Netflix Unveils Japanese Series ‘Asura,’ Written & Directed By Hirokazu Kore-eda

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

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 (Rie Miyazawa), housewife Makiko (Machiko Ono), librarian Takiko (Yu Aoi) and waitress Sakiko (Suzu 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 mini-series on Japanese broadcaster NHK in 1979 and a feature film titled Like Asura in 2003.

The streamer added that like the “asura,” demigods in Buddhist cosmology, the women “embody a whirlwind of emotions, clashing fiercely yet sharing moments of profound connection.”

Kore-eda said: “What makes Kuniko Mukoda’s dramas so rich are the superficial poison exchanged in conversation and the love hidden behind those cruel words. The four actors playing the sisters understand this well, so the series was very enjoyable to shoot.”

Netflix’s Asura is produced by Yasuo Yagi and made with Tokyo-based production company Bunbuku.

Yagi, who worked with Mukoda before Mukoda’s death in 1981, said: “Before the 40th year since her passing, I revisited her works and realized that Like Asura was central to her legacy. We focused on casting the best actors for the sisters, and with Kore-eda as director, I believe we’ve created a quintessential drama.”