Asunaro hakusho [あすなろ白書] Does an excellent job of capturing the evolution of friendships over the years with some unexpected twists and turns, as well as one of the most heart-wrenching scenes I've ever seen in a drama.
Chansu! [チャンス!] Fun and intersting with some excellent parodies of the Japanese pop-music industry.
Mison Ikkoku [めぞん一刻] Rating: 10/10 (Watched) I've watched the anime version and read the manga version and was skeptical of some of the cast but this is about as true to the source material as they can get with live action. It's excellent.