I've seen Boku to Star no 99 Nichi and I second it, if you can do 2011, It stars a Korean actress, Kim Tae-hee as the "star" and she's actually pretty good.
Some others:
- Hotaru no Hikari (2007) - goofy kouhai OL falls for tsundere divorcee
- Hana Yori Dango (2005) - the classic "Boys over flowers" adaptation
- Orange Days (2004) - another ensemble kind of romance
May I ask why this time period? I would generally have to disagree with you that the acting is better. I mean "in some cases" is pretty vague.