Japan’s most underrated sports drama is coming to Netflix

On December 12, Netflix will begin streaming all 11 episodes of the 2004 Fuji TV series pride. Starring singer and actor Takuya Kimura as the captain of a corporate ice hockey team, the show was well-received when it first aired but was almost immediately forgotten. Which is strange for one of the best sports dramas ever produced in Japan. But sometimes, it takes time for people to appreciate art. Once pride It’s become more widely available thanks to Netflix, and maybe viewers will see it because it’s the premier Japanese drama. Here’s everything you can expect from the series, spoiler-free.

© Fuji TV c/o Netflix

A celebration of Asian masculinity

Many Japanese sports dramas tend to avoid tough and “manly” themes. even in a A (particularly bloody) drama about sumo wrestlingone focused on strength, The ultimate message is discipline, respect and self-control. you will find all these pride, But with it came on-ice brawls, body examinations and depictions of Asian characters who were confident, physically powerful and dominant. You rarely see this on Japanese TV except for martial arts shows.

This may have something to do with the Japanese sports drama genre being completely swamped by children and young adults. from slam dunk arrive Haikyu!!, Sports-themed fictional stories on Japanese television often feature middle school and high school student characters and convey messages about the importance of teamwork, among other things. The overtly physical characters in these shows tend to be the villains.

pride Do things differently. This drama is an adult version Characters, mainly Kimura’s Haru Satonaka (spelled “Halu” in the show) spends the show flexing muscles, pulling loose teeth out of beaten mouths, and solving many problems on the ice through violence. Best of all, brutal hockey behavior is never condemned. It is considered an integral part of the game and allows pride Presenting male characters as bastions of classic masculine ideas.

Once you see it, you’ll realize that very few Japanese shows can pull this off. Shouldn’t Japan celebrate masculinity in a non-toxic way? all pride It’s true that Japanese men are shown as fully functioning adults and physically powerful, but this is something that has long been missing from Asian notions of masculinity, a void that many are actively working to correct. In this case, pride I figured it out more than 20 years ago.

© Fuji TV c/o Netflix

Proud motivation

A common criticism of Japanese television is the way it is presented. Japanese movie acting Evolved from stage performancehas a rich and long history in this country, but perhaps doesn’t always translate well to cinematography. Many Japanese actors have been accused of stiff movements and static expressions. There may be some truth to this, but that’s a longer, more complex topic for another day. What we are going to talk about today is how pride None of these problems.

There was movement throughout the hockey show. The camera jumps up and down, even if it’s just people sitting around talking. Everything is constantly changing, like when two characters need to talk, they jump in the car for an impromptu date. People gesture and fall but are always doing something, Like duct tape on a hockey stick, all these little things add up to a delirious torrent of movement that perfectly matches the tone of hockey drama.

exist pride, The action never ends, which adds to the intensity of each scene, especially during the adrenaline rush of the action on the ice – although you’ll have to wait a few episodes for a bigger dose. Before that, there’s one more thing that has viewers excited and wanting to see more:

© Fuji TV c/o Netflix

royal soundtrack

pride The soundtrack consists almost entirely of songs by Queen. One day we’ll have to talk about the convoluted world of music rights in Japan and figure out how a hockey TV series acquired the rights to one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. But now, let us marvel at the fact, repeat, pride’The film’s soundtrack is almost entirely composed of Queen songs, and it’s absolutely brilliant.

These songs do more than just sit in the background to add a bit of glamor to overcaffeinated camerawork. They’re central, recurring and basically magical, overclocking an already pretty intense scene until the entire show becomes a musical experience running on nitro. This is the synopsis for “I Was Born to Love You”, Haru’s cute encounter with a “fat-butt girl” An early scene in the first episode perfectly sets the tone for the show, with the hockey arena crowd going wild singing “We Will Rock You.” Queen adds a lot to the overall quality pride Its band members should be listed as executive producers of the show.

every scene in pride The Queen song is unskippable and a highlight of the series. Perhaps the show was a little ahead of its time with its focus on stereotypical Asian male characters, and its cinematography was a little too excited. But few shows make better decisions than incorporating Queen’s best songs into scenes, so here’s the mystery of why pride There has been no celebration in the past 21 years. Perhaps this issue will be resolved once the show airs on Netflix. check it out. Even if you’re not a hockey fan, you might end up loving it.

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Updated on December 11, 2025