7 Upcoming Japanese Thrillers to Watch In January 2023
Unlike any other South Asian genre of tv shows, J-dramas are known for their bold content as well as comedy. In the month of January alone, we will be seeing a boatload of TV Shows coming from Japan with most of them being romantic comedies. There is a dearth of action and crime thrillers in J-dramas, the new year has promised 7 new shows in the crime genre in January alone which sounds like a total treat for fans who crave to watch action shows. Being shorter than regular Korean dramas, J-dramas are quick to watch with only 10 to 12 episodes per season. Here is our list of the 7 upcoming crime thriller J-dramas that will be released in January 2023.
Keishichou Outsider
English Title: Outsider Cop Network: TV Asahi Episodes: 10 Genre: Crime, Thriller Premiere Date: January 5th The show follows the life of Kagawa Eiji, an assistant inspector from Sakuramachi Chuo Police Station. He used to be a detective in charge of dealing with organized crime groups, but he got into trouble and was demoted. Although Eiji looks like a gangster, he is not fond of the sight of blood. On the other hand, Hasumi Kosuke is the ace from the Criminal Division of the same police station. He teams up with Eiji and Mizuki Nao, an emotionally detached rookie detective who is hard to hate.
Ninja ni Kekkon wa Muzukashii
English Title: Marriage is difficult for a Ninja Network: Fuji TV Episodes: 10 Genre: Action, Thriller, Comedy Premiere Date: January 5th Two ninja clans, Koga and Iga remain in the present day and are always in an adversarial relationship. The descendants of these clans remain and continue to carry out their special missions in the modern age. Ninja ni Kekkon wa Muzukashii talks about a man and a woman who are both descendants of these rival clans of and have gotten married without knowing each other’s true identity. During their marriage, the husband and wife each received a special mission and they begin to suspect each other’s true identity after almost failing their missions. Will the couple be able to live their lives while keeping secrets from each other? Will they continue to stick to their family’s traditions or learn to prioritise each other?
Anata wa Watashi ni Otosaretai
English Title: You want to fall in love with me Network: MBS Episodes: 10 Genre: Drama, Thriller Premiere Date: January 6th Aizawa Naoya is a man who takes his work and family seriously. He is happily married to his wife, Kana for several years and both of them work at the same security business company. Both Naoya and Kana work hard and their careers have been moving up steadily. However, their peaceful days change when a new employee, Tachibana Noa, is assigned to Naoya. Noa is a demonic woman and tries to seduce Naoya in various ways. Despite Naoya’s efforts in dodging Noa’s meticulous tricks, Kana’s distrust towards Naoya grows, and she gradually becomes closer to her subordinate, Minaki.
Otto wo Shakaiteki ni Massatsu Suru 5-tsu no Houhou
English Title: 5 Ways to Socially Eliminate My Husband Network: TV Tokyo Episodes: 10 Genre: Thriller, Drama Premiere Date: January 11th The J-drama follows the life of Okuda Akane who has been subjected to domestic violence and moral harassment by her husband, Okuda Daisuke. After experiencing a miscarriage due to domestic violence, Akane begins to reconsider her life and follow the instructions in a mysterious letter to punish her husband socially.
Daibyoin Senkyo
English Title: This Hospital is like a Birdcage Network: NTV Episodes: 10 Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Drama Premiere Date: January 14th Kaiseido Hospital, a famous hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture, was suddenly occupied by Hyakki Yakko, an armed group of people wearing demon masks. Musashi Saburo is a hot-blooded detective with a strong sense of justice and is currently on leave due to an incident that occurred a year ago. This J-drama promises to feature a tense battle between a detective who is willing to break rules to get to the truth and an armed group of men who decide to dress as demons and attack the hospital for some reason.
Wana no Sensou
English Title: War of Traps Network: Fuji TV / KTV Episodes: 10 Genre: Thriller, Drama Premiere Date: January 16th Following Zeni no Sensou and Uso no Sensou, Wana no Sensou is the third work in the war series. The drama centres around Washizu Toru, a parliamentary secretary who is betrayed by a member of the Parliament. Washizu Toru has devoted 20 years of his life to the politician but now decides to take revenge on the politicians who wield power over him.
Giver Taker
Network: WOWOW Episodes: 5 Genre: Action, Thriller Premiere Date: January 22th The mini-series Giver Taker follows the life of Kurasawa Itsuki who was once an elementary school teacher who now works as a detective. When Kurasawa Itsuki was a teacher, her daughter was brutally murdered by her 12-year-old student Ruoto. The horrific case shocked the entire nation at that time. After a while, Kurasawa Itsuki decides to become a detective to save people in desperate situations like she was in. 12 years after the murder case, Kurasawa Itsuki is busy solving cases as a detective. She knows that Ruoto is going to be discharged from a medical juvenile training school and she hears that Ruoto is now completely rehabilitated. As a family member of the victim, Kurasawa Itsuki can’t help having suspicions about his true nature. There you have it, our list of crime thriller J-dramas that we know are releasing in January 2023. There could be some more additions to the list and we will be sure to update it as and when new titles are announced. Be sure to let us know your thoughts about the upcoming shows in the comments and which you are looking forward to! You can also mention the titles of Japanese dramas and shows we may have missed.
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