The Best TV Shows on NHK BS1

Every NHK BS1 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Icons of NHK BS1, Hey! Bumboo and Robin Hood's Big Adventure made their debut in 1985 and 1990, setting industry standards. Stay up-to-date with over 20 of NHK BS1’s elite series, with our list refreshed for August 2025. NHK BS1 has over 20 shows broadcast from as early as 1985 and as recent as 2018.

  • The Legend of Snow White
    The Legend of Snow White (1994)9.7

    The Legend of Snow White is a Japanese anime series produced by Tatsunoko Production and based on the European fairy tale. Directed by Tsuneo Ninomiya and using a screenplay written by Jinzō Toriumi, the series premiered on NHK on April 6, 1994 and ran for 52-episodes until its conclusion on March 29, 1995. The series uses two pieces of theme music: one opening theme, "Heart no mori e tsuretette" by Miki Sakai with Red Dolphins, and one ending theme, "Folk Dance" by Mebae Miyahara.

  • Strategist KANBE
    Strategist KANBE (2014)9.5

    July 1590, Odawara. Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army had surrounded the Odawara Castle for over 3 months, hoping to conquer this last obstacle to his dream of the country's unification. Standing at the gate of the castle, a lone man facing the menacing guards shouted out: "Do not throw your lives away. Treasure living!". Not long after, the castle gates opened and the reigning lord surrendered. The name of that man is Kuroda Kanbee. An excellent military strategist, he worked hand-in-hand with Hideyoshi to unify the country.

  • Kobato.
    Kobato. (2009)9.3

    Kobato is a girl who came to earth to fulfill her wish, which is to go to a certain place. To fulfill that wish, she has to find a bottle and fill it with scarred hearts. Together with her "teacher", which is a stuffed animal, she search for the scarred hearts. However she may not fall in love with any person whom she cures the heart of.

  • Ryōmaden
    Ryōmaden (2010)9.1

    Ryōmaden is the 49th NHK Taiga drama. It was shown on NHK from January 3 to November 28, 2010 spanning 48 episodes. The story centers on the life of 19th-century Japanese historical figures Iwasaki Yatarō and Sakamoto Ryōma. It has been announced that the series will be aired in several other countries, for example Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

  • Document 72 Hours
    Document 72 Hours (2006)8.7

    An unusual documentary series that delves into human dramas through chance encounters with ordinary people at selected spots. Filmed over 72 hours in a single location, the show captures glimpses into people's lives as they open up and share their stories. Japanese Broadcast Version

  • Segodon
    Segodon (2018)8.3

    Saigo Takamori, the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture). His simple honesty caught the attention of its charismatic feudal lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira. Nariakira’s assertion that the love of people is what will enrich and strengthen the nation captivated Saigo who took on Nariakira’s secret mission and eventually became a key person for Satsuma. Not a portrait of him survives today and much of his life is a mystery. He is a man who was twice exiled and thrice married. He overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate with exceptional bravery and action. Although he accomplished the restoration, he lost his life in a fight with the new Meiji government.

  • Shinsengumi!
    Shinsengumi! (2004)8.1

    Shinsengumi! is a Taiga drama television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about the Shinsengumi, a Japanese special police force from the Bakumatsu period.

  • Soar High! Isami
    Soar High! Isami (1995)8.0

    Soar High! Isami is an anime series made by Group TAC and directed by Gisaburô Sugii. The anime is based on The Hakkenden but is set in the future. The anime was broadcast on NHK between April 8, 1995 and March 30, 1996. It is licensed by Hirameki International in the USA.

  • Taira no Kiyomori
    Taira no Kiyomori (2012)8.0

    Villain or hero, Taira no Kiyomori changed Japanese history forever 900 years ago. Without ever knowing his real father, Kiyomori was raised as a samurai. Together with his stepfather, he wiped out piracy along Japan's western coast, becoming a full-fledged warrior samurai. In an age when samurai were looked down on as members of the lower class, Kiyomori was skillful at winning the hearts and minds of the people. By rounding up surrendered pirates and achieving other successes, Kiyomori eventually became the de facto ruler of Japan.

  • Yae's Sakura
    Yae's Sakura (2013)7.9

    Yae no Sakura is a 2013 Japanese television series. It is the 52nd NHK taiga drama. The story focuses on Niijima Yae, who is portrayed by Haruka Ayase.

  • Robin Hood's Big Adventure
    Robin Hood's Big Adventure (1990)7.6

    Robin Hood's Big Adventure is an anime adaptation of the classic Robin Hood story consisting of 52 episodes. In this version, Robin and his allies are mostly pre-teens.

  • Rin-ne
    Rin-ne (2015)7.6

    As a child Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma's home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura's has been empty since the start of the school year, then one day her always-absent classmate shows up, and he's far more than what he seems!

  • Master Keaton
    Master Keaton (1998)7.2

    The amazing Taichi Keaton works on cases around the globe that always lead to adventure! He combines his arsenal of multidisciplinary expertise in investigation, archeology, and survival with his experience as a professor, a Falklands Conflict veteran and a SAS agent to unravel the often dangerous challenges in each riveting episode.

  • Montana Jones
    Montana Jones (1994)7.0

    The series takes place in the 1930s and is about the adventures of Montana Jones, who goes treasure hunting with his cousin Alfred Jones and the beautiful reporter Melissa Thorn. They visit real locations and cities like the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal, Istanbul or Easter Island. Frequently they cross paths with Lord Zero - a rich, eccentric art lover and master thief.

  • The Legend of Zorro
    The Legend of Zorro (1996)6.9

    Diego Vega returns from his study trip to discover his homeland is under the army's dictatorship. Diego, refusing to watch idly, disguises himself as Zorro to protect the weak and oppressed. Diego is not a coward but he is unable to win the affections of his sweetheart, Lolita, who is attracted to other more noble men. Diego serenades Lolita as Zorro and fights the evils of his homeland, hoping to capture her heart.

  • Dear Brother
    Dear Brother (1991)6.4

    Misonoo Nanako, a professor's daughter, looks forward to her first day at the prestigious Seiran Academy, a girls' school that caters to the rich, or in her case, those with high test scores. She soon finds that the school is polarized by three popular and talented individuals, known as the Magnificent Three. Though Nanako doesn't intend to make waves at this school, when she is tabbed to be a member of the Sorority, the brutal politics that run beneath the surface of the school's sophisticated veneer soon turn Nanako's world into one where she is unsure of her friends, her enemies, and her very identity... The only way she can vent her emotions is through her correspondence letters to a man she calls her "Dear Brother".

  • Ninja Boy Rantaro
    Ninja Boy Rantaro (1993)6.4

    Rantarō, Shinbei and Kirimaru are ninja apprentices in the Ninja Gakuen, where first grade ones are called "Nintamas". They must learn everything a ninja must know, but as for our heroes, money, food or playing are more interesting. The series show the everyday adventures of our heroes.

  • Hey! Bumboo
    Hey! Bumboo (1985)4.6

    Bumboo is a talking car, innocent in many ways, Bumboo searches for her mother throughout many adventures and dangers, battling villains and stopping thieves while discovering that she may not be the only talking car of her kind in the world.

  • Jun to Ai
    Jun to Ai (2012)N/A

    Jun to Ai is a Japanese television drama series. It debuted on October 1, 2012 and was broadcast until March 30, 2013. It is about a girl named Jun Kanō, raised in Miyakojima, Okinawa, who moves to Osaka to work in a hotel. There she meets a man named Itoshi Machida, with whom she falls in love. It is the 87th NHK Asadora.

  • Animation x Paralympic: Who Is Your Hero?
    Animation x Paralympic: Who Is Your Hero? (2017)N/A

    A series of short animation works focusing on the Para-sport with the aim of delivering the appeal of the Paralympic Games and sport for athletes with an impairment.