sumirra

having the same thoughts. youre most likely thinking of seo in guk. who looks like him a lot esp in his appearance in death game.

Here are some that I found enjoyable with good characters, but huge disclaimer that I watched these a long time ago so I can't remember if those sensitive topics were treated in a respected manner or not. Please read the synopsis to make sure they're for you 😓

For some reason, I watched 2 with a traumatic/illegitimate pregnancy involved... They were both very sad to me in the pulls at your heart way.
- Dear Sister (2014)
- 14-sai no haha (2006)

A comedy coming of age story with a dysfunctional family dynamic between sisters.
- Seigi no Mikata (2008)

An office drama with a plot twist. There was a Korean drama remake and I don't know how that one is but I was so distraught with this one. Unfortunately, I can't remember if the dynamic between the two was healthy or not but for dramatic flair I'm pretty sure they had some frustrating plot points that you have to "trust the process" with.
- Rich Man, Poor Woman (2012)

Lastly, a high school poor girl falls for rich boy. I'm going to be completely honest I know this one is a bit of a STRETCH since I know this one has some instances of that passivity that is taken advantage of but amongst the J-drama community it is such a classic beloved that I can't not mention it. And even with all of that I still adored it. There's also a Korean version but I couldn't accept it, I didn't like the way any of the actors were costumed 😓
- Hana Yori Dango (2005)
(otherwise known as Boys over Flowers)

Ugh, tell me about it. I hate debating too, I am much too passionate to not turn it into a screaming match instead 🙄 Your tone was really even and reasonable though so I just had to comment my applause lol. I usually don't comment or review at all because I tend to get my thoughts mixed up but I know a good review when I see one! kudos. I can't believe people can be so hateful on here 😕 but I guess every community has its bad apples. Agreed. I would love to see some display of justice in J dramas as satisfying as those in other media. It's strange since anime is quite the opposite in terms of meek politeness. Nonetheless, there are lovely jdramas out there. I can recommend a few although I'm not sure if I remember too much since I watched many of them years ago when I was still an adolescent unawares of the true injustices in the world. Certainly I also find Kdrama more well rounded overall as well :)

Oh my! I absolutely applaud you for dealing with that keyboard warrior 👏 I really liked your review it was well stated and hit every point on the head. I've watched a lot of jdramas over time and one main common trait is the passiveness of the characters on concerning issues or even when they've been personally insulted. I believe that is because it is like that in Japanese culture in general, they suppress a lot of their self expression and tend to err on the side of politeness. It is very angering when it comes to topics of sexual assault as well but it's something I'm unsurprised by at this point. Nonetheless, the person who replied to your reviews said some very uncalled for passionate expressions of the "truth" which piqued my ire to no end. Thanks for staying strong on your principles and saying what you did about not accepting victim blaming.

Also, on the note of victim blaming, they (jdrama writers) also tend to avoid repercussions for the actual initiator of the conflict or criminal (such as the mother of the ML). They may bribe, kill, hire hit men, etc. but they are almost always let go with a slap on the wrist. Or some unfortunate event befalls them so the actual victims of their crimes are never able to properly confront them and it just becomes an "oh well, they got what was coming for them." It is super frustrating but a common theme in these, I hope you find one that is more enjoyable in the future though.