Human Specimens: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Human Specimens is adapted from the novel by Kanae Minato, one of Japan's most celebrated mystery writers, known for her international bestseller Confessions which was adapted into the acclaimed film that represented Japan at the 83rd Academy Awards. The dark tale follows Professor Shirô Sakaki, a butterfly researcher, who confesses to turning six young boys, including his own son Itaru, into "human specimens."

Series details

• Title: Human Specimens
• Format: Scripted
• Language: Japanese
• Genres: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
• Premiere date: 2025-12-18
• Final broadcast date listed: 2025-12-18
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Web channel listed by TVmaze: Prime Video
• Typical episode runtime: 52 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 86476
• IMDb ID: tt37899694
• TVDB ID: 471816

Cast and credited roles

• Hidetoshi Nishijima — Professor Shirô Sakaki
• Somegorô Ichikawa — Itaru Sakaki
• Rie Miyazawa — Rumi Ichinose
• Aoi Itô — Anna Ichinose

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2025-12-18; final listed air date 2025-12-18; episode order: 5.

Source and licence

Adapted from Human Specimens on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.