Thanks a lot for this compilation, that's really helpful. I was quite away from Jdramas last months and I would like to watch some airing ones. The fact that there were no guides didn't help to reconnect with them, so your efforts are very much appreciated! I've added way too many of them that look interesting, but I'm not type for any of them. There could be some good surprised though. At least Nihon Chinbotsu : Kobo no Hito seems to be The drama to follow considering its amazing cast and its plot.
Thanks a lot for this detailed article. I'm ashamed to admit that despite calling myself a Japanese dramas and movies' fan, I knew pretty much nothing about Kurosawa (his personnal life as well as his professionnal one, except maybe about his influence on western movies). So it has been a very interesting and informative read. I'm even more ashamed to realise I've almost seen nothing from him.
My first encounter with his work was Dreams, and I cannot say it was the best way to start with. This is definitely a very peculiar and artsy movie, and I had difficulty following and understanding it (if there were something to understand).
But that was a totally different story with the next one : High and Law (just realised I never added it to my PTW list, maybe because it was not registered at the time I watched it, don't know). The story really intrigued me and I remember having been pleasantly surprised by it. I did also admired a lot the aesthetic of that movie (black and white sure conveys a special atmosphere).
I have started Stray dog too, but never took the time to finish it. Not really out of boredom, despite having a slow pace that was not what I was expecting. At least I remember having admired the depiction of the Japanese society at that time. It, somehow, felt less contraint than the current one. That being said, the memories are cloudy, and I should definitely try it again, and finish it then.
I think I've bought one or two other of his movies (don't remember) but always postponed watching them. Now I feel like watching them, they are packed in my boxes, waiting for future move out to be unpacked.
Hopefully, some of his most famous work are available on VOD platforms (but there are not on Netflix, I checked beforehand). At least french speaking users can find them on La Cinetek (to rent or to buy).
So once again, thanks a lot for the hard work guys!
Thanks a lot for this article (as well ad for the first one). I've watched all the lost tomb adaptations except for Mystic Nine, and to my biggest surprise, I fell totally in love with the story. I confess I'm totally lost in the History part as I know almost nothing about chinese History (I'm not a chinese drama watcher) and to be totally honest, I think there are many things about Wu Xie's uncle's story that stay unclear even after completing Reunion.
Thanks for the informations about the different companies. You can clearly see the differences in the dramas, but I never realised it was because of different production' s companies. Surprisingly, the change of cast is not that disturbing and did not lessen the pleasure when watching them in a row. But I still got my favorites.
As you mentioned, one of the most appealing part of the shows is the friendship. This is definitely my favorite theme in Dramaland, and it mainly explains my love for this franchise. Not only from the main characters, but also from the side characters. The connections everyone of them with Wu Xie us generally truly endearing. As shows pass, my favorite friendship surely become the one between Hei Yan Jing and Xie Yu Chen. I'm currently trying to read the novel, because I want to understand more the background story and the uncle's story.
Thanks a lot for this article, I enjoyed both the form and the substance (even if when I reached the last drama I felt like I would have wanted more recommendations). I've watched Seigi no Se, that I enjoyed, especially Yasuda's perf, and Hayako Sensei, that I liked less despite its good aspects. I was skeptical about adding Alibi... to my PTW list, but I might reconsider it after reading your article. And thanks for reminding me of Mikaiketsu no onna, I can't miss it with such a cast. All the other dramas look good too.
Sakai and Kohinata in the same drama, with such a stellar cast? Count me in whenever it comes out! I would definitely love to watch such an adaptation in japanese setting.
Not sure to check the original material as I don't speak any of the languages involved, but this description of the Czechoslovakian drama surely impressed me. I'm still amazed to see how productions of the communist era are so modern in the depiction of the society of that time, compared to the ones produced in western european countries at the same time. Your article made me realise that the Berlin's wall and the partition of Europe it symbolized was not just an idea. European really grew up in two different worlds at the time (and still partly do).
On a side note, Japan has already depicted the life of supermarket workers : I'm mostly thinking of (if I put aside the crazy Mr Nietszche in the convenience store) Shufu Katsu! The story made me think of this european drama when I read your article : it depicts the life of a woman who starts working in a supermarket and tries to solve all the issues arising in her family and at the supermarket at the same time. It is maybe less realistic than your drama, as it has the very japanese habits to emphasize on the positive sides of life, where actions and perseverance are the key to succeed in overcoming obstacles. Yet it was a nice tribute to all supermarket workers (watched it during the pandemic so it was quite impactful, maybe more than it would have been in another context).
Nice dedication which makes me wonder if your mother speak french (no need to answer such a private question, it just piqued my curiosity).
Oh, I almost forgot : thanks a lot for this article! I enjoyed reading as usual, and I loved to read why you chose those actors for the roles. I would also definitely like to read more articles of the kind.
Thanks a lot for this unusual yet really interesting article. It's probably the first time I'm reading an article about posters, and honeslty had hesitation before opening the article as I don't watch chinese movies, but I fully enjoyed it.
Even if I knew the composition of a poster has a lot more meanings than what it could seem at first, it was trully informative and I really enjoyed the choices you made on here. You got me interested in the Wandering earth movie thanks to your favorite poster, as it is really stunning and intriguing. I liked it a lot, as well as the ones for the documentary.
Thanks a lot for this original concept, and I'm looking forward to your next installments!
Thank you for a detailed comment, Sumi!Yeah, I have been thinking about 1Q84, too, but I don't remember it too…
Well, honestly I didn't think about Aum cult while reading 1Q84, it's just the reminiscence of a cult that makes me think about if now. But maybe I'm reading too much in something that might not be related.
Don't feel pressure, please. It's just that we enjoy reading your articles and the topic is interesting, so we would like to read more. But if you're not interested in writing it and don't have time too, it's fine. MDL should stay an enjoyable place, so there is no need to feel pressured by our demands. Looking forward to your next article, whatever the topic!
Oh wow, you even wrote an article on this topic! Great job, very detailed and well explained work. Impressive as usual. It's always a pleasure to read well builded and grounded papers. Thanks a lot!
As i said previously, I have a vague recollection of the events, I was a teen at the time. I remember hearing about the attacks (that and the Kobe earthquake, 1995 was an awful year for Japan), but not much because, as I said, Japan was far away at the time, and I don't think french TV talked about it for long. Murakami's book was the way to really know about the events. In a way, it is surprising that I didn't know much about it, because I vaguely recall we talked a lot about cults and deaths related to sects/ cults in the 90s, as there were several events around the world at that time (at least that's how it stayed in my memory, but it's not reliable lately). That was a topic that fascinated and scared me at the same time.
It was really interesting to read more about this cult and how it was addressed in the cinematographic field. I had in fact no idea there were movies or documentaries related to the events (even if it seems legitimate when thinking about it), let alone anime. I am tempted to give it a try just to see how it turned. Movies seem interesting too, will try them when I'm more in the mood. You already know I had appreciated Underground, so I won't say more about it. But when reading your article, I also recalled his other work, fictional this time, that is 1Q84. I have a bad memory of that book (once again, it might be dementia), but at least I remember the presence of a sect in the story, and I cannot help making a comparison with Aum cult. I'm wondering how his work on first edition of Underground (around 1997 if I'm not mistaken) could have (or not) influenced him when writing the trilogy...
Once again, thanks a lot! I would definitely enjoy reading more about the hints in dramas too. I got the reference when watching Bloody Monday, but I would definitely appreciate to know about them in other dramas. I have missed many of them for sure.
Ah, and on a side note, I'm seconding the recommendation of XXth Century Boys. It deals with sects too even if I'm not sure it's related to the events of 1995. But the manga itself is brilliant (it's Urasawa Naoki after all), so it's definitely a must read. (haven't watched the movies yet)
Thanks a lot guys for those very interesting articles (I missed the previous one so I read both in a go, they are really complementary to each others). Those are informations I never knew I needed to know. I would honestly never have taken the time to learn about North korean cinema and dramas if not for your articles. I don't know if I could really enjoy them, but et least you got me curious about them. Maybe I will be less reluctant to try one if I come accross any of them.
Always a pleasure to read such well structured and well written articles. Thanks, once again!
- Yeah that's what I thought in the past I can't never watched an installment if it's part of a series of stories.…
I'm a japanese drama watcher but I NEVER watched any of the High and Low series (not my cup of tea, even if when watching asian dramas I discovered that supposedly-not-my-cup-of-tea dramas are in fact pretty interesting). But I indeed feel reluctant to not watch an entire serie if the one which is interesting me is not the first. In the Lost tomb series, the one that interested me at first was Reunion, and I was a little bit desperate when I saw it was the last one of the series. Yet I didn't waver that long for watching it all, and I was pleasantly surprised to realise I'm liking the previous installment that much.
Yes, about the link
Yeah, I understood it for alluring young watchers. I'm way older than the actors and the general audience I guess, so it wouldn't have worked either. "This" is not what attracts me in Zhang Qi Ling character (and that's also why I might have liked Cheng Yi's Qiling better)
I do like discuss dramas too, but I'm generally watching either Japanese dramas that are less discussed, or, like you, already finished one. So it's difficult to take part in a discussion. I sometimes miss this kind of interaction, because it seems that's what contributes to the enjoyment of the series, sometimes as much as the story and its depiction itself. I'm the only one among my friends on here to watch the lost tomb series, and I'm currently totally obsesses and overwhelmed by it. So it's frustrating to not talk about it (and that's why I wrote so much in my first and even in this post.
Thanks a lot for this article. I finished this season a few weeks ago so it's still fresh in my memory, but I still learned many things from your article. I'm watching all the seasons in the right order (except Mystic Nine that I left aside), so it never occured to me you could watch Ultimate Note as a stand alone. That being said, I do agree that the drama itself provides enough informations to be able to follow the story, and in fact it was very helpful after The Lost Tomb 2 as the second part was never broadcast, and we were left, once again, on a cliffhanger. That being said, it's also interesting to discover things while watching the dramas instead of having everything explained at first, I can put myself in the shoes of the characters and understand backstories along with them.
Characters speaking, even if according to watchers who know the novel, Ultimate Note is the closest to the story between TLT, TLT2 and UN, this is not the season I like the most. I'm currently in the middle of the Reunion first season, and so far all Wu Xies were good to me. As for the Iron triangle, I thought it worked the most in TLT2 (I would say this is the season when I enjoyed the incarnations by the actors the best). I'm honeslty not a big fan of Zhang Qi Ling in UN, which is a shame as it's one of the most endearing character (and despite your alluring last clip). It's all a matter of personnal preferences though. Friendship is what made me stay and "fall" for the main characters. If the Iron triangle is indeed really enoyable in the UN installement, I would say that the building of the relationship between Xie Yu Chen and Hei Yan Jing almost stole the show for me. I'm a sucker for this kind of bromance, and that's also why I'm still frustrated to not have the story that follows the ending of UN. Strangely enough though, once again those incarnations are not the one I enjoyed the most. I prefer the Xie Yu Chen of TLT2, and the Hei Yan Jing of Tomb of the Sea (despite him very different from the one in UN). I was afraid they would be annoying at first, but I was pleasantly surprise as the still intriguing story unfold. But once again, this is all a matter of personnal preferences.
I would also add that UN has a tone that is very different from the first two seasons, and also from Tomb of the Sea (which is very peculiar in my pov among all installments). I was surprised at first because the humour was not the same as in the first two seasons, but it's not especially a bad thing (a matter of personnal preferences...). On that note, I would say that Reunion, at least at the beginning , gave me the same kind of vibes than Ultimate Note. It feels to me closer to it than to any other season, in the humour, as well as in the place given to friendship once again. Tomb of the Sea which takes place in between is so different from any other season that it must reinforce this impression.
Sorry for the long comment, and thanks a lot for giving me an occasion to talk about this series of dramas, as I'm totally immerged in it for more than a month now, and totally addicted too.
Thanks a lot, Pepper, for highlighting this genre! Like many people, I found the concept of slice of life boring many yeas ago, but as i discovered more and more asian (mainly japanese, you know it well) dramas, I realised what is the beauty of this genre. It has become a favorite. From the one you've listed, I've only watched Ojisan wa Kawaii Mono ga Osuki, that I really enjoyed. You've chosen a large scale of dramas and topics for this article, it shows the variety of such a genre. While watching more and more of them, I've learned to appreciate more everyday life, especially family moments, or with friends. It helped considering the beauty of such parts of our life, what makes it sometimes easier and savourous. If I were to give one title, that would maybe be "Princess Maison".
Thanks a lot for the results. I've already watched and liked Fukushima 50, and plan to watch the Aasdas! and Yowamushi Pedal. Adding Midnight swan on my PTW list too, it looks interesting. Others look good too, but too depressing surely.
Finally the news article I was waiting for! ;p Thanks for writing it. As for those who asked, Nino married in november 2019, right between the new emperor enthronment ceremony and their Jetstorm in 4 South Asian towns. As for the next Arashi member, I will bet on Ohno, but hopefully all the members will be able to fully enjoy their private life as well!
Ah yes, almost forgot: congrats to the parents, and best wishes for the baby girl!
10 
18 
10 
I've added way too many of them that look interesting, but I'm not type for any of them. There could be some good surprised though.
At least Nihon Chinbotsu : Kobo no Hito seems to be The drama to follow considering its amazing cast and its plot.
I'm even more ashamed to realise I've almost seen nothing from him.
My first encounter with his work was Dreams, and I cannot say it was the best way to start with. This is definitely a very peculiar and artsy movie, and I had difficulty following and understanding it (if there were something to understand).
But that was a totally different story with the next one : High and Law (just realised I never added it to my PTW list, maybe because it was not registered at the time I watched it, don't know). The story really intrigued me and I remember having been pleasantly surprised by it. I did also admired a lot the aesthetic of that movie (black and white sure conveys a special atmosphere).
I have started Stray dog too, but never took the time to finish it. Not really out of boredom, despite having a slow pace that was not what I was expecting. At least I remember having admired the depiction of the Japanese society at that time. It, somehow, felt less contraint than the current one. That being said, the memories are cloudy, and I should definitely try it again, and finish it then.
I think I've bought one or two other of his movies (don't remember) but always postponed watching them. Now I feel like watching them, they are packed in my boxes, waiting for future move out to be unpacked.
Hopefully, some of his most famous work are available on VOD platforms (but there are not on Netflix, I checked beforehand). At least french speaking users can find them on La Cinetek (to rent or to buy).
So once again, thanks a lot for the hard work guys!
I've watched all the lost tomb adaptations except for Mystic Nine, and to my biggest surprise, I fell totally in love with the story. I confess I'm totally lost in the History part as I know almost nothing about chinese History (I'm not a chinese drama watcher) and to be totally honest, I think there are many things about Wu Xie's uncle's story that stay unclear even after completing Reunion.
Thanks for the informations about the different companies. You can clearly see the differences in the dramas, but I never realised it was because of different production' s companies. Surprisingly, the change of cast is not that disturbing and did not lessen the pleasure when watching them in a row. But I still got my favorites.
As you mentioned, one of the most appealing part of the shows is the friendship. This is definitely my favorite theme in Dramaland, and it mainly explains my love for this franchise. Not only from the main characters, but also from the side characters. The connections everyone of them with Wu Xie us generally truly endearing. As shows pass, my favorite friendship surely become the one between Hei Yan Jing and Xie Yu Chen.
I'm currently trying to read the novel, because I want to understand more the background story and the uncle's story.
I've watched Seigi no Se, that I enjoyed, especially Yasuda's perf, and Hayako Sensei, that I liked less despite its good aspects.
I was skeptical about adding Alibi... to my PTW list, but I might reconsider it after reading your article. And thanks for reminding me of Mikaiketsu no onna, I can't miss it with such a cast.
All the other dramas look good too.
I would definitely love to watch such an adaptation in japanese setting.
Not sure to check the original material as I don't speak any of the languages involved, but this description of the Czechoslovakian drama surely impressed me. I'm still amazed to see how productions of the communist era are so modern in the depiction of the society of that time, compared to the ones produced in western european countries at the same time. Your article made me realise that the Berlin's wall and the partition of Europe it symbolized was not just an idea. European really grew up in two different worlds at the time (and still partly do).
On a side note, Japan has already depicted the life of supermarket workers : I'm mostly thinking of (if I put aside the crazy Mr Nietszche in the convenience store) Shufu Katsu! The story made me think of this european drama when I read your article : it depicts the life of a woman who starts working in a supermarket and tries to solve all the issues arising in her family and at the supermarket at the same time. It is maybe less realistic than your drama, as it has the very japanese habits to emphasize on the positive sides of life, where actions and perseverance are the key to succeed in overcoming obstacles. Yet it was a nice tribute to all supermarket workers (watched it during the pandemic so it was quite impactful, maybe more than it would have been in another context).
Nice dedication which makes me wonder if your mother speak french (no need to answer such a private question, it just piqued my curiosity).
Oh, I almost forgot : thanks a lot for this article! I enjoyed reading as usual, and I loved to read why you chose those actors for the roles. I would also definitely like to read more articles of the kind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV_r73tNgms
Even if I knew the composition of a poster has a lot more meanings than what it could seem at first, it was trully informative and I really enjoyed the choices you made on here.
You got me interested in the Wandering earth movie thanks to your favorite poster, as it is really stunning and intriguing. I liked it a lot, as well as the ones for the documentary.
Thanks a lot for this original concept, and I'm looking forward to your next installments!
Congrats to both of them and I wish them a long and happy life together!
Don't feel pressure, please. It's just that we enjoy reading your articles and the topic is interesting, so we would like to read more. But if you're not interested in writing it and don't have time too, it's fine. MDL should stay an enjoyable place, so there is no need to feel pressured by our demands.
Looking forward to your next article, whatever the topic!
As i said previously, I have a vague recollection of the events, I was a teen at the time. I remember hearing about the attacks (that and the Kobe earthquake, 1995 was an awful year for Japan), but not much because, as I said, Japan was far away at the time, and I don't think french TV talked about it for long. Murakami's book was the way to really know about the events. In a way, it is surprising that I didn't know much about it, because I vaguely recall we talked a lot about cults and deaths related to sects/ cults in the 90s, as there were several events around the world at that time (at least that's how it stayed in my memory, but it's not reliable lately). That was a topic that fascinated and scared me at the same time.
It was really interesting to read more about this cult and how it was addressed in the cinematographic field. I had in fact no idea there were movies or documentaries related to the events (even if it seems legitimate when thinking about it), let alone anime. I am tempted to give it a try just to see how it turned. Movies seem interesting too, will try them when I'm more in the mood.
You already know I had appreciated Underground, so I won't say more about it. But when reading your article, I also recalled his other work, fictional this time, that is 1Q84. I have a bad memory of that book (once again, it might be dementia), but at least I remember the presence of a sect in the story, and I cannot help making a comparison with Aum cult. I'm wondering how his work on first edition of Underground (around 1997 if I'm not mistaken) could have (or not) influenced him when writing the trilogy...
Once again, thanks a lot! I would definitely enjoy reading more about the hints in dramas too. I got the reference when watching Bloody Monday, but I would definitely appreciate to know about them in other dramas. I have missed many of them for sure.
Ah, and on a side note, I'm seconding the recommendation of XXth Century Boys. It deals with sects too even if I'm not sure it's related to the events of 1995. But the manga itself is brilliant (it's Urasawa Naoki after all), so it's definitely a must read. (haven't watched the movies yet)
I would honestly never have taken the time to learn about North korean cinema and dramas if not for your articles. I don't know if I could really enjoy them, but et least you got me curious about them. Maybe I will be less reluctant to try one if I come accross any of them.
Always a pleasure to read such well structured and well written articles. Thanks, once again!
In the Lost tomb series, the one that interested me at first was Reunion, and I was a little bit desperate when I saw it was the last one of the series. Yet I didn't waver that long for watching it all, and I was pleasantly surprised to realise I'm liking the previous installment that much.
Yes, about the link
Yeah, I understood it for alluring young watchers. I'm way older than the actors and the general audience I guess, so it wouldn't have worked either. "This" is not what attracts me in Zhang Qi Ling character (and that's also why I might have liked Cheng Yi's Qiling better)
I do like discuss dramas too, but I'm generally watching either Japanese dramas that are less discussed, or, like you, already finished one. So it's difficult to take part in a discussion. I sometimes miss this kind of interaction, because it seems that's what contributes to the enjoyment of the series, sometimes as much as the story and its depiction itself. I'm the only one among my friends on here to watch the lost tomb series, and I'm currently totally obsesses and overwhelmed by it. So it's frustrating to not talk about it (and that's why I wrote so much in my first and even in this post.
I'm watching all the seasons in the right order (except Mystic Nine that I left aside), so it never occured to me you could watch Ultimate Note as a stand alone. That being said, I do agree that the drama itself provides enough informations to be able to follow the story, and in fact it was very helpful after The Lost Tomb 2 as the second part was never broadcast, and we were left, once again, on a cliffhanger.
That being said, it's also interesting to discover things while watching the dramas instead of having everything explained at first, I can put myself in the shoes of the characters and understand backstories along with them.
Characters speaking, even if according to watchers who know the novel, Ultimate Note is the closest to the story between TLT, TLT2 and UN, this is not the season I like the most. I'm currently in the middle of the Reunion first season, and so far all Wu Xies were good to me. As for the Iron triangle, I thought it worked the most in TLT2 (I would say this is the season when I enjoyed the incarnations by the actors the best). I'm honeslty not a big fan of Zhang Qi Ling in UN, which is a shame as it's one of the most endearing character (and despite your alluring last clip). It's all a matter of personnal preferences though.
Friendship is what made me stay and "fall" for the main characters. If the Iron triangle is indeed really enoyable in the UN installement, I would say that the building of the relationship between Xie Yu Chen and Hei Yan Jing almost stole the show for me. I'm a sucker for this kind of bromance, and that's also why I'm still frustrated to not have the story that follows the ending of UN. Strangely enough though, once again those incarnations are not the one I enjoyed the most. I prefer the Xie Yu Chen of TLT2, and the Hei Yan Jing of Tomb of the Sea (despite him very different from the one in UN). I was afraid they would be annoying at first, but I was pleasantly surprise as the still intriguing story unfold. But once again, this is all a matter of personnal preferences.
I would also add that UN has a tone that is very different from the first two seasons, and also from Tomb of the Sea (which is very peculiar in my pov among all installments). I was surprised at first because the humour was not the same as in the first two seasons, but it's not especially a bad thing (a matter of personnal preferences...). On that note, I would say that Reunion, at least at the beginning , gave me the same kind of vibes than Ultimate Note. It feels to me closer to it than to any other season, in the humour, as well as in the place given to friendship once again. Tomb of the Sea which takes place in between is so different from any other season that it must reinforce this impression.
Sorry for the long comment, and thanks a lot for giving me an occasion to talk about this series of dramas, as I'm totally immerged in it for more than a month now, and totally addicted too.
Like many people, I found the concept of slice of life boring many yeas ago, but as i discovered more and more asian (mainly japanese, you know it well) dramas, I realised what is the beauty of this genre. It has become a favorite. From the one you've listed, I've only watched Ojisan wa Kawaii Mono ga Osuki, that I really enjoyed. You've chosen a large scale of dramas and topics for this article, it shows the variety of such a genre.
While watching more and more of them, I've learned to appreciate more everyday life, especially family moments, or with friends. It helped considering the beauty of such parts of our life, what makes it sometimes easier and savourous.
If I were to give one title, that would maybe be "Princess Maison".
I've already watched and liked Fukushima 50, and plan to watch the Aasdas! and Yowamushi Pedal. Adding Midnight swan on my PTW list too, it looks interesting. Others look good too, but too depressing surely.
Thanks for writing it.
As for those who asked, Nino married in november 2019, right between the new emperor enthronment ceremony and their Jetstorm in 4 South Asian towns.
As for the next Arashi member, I will bet on Ohno, but hopefully all the members will be able to fully enjoy their private life as well!
Ah yes, almost forgot: congrats to the parents, and best wishes for the baby girl!