist makes a cameo appearance in one scene and the final scene is on the same day as episode one of the second series, but apart from that this drama has little to do with the rest of the Galileo canon.

Three murder cases take place in Tokyo. Numbers are left at the murder scenes, possibly hinting at where the next murder will take place. An investigation begins of the serial killer and Detective Kosuke Nitta works on the case. He believes the next murder will take place at Hotel Koruteshia Tokyo. To catch the killer, Kosuke Nitta goes undercover and begins working at the front desk of the hotel. Naomi Yamagishi works at the front desk of Hotel Koruteshia Tokyo. She is selected to train Kosuke Nitta for his front desk job, but they can't get along. Kosuke Nitta is focused on catching the killer, but Naomi Yamagishi prioritizes the safety of the guests. As they begin to understand each others differences, they also begin to build a trust between each other. Who is the murderer?

An anonymous letter is delivered to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The letter states that a criminal of a murder case will appear at the countdown party Masquerade Night that will be held at Hotel Cortesia Tokyo. Detective Kosuke Nitta must go undercover and work again at the Hotel Cortesia Tokyo. There, he meets Naomi Yamagishi, who works as a concierge. Without any information about the criminal, except that the person will be in attendance, Detective Kosuke Nitta works feverishly to find the criminal among the 500 attendees.

Biographer Margaret Lea travels to the isolated rural mansion of the famous writer Vida Winter, who asks her to write her biography. Although initially she is reluctant, as Vida is known for constantly distorting the facts of her life, Margaret soon becomes fascinated with the story of a dark childhood, a disturbing tale that leads her to finally confront the traumas of her own past.

Two young siblings ended up living on the streets, having nothing left but their love. It's a story about survival, second chances and second falls, with an unexpected turn at the end.

Teenager Ann resents the arrival of Sharon and the fact that her brother Jerry has a crush on the newcomer. When Jerry dies in an accident, Ann blames Sharon and frames her for another death.

A 7 years girl is found dead in the local park’s toilet. Kaga Kyouichiro, who was asked to find the girl, and his cousin Matsumiya Shuhei who’s assigned to investigate the murder case, have to work together to crack the case. Their evidence lead them to Maehara’s, a family with parents, a son and a senile grandmother.

The orphaned Baudelaire children face trials, tribulations and the evil Count Olaf, all in their quest to uncover the secret of their parents' death.

Five brothers and sisters are determined to stay together following the tragic loss of their parents.

Narrates the events and cases encountered by Kaoru Utsumi, a rookie detective, and Manabu Yukawa, a university associate professor, while the two pair up to solve many mysterious cases.

A no-nonsense detective with a reputation for pushing limits investigates a rash of brutal murders connected by a series of cryptic short stories.

11 mysteries, 11 actors. Japan's favorite mystery author, the world of Higashino Keigo comes to life on screen through an assortment of short stories.

In the Ningyo-cho area of Nihonbashi, Tokyo - a woman was murdered. Detective Kaga Kyoichiro, who just transferred to the Nihonbashi police precinct, is placed in charge of the murder case. With virtually the entire residents of Ningyo-cho's shopping street emerging as suspects, Detective Kaga must use his keen sense of deductive reasoning to uncover the truth.

Two women (both played by Nagasawa Masami), who look identical, search for the secret behind their births and, in the process, discover about forbidden medical technologies and the mystery of life.

Have you ever felt great hatred towards some person? Was it as if you can visit hell for eternity to punish him? The rumor tells of a site, opened only at midnight, called the Jigoku Tsushin. You can write the name of your grudge there and that person will be sent to hell by the Jigoku Shoujo. This rumor is apparently true. Live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name.

Somebody’s brain is living inside of me. Medical thriller based on the novel by Keigo Higashino which has sold over 1,250,000 copies.

"Ouroboros" is an ancient symbol that depicts a snake eating its own tail - meaning infinity. Based on a popular comic, a clumsy detective and a cool gang stand up to true evil. Ikuo and Tatsuya grew up in a children's orphanage together. When their favorite teacher, Yuiko, is murdered, a policeman wearing a gold watch covers up the incident. Ikuo and Tatsuya promise each other to avenge their teacher someday. Twenty years later, Ikuo is a detective in Shinjuku second police station investigating various cases with elite detective - Mizuki, while smart and handsome Tatsuya has become one of the top members of a gang group.

Criminologist Himura Hideo gets so much pleasure out of being in crime scenes that he's even confessed to having wanted to kill someone. Constantly seeking out the ultimate crime, he is indeed a man with quite a few issues. Mystery writer Arisugawa Arisu, on the other hand, keeps a close eye on Himura's investigations and writes about them but at times completely misses the point. Not at all the type of guy you'd call dependable, Arisugawa nonetheless professes to be the protector of the clumsy Himura. Although these two men appear like they have no business being in crime scenes, they mitigate each other's shortcomings and use their compelling logic to unravel the elaborately woven tricks left behind by the criminals. It's almost as if Himura and Arisugawa use incredible magical powers to tease out unimaginable truths!

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.

At a university football team reunion, former team manager Mitsuki Hiura confesses that she killed a person to quarterback Tetsuro Nishiwaki. She also reveals that as a result of a gender identity disorder, she is now living as a man. Tetsuro and his friends were puzzled by the events leading to her behaviour. They try to protect their old friend as they gradually discover the truth.

A jaded rom-com screenwriter in her 30s mines four love-sick women for their stories under the guise of providing them with romantic advice.

Nicholas, a neurotic 25-year-old, hasn’t been particularly present in his siblings’ lives, but when their single dad reveals that he is terminally ill, the girls have to cope with not only a devastating loss but also the realization that Nicholas is the one who will have to rise to the occasion, move in and hold it all together.

A young man has college and a failed business behind him. Unemployed and planning his next steps he is lodging with is mother, a small business owner. His sister and her family also move in with the two, albeit temporarily. She sees him as a loser and a lush and wants him out. She also whispers in their mother's ear to ask him to leave the house in order to find his own way and begin the rest of his life. She probably has noble intentions, but is she right and will she succeed?

Hakuro is single and works as a veterinarian. His father died when Hakuro was a child and his mother later remarried into the wealthy Yagami family. Although Hakuro was brought into the Yagami family through his mother's marriage, he does not feel like part of the Yagami family. Especially, when compared to his younger step-brother who possesses the same blood as his family. After the death of Hakuro's mother, Hakuro dropped Yagami from his name and broke off relations with that family. Hakuro has a strong sense of justice and sincerity in his actions. He is very susceptible to beautiful women. One day, he meets a woman. The woman introduces herself as the wife of his stepbrother and informs him that his stepbrother is missing. As Hakuro and the woman trace his stepbrother's whereabouts, Hakuro becomes involved in the Yagami family's fight over a three billion yen inheritance.

After her mother took the blame for a tragic fire 13 years ago, Anzu plots revenge by working as a housekeeper under a pseudonym for her icy stepmother.

Hasebe Kaori is a rookie movie director. She consults with new screenwriter Kai Chihiro about her movie's screenplay. The script is based on the Sasazukacho Family Murder Case that occurred 15 years ago. That murder case involved a hikikomori man who murdered his younger sister at their home and then set their home on fire. The fire also killed his parents. The town where the murder took place is also the hometown of Kai Chihiro. Both Hasebe Kaori and Kai Chihiro have secrets related to the family murder case. While Hasebe Kaori and Kai Chihiro look into this murder case for their movie, a shocking truth is uncovered.

The story revolves around a grand "impersonation" revenge plan carried out by the entire family against a businessperson who leaked a fabricated video of their second daughter engaging in "papa-katsu" (a form of compensated dating) with her male teacher, which led to public condemnation and her subsequent suicide.