JDrama Recommendations

EstherM wrote:

Only there arenLt that many high school dramas without high school kids. :shamefulcry:

Maybe Gokusen 3 killed the genre ...

Doubt it, Gokusen 3 had stellar ratings, plus the Japanese girls love these shows.

Cerebus wrote:Hi,
As somebody who is the wrong side of 30, I'm looking for a dorama suitable for the more, ahem, mature person. Does anyone have a recommendation for a well plotted, acted and written dorama with depth which also assumes the viewer has some intelligence.

Hitotsu yane no shita
Algernon ni Hanataba o
Ohsama no resutoran
Boku no Ikiru Michi
Boku to Kanojo to Kanojo no Ikiru Michi

You may like to try these first. Some of them may be difficult to find. The recommendations above mine are really good too.

Tenshigure wrote:Doubt it, Gokusen 3 had stellar ratings, plus the Japanese girls love these shows.

Damn them. :grumble:

Cerebus wrote:Hi,
As somebody who is the wrong side of 30, I'm looking for a dorama suitable for the more, ahem, mature person. Does anyone have a recommendation for a well plotted, acted and written dorama with depth which also assumes the viewer has some intelligence.

My particular favourites where Ashita no Kita Yoshio and A Million Stars Falling From The Sky.

I love 1million Stars. A drama with the same depth as that one would be Suna no Utsuwa (Nakai Masahiro, Watanabe Ken). I enjoyed it very much. Beautiful scenery, acting, great script and lovely OST. I'm also recommending Taiyo no Kisetsu again. Its based on a popular novel and I'm quite surprised by the delivery. Expected it to be a disaster but it turn out quite well. A latest drama that's on top of my list currently is Maou *cough*. Thought provoking and VERY entertaining with lots of twist & angst.
Based on my recommendations, you'll probably will be depressed for weeks after watching those back to back :sweat:

Yasashii Jikan will calm the nerves after watching those dark dramas and for light delightful comedy Haikei Chichiuesama is lovely too. Tiger and Dragon is one witty comedy that you might enjoy with wonderful insights about Rakugo (and its by Kudo Kankuro :mrgreen:)

Cerebus wrote:Hi,
As somebody who is the wrong side of 30, I'm looking for a dorama suitable for the more, ahem, mature person. Does anyone have a recommendation for a well plotted, acted and written dorama with depth which also assumes the viewer has some intelligence.

Shows I've enjoyed are:

A Million Stars Falling From The Sky
Ashita no Kita Yoshio
Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
Muri na Renai
Sleeping Forest
Odoru Daisousasen
Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi
Koukou Kyoushi
Bara no nai Hanaya
Warui Yatsura
Gonzo Densetsu no Keiji

My particular favourites where Ashita no Kita Yoshio and A Million Stars Falling From The Sky.

On my list to try are:

LIFE
Byakuyako
Utahime

Shows I tried, but didn't enjoy:

1 Litre of Tears
Last Friends
Long Love Letter
Galileo

Any other suggestions?

Many Thanks.

Ohsama no Resutoran (The best written, cleverest comedy dorama I've seen with about as perfect an ensemble cast one can find)

Shiroi Kyoto (Shakespearean in theme and quality of script)

Kita no Kuni Kara (Simple story well told; an oldie from 1981 which proves how much better dorama were pre-2000)

Sweet Home (Geat satire on Japanese society with Tomoko Yamaguchi and Yoko Nogiwa at their best, which is saying a lot)

Aibou (A cop drama that is well scripted and well acted; fun and interesting and thankfully not aimed at the target audience of many recent dorama)

Yasashii Jikan (Despite the presence of a couple of fanboy/fangirl favorites, it's the older actors and the weight they bring to this series that makes it different from most of the stuff that's been foisted on dorama audiences in recent years)

Asakuka Fukumaru Ryokan 1 and 2 (not the greatest scripts, but a tour de force performance by Toshiyuki Nishida--a wonderfully entertaining actor--in a role that makes the most of his immense talent)

Aoi Tokugawa Sandai (A Taiga drama focusing on the first three Tokugawa shogun; the best acted, best written Taiga I've seen, made before NHK decided to inundate its Taiga series with young, often vacuous "talent")

Genroku Ryoran (Another Taiga drama--this one focusing on the iconic tale of the loyal 47 ronin-- that offers two of the most powerful contrasting performances you'll ever see: Kabuki star Kanzaburo Nakamura as Kuranosuke Oishi, the famed leader of the loyal retainers, and Kenichi Hagiwara as the "Dog Shogun" Tsunayoshi)

Yagyu Ichizoku no Inbo (A 1978 jidai-geki series that combines great action and a really solid storyline; Sonny Chiba at his best playing Yagyu Jubei)

Shomuni 1 and 2 (Silly, hilarious, over-the-top, and just plain fun)

Oyaji (A mostly comedy series that effectively combines older talent with younger talent; loses some of its sharpness near the end, but a very satisfying watch overall)

Kamisan Nanka Kowakunai (If you want to see three great old pros at work as they hilariously try to score with some of the most popular actresses around--circa late 1990's-- this is the series to watch)

Zatoichi TV series (Like the Zatoichi movies, the TV stories are heavily formulaic and can tend to blend together, but any opportunity to see the late great Shintaro Katsu in his signature role is a good thing imo)

Hello all

I registered to ask for suggestions on my next drama to watch. I'm very new to this despite having actually watched Hana Yori Dango 2 in Japan lol.

Here are the dramas I've watched:

Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2 (my favourite)
First Kiss (loved it)
Liar Game (was excellent)

I really like Inoue Mao as well.

Awaiting your replies with excitement

Luci

luci_twiggy wrote:Hello all

I registered to ask for suggestions on my next drama to watch. I'm very new to this despite having actually watched Hana Yori Dango 2 in Japan lol.

Here are the dramas I've watched:

Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2 (my favourite)
First Kiss (loved it)
Liar Game (was excellent)

I really like Inoue Mao as well.

Awaiting your replies with excitement

Luci

Nodame Cantabile, Nobuta wo Produce, Gokusen & Kimi wa Petto :victory:

luci_twiggy wrote:Hello all

I registered to ask for suggestions on my next drama to watch. I'm very new to this despite having actually watched Hana Yori Dango 2 in Japan lol.

Here are the dramas I've watched:

Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2 (my favourite)
First Kiss (loved it)
Liar Game (was excellent)

I really like Inoue Mao as well.

Awaiting your replies with excitement

Luci

Nobuta wo Produce?
Densha Otoko?
A lot of people who like Hana Yori Dongo also like HanaKimi
http://jdorama.com/drama.1182.htm

What are some other good dark dramas?

So far I've seen:

A Million Stars Falling from the Sky
Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003
Byakuyakou (didn't really like this though)

Just starting Sleeping Forest.

bluecat85 wrote:What are some other good dark dramas?

So far I've seen:

A Million Stars Falling from the Sky
Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003
Byakuyakou (didn't really like this though)

Just starting Sleeping Forest.

MaouMaouMaou
Suna no Utsuwa
LIFE
Watashitachi no kyokasho (i'm just starting to watch this.. not sure if its good)
Taiyo no Kisetsu
and... MAOU

Dark comedies: Trick series & IWGP

bluecat85 wrote:What are some other good dark dramas?

So far I've seen:

A Million Stars Falling from the Sky
Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003
Byakuyakou (didn't really like this though)

Just starting Sleeping Forest.

The darker and/or mystery dramas I can think of are Kono yo no hate, Koshonin, Majo no jouken, Unfair and Ice World (koori no sekai).

bluecat85 wrote:What are some other good dark dramas?

So far I've seen:

A Million Stars Falling from the Sky
Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003
Byakuyakou (didn't really like this though)

Just starting Sleeping Forest.

A couple of other darker mystery shows which haven't been mentioned are Bara no nai Hanaya, by the same writer as Kou Kou Kyoushi, and Warui Yatsura.

Cerebus wrote:Hi,
As somebody who is the wrong side of 30, I'm looking for a dorama suitable for the more, ahem, mature person. Does anyone have a recommendation for a well plotted, acted and written dorama with depth which also assumes the viewer has some intelligence.

Just follow this up. Many many thanks to all those who have suggested things to watch. I now have about 30 shows to investigate, I just hope that a significant proportion are available and subbed.

Until now, most of the doramas on my to try list where the usual slightly over the top romantic comedies (not that there is anything wrong with them, Densha Otoko and Hotaru no Hikari where great, and my favourite current show is, um, Yasuko to Kenji) and I was beginning to worry that in the six months I've been watching doramas that I had seen most of the more thoughtful ones.

It's great to see that, if you go looking for them, there are doramas out there where most of the budget wasn't spent on hair product for the leading actors.

bluecat85 wrote:What are some other good dark dramas?

So far I've seen:

A Million Stars Falling from the Sky
Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003
Byakuyakou (didn't really like this though)

Just starting Sleeping Forest.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nojima_Shinji

Seija no Koushin (TBS, 1998)
# Miseinen (TBS, 1995)
Kono yo no Hate (Fuji TV, 1994)
# Ningen Shikkaku (TBS, 1994)
# Kou Kou Kyoushi (TBS, 1993)

# His best known work, I think. All in school setting.

xploring wrote:

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nojima_Shinji

Seija no Koushin (TBS, 1998)
# Miseinen (TBS, 1995)
Kono yo no Hate (Fuji TV, 1994)
# Ningen Shikkaku (TBS, 1994)
# Kou Kou Kyoushi (TBS, 1993)

# His best known work, I think. All in school setting.

2 more of Nojima favorites of mine are Lipstick and Seija no Koushin, both really dark and disturbing dramas. And I really have to add to the Kono Yo no Hate recs. That drama had me depressed for days.

More dark dramas:
Ashita no Kita Yoshio
Bokura no Yuuki (more on the dark mystery side)
Long Love Letter (more on the dark mystery/somewhat sci-fi side)
Joou no Kyoushitsu (not sure if you'd be interested in this, but I found it quite disturbing at first)
Taiyou no Kisetsu

I know I posted not to long ago asking for a recommendation however, I only got one reply (which I'm currently watching so thanks). I'm looking for some more dramas (more my type of story, the previous was a school drama indeed however, it focused on elementary kids. I prefer something like Nobuta wo Produce etc. hehe). Therefore, here it goes again...

Favorites:
-1 Liter of Tears
-My Boss My Hero
-Proposal Daisakusen
-Nobuta wo Produce
-Kurosagi
-Hanazakari no Kimitachi e
-Hana Yori Dango (1 and 2)
-Nodame Cantabile

Top one being most favorite, to least (keep in mind they still all my favorites, just preference if I had to rank them). As you can tell is a mixture between romance, high school, and cute actress dramas.

Note: Currently, I'm watching "Code Blue." More in the action category/genre but it will due while I wait for "Innocent Love".

Thanks in advance, looking forward to hear your recommendations.

-TW

TaintedWisdom wrote:I know I posted not to long ago asking for a recommendation however, the only reply I got just wasn't my type of story. Therefore, here it goes again...

Favorites:
-1 Liter of Tears
-My Boss My Hero
-Proposal Daisakusen
-Nobuta wo Produce
-Kurosagi
-Hanazakari no Kimitachi e
-Hana Yori Dango (1 and 2)
-Nodame Cantabile

Top one being most favorite, to least (keep in mind they still all my favorites, just preference if I had to rank them). As you can tell is a mixture between romance, high school, and cute actress dramas.

Note: Currently, I'm watching "Code Blue." More in the action category/genre but it will due while I wait for "Innocent Love".

Thanks in advance, looking forward to hear your recommendations.

-TW

umm.. high school, cute actress. Tabe Mikako is pretty cute. How about Yamada Taro Monogatari & Yasuko to Keiji. Both revolves around the cute high school kids and funny. You might like Dragon Zakura (Abe Hiroshi, Aragaki Yui, YamaPi, Nagasawa Masami).
umm... but for me the quintessential high school drama is Stand Up! You might want to check that one out too.. or have you?

tofuuuuu wrote:
umm.. high school, cute actress. Tabe Mikako is pretty cute. How about Yamada Taro Monogatari & Yasuko to Keiji. Both revolves around the cute high school kids and funny. You might like Dragon Zakura (Abe Hiroshi, Aragaki Yui, YamaPi, Nagasawa Masami).
umm... but for me the quintessential high school drama is Stand Up! You might want to check that one out too.. or have you?

Thanks for the suggestions.
As for Dragon Zakura I seen it (liked it as well :))
Interesting enough I have not watched "Stand Up!" but I have heard a lot about it so I guess is about time I give it a go. :mrgreen:

-TW

thanks for your suggestions guys :)

Can anyone please recommend a good comedy/romance, or mystery/comedy series?

I've seen: GTO, Hana Yori Dango (season 1 & 2), Good Luck, Orange Days, Nodame Cantabile, H2, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Attention Please, Proposal Daisakusen, Dance Drill, Galileo, Himitsu no Hanazono, Honey And Clover, I've Been Married To Hell, Joshi Deka, Nobuta wo Produce, One Pound Gospel, Shibatora, and Tokyo Love Story, and probably more which I cannot think off the top of my head.

I really dislike series that revolve around food for some reason.

I would like to thank people who have given me suggestions in the past, and thank you for anyone who gives me any suggestions now.