HBO Max Launches Japanese Collection This October

Japanese entertainment fans are in for a treat this month as HBO Max launches 12 new titles available to stream from today, October 17.

Headlining the slate is Love is for the Dogs - a romance based on the hit webtoon, culinary drama favorite, La Grande Maison Tokyo and gripping dramas Vivant and Ignite, alongside a diverse mix of acclaimed series and specials. From romance and comedy to action and thrillers, this slate showcases the vibrancy of Japanese storytelling.

Full Collection

Love is for the Dogs

10 Episodes
Synopsis: A top divorce lawyer and a young veterinarian - both disillusioned by love - clash upon meeting but form an unlikely connection when their dogs fall in love at first sight. Their new relationship is soon complicated by a mysterious Korean corporate heir, who is both a friend and a rival. The dogs lead the three to discover the true meaning of love.
Cast: Kaya Kiyohara, Ryo Narita, Na In-woo
Writer: Arisa Kaneko
Directors: Shingo Okamoto, Young-Sup Noh, Yoshihiro Itoh
Producers: Masako Miyazaki, Saya Araki, Cha Hyun-ji, Kim Kyore

Ignite
11 Episodes
Synopsis: Kenjiro Todoroki's Peace Law Office thrives on seeking out potential conflicts to instigate lawsuits. With lawyer Ryo Uzaki - whose father was blamed for a bus crash that also killed Kenjiro's daughter - they join forces to expose the truth and shatter the cover-up in this dark legal drama.
Cast: Shotaro Mamiya, Moka Kamishiraishi, Ryoki Miyama, Ryo, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Toru Nakamura
Writers: Yoshitatsu Yamada, Kento Yamaguchi, Shota Hatanaka
Directors: Hiroto Hara, Kento Yamaguchi, Ryo Yoshida
Producers: Shota Hatanaka, Hisato Yamada, Hideto Sezaki, Nahoko Koma

Please Die My Beloved
12 episodes
Synopsis: Friends since university, Mayu, Riko and Yurika, are bound by a shared, deep dissatisfaction with their husbands. They are jolted when one confesses that she has killed her husband. As secrets surface and lives unravel, they unite - and clash - in a fierce quest to take back the happiness their marriages stole from them, no matter the cost.
Cast: Yumi Adachi, Saki Aibu, Sayaka Isoyama
Writer: Tomomi Matoba
Directors: Tatsunori Sato, Takehiro Shindo, Toshiyuki Kakihara
Producers: Tatsuya Yamaga, Mayuko Tsuzuki, Yosuke Toda

Mr. Mikami's Classroom
10 episodes
Synopsis: Once an elite Ministry of Education official, Mikami becomes a teacher at a private high school when he is disillusioned and "exiled". Determined to fight the corruption that ties schools to political interests, he leads a group of students to confront those who jeopardize the future, leading to a final graduation-day lesson that could change everything.
Cast: Tori Matsuzaka, Riho Yoshioka, Daiken Okudaira, Aju Makita, Airu Kubozuka, Masaki Okada, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Takako Tokiwa
Writer: Shimori Roba
Directors: Yohei Miyazaki, Koya Shimada, Sakura Komaki
Producers: Kazutaka Iida, Mao Nakanishi, Minami Nakazawa

Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle?
10 episodes
Synopsis: A young woman lives with her retired policeman father, having lost her mother at an early age. After her father is murdered, she discovers a letter he left behind, hinting at wrongful convictions connected to his death. Together with a determined defense attorney, she sets out to uncover the truth; one that may also unravel a 22-year-old family massacre.
Cast: Suzu Hirose, Kenichi Matsuyama, Win Morisaki, Kumi Takiuchi, Ryo Narita, Lily Franky, Hayato Isomura
Writer: Tomoki Kanazawa
Directors: Keisuke Nakajima, Yuki Uchikawa, Izumi Maruyama
Producers: Kenta Tanaka, Takahiro Aoyama, Ryosuke Fukuda, Takayoshi Tanazawa

La Grande Maison Tokyo SPECIAL
Synopsis: Chef Hayami becomes the first Asian woman to earn three Michelin stars, but the Covid-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to her business. While visiting a restaurant in Kyoto, rumoured to soon be nominated as the world's best French restaurant, she becomes convinced that Obana, her former top chef is there. Has he mysteriously returned to Japan, when he was once believed to have gone back to France?
Cast: Takuya Kimura, Kyoka Suzuki, Yuta Tamamori, Kanichiro, Aki Asakura, Ayako Yoshitani, Kikunosuke One, Anne Nakamura
Writer: Tsutomu Kuroiwa
Director: Ayuko Tsukahara
Producers: Hidenori Iyoda, Keiko Matsumoto, Kaori Shiomura

La Grande Maison Tokyo
11 Episodes
Synopsis: After a scandal destroys his two-star Michelin Paris restaurant and his reputation, chef Natsuki Obana is left adrift. A chance encounter with a rival chef reignites his passion, and together they gather a team of talented chefs to pursue his life-long dream: a coveted third Michelin star.
Cast: Takuya Kimura, Kyoka Suzuki, Yuta Tamamori, Kanichiro, Aki Asakura, Ayako Yoshitani, Kikunosuke One, Anne Nakamura, Toru Tezuka, Mitsuhiro Oikawa
Writer: Tsutomu Kuroiwa
Director: Ayuko Tsukahara
Producers: Hidenori Iyoda, Keiko Matsumoto, Kaori Shiomura

Light of My Lion
10 episodes
Synopsis: Hiroto cares for his autistic brother Michito until Lion, a boy claiming to be their nephew, appears and reveals their sister - thought dead - is alive but missing. The trio develop a strong camaraderie as they unravel hidden truths and strive to keep their family safe.
Cast: Yuya Yagira, Ryota Bando, Aska Saito, Tasuku Sato, Osamu Mukai
Writers: Koji Tokuo, Yoshino Ichinohe
Director: Toshio Tsuboi, Takahiro Aoyama, Masahide Izumi
Producers: Yuka Matsumoto, Atsushi Sato

Until I Destroyed My Husband's Other Family
12 episodes
Synopsis: Minori once believed her first love would last forever, but her picture-perfect life shatters when she learns of her husband's 15-year affair. Vowing revenge, she targets his mistress' son, only to uncover a hidden conspiracy and her own past, in a gripping story of love, betrayal, and retribution.
Cast: Marika Matsumoto, Terunosuke Takezai, Kota Nomura
Writers: Ayuka Kishimoto, Ayako Kato
Directors: Jin Ueda, Takehito Muroi, Daizo Yoshida
Producers: Kentaro Yamato, Noboru Morita, Rina Sobue, Fumitaka Anan

Baby Assassins Everyday!
12 episodes
Synopsis: Two socially awkward young women live a seemingly laid-back life in a shared house with others - when they're not working as elite assassins. Mixing quirky comedy with intense action sequences, this drama delivers laughs, thrills, and nonstop surprises.
Cast: Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa
Writer: Yugo Sakamoto
Directors: Yugo Sakamoto, Wataru Hiranami, Ayumi Kudo
Producers: Mina Kase, Yusuke Suzuki, Taizo Fukumaki

Vivant
10 Episodes
Synopsis: Framed for losing billions and a deadly bombing in the unstable republic of Balka, executive Yusuke Nogi teams with a mysterious intelligence agent and a local doctor to clear his name, recover the money, and survive the hunt.
Cast: Masato Sakai, Hiroshi Abe, Fumi Nikaido, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tori Matsuzaka, Koji Yakusho
Writers: Hiroyuki Yatsu, Masami Lee, Hayato Miyamoto, Nana Yamamoto
Directors: Yohei Miyazaki, Akiko Kato
Producers: Kazutaka Iida, Miyuki Ogata, Kaori Hashizume

True Beauty: The Movie
Synopsis - Part 1: Reina, who feels insecure about her looks, masters the art of makeup and transforms into a "goddess". Her makeover sparks a sweet, heart-throbbing love triangle with the enigmatic Shun and warm Yu, where secrets and tender emotions could change everything.
Synopsis - Part 2: Reina's beauty and dreams dazzle, but her bare face exposes hidden truths as Shun and Yu vie for her heart, stirring tension and racing emotions.
Cast: Kōki, Keisuke Watanabe, Keito Tsuna
Writer: Sumire Suzuki
Directors: Kazunari Hoshino
Producers: Nobuyuki Iinuma, Mari Furubayashi, Hiroyuki Goto, Ryota Tago, Yuko Takahashi

The acquisition of Japanese content for distribution on HBO Max is part of a wider partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery and U-NEXT (announced September 2024), which also launched HBO Max on U-NEXT in Japan - offering subscribers an unrivalled collection of entertainment from WBD's iconic brands.

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