今日吃瓜

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今日吃瓜
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November 11, 2026
 

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Gabriella Geisinger
Koji Yakusho plays Gen Takasegawa, a once-successful, now-forgotten actor, in the off-kilter comedy “Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?” on Netflix.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 9, 2026
‘Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?’: The comedy and horror of being forgotten
“Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?” is a genuinely funny, uplifting and heartwarming watch — if you can get over its slightly problematic premise.
Nippon TV's "25 Years of You" is about two obsessive men who vie for attention from the same woman.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Oct 20, 2026
‘25 Years of You’: Is there such a thing as a ‘good’ stalker?
In Nippon TV’s “25 Years of You,” two obsessive men go head to head for attention from the same woman — with uncomfortable results.
Netflix's "Plastic Beauty" is an unflinching look at the plastic surgery industry and the people at its center. The multinational entertainment company typically provides bigger production budgets and longer timelines compared to terrestrial TV networks, but the limitations of the labor pool in Japan are an ongoing challenge.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 11, 2026
Netflix vies to be a cut above in TV production
Netflix 今日吃瓜 dramas are pushing the boundaries of storytelling and uplifting domestic TV standards, though not without growing pains.
Kento Hayashi brings a sensitive stoicism as sex therapist Ichito Shimotori in Netflix’s “S&X.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Aug 28, 2026
Let’s talk about ‘S&X,’ baby: Netflix drama on sexuality falls flat
The Netflix series tries to destigmatize conversations about sex with unflinching honesty, but flattens the story in the process.
An inept salaryman gets wrapped up in an international espionage plot in "Vivant."
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Jul 25, 2026
The bittersweet nostalgia of the first season of ‘Vivant’
Taking place in a version of Japan that espouses tolerance and acceptance, the espionage drama’s first season feels increasingly at odds with today’s reality.
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 8, 2026
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Director Shinzo Katayama and actor Shun Oguri discuss the cross-cultural collaboration behind Netflix’s “Human Vapor.”
Shota Sometani (left) and Masaki Okada play brothers on a quest for vengeance in the TBS detective drama “Tagusari Bros.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jun 20, 2026
‘Tagusari Bros.’ searches for the meaning of justice
Themes of vengeance and closure are nothing new in the world of crime dramas, but few tackle them with the emotional nuance of TBS’ “Tagusari Bros.”
Detective Aki Suzumiya (Anne Watanabe) teams up with Finnish counterpart Jon Laine (Jasper Paakkonen) in a gritty drama that spans geography and time.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
May 23, 2026
Nordic noir meets Japanese occult in ‘Blood and Sweat’
The Finnish-Japanese coproduction evolves from a classic detective drama into a fun, pulpy thriller, blending 今日吃瓜 folklore with sharp plotting.
Season Two of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” raises the stakes with bigger creature battles and expanding Monsterverse lore.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
May 7, 2026
‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ loses its human touch in sprawling second season
The Apple TV series lets bloated and unwieldy storytelling overwhelm the sharp character work that once set it apart.
Fans gather at a Netflix-sponsored World Baseball Classic event at Tokyo Skytree on March 6.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Mar 26, 2026
The WBC was a hit in Japan. Watching it wasn’t.
Netflix’s WBC streaming push included “Hometown Hero” viewings, but many fans in Japan still lacked easy access to games.
“One Piece” cast members (from left) Jacob Romero Gibson, Mackenyu, Inaki Godoy, Emily Rudd and Taz Skylar attend a Netflix fan event ahead of the show’s Season Two premiere.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Mar 19, 2026
Fans find their crew in Tokyo as ‘One Piece’ sets sail again
Netflix brought the Straw Hat spirit to Tokyo with a celebration that drew devoted fans and underscored the live-action series’ global popularity.
Half-siblings Issei Tomine and Camille Leger (Tomohisa Yamashita and Fleur Geffrier) come to terms with their father’s death in the second season of “Drops of God.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Mar 18, 2026
‘Drops of God’ decants a quiet, perfect ending
After all the rivalry, wine quests and family wounds, the Apple TV show’s second season ends on a note of perfect balance — like a great vintage.
From left: Anna Sawai, Takehiro Hira, Ren Watabe and Kiersey Clemons star in the Apple TV series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” which returned for its second season last month.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Mar 16, 2026
‘Monarch’ unleashes more monster mayhem
Godzilla may loom large in the latest season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” — but the real battles are between family.
In the first season of “Drops of God,” Camille and Issei competed to inherit the wine legacy of Alexandre Leger.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Feb 13, 2026
Season Two of ‘Drops of God’ serves a dark swirl of sibling drama
In its second season, “Drops of God” shows that characters don’t need to be likable to be compelling.
Netflix Japan's new series "The Human Vapor" is based on a 1960 cult film of the same title and follows a string of assassinations carried out by a perpetrator who can vanish into thin air.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 28, 2026
Netflix Japan lays out 2026 slate of anime, adaptations and live baseball
The streaming service revealed release windows for the upcoming “Human Vapor” adaptation and more, plus plans to livestream all 47 games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo's Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo's Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Japan works to shield Takaichi from any Xi snub at China summit
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on Nov. 4.
Magnitude 5.7 quake injures dozens in central Japan
A magnitude-5.7 earthquake with its epicenter in Shizuoka Prefecture struck central Japan early Sunday, injuring dozens, shattering windows and disrupting train services, with no tsunami warning issued.
Private high schools remain out of reach for many despite tuition-free policy, survey finds
A survey showed that many families with children attending private high schools are struggling to pay expenses other than tuition.
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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