People from around the globe who put down roots in Japan offer a glimpse into their lives and the hardships they face in Japanese society.
Social & External
FRONTRUNNERS highlights professionals at the very forefront of their field. We showcase their amazing work, discover their motivations, and learn about the challenges they face in the future.
Going beyond the horizon. Meet Japan's entrepreneurs whose innovative thinking is changing traditional mindsets in their various fields of work.
Japan has over 14,000 islands, many of them small and home to only a few people. Life on these remote islands is full of surprises and variety, as well as deep-rooted history and traditions.
Hinako is the executive assistant to the CEO of Relation Gate, a startup company growing at breakneck speed. Apt to listen to his gut feelings, her boss bombards her day in and day out with tall orders he concocts on a whim. Life is far from chill for Hinako, who hasn't had a boyfriend in six years. She barely even has time to sit and think carefully about her future. Each long workday ends with the same toxic thought, "I find no meaning doing this!" as she clutches a beer and lets out a huge sigh.
Futuba Igarashi's new job would be great if her senpai, Harumi Takeda, wasn't so incredibly annoying! Futuba hates his laugh, she hates how big he is, and she really hates that he treats her like a little kid. Just because Futuba is short and looks young doesn't make her a kid, and just because she spends so much time with Takeda doesn't mean she sees him as anything but an annoying senpai...or does she?!
In a school in northeastern Japan, five friends in the animation club, Aoi, Ema, Shizuka, Misa, and Midori swear to complete a new anime called "Shinbutsu Konkou SHICHIFUKUJIN" with some donuts. Since then, day after day, the five spend all of their time on anime production. The awe of going from rough sketches to animation, and the awkward acting in the after-recording session... The final product was finished at the cultural fair six months later. After they graduated they still pursued animation and swore on some donuts that they would make another anime together.
Hashiba Kyouya is a 28-year-old game developer. With his company going bankrupt, and him losing his job, he returns to his hometown. Looking at the success of creators of his age, he finds himself regretting his life decisions as he lay distressed on his bed. As Kyouya wakes up, he discovers that he has traveled ten years back to the time before he entered college. Will he be able to finally make things right?
Frustrated with her thankless office job, Retsuko the Red Panda copes with her daily struggles by belting out death metal karaoke after work.
The series is based on the manga Tokusatsu Gagaga, a comedy manga by Tanba Niwa. Tokusatsu Gagaga series follows Kano Nakamura, an office lady played by Fuka Koshiba, who is secretly a tokusatsu otaku, a toku-ota. She lives her life by the code of tokusatsu heroes and often envisions herself as one as a means to make it through her daily struggles.
Six singles from the various 90 Day Fiancé series give dating another shot. Letting go of their past proves difficult as they have to go through first dates and falling in love all over again. The singles seek out the help of dating coaches, events, apps, friends and family.
Akihabara is the center of the universe for the coolest hobbies and quirkiest amusements. In the spring of 1999, bright-eyed Nagomi Wahira moves there with dreams of joining a maid café. She quickly dons an apron at café Ton Tokoton, AKA the Pig Hut. But adjusting to life in bustling Akihabara isn't as easy as serving tea and delighting customers. Paired with the dour Ranko who never seems to smile, Nagomi must do her best to elevate the Pig Hut over all other maid cafés vying for top ranking. Along the way she'll slice out a place for herself amid the frills and thrills of life at the Pig Hut. Just when Nagomi's dreams are within her grasp, she discovers not everything is as it seems amid the maid cafés of Akihabara.
An insider's look at the engineering and scientific miracles behind the things that form the modern world.
Walking With Prehistoric Beasts explores how life on earth first began. Using real footage, the series goes inside the body of our monster ancestors. For the first time, morphing technology is used to reveal how our ancestors evolved.
Maui Fever is an American reality television series on MTV. The series debuted on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 10:30PM on MTV. The series reveals the daily lives of several young haole friends living in the Kaanapali area on the island of Maui. Following the style of MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, The Hills and 8th & Ocean, Maui Fever was shot as a "reality drama". Maui Fever cast members never spoke directly to the camera or gave testimonials, a tactic used in MTV's The Real World and in traditional documentaries. However, a voice-over narrative spoken by Cheyne Magnusson, one of the main characters, was used at the beginning of each episode to set up the scene and tie together storylines. The opening credits of Maui Fever featured the song, "Horndog" by Overseer.
Days That Shook the World is a British documentary television series that premiered on BBC Two on 17 September 2003. The programme features various milestones throughout history. It has been broadcast on the BBC, Discovery Channel UK, The History Channel and Viasat History. The series was also released on DVD by the Polish edition of Newsweek in 2007.
Zoo Diaries is a Canadian documentary television series airing on Life Network. The series documents the live of animals and people at a zoo with a record of breeding endangered species. 74 episodes have been produced since 2000 by DocuTainment Productions. Each episode opens with a brief description of the show's contents. Events in the life of three or four animals are shown, cutting between stories every couple of minutes. Each story focuses on an animal in an interesting situation, and the zoo person responsible for handling the situation. Some situations are resolved over a number of episodes, for example, developing and performing an animal show designed to startle the audience. Topics vary from birth to death. The series is candid about the zoo employees' behavior and opinions. It is filmed at the Toronto Zoo in Toronto, Ontario and narrated by Vince Corazza. Episodes 1-37 are available on DVD.
American Detective is a police documentary television series broadcast by ABC in the United States from 1991 to 1993. American Detective features detectives in major U.S. urban areas working on high-profile criminal cases which were often drug-related. The program often allows glimpses into the personal lives of the detectives. During the latter part of the program's run, Lieutenant John Bunnell of the Multnomah County, Oregon Sheriff's Department, who had been featured in a number of the program's earlier shows, served in the role of host, even taking the viewers on a trip to Russia to look at his counterparts there in February 1993.
Weird Travels is an American documentary paranormal television series that originally aired from 2001 to 2006 on the Travel Channel. Produced by Authentic Entertainment, the program features various paranormal subjects around the world, especially cryptozoological creatures and haunted locations around the world. The series is narrated by Don Wildman, who also hosts and narrates the History channel's documentary television series Cities of the Underworld and Travel Channel's Off Limits.
The rise and fall of one of the most extreme civilisations the world has ever witnessed – one founded on discipline, sacrifice and frugality, centred on the collective, whose goal was to create the perfect state and the perfect warrior.
Hilary Duff: This Is Now is a two-part MTV reality television series about singer Hilary Duff, broadcast in April 2007. It followed Duff during a promotional tour for her album Dignity in Spain, and her first performance of her single "With Love" in Europe. It showed Duff participating in photo shoots, her personal affairs, and interview segments. The first episode aired on April 3, and the second on April 9, 2007. The show took two weeks to film, and an MTV crew followed Duff around, filming her preparations for the release of the Dignity album.
On Air with Ryan Seacrest is an American syndicated television talk show, which ran from January 12, 2004 through September 17, 2004. It was distributed in the United States and Canada by Twentieth Television.
First year high school student Sakamoto isn't just cool, he's the coolest! Almost immediately after starting school, he began attracting everyone's attention. The girls love him, and most of the boys resent him. There's even a boy in the class who works as a model, but who is constantly upstaged by Sakamoto! No matter what tricks the other boys try to play on him, Sakamoto always manages to foil them with ease and grace. Though Sakamoto may seem cool and aloof, he helps others when asked, such as in the case of the boy in his class who was being constantly bullied. No matter what difficulties Sakamoto encounters, he moves through his high school life with confidence and class.
Ao Horie's father, a popular erotic fiction author, chose Ao's name because A stands for “apple” and O stands for “orgy”! Desperate to escape her father's legacy and get into a prestigious university, Ao devotes herself to studying instead of pursuing romance. She has no time for boys, but there's just one problem: Kijima, her handsome and popular classmate, just confessed his love to her! And to make matters worse, she can't stop thinking dirty thoughts about him! Looks like escaping her father's influence will be harder than she thought...
The story is set in the distant future. The land is ruined, and humanity establishes the mobile fort city Plantation. Pilots produced inside Plantation live in Mistilteinn, also know as the "birdcage." Children live there knowing nothing of the outside world or the freedom of the sky. Their lives consist of battling to carry out missions. Their enemies are mysterious giant lifeforms known as Kyouryuu, and the children pilot robots called Franxx to face off against them. For the children, riding the Franxx proves their existence. A boy named Hiro is called Code:016, and he was once known as a prodigy. However, he has fallen behind, and his existence seems unnecessary. Not piloting a Franxx is the same as ceasing to exist. One day, a mysterious girl known as "Zero Two" appears before him. Two horns grow out of her head.
Ichiro Sato is about as average as a student can get... except for his above-average ability to land himself in totally awkward, intensely risqué situations with his no-nonsense teacher, Kana Kojima! Ichiro has his hands full dealing with these steamy shenanigans and unexpected encounters in the most unlikely places. At least it can’t get any worse, right?
A group of friends have customized their microwave so that it can send text messages to the past. As they perform different experiments, an organization named SERN who has been doing their own research on time travel tracks them down and now the characters have to find a way to avoid being captured by them.
On the front lines of the war, Tanya Degurechaff, blond hair, blue eyes, and porcelain white skin, commands her squad with lisping voice. Actually, she is one of Japan's most elite salary men, reborn as a little girl into a world of magical warfare after angering a mysterious being who calls himself God.
In Tokyo's downtown district of Ikebukuro, amidst many strange rumors and warnings of anonymous gangs and dangerous occupants, one urban legend stands out above the rest—the existence of a headless "Black Rider" who is said to be seen driving a jet-black motorcycle through the city streets. Mikado Ryuugamine has always longed for the excitement of the city life, and an invitation from a childhood friend convinces him to move to Tokyo. Witnessing the Black Rider on his first day in the city, his wishes already seem to have been granted. But as supernatural events begin to occur, ordinary citizens like himself, along with Ikebukuro's most colorful inhabitants, are mixed up in the commotion breaking out in their city.
A typical morning. The usual music. Their normal lives. The peace these seven girls experience will suddenly be destroyed. By the living dead... zombies. A reality that they never wanted a part of, an amazing and terrifying zombie world. They all share one wish: "We want to live." These girls will struggle through this saga, in order to achieve a miracle.
At the end of her first year of high school, Futaba Yoshioka suddenly has a chance encounter with her first love, Kou Tanaka. Three years ago, he transferred schools before she was able to say how she felt about him. After meeting each other again, Futaba realizes that he has gone through many changes. He acts more cool and even had his last name changed to Mabuchi. Gradually the two rekindle their love while piecing together what had happened in the time that they were apart.
Jimmy Neutron is the smartest kid in town. As a genius, Jimmy thinks most things can be solved with the invention of a new gizmo. But Jimmy usually takes the easy way out, and his backfiring gadgets result in comedic adventures.
Examines how politicians have used our fears to increase their power and control over society.
Young Tatsumi travels to the capital of the Empire in order to earn money for his starving people and encounters a world of unimaginable depravity, dominated by the ruthless Prime Minister who controls the child Emperor. Tatsumi is recruited by Night Raid, a group of assassins dedicated to eliminating corruption by mercilessly killing officials and privileged nobles.
A teenaged gang leader in New York City faces his abuser and rival gangs alongside a photojournalist from Japan as they investigate a deadly new drug.
Grey Rainbow tells the love story of Nuer and Porsche. Nuer is the son of the owner of an elephant camp while Porsche is a law student. In university, they were dormitory roommates and close friends, each fighting against the feelings that one has for the other.
I thought that when I entered high school, my days of believing in aliens, time travelers and ESPers were going to be over. That is, until she introduced herself. Claiming to be interested in only aliens, time travelers, and ESPers, Haruhi Suzumiya was the strangest girl I've met in a long time... Before I knew what's going on, I've been dragged into her weird club, and it looks like I'm not the only one who has been drafted into this "SOS Brigade" of hers, because there are three other students who don't seem to be so ordinary themselves.
Keita Amano is a perfectly mediocre loner with no particular distinguishing features other than his love for games. One day, his school's prettiest girl and Gamer Club President Karen Tendo suddenly calls out to him. That moment changes Keita's life forever, as he now finds himself in the midst of a romcom with beautiful girl gamers... or, well, that's how it usually goes. Not with him, however.
Medium Yoh Asakura enters a battle tournament held every 500 years, competing with other shamans in a bid to become the all-powerful Shaman King.
In a world where magic is not a fairy tale but has existed for one hundred years siblings Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba prepare to begin their studies at the elite Private Magic University Affiliated High School (Magic High School for short). Entering on different levels of the academic spectrum the two turn the once peaceful campus into a chaotic one.
Nariyuki Yuiga is in his last and most painful year of high school. In order to gain the “special VIP recommendation” which would grant him a full scholarship to college, he must now tutor his classmates as they struggle to prepare for entrance exams. Among his pupils are “the sleeping beauty of the literary forest,” Fumino Furuhashi, and “the Thumbelina supercomputer,” Rizu Ogata–two of the most beautiful super-geniuses at the school! While these two were thought to be academically flawless, it turns out that they’re completely clueless outside of their pet subjects…!? As Nariyuki’s life is turned upside down by these quirky girls who just never learn, he must do everything he can to get them accepted into college! The stage is set for this romantic comedy featuring prodigies who never learn when it comes to studying and love!
