#anyways dont be a coward watch some jdramas

[niaoniaos]

this got really long so its going under a read more LMAO but here is a japanese drama rec list combined from things i have watched along with recs from @storge and @machikeita! if you want to start watching jdramas but aren’t sure where to start, check out drama-otaku’s drama resource guide bc it truly tells you everything you need to know. obviously there are so many more jdramas then this, and mdl truly does not due japanese dramas service tbh so i recommend also browsing drama-otaku (the site is in beta and you do need an account to view any subs) and seeing if anything else catches your eye! 

if you’re looking for a romcom

Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo (2020): one of my top dramas of 2020, sakura nanase becomes a nurse after helping save someone with  tendo kairi. she melts his heart and its so cute i can vomit (on viki)

Rinko-san wa Shite Mitai (2021): this may be my 2022 drama of the year, its short, its on viki, and its about how rinko presents herself as a “perfect” woman, but has been single her whole life. she ends up entering a friends with benefits relationship with fellow forever single co-worker kamisaka gen and i do not know how this drama expected to convince me that man was a virgin bc i was screaming the whole time. its def an Adult drama so minors beware lmao but god its great even if the last few episodes felt rushed

Ashi Girl (2017): time travel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is a zoe @storge rec but now im gonna watch it bc of time travel (beloved). yui travels back in time and meets a hagi clan boi, but when she goes back to history class she finds out his clan is going to be wiped out, and does her best to save him

Jimi ni Sugoi! Koetsu Garu Kono Etsuko (2016): this may be on viki in some regions and is another zoe rec! kouno etsuko joins a publishing company wanting to be a fashion editor, but becomes a proofreader instead, and the drama follows as she begins to realize the allure of the profession and prob follows in love with a coworker as well but i have not watched this

Shanai Marriage Honey (2020): a contract marriage so yall know im gonna watch this eventually but a zoe rec!! miura manatsu and haruta ami meet on a dating app and decide to get married for various reasons, unaware that they’re actually coworkers. i can imagine the shenanigans already tbh

Cherry Magic (2020): if you havent watched cherry magic you’ve made a mistake and should fix it immediately. thx.

Kieta Hatsukoi (2021):  if you havent watched kieta hatsukoi you’ve made a mistake and should fix it immediately. thx.

Black Cinderella (2021): its a lex rec @machikeita! kamiya manah childhood dream was to enter a beauty pageant, and in doing so meets two boys, one handsome and self absorbed and the other a transfer student.

Koi wa Deep ni (2021): completely head empty romcom about an oceanographer trying to stop a company from building a resort on the ocean

I Don't Love You Yet (2019): its a lex rec! mitarai yo is a successful career women but lacks in the love department. she and her best friend ishida ren make a bet seeing who can fall in love and get married within the next year, and whoever loses must pay the winner 300,000 yen. this sounds like friends to lovers at its fucking finest.

Love Is Phantom (2021): its a lex rec! another shorter time drama that seems ~ steamy ~ minors beware lmfao. strangers hirasawa momoko  and hase kei meet on the observation deck of the hotel where momoko works and i’m sure what follows is a lot of making out!!!

if you’re looking for a slice of life

Neechan no Koibito (2020): possibly my new favorite japanese drama, momoko has to raise her three younger brothers after their parents die when she is in high school. the drama mostly covers her workplace, but presents a great family relationship and healing, growth, and communication in her newfound romantic relationship with yoshioka manato

Nijiiro Karute (2021): kureno masora is a budding young doctor when illness strikes, and she decides to work at a countryside clinic where she can more easily hide her illness. its a wonderful story that deals with chronic illness not only in our mc, but in side characters, and shows different types of relationships through main and side character interactions. NO ONE DIES but like. you will cry.

Rokuhodo Yotsuiro Biyori (2022): i think this is on netflix and viki?? maybe one??? idk but its food porn Galore and its about a found family running a bistro where they basically help people relax via food. theres a lil bit of family drama but overall just a really nice relaxing drama

Damena Otoko ja Dame Desu ka? (2022): its a lex rec! follows the hijinks when gonta, a tokyo man ends up switching bodies with katsuyo, a grandma living in the countryside.

Tonari no Kazoku wa Aoku Mieru (2018): its a lex rec and its also on my plan to watch! tonari focuses around an apartment complex, and three different families as they deal with everything life throwa at them.

if you’re looking for mystery/suspense/revenge

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (2017): adapted from a manga and on netflix as erased, satoru gains the ability to travel back in time and tries to stop a kidnapping that occurred when he was in elementary school

Enjiya (2021): this is Technically a revenge drama because the found family runs a service where they complete tasks for people, and tbh just so much found family. 10/10. also super short and super good and i desire so much more from this drama

Ouroboros (2015):  ryuzaki ikuo and danno tatsuya grew up together in an orphanage, and witnessed the murder of their older-sister figure, but were ignored by police. ikuo is now a detective, and tatsuya is now a leading figure in the underworld. working together, they try and unveil who murdered their sister and expose the organization behind it.

if you’re looking for case of the week/medical/law/police etc

Unnatural (2018): my love of the tv show bones as a youngin makes me love any type of medical examiner show but unnatural is Truly great and tackles as the synopsis says, “its main theme is the change of reality brought upon by imminent death of a loved one.”

Code Blue (2008): this is like the quintessential old medical drama about five doctors training to become doctor heli doctors, where they’re sent out via helicopter to areas quickly that an ambulance may not be able to reach. i marathoned this series and if you’re like me and love medical dramas this really hits the spot

Hakozume: Tatakau! Koban Joshi (2021): its a lex rec! follows rookie police officer mai, who works in a police box in a rural town. she is thinking about quitting before meeting seiko, a former ace detective who has been sent to the police box. the two team up to take care of their rural town.

Oretachi wa Abunakunai ~ Cool ni Saboru Keijitachi (2020): its a lex rec! follows two procrastinating detectives as they try and solves cases but get into nonsense bc they’re focusing on the non-investigating parts of the job.

Talio Fukushu Daiko no Futari (2020): i’ve only watched the first ep so does this belong here Who Knows but talio is about a lawyer and a conman teaming up to get justice and its @mostlyfate‘s fave drama so don’t take my word for how good it is take theirs LOL

Kounodori (2015): revolves around an obgyn facility, and doesn’t just focus on the doctors, but also the trials of pregnancy and how it effects new parents. its a great drama and covers issues that most other medical shows won’t touch

if you are brave and want to watch an asadora (but please do):

an asadora is a morning drama in japan. episodes are 15 minutes long, and shown in the morning every day of the week (or almost every day of the week). they range from about 120-150 episodes, but because of their length, in reality you’re only watching about 32-36 full hour length episodes (i think my math could be wrong). asadoras typically cover a hero or heroines full life, and deal with family, work, and whatever else is thrown their way

Okaeri Mone (2021): every single person who watched forecasting love and weather you were watching the WRONG weather drama bc this is it yall. this is it. momone (aka mone) is from a small island, and after high school begins working in an inland big city, where she eventually falls in love with weather forecasting (and a hot doctor). this drama mostly follows mone and her dedication to helping people through the weather, but it does cover some family members and her family friends, as well as the repercussions an old typhoon still has on the residents of kesennuma bay. this is a modern day set asadora, with the timeline catching up to 2021.

Natsuzora (2019): screaming crying throwing up watching okaeri mone and natsuzora back to back was a mistake bc they were the asadora standard and idk how anything will ever beat them tbh. natsuzora begins after the end of the second world war, and natsu (or heroine) is orphaned, along with her siblings, after her father dies in the war and her mother dies in a bombing attack. she begins living her with her fathers friend, who is a dairy farmer, and is originally planning to take over the farm before she decides to take her destiny in her own hands and moves to tokyo to become an animator. this is honestly a lovestory to the beginning of animation at its core, and the story revolves around natsu, her foster family and friends back home, as well as biological brother and the family she creates in tokyo. 10/10. fucking love this drama. the subs are messed up for the last two? weeks, but you torrent the subs for the last week and sync them to the raws. the drama starts right around 1946 and covers into the late 70′s? i could be incorrect with the dates but it covers the showa era.

if you’re even BRAVER and made it this far and want to watch toku:

did you watch power rangers of child? confused why some of the scenes looked out of place?? thats bc the footage is taken from super sentai. super sentai and kamen rider are basically 30 minute long 50 episode length shows that are just advertisements for kids toys yet somehow have made me cry harder than any other show <3 it can be daunting bc theres so many seasons so these are just my opinions on where to start

Gokaiger (2011): it’s a anniversary season, and they were able to get So Many older actors back for the episodes corresponding to their seasons. it has baby yamada yuki, ot6 pirates, and its a great way to gauge what other seasons you want to watch that are older than gokaiger. gokaiger is what made me watch magiranger (banging 10/10)

Lupinranger vs Patranger (2018): its thieves vs cops but tbh the cops are always on the backburner (sorry pats it is what it is). also the reds are in love with each other (they kissed in the liveshow we’re not making it up!!!)

Kamen Rider Fourze (2011): kamen rider and sentai air together, and this was gokaigers pair. its a glee ripoff in terms of sterotypes, but its literally 10x better. featuring a baby fukushi sota and yoshizawa ryo fourze is literally about utilizing the power of friendship to defeat boomers. 10/10