My 2026 Netflix Watch List (So far): Best Japanese Shows & Movies You Can’t Miss

Silent Truth - Netflix

We're just a month into the New Year, and the vibrant and stunning partnership of Netflix and J-entertainment doesn't appear to be slowing down at all, even in 2026. I've compiled a list of Japanese Movies and TV Shows on Netflix that I believe will be a Must-Watch by the time I've finished watching them! Life has been BUSY this January, but I should hopefully be able to watch more going forward. Without any further ado, let's get into it!

Silent Truth

Just like the past few years, Netflix is continuing to bless us with J-dramas that are currently airing in Japan, like Silent Truth. Silent Truth (再会 / Saikai: Silent Truth) is a gripping Japanese mystery and crime drama that premiered in January 2026. Based on the award-winning novel Saikai by Dai Yokozeki, the series blends psychological suspense, human drama, and a haunting secret that links past and present.

The story centers on Junichi Tobina, who, as a sixth-grader 23 years ago, buried a handgun used in a crime under a cherry blossom tree alongside three classmates. Now a detective, Junichi returns to his hometown to investigate a chilling murder case — and is stunned to find the prime suspect is his first love, Makiko Iwamoto, one of the friends from that long-held secret. Even more shocking: the murder weapon turns out to be the very gun they buried decades ago.

As Junichi navigates the investigation, the series explores themes of memory, guilt, loyalty, and how the choices of youth can echo into adulthood. With a compelling mystery at its core and complex emotional stakes, Silent Truth keeps viewers unraveling its layers of truth and deception one episode at a time.

Your Turn To Kill (あなたの番です — Anata no Ban desu)

Your Turn To Kill, also known literally as It’s Your Turn (あなたの番です, Anata no Ban desu), is a gripping Japanese mystery thriller drama series produced by AX-ON for Nippon Television (NTV). The show originally aired on NTV’s Sunday Drama time slot from April 14 to September 8, 2019, spanning 20 episodes of suspense and twists.

The story follows Nana Tezuka, a stylish and intelligent designer, and her younger husband Shota Tezuka, a cheerful gym trainer, as they begin their newlywed life in a Tokyo apartment complex. Though there’s a 15-year age gap between them, the couple shares a passion for mystery stories — an interest that soon turns dangerously real.

At a residents’ meeting, what starts as a lighthearted activity — each neighbor anonymously writing down the name of someone they “want to kill” — quickly escalates into terror when the names begin coming true through actual murders. The incident is revealed as part of a twisted “exchange murder game,” and the Tezukas find themselves drawn into a web of suspicion, secrets, and fear as neighbors start dying one by one.

Gimbap and Onigiri (キンパとおにぎり〜恋するふたりは似ていてちがう〜 — Kinpa to Onigiri: Koisuru Futari wa Nite Ite Chigau)

Gimbap and Onigiri is a gentle Japanese romance drama produced for TV Tokyo’s “ドラマプレミア23” slot and premiered on January 12, 2026, with simultaneous worldwide streaming on Netflix. Again, another one of those currently airing shows, but I have to be honest. This hasn't gripped me as much as Silent Truth so far. But I am only 1 episode, so let's see what happens!

At its heart, the series is a cross-cultural love story that uses food — Korean gimbap and Japanese onigiri — as a metaphor for two people who are “similar yet different.” The story follows Hase Taiga (played by Eiji Akaso), a once-promising university relay runner who now works part-time at a small restaurant, and Park Rin (played by Kang Hye-won), a Korean graduate student studying animation who struggles with housing and life in Japan.

Their paths cross at the restaurant Tanomi, where Taiga’s comforting onigiri resonates with Rin’s hunger and weariness — and an immediate emotional spark ignites between them. As they bond over shared meals and quiet conversations, the pair tentatively explores a budding romance against the backdrop of cultural differences, personal dreams, and everyday challenges.

Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table (死亡遊戯で飯を食う。 — Shibō Yūgi de Meshi o Kū)

Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table is a 2026 Japanese anime series produced by Studio DEEN, based on the light novel of the same name. It premiered on networks including Tokyo MX and ABC TV. The action-packed survival story thrusts players into lethal game scenarios where each choice means life or death, blending high-stakes tension with psychological drama.

Love Through a Prism (プリズム輪舞曲 — Purizumu Rondo)

Love Through a Prism is a Japanese original net animation (ONA) romance and coming-of-age series produced by Wit Studio and released on Netflix in January 2026. Based on a manga by Boys Over Flowers creator Yoko Kamio, the story follows an aspiring oil painter navigating love, ambition, and artistic growth, with each episode revealing different emotional perspectives in her journey.