Japanese
taiga (year-long) dramas from NHK are all based on real-life, historical characters and events--with fictional elements for dramatic effect. My personal favorites are
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Shinsengumi! (2004): about a group of pro-shogunate militia in the late Tokugawa periode (just before Meiji Restoration)
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Ryomaden (2010): tells the life of Sakamoto Ryoma, a power broker and visionary who helped shape the Japanese Imperial Navy and the Meiji Restoration itself
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Yae no Sakura (2013): a fictionalized account of the life of Niijima (nee Yamamoto) Yaeko, who started off as gunner in the pro-shogunate Aizu army, and later on became a nurse and educator during the Meiji Era
As far as I know, most of them are not available legally, though, so you either have to download them (via torrent), or stream illegally (on sites like kissasian and such.)
