Japanese dramas, Q2 2026: the quarter in review
Editors Β· 2026-10-06
Seventy-three Japanese dramas premiered between April and June 2026. Network TV offered detective series and a youth drama based on a true story, while two Netflix Japan originals drew attention worldwide. Ratings are Video Research household ratings for the Kanto region.
Viral Hit β a Japanese live-action take on a Korean webtoon
Released worldwide on Netflix on June 11, this six-episode series is based on the Naver webtoon Viral Hit (story by Park Tae-jun, art by Kim Jung-hyun). A bullied high-school student starts streaming fights to pay for his hospitalized mother's treatment and teaches himself to fight. Oji Suzuka plays the lead, Kota Shimura.
In its second week it reached No. 3 on Netflix's global Top 10 for non-English TV, and it ranked No. 2 in Japan and No. 3 in Korea for two consecutive weeks.
Viral HitView title details βStraight to Hell β the life of Kazuko Hosoki
Released worldwide on Netflix on April 27, this biographical drama is about fortune-teller Kazuko Hosoki, who set off a boom in her Rokusei Senjutsu astrology and became famous on TV for warning people they would "go to hell." It traces her rise from postwar poverty through her years running a nightclub in Ginza to TV stardom. Erika Toda stars. It reached No. 4 on Netflix's global Top 10 for non-English TV in its first week and stayed in the global Top 10 for two weeks.
Straight to HellView title details βTAGUSARI bros. β brothers chasing a case past the statute of limitations
This original crime suspense series aired in TBS's Friday Drama slot from April 17 to June 19. When the statute of limitations ran out on the 1995 murder of their parents just two days before Japan abolished the statute of limitations for murder, two brothers became a detective and a police death investigator to bring the killer to justice themselves. Masaki Okada stars.
TAGUSARI bros.View title details βThe Light We Cast β a snack-bar owner runs for Tokyo governor
Produced by Kansai TV, it aired in the Fuji TV network's Monday 10 p.m. slot from April 20 to June 29. Matsuri Hoshino (Haru Kuroki), a legislator's aide forced out of politics, recruits a snack-bar owner with no political experience as a candidate and becomes her campaign strategist in the race for governor of Tokyo β an "election entertainment" drama.
The Light We CastView title details βCanned Mackerel Heads to Space β a youth drama based on a true story
It aired in Fuji TV's Monday 9 p.m. "Getsuku" slot from April 13 to June 22. A newly appointed teacher (Takumi Kitamura) at a fisheries high school in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, sets out with his students to get the canned mackerel they make approved as space food. It was inspired by a nonfiction account of real high-school students' efforts.
Ryunosuke Kamiki plays a JAXA space-food developer. Its 3.7% average was the lowest ever for the Getsuku slot.
Canned Mackerel Heads to SpaceView title details βReborn β a CEO sent back 14 years
It aired in TV Asahi's Tuesday 9 p.m. slot from April 14 to June 9. After the founder of a top IT company is pushed to his death, he wakes up 14 years in the past as a young man from a debt-ridden shopping street and lives his life over again. Issey Takahashi plays both men and won Best Actor at the 128th Television Drama Academy Awards for the role.
RebornView title details βBORDERLESS -72 Hours β a command post on a truck
It aired in TV Asahi's Wednesday 9 p.m. slot from April 8 to June 10. A newly created mobile investigation unit, carrying its command post in a large truck, pursues crimes that cross prefectural borders without jurisdictional disputes. Tao Tsuchiya and Shori Sato co-star in the lead roles. It opened at 8.7% and averaged 7.0%.
BORDERLESS -72 HoursView title details β