PROGRAMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT
NOTICE
“Career: Offbeat Police Chief,” premieres Monday, March 6, at 7:35 p.m.
Kinshiro Toyama is a 36-year-old newly appointed police chief at Kitamachi Police Station, who firmly believes his mission as a policeman is to listen to every voice of innocent citizens and protect the peace in the community. He comes off as aloof and a bit quirky at first, but in fact he has brilliant investigative instincts and spots clues that no one else can detect. Unlike his elite career bureaucrat colleagues, Kinshiro doesn’t dress or acts like a stereotypical chief. Rather than sitting behind a desk, Kinshiro leaves the office and literally goes around town to do the investigation work, and go the extra mile to solve any crime regardless how small. However, his unorthodox approach generates a lot of antagonism from his subordinates at Kitamachi Police Station. Fully subtitled in English.
“Keiji no Honkai,” airs Fridays, March 10 & 17, at 7:35 p.m.
Prosecutor Sakata of the Yonesaki District Public Prosecutors Office and his colleague Shoji are pulled into assisting the Tokyo Office’s Special Investigation Department to investigate influential Diet lawmaker Okouchi and Masumoto of a technical skills foundation. The two men are believed to be involved in a bribery case. But a key witness in this scandal commits suicide, and the next person believed to hold the key to the case, the foundation’s accountant, has disappeared. Fully subtitled in English.
“Meibugyo! Ooka Echizen,” premieres Thursday, March 16, at 7:35 p.m.
Ooka Echizen is the commissioner of the two-acre Minami-machi Magistrate’s Office, located in Edo Castle. He keeps order within the town. The storyline is virtually identical to several other jidaigeki crime dramas, such as Abarenbo Shogun, Mito Komon, where kanzen-choaku (good guys always win) is the general theme of each episode. Fully subtitled in English.
“Ariyoshi-kun no Shojiki Sanpo,” returns Friday, March 17, at 9:05 p.m.
The ever so popular “Ariyoshi-kun no Shojiki Sanpo” is back. Ariyoshi-kun and Fuji TV newscaster Yoko Ikuno takes guests for a walk in town and look for the best place to eat. Sometimes they discover hidden great restaurants and special stores around Tokyo. Fully subtitled in English.
“Kimi ni Sasageru Emblem,” premieres Wednesday, March 22, at 7:35 p.m.
Kazuya (Sho Sakurai of Arashi) has been a gifted, high profile soccer player since childhood. He joined the J League and was chosen for the national team at the age of 23 — his dream come true. He is also setting up a new home with his fiancée Miki. Life has certainly been going well for him. But on the day of the dress rehearsal for his wedding, Kazuya gets into a car accident and becomes paralyzed. He must now spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. This is a cruel reality for Kazuya who is forced to stop thinking that he could survive anywhere as long as he has his legs. While he is in the depths of despair, Miki registers their marriage. With her steadfast support, Kazuya conquers his rehabilitation in astounding speed but can’t find anything to replace soccer in his life. Kazuya then witnesses a wheelchair basketball game at a gym. Fully subtitled in English.
“Ganbaru Kimi ni Hanataba o,” (Rosy Future Project), premieres Thursday, March 23, at 8:30 p.m.
“We’ll make your dream come true!“ In this popular primetime program from FBS, people from Fukuoka Prefecture ask them to help their wishes come true. The team takes on the difficult projects to help people who work hard and live the best they can and brings rosy future to them. Fully subtitled in English.
“Kaseifu no Mitazono” (I’m Mitazono, Your Housekeeper), premieres Friday, March 24, at 7:35 p.m.
Kaoru Mitazono (Masahiro Matsuoka of TOKIO) is a superb housekeeper who belongs to a housekeeping agency. Although he is a male in an industry dominated by females, he handles housework such as cleaning, laundry, cooking and babysitting perfectly. However, it is not just the dirt in the house that Mitazono cleans. He completely cleans off “deep-rooted dirt” in the households that he is assigned to each time. These are the households that society calls the “successful” where the people are proud, condescending and insufferable. Mitazono learns the family secrets and slowly lays traps to expose all of the secrets and reveal the family for who they really are. Then he gives the last push that breaks up relationships. However, this becomes the catalyst for the family to start again and solve the problems they have. Fully subtitled in English.
NGN 3 MOVIE CHANNEL (Digital Ch. 679)
Premiere titles air on Friday. “Movie of the Month” premieres on the first Saturday. Movies are shown at various times. Check your digital on-screen guide for movie schedules, using either the GUIDE or INFO buttons (up to one week ahead). Or call NGN, Mon.-Fri. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 538-1966 for inquiries or to request an e-mail of NGN 3 programming information. All movies are in Japanese language with full English subtitles.
Movie of the Month
March 4: “Hibi Rock (HIBI ROCK: Puke Afro and the Pop Star),” 2014 drama, 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Directed by Yu Irie. Starring Shuhei Nomura and Fumi Nikaido.
Takuro is a senior in high school. He has no talent for sports or aptitude for studying throughout high school and has never had a girlfriend. However, he found his true calling when he began playing rock music. Takuro plays his guitar and sings at the club “Hibi Rock,” but there are only a few people when he performs. When Takuro gets really excited during his performance, he takes off his clothes. After graduation, Takuro heads out to Tokyo with his band members. He begins to perform at a legendary live club. Takuro meets Saki who is a world-renowned idol singer. Takuro’s fate changes when she asks him to write her a song.
MOVIE SYNOPSIS (in alphabetical order)
“Abare Kaido (Turbulent Highways),” 1959 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 31 minutes.
Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa. Starring Utaemon Ichikawa, and Kotaro Satomi.
Danjuro, a popular kabuki actor from a yakuza family beats evil.
“Bakuchi Uchi Fujimi no Shobu (Gambler: Victory Without Death),” 1967 drama, 1 hour and 29 minutes.
Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa. Starring Koji Tsuruta and Tomisaburo Wakayama.
Tsunetaro is a talented gambler. He comes to a coal-mining town in Kyushu where miners live under hard circumstances in the 1920s. Tsunetaro helps his female boss take back the rights of a mine by winning a big game.
“Beranme Geisha to Osaka Musume (The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka),” 1962 drama, 1 hour and 27 minutes.
Directed by Kunio Watanabe. Starring Hibari Misora and Ken Watanabe.
Geisha Koharu takes in young Mayumi, a runaway from Osaka who happens to be a mirror image of Koharu.
“Bodyguard Kiba Hissatsu Sankaku Tobi (Karate Killer),” 1973 action film, 1 hour and 30 minutes. Directed by Ryuichi Takamori. Starring Sonny Chiba and Tsunehiko Watase.
Karate master Kiba Naoto fights to protect his younger sister.
“Chiisakobe (A Carpenter and Children),” 1962 samurai film, 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Directed by Tasaka Tomotaka. Starring Kinnosuke Nakamura, Chiemi Eri, Chiyonosuke Azuma and Katsuo Nakamura.
A carpenter, Shigetsugu, learns a lesson of love and humanity from five orphaned children and an affectionate woman named Oritsu.
