Best Japanese family series
Get ready to binge. We've found a collection of must-watch family shows from Japan, now streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!
Pokémon Concierge (2023)
Heidi (1974)
Heidi (1974)
After becoming an orphan, Heidi is forced to live with her grandfather Öhi who lives in the mountain Alps. However he is a very bitter man who only accepts to take her in by force. Heidi's kindness may be able to open Öhi's heart. Along with Peter the goat carer and the crippled Klara, Heidi has a lot of adventures.
Old Enough! (1991)
Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure (2022)
Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure (2022)
Gudetama, the lazy egg, reluctantly embarks on an adventure of a lifetime with Shakipiyo, a newly hatched chick, who is determined to find their mother.
Pokémon: Twilight Wings (2020)
Pokémon: Twilight Wings (2020)
This series focuses on the residents of the Galar Region. It is set to focus on their dreams, realities, challenges they must face and conflicts they must overcome. This is all linked through the Galar Taxi Driver.
Sherlock Hound (1984)
Sherlock Hound (1984)
In a steampunk London, the great detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson routinely crack the most challenging cases — perpetrated more often than not by their nemesis, the proud, bumbling genius Professor Moriarty.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light (2017)
Ronja the Robber's Daughter (2014)
Ronja the Robber's Daughter (2014)
Ronja is the only daughter of Mattis, a bandit leader who lives in a castle in the middle of a large forest. When Ronja grows old enough, she ventures into the forest to interact the strange and magical creatures that live there. She learns to live in the forest through her own strength, with the occasional rescue from her parents. Ronja's life begins to change, however, when she happens upon a boy her own age named Birk.
Sonic Mania Adventures (2018)
Sonic Mania Adventures (2018)
Classic Sonic is back to his dimension after the events of Sonic Forces. He discovers Eggman is collecting the Chaos Emeralds and already has four of them. Sonic must gather all the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman.
Pokémon: Hisuian Snow (2022)
Pokémon: Hisuian Snow (2022)
The story of a boy named Alec and his encounter with a Hisuian Zorua. When he was younger, Alec's father taught him that people and Pokémon cannot live together. But Alec's interactions with the Zorua might offer a different lesson.
My Boys (2009)
My Boys (2009)
Chisato is homeless and on the run from debt collectors, when a wealthy man offers to pay off her debt if she marries him for one month. However, Chisato discovers that there are clauses to the contract after he dies, which includes being the mother of his six sons.
Mother (2010)
Mother (2010)
Yasuko Matsuyuki plays the part of Nao Suzuhara, an elementary school teacher. When she realizes that one of the female students is receiving abuse from her mother, Nao's maternal instincts kick in, and she impulsively decides to bring the girl into her own care. Serving as a substitute mother, Nao takes the child on a trip from Hokkaido to Tokyo, and the two experience various events together along the way.
Takeshi's Castle (1986)
Takeshi's Castle (1986)
Welcome to the Takeshi's Castle, a Japanese game show involving 100 to 140 contestants who try to go through a series of silly physical challenges designed to eliminate them. Designed like a live-action Mario game, thousands of people have come to take on Takeshi's Castle to try and win the ¥1,000,000 prize but hardly anyone does!
The Hours of My Life (2014)
The Hours of My Life (2014)
Your whole outlook on life can change in an instant. Takuto Sawada (Haruma Miura) is your average college student. But one day, he finds out that he has ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and only has a short time to live. How will he choose to spend the remaining days of his precious life?
Anne Shirley (2025)
Anne Shirley (2025)
On the beautiful Prince Edward Island in Canada, an orphan named Anne Shirley is mistakenly sent to Green Gables, the home of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. They choose to adopt her anyway, as Anne finds friendship, love, and happiness in her new home. Come along for the story of a purehearted and imaginative girl growing up, leaving for college, and returning home a changed woman.
Overprotected Kahoko (2017)
Overprotected Kahoko (2017)
College student Kahoko is the quintessential overprotected child born out of today's Japanese society. Shielded by her parents, Kahoko grew up completely pampered and became somewhat of a miraculously naive "test tube human." She is 21 years old and about to start working for a company, but she has never slept away from home, had a part time job, chosen her own clothes, or even ridden a train alone. Kahoko has had her picture taken, but she has never taken a picture herself.Now, Kahoko is about to step out of her germ-free isolation pod and into the germ-infested world. It won't be long until she realizes, "I'm different from everybody else!"She has been her mother's best friend all her life and her father can't live without her. As they become emotionally unstable from the changes that Kahoko goes through, their family begins to fall apart. That's when Kahoko herself and the people around her begin to see the strength that hides deep within.
Ties of Shooting Stars (2008)
Ties of Shooting Stars (2008)
Based on a novel by mystery writer Keigo Higashino, Ryūsei no Kizuna tells the story of three orphans, whose parents were murdered long ago. Together, the three vowed on a shooting star to one day avenge their parents. After many years, the two brothers have found the murderers, and are set to carry out their plan for vengeance when they realize they've made a serious miscalculation; you see, their sister...
BanG Dream! (2017)
BanG Dream! (2017)
Since she was very young, Kasumi Toyama has always been searching for the "Star Beat", a sparkling and exciting sound she heard while looking up at the night sky. Just after getting into high school, Kasumi comes across a "star-shaped guitar" in the storage area of an old pawn shop. Feeling a rush and excitement she has never felt before, Kasumi teams up with four other girls and embarks on a journey to seek out the shiny place. We promise to perform a live here!
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy (2002)
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy (2002)
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, known in Japan as Kinnikuman II sei, is a manga and anime series made by Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada under the pen name Yudetamago. It is the sequel to the hit manga Kinnikuman that they started in 1979. The toy line of Kinnikuman was released in North America as M.U.S.C.L.E.. The name of Ultimate Muscle was chosen to connect the Americanized storyline of the M.U.S.C.L.E. toyline of the 1980s into the anime. Bandai also produced intermittently distributed toy tie-ins during the initial run of Ultimate Muscle.
The Family Game (2013)
The Family Game (2013)
Yoshimoto Koya becomes a tutor to a student, Numata Shigeyuki, an underachiever on the verge of dropping out of middle school. Expecting immediate results, Shigeyuki’s father makes a deal with Koya that if he could make Shigeyuki return to school within a week, he would receive a 100,000 yen bonus. Koya accepts the offer, replying that he would only need 5 days to complete the mission but demands that no one should interfere with his methodology in doing so.
POKÉTOON (2020)
POKÉTOON (2020)
A series of animated shorts based on the Pokémon franchise, with each episode telling a different story ranging from silly to heartwarming and presented with a unique art style.
Megabeast Investigator Juspion (1985)
Megabeast Investigator Juspion (1985)
Juspion's parents were killed by space pirates when he was a baby. After escaping to the planet Eijin, he is raised by a space hermit.He eventually embarks on a quest to fight the Mega beasts and defeat Satan Gorth. Hetravels from planet to planet until he finally arrives on Earth. Wearing a special suit, he has super human powers and a transforming spaceship.
Matrimonial Chaos (2013)
Matrimonial Chaos (2013)
Ordinary salaryman Hamasaki Mitsuo works for a company which installs vending machines. He complains about his marriage life while at the dentist office. Mitsuo isn't happy at all with his marriage with his wife, Hoshino Yuka, who has the complete opposite personality from him. He doesn't know if he loves Yuka or not. At this time, Mitsuo meets Kono Akari, his ex-girlfriend from his university days, who is now married to Uehara Ryo.
The Full Throttle Girl (2011)
The Full Throttle Girl (2011)
Devoted to becoming an international lawyer, Ayukawa Wakaba is full of ambition. Her hard work pays off when she lands a job at an international law firm, but to her disappointment, the first prestigious assignment that is given to her is to babysit the boss' 5 year old daughter, Hinata. Wakaba loathes kids and nursing, but unwillingly takes on the job as she is fixated on wealth and success. One day when she goes to a preschool to pick up Hinata, she meets a man named Yamada Sota. Sota is a man without higher education, wealth, or a future goal, someone that Wakaba absolutely cannot stand, the complete opposite of her ideals. Once again, contrary to her will, she ends up looking after Hinata and a few other kids along with Sota. Despite being exhausted from all the first-time experiences in child care, Wakaba begins to realize what is truly important to her.
My Brother's Husband (2018)
My Brother's Husband (2018)
Yaichi (Ryuta Sato) is a single father and he raises his elementary school aged daughter alone. One day, a foreign man named Mike (Baruto Kaito) visits him. Yaichi has an identical twin brother Ryoji, but Ryoji moved to Canada years ago. They have disconnected since that time. Mike introduces himself as the husband of Ryoji. They are a married gay couple. Yaichi is confused and doesn't know how to deal with Mike.
Two People Who Can't Fall in Love (2022)
Two People Who Can't Fall in Love (2022)
About two people who are aromantic and asexual and begin living together. Sakiko finds it difficult to live in a society which operates under the assumption that people will fall in love with each other. She meets supermarket employee Takahashi when she goes to support a "fall-in-love" campaign by her junior at work. She is startled when she hears him say that there are people who don't fall in love. As Sakiko's mother keeps hurrying her to get married, she decides to move out and rent an apartment with her friend but her friend backs out at the last minute after reconciling with her ex-boyfriend. Just when Sakiko is about to give up, she ends up living with Takahashi under one roof because of their similar values towards romance.
If My Wife Becomes an Elementary School Student (2022)
If My Wife Becomes an Elementary School Student (2022)
A story that begins when a husband, who lost his beloved wife ten years ago and lost the meaning of life, and his daughter are unexpectedly reunited with their wife/mother. As his wife is reborn as a ten-year-old elementary school student, the family is reborn.
Recorder and Randsell (2012)
Recorder and Randsell (2012)
On the surface it seems as if Atsushi is an adult, but really he's just an elementary student! However, he is paired with a second-year high school student Atsumi, whose height is just the opposite of his. These two together create an unusual relationship and will undoubtedly instigate some comedic antics in this slice of life comedy!
Light of My Lion (2024)
Deltora Quest (2007)
Deltora Quest (2007)
The evil Shadow Lord has taken control of the kingdom of Deltora and has driven the land and its people into misfortune and suffering. Lief, the son of a blacksmith, has just turned sixteen and is entrusted, along with his two companions Barda and Jasmine, with an important mission: to retrieve the stolen seven magical stones that once reunited within the Belt of Deltora, will bring power to the true heir of Deltora and give him the power to free the kingdom from the tyranny of the Shadow Lord. There is just one problem; the seven stones have been scattered all across Deltora and currently reside in the hands of seven wicked men who are not easily willing to give them up.