SakuraPrincess

I'm never surprised by negative comments on Jdramas anymore. It feels like a lot of people watch them in order to complain about them. IMO.

Buzzer Beat is incredible. The second drama I ever watched with Yamapi and there was no going back from that point. One Pound Gospel is also awesome and one of my favorites with Kamenashi..

I'm not objective when it comes to Yamashita Tomohisa either. :)

Just watched "Marmalade Boy" and loved it! That's a really excellent film, wow. I never read the manga, but it's a lovely, lovely story. The actors did a terrific job and I'm so glad it ended well. Thank goodness!

I do love the 2017 Kimi wa Petto! Momo is darling, and I adore Sumire-chan. They're such a cute couple, and he's so sweet. I do love the complexities of their relationship and how he's so positive for so long and then has random bouts of depression and melancholy. It's a really endearing series. I did watch this one on Viki; it was awesome that they had it.

I admit that I streamed all of my recommendations on dramacool. I wish official sites like Netflix or Viki had more Japanese programming, but they just don't. It's such a shame.

I haven't watched any K-dramas yet, but I may try "My Unfortunate Boyfriend." If it ends happily and she improves, then I can probably suffer through her nastiness. It sounds like the ML is really sweet.

Another sweet J-drama is "Buzzer Beat." It's about a basketball player and his love for a violinist. He's kind of a nice/weak male lead. So kind and generous to a fault. He will give up almost anything if he thinks it will serve others, even giving up his own happiness. It does end happily and it's one of the first dramas I ever watched and I just fell completely in love with it.

Alas, that happens a lot for me to. I'm usually not in line with popular thought for most Jdramas. I usually just like to sit back and have a good time and not judge my dramas too harshly. It doesn't seem fair to them to be overly critical when the actors and people involved always put in so much effort. I haven't watched Marmalade Boy yet, but am adding it to my list. :)

I like your idea! I just added "Ojisan wa Kawaii Mono ga Osuki" to my plan to watch list. It sounds absolutely darling.

Adding to the list of non-tsundere characters.

So for me, one of my favorite movies is "One Week Friends." Kento Yamazaki as the ML is a little silly, but absolutely as sweet as can be. He is abounding in positive enthusiasm, compassion, and warmth. It's probably the warmest, bubbliest role I've seen him play.

Then there's also the drama "1 Pound no Fukuin" with Kazuya Kamenashi. He plays a boxer who loves to eat and falls in love with a nun. It's very silly, but his character is an absolute doll. He hides nothing, the audience always knows exactly what he's feeling. Such a fun show.

And of course, Haruma Miura's classic "From Me to You." He plays the popular kid who's surprisingly kind. He tries to treat everyone with respect, and he's surprisingly shy about his feelings, which is endearing. It's a very lovely role, and how I'll always remember him best.

I liked them both equally.

Yes, a drama would have been nice.

A lot of your questions are answered in the manga series, which I guess they assume everyone would have read. Which is probably fair considering Japan doesn't really outsource their entertainment so most people in Japan watching the film had likely read the manga. If we're watching it outside Asia it's likely through illegal means. Just sayin'.

YES, thank you. The subs are garbage. I try to give grace, but these are just bad and it is beyond me why no one has resubbed it yet! If it's an honor thing, please don't stand on ceremony. Just resub it! Kento Yamazaki deserves better.

Also, I agree about the tsundere thing. It's gotten old. I realized I didn't like that trope when I watched Itazura na Kiss.

Agreed. It's a beautiful, slow-paced manga and the movie just doesn't have time to do it justice. Such a shame. They should probably do a remake as a drama (and I don't want one of those 25 minute an episode dramas, thank you very much).

Nope, most Jdramas of any quality are going to be in the 45 - 55 minute range per episode. Only a small percentage of dramas are actually in the 25-30 minute range, and yes, those ones are likely going to be of a lesser quality because, I hate to say it, they're usually based on crap manga. Not always, but usually from what I've found. If you want anything of any real substance, find dramas with longer episodes. There's a ton out there, literally.

Yes, indeed it was. There's also a little bit of a "24" vibe, for anyone who remembers that one.

dramacool - the first 6 episodes are subbed.

Deliciously chilling so far. I love that Kamenashi has blossomed into full adulthood. He's marvelous in this. It does have a bit of a "Person of Interest" flavor but feels more like I'm watching "Criminal Minds" which is okay by me.

Ooh sounds lovely! I'm always up for more Kame and I love dark thrillers. It's nice he's reaching that point in his career where he can branch out from romantic leads.

My Jdrama journey started when I read the manga The Wallflower and discovered there was a live-action series "Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge." This introduced me to Kazuya Kamenashi from KAT-TUN and my love for him ended up introducing me to loads more dramas and actors. But it does come down to that one manga series that I love.

For newcomers, try the movies. There's a lot of really terrific Jmovies out there, many are based on manga, but not necessarily all. It's a great way to get your feet wet, so to speak, without committing to something with 10 episodes. If you have a favorite manga, see if there's a live-action and go from there. Even "Anonymous Noise" has a movie, although I haven't seen it yet.

There's also dramacool

Happy birthday! Loved you in Snow Flower!

Oh boy, just not very good. Except for the heroine. She's got some spunk. But everything else, waaaaaaay overdone.