NHK BS2

Hipira: The Little Vampire

The story follows a young vampire boy named Hipira who lives in Salta, an eternally dark city of vampires. He goes on a series of adventures with the rest of the town's residents.

Osamu Dazai Short Story Collection

Welkame

Guin Saga

"The seal will be broken after many years". In the land of Nospherus, four heroes embark on a patch of destiny that will weave a new legend. The story follows Guin, a powerful swordsman with a leopard head, the adolescent royal twins Remus and Rinda, and the young and ambitious mercenary named Istvan.

Allison & Lillia

Allison and Will set out on a mission to discover the fabled "peace treasure" in a continent wrought with long-standing conflict between two kingdoms. Their belief and aspirations are carried on by their daughter, Lillia, who strives to bring the warring nations together as a united land. This animated show motivates young viewers to dream of a world that is rid of hostility and disputes brought on by differences in nationality or ideology.

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

Balsa the spearwoman is a wandering warrior, who takes on the task of saving lives, in atonement for a past sin. On her journey, she happens to save a prince, and is tasked with becoming his bodyguard. And he is going to need one, for his own father, the emperor, wants him dead. Throughout the story, Balsa's past will come to light and they will uncover mysteries about Chagum's condition while developing a family-like relationship with each other and others.

The Story of Saiunkoku

Saiunkoku is a world of eight provinces or houses, each named after a different colour. The new Emperor, Shi Ryuuki, has gained for a reputation for being uninterested in courtly matters and for flaunting his love for men. Shuurei, although born of the important Kou family, has difficulty making ends meet. She easily accepts an invitation to be the Emperor's concubine in order to turn him into a good ruler. The mysterious Seiran, a young man who was adopted by her father, goes with her as Ryuuki's bodyguard. Entering the imperial palace revives Shuurei's dream of being a court official, and, together with the many companions she meets along the way, continues moving bravely forward while trying to fend off the Emperor's advances.

Windy Tales

While hanging out on the roof of her school, Nao Ueshima discovers a flock of flying cats. In her haste to snap a picture, Nao tumbles over the side of the building. But instead of plummeting to her doom, Nao is guided by an unseen force that allows her to land safely on her feet. Determined to unlock the secrets of the flying cats and the identity of her rescuer, Nao soon learns that not only is one of her teachers able to control the wind, but he can also teach others to control it, too!

Planetes

In the year 2075, mankind has reached a point where journeying between Earth, the moon and the space stations is part of daily life. However, the progression of technology in space has also resulted in the problem of the space debris, which can cause excessive and even catastrophic damage to spacecrafts and equipment.

Jing: King of Bandits

Jing's remarkable skills make him one of the most feared thieves on the planet. Along with his partner Kir, Jing travels from town to town, stealing anything of value no matter the security.

Hiwou War Chronicles

8 years ago, Western Civilization visited 19th century Japan. Mechanized dolls and new steam-powered creations began spreading throughout the country. The Wind Gang is a group of doll and steam users who believe in using their creations to violently bring about a new Industrial Era. They attack and destroy the peaceful village of a young doll user named Hiwou one day. Hiwou and his friends escape with a giant doll named Homura. Hiwou now wants to find his father, so that he can help defeat the Wind Gang, and bring peace back to Japan.

Pilot Candidate

The planet Zion is mankind's last hope for survival. But the legions of Victim are intent on destroying humanity! Five humanoid fighting weapons called Ingrids are capable of stopping the onslaught, but only the best pilots are chosen to become Pilot Candidates. The fate of Zion rests with these chosen few.

The Oar

Kiwa is Iwago’s devoted wife. A former wrestling champion, he has become a ‘zegen’: He buys young girls from poor families and sells them to geisha houses. He is quite successful but Kiwa, although she accepts his money, loathes his work. One day Iwago comes back with a young girl he’s bought from a man who wanted to sell her in China. They adopt her and Kiwa raises her, as a respectable girl, with her two sons. But Iwago wants to manage the career of a singer who becomes his mistress and the situation becomes very tense for the couple.

Cardcaptor Sakura

Sakura Kinomoto, an elementary school student who discovers that she possesses magical powers after accidentally freeing a set of magical cards from the book they had been sealed in for years. She is then tasked with retrieving those cards in order to avoid an unknown catastrophe from befalling the world.

Kura

Set in a sake brewery in Niigata, from the Taisho to the Showa period, Retsu is a visually impaired girl with a strong will to make her own way in the world. Her aunt, Saho, watches over and supports her. The series centered on two women with opposing positions and personalities, depicting "home" as a member of pre-war Japanese society, along with a variety of human figures.

Shinjuku Shark

Hard-boiled suspense drama series about a detective feared as the "Shinjuku Shark" who bravely stands up to evil.

The Adventures of Huck Finn

We begin our adventure by the banks of the Mississippi River, where we see life through the eyes of a young boy named Huck Finn. Huck is a resourceful and spirited lad who knows how to survive on his own. He flees his father, and travels with Jim (a runaway black boy). He learns much about life from Jim. Tom Sawyer is a mischevieous adventure hungry boy who has a zest for life. He's a true romantic at heart, but not above a little trickery to get his own way, or to get out of work. Tom's life really starts to become complicated when he meets Huck. Together with Jim, they begin a series of adventures.

Karaoke Senshi Mike-jirou

Today's Close-Up

A current affairs television programme produced by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK provides cutting-edge information and critical analysis on important issues confronting Japanese lives.