Netflix has unveiled its Japanese content slate for 2025, headlined by “Last Samurai Standing,” a period drama featuring 300 samurai warriors gathered at Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto, lured by the promise of a 100 billion yen prize. The series stars Junichi Okada, who serves as lead actor, producer and action choreographer.
“When most people think about samurai, they think about this very glamorous period in Japanese history,” says Netflix Japan content head Kaata Sakamoto. “But what a lot of people don’t realize is that, towards the end of the Edo period, the samurai lost a lot of their glamour and their power. ‘Last Samurai Standing’ is about what would happen if these warriors — the toughest and best in Japan — all of a sudden became common people and had to fight for their lives. Think ‘Shōgun’ meets ‘Squid Game.’”
The streaming giant’s lineup includes “Alice in Borderland” returning for its third season in September, promising to take the survival thriller beyond Haro Aso’s manga origins with stars Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya. Director Shinji Higuchi’s “Bullet Train Explosion,” premiering April 23, reimagines the 1975 film that inspired “Speed,” with unprecedented access to actual bullet train facilities and starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi.
“Glass Heart,” debuting in July, features Takeru Satoh and Yu Miyazaki in a music drama showcasing massive concert scenes with thousands of extras. “Romantics Anonymous” adapts the French film “Les Émotifs Anonymes” with Japanese star Shun Oguri and Korean actor Han Hyo-joo as uniquely challenged lovers – he can’t touch people, she can’t make eye contact.
The violent revenge tale “Demon City,” premiering Feb. 27, adapts Masamichi Kawabe’s manga with Toma Ikuta as a hitman seeking vengeance after losing his family. December brings “10Dance,” directed by Keishi Otomo and starring Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida as rival dancers forming an unlikely partnership.
Already streaming is “Asura,” a modern family drama from director Kore-eda Hirokazu about four sisters dealing with their father’s suspected infidelity, starring Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yu Aoi, and Suzu Hirose. The romantic drama “Soul Mate,” premiering in August, features Hayato Isomura and Ok Taec-yeon of the Korean boy band 2PM in a Berlin-set story about a Japanese man’s fateful encounter with a Korean boxer.
In unscripted content, “Final Draft” marks Netflix Japan’s first survival reality series, featuring 25 former professional athletes competing for a JPY30 million prize ($195,000) to fund their second careers. “Offline Love” (Feb. 18) sends ten contestants to Nice, France, for a tech-free dating experience, while “Badly in Love” explores romance among Japanese “yankees” (delinquents), produced by former yankee Megumi. Comedy fans can look forward to “Welcome, Now Get Lost,” hosted by Koji Higashino, bringing the viral YouTube hit to streaming.
The slate marks Netflix Japan’s 10th anniversary, with Sakamoto emphasizing their commitment to pushing creative boundaries and elevating production standards across genres. “We’re dedicated to creating never-before-seen stories by collaborating with Japan’s top creators and emerging talent with innovative ideas,” he says.
