Unidentifiable

yes except I prefer the actors here. Particularly prefer the ML actor here (ML in No Gain No Love isn't very expressive)

I don't understand how all these expensive dramas are made... and they couldn't even be bothered to hire decent writers? Might as well burn the money.

Good writing can carry a lot. Bad writing is just... makes everything bad.

He's the sort of pathetic scum that's great for comedy.

Thanks for that. I don't read Japanese so I missed it. It was an easy detail to miss anyway, it sounds like.

I would like to enjoy this, but I just can't. If only they had chosen any other time setting. Or not made the ML military.

Ep 2 was only 30 minutes, so they are short.

I don't understand how Todo Seigo managed to find Asuka in ep 2. She never explained who she was even when he asked (which implies he didn't know), and then how on earth did he know she would be where he found her? I didn't get the impression he was a stalker.

Uh well. A lot of popular dramas are poorly acted, have a strange script and scenarios that might have worked in a manga but do not translate so well into a drama. (Imo a lot of romcoms and some of the thriller/mysteries) And then you have the ones that are genuinely well acted, thought-provoking stories. That leave you reeling because they are phenomenal. The drama I mentioned above is one such drama.

But also I tend to be hypercritical of writing. Just in general, for any drama, regardless of the country. This is why I rarely finish anything. So please don't take my opinions as factual statements. They are opinions.

Just uh, butting into this conversation. I hope you don't mind. I've noticed some of the best Jdramas tend to fly under the radar, and are often harder to locate. (Why I don't watch many). There is a massive disparity in quality. Some of the really popular ones are just really bad anime adaptations. And I personally often prefer the non-romance ones.

An absolutely marvelous drama which I think showcases some of biggest strengths of Jdramas is called Brush Up Life, from 2023. If you can find it.

only on the first couple episodes... but the director should learn the power of silence. Everything has a sound affect or background noise/music, it's getting pretty distracting.

chronic is not terminal though

At least it's chronic illness, and not terminal illness. Chronic illnesses are very common, 1 in 3 people live with one. I hope they depict it well.

Idk but there are a lot of very very similar plots floating around. Like that one with a fake marriage to get a discount on an apartment, that was the premise of one.. last year? The year before? Very similar anyway. I like the actors in this one more though.

EDIT: Wait, I'm mis-remembering. The one I was thinking of was No Gain, No Love which was a marriage so as not to miss out on a promotion and from last year. The marriage for an apartment happened in Happiness, which turned into a zombie apocalypse and is a totally different genre. Haha anyway, it's a common premise.

following up on the other comment: The first half of Beyond Evil is great, Flower of Evil is very fun though it isn't perfect it's popular for good reason, Mouse is imo not good but I dropped it 1/3 of the way through. I haven't gotten around to Doubt.

Also try: Through the Darkness, which is based off of true cases and the first profilers in Korea with some excellent execution. Black Out is a drama I enjoyed a lot, but it can be infuriating so requires a certain mindset. Also, when in doubt, watch Stranger - maybe I'm nostalgic as it was my first K thriller, but I think it is brilliant.

And for something light-hearted, The Good Detective is also very well done. It definitely does have some comedic moments, but it's incredibly enjoyable.

I made a list of all the murder mysteries and thrillers I have seen (and remembered to add, there's a few I forgot to) called: Mysteries, Thrillers, Detectives and Murder accessible from my profile if you want a list of more.

Too much screen-time was spent on the therapist. And also the FL was telling her everything. She was obviously gonna be involved, and then there was that emphasis on not mentioning the therapist's private life. A comment that wouldn't raise eyebrows, but the writers would not have mentioned this if it wasn't relevant.

Also the culprit is almost always introduced in the first couple episodes. So.

I found it boring and un-suspenseful tbh. I also did not enjoy the "goofy genius" given off by the fl, although I did enjoy that that stereotype was given to a female character for once.

But also I watch so many of these genres I am very very familiar with the narrative patterns, and it didn't really bring anything new to the table for me - which it might do for you. I suggest trying it, but don't expect it to get better after the first couple episodes (It doesn't really)

I gave it a 7/10 so it wasn't a waste of time.

Honestly kinda boring. I did want to like it, so I watched the whole thing... but. I had the killer figured out by episode 2 (not for any suspicious activity, but from the way they were written into the story) and so the whole thing just... lacked suspense, even the red herrings were clearly just that. Also the characters didn't grow on me at all.

Maybe I just watch too many dramas from this genre?

Why do high budget dramas seem incapable of hiring competent writers?

I think it is highly unlikely.

Agree with all that, but also I think it was implied that what the the mls mother said reminded the fl of her father abandoning her, and that's probably how she treats him, so that was her perspective.

I think the drama knows and is intentionally making it all appear exploitative. The husband summed it up quite well I think: "You'll sell someone else's son to buy our son's future?" (does her son even want this future she's buying?)

There's a lot of room for character growth. Hopefully we get it.