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. 

When will Asura be released?

Stream all episodes now. 

Where can I find the trailer for Asura?

Check it out at the top of this page. 

Who’s in the cast of Asura?

• Rie Miyazawa (Her Love Boils Bathwater) as Tsunako, the eldest daughter of the Takezawa family
• Seiyo Uchino (Jin) as Sadaharu Masukawa, whose wife is one of Tsunako’s clients
• Machiko Ono (Like Father, Like Son) as Makiko, the second eldest Takezawa daughter
• Masahiro Motoki (Giri / Haji) as Takao Satomi, a businessman and Makiko’s husband
• Yu Aoi (Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins) as Takiko, the third eldest Takezawa daughter
• Ryuhei Matsuda (The Raid 2) as Shizuo Katsumata, an investigator
• Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister) as Sakiko, the youngest Takezawa sibling
• Kisetsu Fujiwara (Nishiogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudou) as Hidemitsu Jinnai, Sakiko’s boyfriend
• Jun Kunimura (Pachinko) as Kotaro, the father of the four Takezawa children
• Naho Toda (Sky Castle) as Tomoko Tsuchiya, a woman involved with Kotaro
• Keiko Matsuzaka (The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House) as Fuji, Kotaro’s wife

What happens in Asura?

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, Fuji (Matsuzaka). But keeping it a secret threatens to bring to light a plethora of troubles bubbling just under the surface in each of their lives.

Is Asura based on a book?

It’s based on the 1979 Japanese family drama Like Asura (Ashura no Gotoku) written by screenwriter and novelist Kuniko Mukōda. The original series was adapted into the 2003 film Like Asura by director Yoshimitsu Morita. 

“What makes Kuniko Mukōda’s dramas so rich are the superficial poison exchanged in conversation and the love hidden behind those cruel words,” director Kore-eda told Netflix.

What does asura mean? 

In Buddhist cosmology, asura (or ashura) are demigods. 

Is Asura based on a true story?

No, it’s fictional. 

Where does Asura take place?

The series takes place beginning in 1979 in Tokyo. 

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