Hikari

11

PG-13

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

Jinta Yadomi is peacefully living as a recluse, spending his days away from school and playing video games at home instead. One hot summer day, his childhood friend, Meiko "Menma" Honma, appears and pesters him to grant a forgotten wish. He pays her no mind, which annoys her, but he doesn't really care. After all, Menma already died years ago. At first, Jinta thinks that he is merely hallucinating due to the summer heat, but he is later on convinced that what he sees truly is the ghost of Menma. Jinta and his group of childhood friends grew apart after her untimely death, but they are drawn together once more as they try to lay Menma's spirit to rest. Re-living their pain and guilt, will they be able to find the strength to help not only Menma move on—but themselves as well?

TV Spring 2011 8.3

11

PG-13

Usagi Drop

Daikichi Kawachi is a 30-year-old bachelor working a respectable job but otherwise wandering aimlessly through life. When his grandfather suddenly passes away, he returns to the family home to pay his respects. Upon arriving at the house, he meets a mysterious young girl named Rin who, to Daikichi’s astonishment, is his grandfather's illegitimate daughter! The shy and unapproachable girl is deemed an embarrassment to the family, and finds herself ostracized by her father's relatives, all of them refusing to take care of her in the wake of his death. Daikichi, angered by their coldness toward Rin, announces that he will take her in—despite the fact that he is a young, single man with no prior childcare experience. Usagi Drop is the story of Daikichi's journey through fatherhood as he raises Rin with his gentle and affectionate nature, as well as an exploration of the warmth and interdependence that are at the heart of a happy, close-knit family.

TV Summer 2011 8.34

22

R-17+

Guilty Crown

On December 24, 2029—the day colloquially known as the "Lost Christmas"—the Apocalypse Virus spread across Japan, bringing death to its citizens and plunging the country into utter chaos. In an effort to establish order, the United Nations sends the GHQ to assist with the crisis by containing the outbreak while removing all political autonomy in the process. A decade later, the country still lives under their control, unable to break free from their draconian rule. Frustrated with the state of the nation, a resistance group named the Funeral Parlor aims to liberate Japan from the GHQ. Led by the charismatic Gai Tsutsugami, the group plots to steal a vial containing the "Void Genome" to further their goals. The vial falls into the hands of internet vocalist Inori Yuzuriha, who ends up being hunted by the GHQ's Anti-Bodies forces. Having nowhere to go, she seeks refuge in a warehouse where she meets Shuu Ouma—a socially awkward high school student who is a huge fan of her music. Shuu gets dragged into the conflict the moment he rescues Inori, and the Void Genome shatters in his hand, granting him the "Power of the Kings." While learning how to control his grand new ability, Shuu must now fight to liberate Japan from its cruel oppressors.

TV Fall 2011 7.41

12

PG-13

Kenka Dokugaku

Bullied by his classmate and popular Newtube streamer Pakgo, Yoo Hobin spends his high school days suffering from humiliation and abuse. His troubles do not end there, though; outside of school, Hobin slaves away at a part-time job to pay for his mother's hospital bills. One day, Hobin accidentally spills ramen on Pakgo's cameraman Woo "Jiksae" Jihyeok, tripping over a cord and disconnecting the other boy from his gaming stream. Finally fed up with his miserable lifestyle, Hobin fights back and ends up in a pathetic brawl with Jiksae. The next morning, it is revealed that the camera from Jiksae's stream had been recording the two boys' entire embarrassing fight. Moreover, the footage was accidentally uploaded to Newtube and had gone viral overnight, earning Hobin a whopping ten million won from viewership. Drawn to the money Newtube streaming can offer him and his mother, Hobin works together with unlikely ally Jiksae to produce more videos of him fighting and see how far Newtube streaming can take them. Taking on bullies like Pakgo and other seemingly unsurpassable opponents, Hobin will either rise to the top of the streaming world or finally meet a foe he cannot outsmart.

TV Spring 2024 6.96

PG-13

11

6.86