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Asura Streaming On Netflix With Top Ratings(Photo Credit –Netflix)

Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of the most popular directors of these times. His works have found a cult-like following over the years, and they continue to garner applause from those who like all things storytelling. Kore-eda’s movies have found global fame and acclaim owing to their slice-of-life themes, a soft yet deep lens to look at the interwoven complexity of relationships, and stories that resonate beyond time.

In 2025, he presented a new work from his lens – a seven-episode Japanese family drama named Asura, based on the novel of the same name. The show was released on Netflix in January, and it ranked atop the popularity charts instantly upon its release. This family drama tells the tale of four sisters in 1979 Tokyo when they find that their aging father has had an affair and might have a young son. As...

Netflix has revealed its 2025 slate of Japanese films and television series, with the streamer offering a rich mix of period series, action films and intriguing unscripted offerings.

The standout highlight from the lineup, and a potential breakout global hit, is the period series Last Samurai Standing. The series hails from filmmakers Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi and Toru Yamamoto and could appeal to fans of both FX’s Shogun and Netflix’s Squid Game with its survivalist premise and period setting. Junichi Okada leads the cast in this story that takes place at the tail end of the samurai era in Japan and is about 292 warriors who are invited to compete to the death for a cash prize. Last Samurai Standing is an adaptation of Shogo Imamura’s novel Ikusagami, which has already been adapted into a popular manga series.

‘Last Man Standing’

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Asura is among the streamer...

When their aging father’s affair brings four sisters back together, it rocks the foundations of their family. Written and directed by Cannes winner and Oscar nominee Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters), the seven-episode domestic drama Asura stars Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yu Aoi, and Suzu Hirose. It’s based on writer Kuniko Mukōda’s 1970s miniseries Like Asura.

Stream all episodes now.

Check it out at the top of this page.

One winter day in Tokyo, the four Takezawa sisters — ikebana teacher Tsunako (Miyazawa), homemaker Makiko (Ono), librarian Takiko (Aoi), and restaurant server Sakiko (Hirose) — get together for the first time in a long while to discuss the exploits of their father, Kotaro (Kunimura). Takiko tells her siblings that Kotaro has been having a lengthy affair and even had a child out of wedlock. While the women are hesitant to believe Takiko, they promise to hide the allegation from their mother,...

Following his revealing, beautiful, and downright delicious Netflixseries The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (currently with a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes), Palme d'Or-winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda has returned to Netflix with Asura (currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes). Haven't heard of it? You're not the only one. While Netflix has arranged deals with some of the greatest creatives of our time, few have received such little public support as Kore-eda. That's surprising, considering Asura is already being touted as not just one of the best shows of 2025, but in Netflix's history.

Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian calls it "the best Netflix drama in years," writing, "Trust Netflix to make absolutely no fuss whatsoever about Asura, which could be the best drama it has put out in years. The lack of fanfare for the series, quietly released in early January, is genuinely baffling." Meanwhile, Geoffrey Bunting of Slate writes, "2025 is less than a month old,...

Netflix's Asura has an impactful story anchored by great performances from its four lead stars: Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yu Aoi, and Suzu Hirose.

The seven-part drama series is based on Kuniko Mukōda's novel, Ashura no Gotoku, which revolves around four sisters who discover their father's affair.

As they try their best to hide the heartbreaking secret from their mother, more unnerving details about the sisters' lives are unearthed.

Read full article on The Direct.

There are times I wonder about the reasons some filmmakers are considered to be auteurs. The primary one has to be the ability to present any story in a distinctive manner and establish a certain style that is easily recognizable as the work of a specific individual. Hirokazu Kore-eda, for example, is known for taking relatable stories about people and telling those in a minimalist, reflective manner that often becomes an introspection for the viewers. We are, of course, talking about Netflix’s Japanese miniseries Asura here. The very popular novel — by author Kuniko Mukoda — has already been adapted twice, once as a TV series back in 1979 and the other time as a feature film in 2013. Yet, the latest adaptation has a lot of value attached to it, thanks to Kore-eda’s association with it. The Japanese filmmaker, of course, is regarded as one of the greatest in modern-day cinema,...

Premiering on January 9, Asura brings a fresh take on the classic Japanese family drama Like Asura, with top Japanese actors like Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yu Aoi, and Suzu Hirose.

Directed and written by Hirokazu Kore-eda (known for Shoplifters and Our Little Sister) and produced by Yasuo Yagi, the show offers a relatable look at family life and universal relationships. A newly released opening video shows the story’s 1970s setting, keeping the drama’s original feel.

The original Like Asura, written by the late screenwriter Kuniko Mukoda, set the stage for Japanese family dramas. Set in 1979, it follows four sisters — Tsunako, Makiko, Takiko, and Sakiko — as they deal with the shock of their elderly father’s affair.

Like the “asura,” or fierce demigods from Buddhist stories, the sisters experience a storm of emotions, sometimes clashing but also finding deep connections. As they each navigate their own views on love and life,...

Ace Japanese film director Kore-eda Hirokazu is in advanced post-production on “Asura,” a family drama series that marks his second show for global streaming giant Netflix.

“Asura,” which will premiere on Jan. 9, 2025, is a modern take on “Like Asura” a 1979 family drama series that was originally based on a Mukoda Kuniko novel of the same title. Airing on public broadcaster Nhk, it became a template for Japanese family drama series for many years and sparked a feature film adaptation in 2003.

Set in 1979, the story follows four sisters — Tsunako, Makiko, Takiko, and Sakiko — whose lives are shaken by the discovery of their aging father’s affair. Like the “asura,” demigods in Buddhist cosmology, these women embody a whirlwind of emotions, clashing fiercely yet sharing moments of profound connection. As they navigate their differing views on love and life, their journey is marked by both conflict and growth.

“With great respect for...

Written and directed by Palme d’Or-winning auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, Netflix’s Asura will premiere on January 9, 2025, the streamer said.

The Japanese series stars Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yu Aoi, and Suzu Hirose.

Based on the novel Ashura no Gotoku by Kuniko Mukoda, Asura tells the story of four sisters: ikebana teacher Tsunako (Miyazawa), housewife Makiko (Ono), librarian Takiko (Aoi) and waitress Sakiko (Hirose). On one winter day, they gather together for the first time in a long while.

Takiko suspects that their aging father, Kotaro, has a lover and child. While the other sisters find this unbelievable, they promise to keep this from their mother, Fuji. However, this commotion brings to light various conflicts and secrets that lurk in the women’s lives.

The novel was adapted into a TV miniseries on Japanese broadcaster Nhk in 1979 and a feature film titled Like Asura in 2003.

The streamer added that like the “asura,...

Japanese art-house star Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters, Monster) is re-teaming with Netflix to write and direct Asura, a contemporary remake of a classic Japanese family drama series from the late 1970s. Starring popular actresses Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yu Aoi and Suzu Hirose, the show has already finished production and will launch on Netflix on Jan. 9.

Kore-eda and his team have approached the series as a tribute to the influential Japanese TV writer Kuniko Mukoda, who scripted the original Like Asura and several other landmarks in the early days of the J-drama genre.

“With great respect for Mukoda and her influence on his career, Kore-eda infuses Asura with his unique vision, highlighting the independence and complexity of women,” Netflix said in a statement.

Notes Kore-eda: “What makes Kuniko Mukoda’s dramas so rich are the superficial poison exchanged in conversation and the love hidden behind those cruel words. The...