The realm of Japanese plays is worth exploring if you have always enjoyed K-dramas but have recently wanted to discover other Asian entertainment. Japanese dramas often contain fewer episodes but still have a strong and distinctive plot, making it a convenient and enjoyable binge for people looking for something to watch on the weekends.
1. Kissing Game: Love In Tokyo
The main character of Mischievous Kiss is the average high school girl Kotoko Aihara, who confides her feelings to Naoki Irie, who is both attractive and intelligent. Naoki, however, rejects her and claims that he doesn't like stupid girls. When Kotoko moves to a temporary home after having her home destroyed horribly by a meteorite, the two's relationship alters. There, she learns she will live alongside Naoki and has the chance to win his affection for good.
2. Nodame Cantabile
Nodame Cantabile (2006) is an 11-episode drama with humour, music, and romance elements. The protagonist of the tale is the pianist Nodame. She is sloppy and wants to work as an educator at the kindergarten. She also lacks discipline. Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi are cast, members.
3. The Hana Yori Dango (2005)
Makino Tsukushi, a student from a lower socioeconomic level who attends the exclusive Eitoku Academy, struggles to blend in with the others because of their outward behaviour. The Flower Four (F4), a group of four hunks who run the school, rule over the pupils and teachers. They establish their domination by terrorising pupils until they drop school. They are playboy offspring of the obscenely wealthy. Although Hana Yori Dango is a very well-liked manga and has been adapted into live-action several times, the tale may sound familiar. The producers of the largest firms in the city made three dramas from the manga: Boys Over Flowers in South Korea (2009), Meteor Garden in Taiwan (2001), and Meteor Garden, a Chinese Netflix original (2018).
4. Erased (Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi)
Another Japanese drama that was adapted from a manga series is Erased. Additionally, Netflix released it in 2017. This Japanese manga's plot centres on a young guy called Satoru Fujinuma, who possesses a unique talent. He can alter some events in the past to improve his life. There are 12 episodes.
5. Bloody Monday
The series centres on bright white hat hacker Fujimaru Takagi, a high school student who goes by the alias "Falcon." To clear his father's name, Fujimaru must investigate the Bloody Monday enigma and the Russian conspiracy to terrorise Japan. The television show is based on a manga published in the Weekly Shonen Magazine from 2007 to 2012.
6. Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango)
Before Korea's Boys Over Flowers, Hana Yori Dango from Japan was the first film that had everyone smitten. The 2005 drama, based on the same-named manga, centres on Makino Tsukushi, the sole underprivileged student in the exclusive Eitoku Gakuen. There, she runs into Flower4 or F4, a gang of four males from prominent families. F4 bullies her after speaking up for her buddy, but she responds by declaring war on them. Due to this, Hanazawa Rui and Domyoji Tsukasa, the head of the F4, become interested in her.
7. The Files Of Young Kindaichi Neo 金田一少年の事件簿N
Several A-list actors appear in Kindaichi, including Hey! Say! JUMP members Ryosuke Yamada and Daiki Arioka as Hajime and Saki. International actors, including Wu Chun, Vivian Hsu, and Nichkhun, are also included in the specials. Kindaichi, based on the venerable and hugely well-liked criminal mystery manga released for the first time in 1992, has seen several adaptations.
8. 2014 Nobunaga Concerto
A youngster called Saburo travels across time to Japan in the novel. When he runs with his doppelgänger Oda Nobunaga, he is asked to take over for him. Both of them begin hiding their identities and lead various lifestyles. There are ten episodes, and it premiered in 2014.
9. Gokusen
The protagonist of Gokusen, also called Gokudo no Sensei, is Yamaguchi Kumiko, who takes a position as the teacher of a class of troublemakers who try their hardest to get her to resign. She is concealing her actual identity, which is that she is a member of the fourth generation of such Oeda Family, a well-known yakuza family of which the class is unaware.
10. Kounodori: Dr.Stork (2015)
This Japanese drama, an adaptation of a Japanese manga, had ten episodes and debuted in 2015. The tale's protagonist is Sakura Konotori, a gynaecologist and accomplished pianist. It demonstrates the doctor's love and cares for his patients. Sakura Konotori plays the lead role in this Japanese drama.
