Japanese dramas, popularly known as doroma, are slowly gaining an international fan base. Though Thai and South Korean dramas have been on a roll for some time, Japanese dramas haven’t received the attention they deserve. From action thrillers to sweet love to slice-of-lice dramas that are wrapped up in 10 episodes, these are some great dramas. As usual, for every drama, it is common for even Japanese dramas to have divided opinions.
1. Alice In Borderland
It is a Japanese science fiction drama released in 2019, based on a manga, directed by Shinsuke Sato. It stars Tao Tsushima and Kento Yamazaki as allies trapped in an abandoned Tokyo. They are forced to compete in a dangerous game, the difficulty and type represented by playing cards to extend their visa, which if expires, results in their dying. According to some critics, the focus is on the game, and even that doesn't make sense sometimes. Some even consider the acting to be horrible.
2. Boys Over Flowers
Boys Over Flowers is a teen romance drama released in 2005, starring Jun Matsumoto, Shota Matsuda, Mai Inoue, Tsuyoshi Abe, and Shun Oguri. It is based on the manga written by Yoko Kamio. Makino Tsukushi is an ordinary student at Eitoku Gakuen, which is a school for all the privileged and wealthy kids and is ruled by F4, a group of four boys who all come from mighty families. What some critics didn’t like was the evil mother who had no humanity, and the female lead in the Japanese version.
3. Midnight Diner
It is a comedy anthology series released in 2009, directed by Joji Matsuoka, based on manga by Yaro Abe. The story focuses on a late-night diner in the Shinjuku of Tokyo, focusing on the Master, its mysterious chef and the lives of his customers. The setting of the series is a 12-seat dinner that is open from Midnight to 7 am. It is said to be a bit of a slow burn to start, where some of the stories become inexplicably emotional.
4. Mischievous Kiss: Love In Tokyo
It is a Japanese romance drama released in 2013, starring Yuki Furukawa and Honoka Miki. It is based on the manga written by Tada Kaoru. Aihara Kotoko, at a high school entrance ceremony, notices Irie Naoki, a pretty boy. Initially, she doesn't express her feelings but faintly gets the chance to tell him. Unfortunately, he turns her down, saying he doesn't like dumb women. Some critics didn’t like the story, as she fell in love with him when all he was to her was mean. He is verbally abusive, mean, and self-centered. It also gives a wrong message to teens.
5. An Incurable Case Of Love
It is a medical romance drama released in 2020, starring Kamishiraishi Mone and Satoh Takeru. Sakura Nanase is a twenty-two-year-old rookie nurse. Several years ago, she met Doctor Tendo Kairi. Trying to meet him again, she studies hard and becomes a nurse. Five years later, she meets him again, but his personality differs from what she thought. Critics stated that the drama was too cliche towards the end. It was superficial, sexist, and childish at many points.
6. The Many Faces Of Ito
It is a romantic comedy-drama released in 2017, directed by Ryuichi Hiroki. It is based on a book by Asako Yuzuki. The story is about Rio Yazaki, a 32-year-old rom-com screenwriter who was popular once but hasn’t written anything new. During a lecture, she distributes a questionnaire. While reading, she finds that four women are all talking about Ito. The concept was not relatively easy to spot from the start. The story could have been more interesting, and the ending was quite absurd, with ITO.
7. Don’t Call It Mystery
It is a mystery psychological drama released in 2022, directed by Aizawa Hideyuki, starring Suda Masaki. It is based on a manga written by Tamura Yumi. It follows the story of Kuno Totono, a mystery-solving college student. At the start of the story, the police bring him in for questioning on a murder suspicion of his classmate. The story is overhyped but worth a watch anyway.
8. First Love
It is a romance melodrama released in 2022, directed by Kanchiku Yuri, starring Mitsushima Hikari and Satoh Takeru. The story revolves around a woman and a man who met in the late 1990s as teenagers and in the early 2000s grew up tighter. Fifteen years later, they meet again and are trying to rekindle their love. Many critics pointed out that romanticizing cheating is just a massive no for them. The drama felt flat, and the viewers were expecting more emotions.
9. Cursed In Love
It is a psychological romance thriller released in 2020, starring Hamabe Minami and Yokohama Ryusei. Yuriko, Hanaoka Nao’s mother, is a confectioner at Kogetsu, a Japanese sweet shop. He meets the owner's six-year-old son, Takatsuki Tsubaki, and they become childhood sweethearts. Tragedy strikes when Tsubaki’s father is murdered. Her mother is arrested based on his testimony. It is a strong murder plot hampered by lackluster acting and terrible pacing.
10. Coffee And Vanilla
It is a romance drama released in 2019, starring Fukuhara Harika and Sakurada Dori. It is a love story between Hiroto Fukami and Risa Shiroki. Risa is a twenty-year-old who comes to Tokyo from the countryside to attend university. She is popular among the male students. One day, she meets Hiroto Fukami, a thirty-year-old, who is a businessman. The female lead destroyed the show, and it was unbearable to watch. The male lead lacks responsibility.
