andoR

It's sad, but it's all about production quality and "western standards" when it comes to MDL ratings. That's why, for example, dramas like Alice in Borderland or almost all KDramas have a rating of 8 or higher, because they spend more money so it always looks like the set's a Hollywood production, actors look like they are going straight to an exclusive millionaires party even if they just woke up, and the plots and acting are more "westernized". If something's not up to par with Netflix productions people deduct 2 points or more from their rating, regardless of the story/acting. If it's something that's more unique to Japan, like here the student - adult relationship (I'm not a fan either, but I don't rate it badly because of it) or unique Japanese comedy like Kenshirou ni Yoroshiku, it gets points deducted because people only watch 2 episodes and then flame it to hell how bad the actors, production and plot are, just because it's made solely for the Japanese market and they simply have other standards and methods how to do tv.

Oh don't get me started. I love Japan and its culture, but I hate quite a few parts of their society and laws (especially when it comes to women's rights, minorities, marriage and their idealization of it). If you see it from the worst possible standpoint, these laws with the family register and single custody could be a means for the husband/father to have complete control over his family. Of course, I don't really believe that, but there are quite a few dramas where the father basically takes them hostage by saying "if you divorce me, I'll take our kid and you can't do anything about it because you are only a meager housewive without any income", so I also wouldn't be shocked if some shogun/politician made the law because of that reason. I really can't believe that this whole "family name legacy" is still a thing in Japan and I think it's one of the (many) reasons why their economy and birthrate is struggling.

I haven't seen the drama yet, so I can't really say anything specifically about that situation, but I'm a divorce kid myself and was in a similar situation you described quite a few years back, so I can understand not really wanting to have anything to do with the father. Well, in my case my dad was quite passive and always seemed indifferent to everything, so I didn't have much of a relationship with him to begin with, which is why the contact naturally got less and less.

In Japan there's no "shared custody" or visitation law or whatever's called. Either the mother or the father gets custody of the kid and they have no obligation to let the other side see their child, everything's basically voluntary. I think it's a Meiji era law from 150 or 200 years ago that never got changed, just like the rape law (the template at least) and that girls can get married (off) at the age of 14, until they changed at least the latter one last year.

So, this is like the movie for episode 1 of the anime, right? I really hope so, otherwise it's going to be a ultra rushed train wreck. If they make a 90 minute episode for an anime, you definitely need 90 minutes for that episode. Well, as a fan, I'm anxious either way, with so many non-actresses cast in character heavy roles. At least the in-the-story-actresses are played by actresses with more of a/a better track record.

The part why it's more common is probably because, at least in the past before all the regulations with privacy, harassment and what teachers are and aren't allowed to do were tightened, teachers were very much involved in the lives of their students. They gave advice on everything, they were called when the student did something wrong (stealing a choco bar or whatever), even parents asked them for advice, etc. I guess some teachers are still like that, which simply makes them one of the closest people around and one that always (tried to) listen(ed). Maybe the easiest way to make a teenager fall in love. Which is one of the biggest reasons why I always thought it creepy af that most teachers in girls' schools are/were male by the way... I wouldn't even want to know the number of unreported cases that happened in that kind of environment.

Unicorn ni Notte is about all that, with Nagano Mei. It's pretty KDrama-esque from how the drama and everyone in it looks aesthetically, but if you don't have a problem with people always looking like they're going to an expensive dinner party even if they just fall out of bed then you should give it shot.

Isn't that the same reason why Freddy Mercury didn't fix his teeth? Interesting that something like this could influence your singing.

Someone should remove the tags. I don't think any of the two was lesbian. One was in a relationship with a guy and the other seemed like she was her best friend and like a sister. Regardless of that, the two actresses seemed like they just memorized their lines and were talking to themselves the whole time. Which is not really good if that's all that happens for 40 minutes.

Typical Shoujo Manga adpation, minus the (verbal) abuse that's present in a lot of them. I get what people are saying about "a fluffy drama", but I tried to watch it three times and dropped it three times because for me it's not fluffy but totally without logic. I refuse to believe that there are so damn painfully innocent and pure girls out in society in this day and age, even if Japan doesn't have a formal sex ed in their schools. She comes across as someone wihtout any interest in a relationship and just wants to work on her manga, but the writer thought that it's not ok to not be in love all the time. But I think the biggest problem is the mindset of "she, and women in general, do(es)n't (or shouldn't) know how sex works, so she/they should let some guy teach her/them even if they're not really interested, as long as she/they can keep their clothes on while doing it".

If you're that salty you should first read my comment a bit more carefully. I'm criticizing a JDrama here by comparing it with KDramas. I know there's a lot of good stuff out of Korea (Oldboy is one of my favorite movies of all time for example), that's why I said "A LOT OF THEM" are very overrated. I've watched my fair share of Netflix Kdramas, even though I only finished about half of them and didn't rate them on MDL, but I can only explain why some of them have a rating of 9 when there are similar JDramas that are just as good or better with a 7.5 because of the production quality, the visuals I mentioned in my previous comment and because they are produced to cater more to western audiences while a vast majority of JDramas are solely produced for the Japanese market. It's the same with Alice in Borderland by the way, which I think is overrated here on MDL because of the same reasons.

Ah, so that's why a lot of the KDramas get 8.5 or higher even if the story's nonsense or cheap and deserves a maximum of 7.5. One of the things I don't like about Korean dramas, actresses, and actors for that matter, is that they are perfectly made up when they wake up, with lipstick and rouge and whatever and all their clothes are always impeccable and look like they cost 5k Dollar as a set. It really lowers my rating to be honest, rather than improves it.

I know, that's what made it surprising for me, if it were based on ability (won awards, money brought in or sth) or social media followers or something than the list would be completely different.

First, you wrote "martial status" for all of them instead of marital status, it's not like they are at war with their husbands ;)
Pretty interesting list! I thought for sure Tsuchiya Tao would take #1 because of Alice in Borderland. Pretty surprising for a lot of them to appear in a popularity ranking at all, especially a few like Horikita Maki, Kiritani Mirei or Takei Emi, who weren't active in the last few years (when it comes to acting) or the ones who are more known for playing the verbally abused but still worshipping their tsundere partners characters like Fukuhara Haruka and Yahagi Honoka. And really surprised at the missing, like Mitsushima Hikari, Ando Sakura, Nikaido Fumi or Kitsuna Shiori, just to name a few. I also thought Moka would be more known/popular Kamishiraishi sister than Mone, but I guess adieu isn't really known outside of Japan and romance dramas equal more popularity.

It isn't. I haven't seen it and I don't really know what it's about aside from the synopsis, but I can assure you it's not GL, because then it would be a pretty big deal and not as "under the radar" as it is here on MDL.

I like almost everything unique, which is one of the reasons why I love Japanese media, be it drama/movies, anime or their music, like Ado or Band-Maid. And that's also why I liked S1 or why I like Yuri (GL centered) for example, because there's no JDramas with these topics. That's by the way no exaggeration, there's only one JDrama ever with a unsubtle lesbian couple/relationship as main characters/focus.
Also agree with pretty much everything else. I don't care much if a drama/movie has kissing, romantic or even "mature" scenes with nudity, but I care for "if you want to show it, show it as it is or just completely leave the scene out". When I see two people pressing their faces together like fish to show they are attracted to each other or stupid camera placement so a bottle or something is in the foreground to "censor" a (half) naked person behind it, I get a cringe attack. That's one of the very few things I really don't like about JDramas, don't include scenes with naked people or a bit of skinship if you don't want to/are not allowed to show it anyways. I really don't know what the fuss is about with showing "nakedness" or kissing someone if it's really only that and not people having sex or french kissing each other so it seems they are eating each others tongues. Every person in this world has seen (a) naked body/bodies before or people kissing, even if it's only their family or random strangers on the street.

Fair. I was just trying to find a difference between One Piece and my listed movies. I don't care if any of those are on here or not, but in my eyes a simple "co-production" doesn't make it an "Asian movie/drama" (One of the co-producers of One Piece, Fujimura Tetsu, also co-produced Ghost in the Shell, for example). Of course, that's probably more or less subjective and it also depends on what counts as a co-production and how involved these people were. The internet sees it different than me and that's totally ok.

When does Ghost in the Shell with Scarlett Johansson, Robert Rodriguez' Battle Angel Alita, The Ring with Naomi Watts or The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise, etc get an MDL Page? Most of those have the same or even more Japanese influences in their production and acting departments than One Piece.

According to Nagano Mei's instagram, yes, on May 31st. I wonder if it'll play in a high school or if they'll play middle schoolers even though they're obviously in their 20s, as a kind of humorous element?

You don't need to be active, you just have to have an account on Twitter or even here on MDL as far as I remember to show you're not a bot. And then thank them from time to time to show you're not just inactively idling around.

Definitely worse than the first season, but still funny and enjoyable, albeit in a slightly repetitive way. Two things I really didn't like, first is that they completely overturned Mio's character growth from S1. At the start of S2 she was basically the same as she was at the start of S1 even though she made a lot of progress in her self-confidence and worth in S1.
Second, this constantly, almost every episode of both seasons, falling in love with shady men behaving like scumbags tires me out, I think she should have learned her lesson somewhere along the way, but that's unfortunately something countless FLs in JDrama are too dumb to do.
And a BIG thanks to HPriest, 101 out of 100 points for the provided subs!