Kanae Minato

Human Specimens

Professor Shirô Sakaki, a butterfly researcher, confesses to turning six young boys, including his own son Itaru, into "human specimens."

Release Date2025-12-19

DepartmentWriting

JobOriginal Story

Episode Count5

Confessions

Devastated at the death of her four-year-old daughter, a grieving middle school teacher is horrified to discover that her students aren't as innocent as she thinks.

Release Date2010-06-04

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count938

Night's Tightrope

Yuki is a 2nd year high school student. She volunteers at a paediatrics ward for her summer vacation, because she wants to witness the moment a person dies. She got that thought after feeling envious of a transfer student's story of seeing a friend's dead body. Yuki has friend named Atsuko. She was bullied in the past and has anxiety issues. She volunteers at a nursing home for her summer vacation, hoping that she will gain courage if she sees the moment a person dies.

Release Date2016-10-08

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count15

The Snow White Murder Case

Beautiful Noriko Miki works at a cosmetic company. One day, Noriko is murdered. People begin to suspect her co-worker Miki Shirono might have killed her. Television begins to cover her story. A TV show interviews Miki Shirono's colleagues, family, people from her hometown. Rumors turn into fear. Is she a wicked a woman?

Release Date2014-03-29

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count61

A Chorus of Angels

Teacher Kawashima Haru takes a position on a remote island off the coast of Hokkaido, where she takes charge of six students. However, she is later forced to leave after an accident occurs. 20 years later, Haru learns that one of her former students has committed a crime, and eventually returns to the island once more.

Release Date2012-11-03

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count12

Penance

The murder of a young girl leaves the inhabitants of a small Japanese village in shock. The body of Emili is found by four classmates with whom she was playing. The murder is never solved. Emili's mother, Asako, is torn by grief and puts a curse on the four girls when they claim not to remember the killer's face. Each of the girls, in their own way, will do penance for their silence.

Release Date2013-05-29

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count41

Motherhood

Sayaka, a high school student, kills herself but the reason behind her suicide is unknown. She appeared to have led a normal life with her family. Her mother Rumiko seemed to have raised Sayaka with love and care. In reality, that does not seem to be the case. When the mother and daughter recall the same incidents that took place in the past, they tell very different stories.

Release Date2022-11-23

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count12

Penance

The murder of a young girl shocks a small Japanese village, and the victim's mother is distraught when the classmates her daughter was playing with all claim not to remember the identity of the killer. In her anger, she puts a curse on them.

Release Date2012-01-08

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Episode Count5

Vote Count18

Bōkyō

Three stories from Shiratsuna Island: "Mikan no hana" Shiratsuna Island is the only remaining island city in Japan, but it is being merged with a city on the opposite shore. Housewife Misato Tomita lives on the island. "Umi no hoshi" Yōhei Hamasaki, who was born on Shiratsuna Island, lives in an apartment in the outskirts of Tokyo with his wife, Tomomi, and their son, Taichi. "Kumo no ito" Popular artist Hirotaka Kurosaki, who is a native of Shiratsuna Island, goes back to his hometown after seven years.

Release Date2016-09-28

DepartmentWriting

JobShort Story

Vote Count1

Homecoming

Mutsuko has been living on an island to which her grandmother and mother have restricted her from leaving. To Mutsuko, the symbol of her freedom was Dreamland, an amusement park on the mainland, but she learns it will be closing permanently this year. Meanwhile, Wataru returns to the island after nine years due to a job transfer. A pupil of his deceased father pays him a visit and tells him about a side of his father he did not know about.

Release Date2017-09-16

DepartmentWriting

JobShort Story

Testimony of N

University student Sugishita Nozomi, Naruse Shinji, Ando Nozomi and Nishizaki Masato end up coming upon the scene of the murder of the Noguchi couple, because of a plan they had devised. Nishizaki is arrested at the scene and is given a 10-year prison term because of his voluntary confession. 10 years later, Takano Shigeru, a former police officer who has misgivings about the verdict of this case, starts to pursue the truth. He is convinced that it all began as a result of an incident caused by Nozomi and Naruse on an island in the Seto Inland Sea in the summer 15 years. “They committed a crime at that time. It was for the sake of each N.”

Release Date2014-10-17

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Episode Count10

Vote Count14

3 Beautiful Lies

Release Date2016-01-04

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

The Exchange Letter

Mariko Okano’s boyfriend Junichi Nagata leaves suddenly to become a volunteer teacher in a remote country. Mariko and Junichi’s families are both left wondering why he departed so quickly, without discussing his plans with them first. The next day, a woman’s charred body is discovered in a warehouse. The woman turns out to be Ayako Oshima, the mother of a student who was suspected of arson in a warehouse blaze 15 years ago. Oddly, Mariko had been trapped in that warehouse fire with another student, but was saved by Junichi. However, the other student died in the blaze. Soon after, Mariko receives a letter from Junichi, in which he confesses to a crime Mariko was not aware of. Are the two fires related? And what was the crime Junichi confessed to?

Release Date2016-09-30

DepartmentWriting

JobOriginal Story

Chain of Flowers

Based upon the novel by Minato Kanae. The story is about three women who all live in the same countryside town but who never interact with one another even though they are all tied by the same tragedy. While newly-unemployed Rika tries to get her ailing grandmother to take a needed surgery, she also struggles to come up with the money to pay for it. A mysterious benefactor known to her only as "K" might be able to help, but her grandmother is steadfast in telling her to decline it. As Rika searches for clues as to who this "K" is, she increasingly finds that she and two other women are linked not only by a tragedy but a chain of flowers as well.

Release Date2013-09-17

DepartmentWriting

JobOriginal Story

Vote Count2

Circumstances

Youko and Harumi have been friends since youth as their life circumstances were similar. Youko ends up marrying a politician and publishes a successful picture book basen on Harumi's life, when her son suddenly gets abducted.

Release Date2011-12-03

DepartmentWriting

JobOriginal Story

Reverse

Kazuhisa Fukase graduated from a prestigious university, but he leads a boring life. His only strength is making delicious coffee. Whenever he makes coffee, he is reminded of his friend Yoshiki Hirosawa. He was friends with Yoshiki Hirosawa back in their university days, but Yoshiki Hirosawa died on a snowboarding trip 10 years ago. One day, he meets Mihoko Ochi at a coffee shop. He is strongly attracted to her. Kazuhisa Fukase goes to a professor’s retirement celebration at a university. There, he meets Kosuke Asai who went snowboarding with Yoshiki Hirosawa on that fateful trip. Journalist Toshio Ogasawara also appears there. He has been investigating Yoshiki Hirosawa's death.

Release Date2017-04-14

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Episode Count10

Vote Count9

Sunset

Hasebe Kaori is a rookie movie director. She consults with new screenwriter Kai Chihiro about her movie's screenplay. The script is based on the Sasazukacho Family Murder Case that occurred 15 years ago. That murder case involved a hikikomori man who murdered his younger sister at their home and then set their home on fire. The fire also killed his parents. The town where the murder took place is also the hometown of Kai Chihiro. Both Hasebe Kaori and Kai Chihiro have secrets related to the family murder case. While Hasebe Kaori and Kai Chihiro look into this murder case for their movie, a shocking truth is uncovered.

Release Date2023-09-10

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Episode Count4

Vote Count6

High School Entrance Exam

Kyoko, a newly-appointed English teacher at a rural but well-respected, prestigious prefectural high school, had spent her childhood and high school years overseas before returning to Japan. Because she lived abroad for a long time, she cannot understand the old-fashioned ideas peculiar to Japan and tends to be frank about what she thinks. On the eve and the day of the school entrance examination, various incidents occur. There is the spectre of someone attempting to wreck the examination for some motive. Everyone present is a potential suspect and the truth remains shrouded in mystery to the end.

Release Date2012-10-06

DepartmentWriting

JobScreenplay

Episode Count13

Vote Count3

Midnight Ferris Wheel

A drama about three families who live in an upscale neighborhood. On the surface, it appears they have attained wealth and happiness, but trouble brews behind closed doors.

Release Date2013-01-18

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Episode Count10

Vote Count3

Mirai

A dedicated teacher attempts to save her abused student from a murder pact with her friend, a plan guided by a cryptic letter from the student's future self.

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Yamaonna Nikki

40 years old Tachibana Yuzuki has just taken on a job as a mountain climbing guide. While on her first solo guide job to climb Mount Myoko and Mount Hiuchi, she meets the female members in her group: Yumi and Ritsuko who work in a departmental store and Mitsuko who works in a welfare facility. With various reasons and issues, these first-time climbers try to scale the mountains while led around by the nose by Kijima who is Yuzuki's senior but younger than her. ~~ Adapted from the novel "Yamaonna Nikki" by Minato Kanae.

Release Date2016-11-06

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Episode Count7