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Let's talk about Japanese Dramas!

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H

HawthorneKitty

Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
Recently finished Nigeru, only watched it for the Koi Dance.
A little too happy so I went on to watch HOPE (Japanese version of Misaeng) and it was still just as amazing. And then I currently am back to Korean dramas.
 
K

Kurita

Member
Ryuukan said:
Juhan Shuttai was amazing, even for someone with very little interest in manga. Definitely show of the year for 2016
Click to expand...

Glad you liked it as much as I did.

I recently started Jimi ni Sugoi, which is about a fashion loving woman who ends up as a proofreader for a big publishing company, even though she wanted to work for their flagship fashion magazine.
The premise is kinda... weird but it's quite entertaining. It stars Ishihara Satomi, Honda Tsubasa and Suda Masaki, so be ready to swoon.
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
watched 2 more shows

Otousan to Yobasete: Family comedy about a 51 year old who wants to marry a 23 year old. Weird take on Father of the Bride I guess. Was ok, but largely forgettable.

Otoko Meshi: A yakuza boss hides out with a college student and cooks dinner for him. I loved this, very entertaining, highly recommended. Namase Katsuhisa is in like 50 shows a year as some minor character but it was great to see him in a more serious and prominent role.
 
H

Hasemo

(；・∀・)ﾊｯ?
After watching all 3 seasons of Hero Yoshihiko, I decided to check out other series with Takayuki Yamada on the Japanese Netflix.

Reload & Destroy was weird, short and... interesting? I enjoyed watching it, but it got a bit tiring from time to time.

Afterwards I made the mistake of watching all 3 seasons of Ushijima-kun, the drama about loan sharks based on a manga. It was really good, but much, much darker than I expected. Definitely recommended if you want to see something depressing.
 
K

Kurita

Member
Hasemo said:
After watching all 3 seasons of Hero Yoshihiko, I decided to check out other series with Takayuki Yamada on the Japanese Netflix.

Reload & Destroy was weird, short and... interesting? I enjoyed watching it, but it got a bit tiring from time to time.

Afterwards I made the mistake of watching all 3 seasons of Ushijima-kun, the drama about loan sharks based on a manga. It was really good, but much, much darker than I expected. Definitely recommended if you want to see something depressing.
Click to expand...

山田孝之の東京都北区赤羽 is a pretty fun and interesting watch too. It's a weird drama/mockumentary
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
Watched Koe Koi

do not recommend, was dumb as hell about a kid who wears a bag over his head and the girls who love him
no they never show his face
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
more binge watching:

Atelier: Can't get enough Mirei Kiritani. Lingerie focused take on Devil Wears Prada. Watch it if you have Netflix.

Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto: More Mirei, but super cliche romance. I liked it but you can see every plot point and the ending a mile away.

Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi: I thought this was going to be like Rich Man Poor Woman but it was basically just about a manbaby. I get some of Ono's behavior is fan service for his arashi following but I really disliked that
he basically never apologized to the girl for treating her like shit and doing all sorts of creepy things. She gets him to come out of his shell at the end but it seemed super awkward to me.
I would only recommend this show to arashi fans really, theres far better romcoms out there.
 
B

blakep267

Member
Caught up on some recommendations I saw here

Juhan Shuttai: I had seen this in lists but the description wasn't really interesting but I gave it a shot. Ended up recalling liking it. Mainly due to the main actress. She did a really good job. I had only seen her before in Bride of Rip van winkle and thought she was kind unremarkable

Border: interesting show. I'm usually not a fan of Shun Oguri because he seems to be in everything but he didn't hamper the show for me. It kinda feels very one note. No romance, just straight up procedural etc. the ending left me like WTF. That's it? Aside from it being years ago, Haru and Shun are way to big of name to be in a sequel

Strawberry night: somebody earlier compared it to a Japanese version of the closer/ major crimes and I'd have to agree. Liked it


I've been trying to look for a school drama to watch lately. It's been hard because either I've seen them already or they all follow the same handsome guy or slightly abusive guy Gets girl story. Which I've kinda tired of. I'm looking for something in the tone of Adolescent medley( a kdrama that came out a year ago)
 
Aizo

Aizo

Banned
I finished the Netflix original season of Shinya Shokudou/Midnight Diner the other week. I thought that it was much weaker than past the past four seasons. Did others feel this way?
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
Watched Ie Uru Onna, a more comedic version of Kaseifu no Mita about real estate. Good ensemble and doesn't take itself too seriously. 👍🏻
 
S

shas'la

Member
Hey guys ive been out of the game for a while. The last thing i watched was probably Heartbroken chocolatier. But i binged Juhan Shuttai, and now i've got blood in the water and need to consume more!

I'm making my way through Jimi Ni Sugoi because Satomi Ishihara is gorgeous. Is there any mega hits from 2016 that i should catch up on?
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
HawthorneKitty said:
Recently finished Nigeru, only watched it for the Koi Dance.
A little too happy so I went on to watch HOPE (Japanese version of Misaeng) and it was still just as amazing. And then I currently am back to Korean dramas.
Click to expand...

Watched HOPE recently and enjoyed it too
tho the 'start my own business' ending is really overused

shas'la said:
Is there any mega hits from 2016 that i should catch up on?
Click to expand...

I just finished Kuroi 10-nin no Onna and it was hilarious. Ridiculously good comedy about this middle aged dude who has 9 mistresses and
how they plot to kill him
highly recommended to everyone
 
K

Kurita

Member
shas'la said:
Hey guys ive been out of the game for a while. The last thing i watched was probably Heartbroken chocolatier. But i binged Juhan Shuttai, and now i've got blood in the water and need to consume more!

I'm making my way through Jimi Ni Sugoi because Satomi Ishihara is gorgeous. Is there any mega hits from 2016 that i should catch up on?
Click to expand...
"Nigeru wa haji da ga yaku tatsu" is THE drama of 2016. Everyone and their mother know it, the theme song sold like hot cakes...
Pretty great romcom
 
S

shas'la

Member
Ryuukan said:
Watched HOPE recently and enjoyed it too
tho the 'start my own business' ending is really overused



I just finished Kuroi 10-nin no Onna and it was hilarious. Ridiculously good comedy about this middle aged dude who has 9 mistresses and
how they plot to kill him
highly recommended to everyone
Click to expand...


Kurita said:
"Nigeru wa haji da ga yaku tatsu" is THE drama of 2016. Everyone and their mother know it, the theme song sold like hot cakes...
Pretty great romcom
Click to expand...


1/2 way through both, thanks people!
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
Kaseifu no Mitazono: This was like a jdrama version of "Mrs. Doubtfire" as a mystery series. One of the guys from TOKIO plays a housekeeper who manages to uncover secrets of their clients. Some episodes were very emotional, some very predictable and the ending was
kinda goofy and confusing.
Good watch if you like mystery shows with some comedy to them.
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
Watched another Yuji Sakamoto work, Itsuka Kono Koi wo Omoidashite Kitto Naite Shimau.

This was not nearly as an emotional feels-fest as his previous shows. It's a more simple trying romance story with a
somewhat happy
ending. I would recommend it only if you've watched all his other shows first. The biggest takeaway of the show though is that Tokyo people are terrible lol
 
K

Kurita

Member
Ryuukan said:
Watched another Yuji Sakamoto work, Itsuka Kono Koi wo Omoidashite Kitto Naite Shimau.

This was not nearly as an emotional feels-fest as his previous shows. It's a more simple trying romance story with a
somewhat happy
ending. I would recommend it only if you've watched all his other shows first. The biggest takeaway of the show though is that Tokyo people are terrible lol
Click to expand...

I need to finish it someday, I watched like 6 episodes I think. Poor Arimura Kasumi getting wrecked.
 
N

NorthAndSouth

Member
Kurita said:
"Nigeru wa haji da ga yaku tatsu" is THE drama of 2016. Everyone and their mother know it, the theme song sold like hot cakes...
Pretty great romcom
Click to expand...

Literally just came in this thread on a whim, decided to watch this based on this glowing rec, and am now racing through eps.I had no idea there were Japanese dramas like this.

Guess I'll be camping out here from now on for quality recs.
 
K

Kurita

Member
NorthAndSouth said:
Literally just came in this thread on a whim, decided to watch this based on this glowing rec, and am now racing through eps.I had no idea there were Japanese dramas like this.

Guess I'll be camping out here from now on for quality recs.
Click to expand...

When you say "dramas like this" is it in regards to the content/tone of the show?
That'd help me to give recs that you might enjoy!

For the time being I'd say that stuff like Saikou no Rikon and Moteki might be up your alley.
Legal High is also a must-see imo
 
K

Kurita

Member
Aizo said:
Kurita, what are the best things on J Netflix?
Click to expand...

Hibana
Minna Esper Dayo
Yuusha Yoshihiko
Saikou no Rikon
Moteki
Fubenrina Benriya
Nodame Cantabile
Galileo
Yamada Takayuki no Tokyoto Kitaku Akabane

This is basically the stuff I know and enjoyed, I'm sure there's other good shows I haven't seen.
 
N

NorthAndSouth

Member
Kurita said:
When you say "dramas like this" is it in regards to the content/tone of the show?
That'd help me to give recs that you might enjoy!

For the time being I'd say that stuff like Saikou no Rikon and Moteki might be up your alley.
Legal High is also a must-see imo
Click to expand...


Hi! And yes, that's precisely what I meant. Legal high is on my plan to watch list, everyone seems to love it so much. I'll also try the first one too, the synopsis seems pretty fun.

I think I've been suppressing my inner fangirl for far too long, first it was the J-drama binge, and now I'm starting to blitz through anime after swearing off the stuff since starting grad school.
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
NorthAndSouth said:
Hi! And yes, that's precisely what I meant. Legal high is on my plan to watch list, everyone seems to love it so much. I'll also try the first one too, the synopsis seems pretty fun.

I think I've been suppressing my inner fangirl for far too long, first it was the J-drama binge, and now I'm starting to blitz through anime after swearing off the stuff since starting grad school.
Click to expand...

Watch all Yuji Sakamoto shows
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
two more 2015 backlogged shows I watched

Mother Game: This was a fun show about a poor single mom who enters her son into a prestigious kindergarten filled with conceited rich moms. I was expecting bratty kids, but they're all super well behaved, it's just the parents that cause the problems, some of which get pretty dark for a comedy show like this. Definitely recommended 👍🏻

Dr. Rintaro: About a psychiatrist, played by legendary Masato Sakai, who focuses on connecting with his patients through interaction instead of just giving out meds. He meets a geisha, played by Yu Aoi (phenomal acting in this show, watch in awe) and the ride begins. I loved it 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
 
Z

ZettaiSeigi

Member
I haven't seen a Japanese drama in what seems like an eternity. Randomly seeing this on GAF when I barely go to the off-topic section could be a sign that I should start watching again.

Anyway, what would you guys suggest for starters? I've read a few of your posts and I think I'll try Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, Juuhan Shuttai, and Ouroboros in that particular order. Anything else you'd add to that? The few I've seen before included Nodame Cantabile, Ichi Rittoru no Namida, the inevitable Hana Yori Dango, and GTO. I still should finish Legal High and Kaseifu no Mita.

Also, where are you all watching these? Japanese Netflix (do they have English subtitles there)? Or are there still plenty of fansubs going on? Where can I get those?

Sorry about the barrage of questions and thanks ahead of time!
 
B

blakep267

Member
I tried watching legal high. Got 5 episodes into it and while it's not bad, I'm just like what's the point. Not every drama needs to have romance in it but I need some kind of overarching thing in the series that drives the characters goals. When that's not there it's just a monster of the week show which is fine but I just don't get invested.
 
K

Kurita

Member
ZettaiSeigi said:
I haven't seen a Japanese drama in what seems like an eternity. Randomly seeing this on GAF when I barely go to the off-topic section could be a sign that I should start watching again.

Anyway, what would you guys suggest for starters? I've read a few of your posts and I think I'll try Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, Juuhan Shuttai, and Ouroboros in that particular order. Anything else you'd add to that? The few I've seen before included Nodame Cantabile, Ichi Rittoru no Namida, the inevitable Hana Yori Dango, and GTO. I still should finish Legal High and Kaseifu no Mita.

Also, where are you all watching these? Japanese Netflix (do they have English subtitles there)? Or are there still plenty of fansubs going on? Where can I get those?

Sorry about the barrage of questions and thanks ahead of time!
Click to expand...
The ones I mentionned above like Hibana (Netflix original, beautiful cinematography and overall captivating), Saikou no Rikon or Moteki are must-see in my opinion.

As for where to watch them, well unfortunately fansubs are still mostly the way to go if you want English subtitles. You can find a couple on Crunchyroll too for a legal alternative.
Personally I either watch dramas directly on TV since I'm in Japan (or catch them later on the TV channels's websites) or watch some stuff on Netflix Japan but it doesn't have English subs for 99% of the dramas so if you don't speak Japanese I don't recommend it...
 
Z

ZettaiSeigi

Member
Kurita said:
The ones I mentionned above like Hibana (Netflix original, beautiful cinematography and overall captivating), Saikou no Rikon or Moteki are must-see in my opinion.

As for where to watch them, well unfortunately fansubs are still mostly the way to go if you want English subtitles. You can find a couple on Crunchyroll too for a legal alternative.
Personally I either watch dramas directly on TV since I'm in Japan (or catch them later on the TV channels's websites) or watch some stuff on Netflix Japan but it doesn't have English subs for 99% of the dramas so if you don't speak Japanese I don't recommend it...
Click to expand...

Sorry about the late response. Had a very early day at work and it also proved to be a long one. Thanks for the suggestions you made. I'll definitely keep an eye out for them though I'm ure it'll prove to be difficult since I'm not in Japan. LOL
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
Boku no Yabai Tsuma: About a controlling housewife and her husband who only cares about her money and decides with his mistress to kill her. I don't want to say any more about the plot because its an amazingly intricate mystery plot that keeps going to the very end. Yoshino Kimura's acting is superb,
perfect yandere
. If you have any interest in this genre, this is a must watch 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
two more short shows:

Haikei, Minpaku-sama: About a guy who gets laid off and falls for a shady sales pitch on starting a minpaku (bed & breakfast) Not gonna lie, only watched this because of Meisa Kuroki who plays the guy's wife. The guy is a bit too dumb and oblivious imo but the subject was interesting and its only about the length of a long movie.

Gu Ra Me!: Another cooking show about the prime minister's personal chef. Ayame Gouriki is great but she keeps getting cast in hokey roles. Maybe Joshu Seven next season will finally let her shine. The show feels kinda weird with such a huge focus on French cuisine for the Japanese prime minister. There are also a number of character relationships that go completely unresolved/unaddressed. Maybe they're hoping for a second season? Unless food dramas are your passion, you're not missing much.
 
K

KnowOne

Neo Member
Reading this post I'm going to try to get into a few of these shows. The only ones I have ever seen are Liar Game and Holy Land. Can any of your suggest 3 shows I should definitely check out? I usually prefer Drama or thriller. But I enjoy some comedy too.
Thanks
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
KnowOne said:
Reading this post I'm going to try to get into a few of these shows. The only ones I have ever seen are Liar Game and Holy Land. Can any of your suggest 3 shows I should definitely check out? I usually prefer Drama or thriller. But I enjoy some comedy too.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Watch Yuji Sakamoto (god of jdrama) shows:

Mother
Soredemo, Ikite Yuku
Woman
Mondai no Aru Restaurant

Other good ones

Dear Sister
Legal High
Rich Man Poor Woman

weird and funny comedy

Gomen ne Seishun
Date
Samurai Sensei

Blasian Persuasion said:
Looks like new episodes got added to White Nights last night. I might give it a watch.
Click to expand...

dont wanna be thread police but thats a Korean show 😅😅
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
Hasemo said:
New trailer for the FFXIV drama "Daddy of Light" is out.

I'm really curious how this one is going to turn out.
Click to expand...

very hyped to watch this

also watched last weekend, Chef: This is the most interesting show about school lunches you'll ever find. About a "3 star" chef who gets screwed over by her boss and shut out of the restaurant industry so she works at the only place left to get her reputation back, a school lunch kitchen. Yuki Amami is great playing someone with a huge ego and Haruna Kawaguchi has a well played supporting role too. The show can be very happy go lucky at times but I still enjoyed it immensely. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
 
K

KnowOne

Neo Member
Ryuukan said:
Watch Yuji Sakamoto (god of jdrama) shows:

Mother
Soredemo, Ikite Yuku
Woman
Mondai no Aru Restaurant

Other good ones

Dear Sister
Legal High
Rich Man Poor Woman

weird and funny comedy

Gomen ne Seishun
Date
Samurai Sensei



dont wanna be thread police but thats a Korean show 😅😅
Click to expand...

Thanks!!!
 
A

Aiii

So not worth it
Ryuukan said:
very hyped to watch this

also watched last weekend, Chef: This is the most interesting show about school lunches you'll ever find. About a "3 star" chef who gets screwed over by her boss and shut out of the restaurant industry so she works at the only place left to get her reputation back, a school lunch kitchen. Yuki Amami is great playing someone with a huge ego and Haruna Kawaguchi has a well played supporting role too. The show can be very happy go lucky at times but I still enjoyed it immensely. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Click to expand...

Am about to start this, glad to hear it's good.
 
H

Hasemo

(；・∀・)ﾊｯ?
"Daddy of Light" (lol), the Japanese FFXIV drama, is going to be streamed worldwide on Netflix. Starting on 4/20 in Japan and in the Fall in other countries.

They're also going to make a "Side Story", made mostly from the scenes in the game, exclusive for the streamed version.

Source
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
rant about Eigyou Buchou Kira Natsuko:

I watched this because of Nanako Matsushima and also the plot about being a working parent. Being a daddy of light myself, I was interested. Overall the show was a fairly predictable underdog business/salarywoman story but there was a despicable subplot thrown into the mix. If this show was supposed to be about a working mom who overcomes stereotypes of being out of work from maternity leave,
the entire crazy babysitter deal was bullshit. Why tell moms in Japan that not only will colleagues think less of you at work when you return, but if you hire a babysitter, they're going to be a fucking loon who will try to sleep with your husband.
They should've produced an entertaining show without this.
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
Two more superb shows

Tokyo Tarareba Musume: Based off a josei manga, this is about 3 women who wanted to be married with kids by 2020 in time for the Tokyo Olympics. At 30, they’re all still single and spend many nights at the bar talking about “tarareba” or “what-if” stories. The manga’s author, Akiko Higashimura, is a josei legend (also the author of Kuragehime) and this drama certainly does it justice. The cast is fantastic and the relationships really test the willpower of the women involved. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Suna no Tou: Another well done family suspense thriller show about what looks like a typical Japanese family moving into a fancy high rise condo. The housewife struggles to fit in with the more affluent residents and Nanako Matsushima plays a neighbor who comes off as a friend trying to help her. In reality, her aim is nothing but despair for the housewife. This show has tons of twists and turns with various character’s secrets hitting the fan. My biggest gripe would be the mom
being a total doormat
but I guess it was relevant to the story for her to be that way. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
 
A

Aiii

So not worth it
Finished Chef (finally, I really need more free time) just now. You were right on the money Ryuu, show is a lot of fun and the cast is great. Just love how positive the story is, even for the shittiest of characters.

Bit weird to see Kotaro Koizumi and Haruna Kawaguchi in the same show so soon after Juken no Cinderella, though. Took a while to get over, but it helps that their interactions were minimal.
 
H

Hasemo

(；・∀・)ﾊｯ?
Cross posting from the FFXIV thread, ha ha.

Watched the first episode of FFXIV Daddy of Light (lol) before work today. I guess it's cool? Too bad the drama part with real actors has the average level of acting and direction of Japanese dramas - quite poor. Also, some shots where they just filmed the screen and zoomed in. I wonder why they didn't do direct footage for those - maybe they wanted them to feel more... real? Anyway, I guess it's a cool thing, but hardly mindblowing.
 
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