Japanese Romance Dramas (Part 2 of 6)

I've compiled a list of latest Japanese romance dramas. These dramas were aired from Winter 2010 to Winter 2015. Here's the 2nd part of this very long list of romance dramas. 

Please note!
This list will only include dramas which are:
- centered on romance, even if it has work/business, mystery, or other genre involved, or is mostly set in a school or workplace, as long as it emphasizes more on the lead character's romance life.
- series and not special dramas with only one or two episodes.

This will not include dramas which are:
- focused on mystery, medical, or any other genre more than romance.
- Asadora and Taiga dramas.
- SPs aired in a season.

And of course, I will only include dramas which piques my interest. 

While I can promise that I'll do my best to categorize the dramas, I cannot promise that it'll be perfect as categorizing some of them can be really confusing. The dramas I haven't watched yet are even more confusing to categorize. I might edit this post if sometime in the future, I think a drama fits another genre more. If you would like to suggest that a drama fits a certain genre more than where I included it, feel free to comment so I can take it into consideration.

Japanese Romance Dramas

Shima Shima (Spring 2011)

By day, Shio manages an aromatherapy salon. But by night, she is the owner of “Striped Sheep”, a business that dispatches men to the homes of women who suffer from insomnia to lie next to them. These “Striped Sheep” in fact represent a brand new profession of so-called “co-sleepers,” whose sole mission is to provide a night of relaxation to restless women. Shio's four “sheep” consist of Gai, her ex-husband's brother, Ran, a man with a cool, soothing gaze, the glib Linda and a taciturn book worm named Matthew. As sleep-sharers, these four men find out a lot about what drives or plagues their women clients, and help them gradually discover themselves and the right life pathways. “There are nights when a woman just needs a man at her side.” (from dramawiki)

Doesn't interest me much before, but I guess I am more interested to watch it now since we have Fukushi Sota here. I would love to see how he was when he was just starting his career not that he's like almost in the peak.


Asuko March! (Spring 2011)

Takei plays Yoshino Nao, a girl who fails the entrance exams of her target high school. She winds up enrolling in a technical high school called Kenritsu Asuka Kougyou Koukou, also known by the nickname "Asuko." Out of the 148 entering freshmen, only three are girls, and Nao is the only one in her class. (from dramawiki)

I can't really remember every scene anymore since I've watched this several years ago but I can remember that I really loved this one. Maybe I should put this in the school dramas list or a reverse-harem list, but I decided to put it in the list of romance dramas. This is where I discovered Kaku Kento. I think there's more chemistry between Kaku Kento and Takei Emi, so I'm hoping they will star in a drama or film in the future. Nothing much, but this is quite a nice watch. I'm quite surprised Furukawa Yuki is in here, I can't remember so I want to re-watch. Oh let's not forget about the male lead, of course, Matzusaka Tori is good. I like him, but I don't ship him with Emi.


Zenkai Girl (Summer 2011)

Devoted to becoming an international lawyer, Ayukawa Wakaba is full of ambition. Her hard work pays off when she lands a job at an international law firm, but to her disappointment, the first prestigious assignment that is given to her is to babysit the boss' 5 year old daughter, Hinata. Wakaba loathes kids and nursing, but unwillingly takes on the job as she is fixated on wealth and success. One day when she goes to a preschool to pick up Hinata, she meets a man named Yamada Sota. Sota is a man without higher education, wealth, or a future goal, someone that Wakaba absolutely cannot stand, the complete opposite of her ideals. Once again, contrary to her will, she ends up looking after Hinata and a few other kids along with Sota. Despite being exhausted from all the first-time experiences in child care, Wakaba begins to realize what is truly important to her. A heart-warming comedy about work, relationships and love.(from dramawiki)

I don't really find Pitaro cute, but Hinata really is very adorable. Lol. Okay, about the leads, I love both Aragaki Yui and Nishikido Ryo. I really like the story of this one. Not too much chemistry between the two to be honest, I guess there's this thing we can call "natural chemistry" with on-screen partners, but I don't think they have that. It was their talents, credit their acting skills that they actually pulled off this romantic drama, and turned their pairing into a laudable and cute one.


Watashi ga Renai Dekinai Riyuu (Autumn 2011)

"More than half of women in their 20's to 30's admit to "currently lacking a boyfriend." Men, love, sex, work, marriage... All the issues women face today are revealed in truth through this generation, an "ice age of love."

"The reason I can't find my love" highlights the lives of three women, Fujii Emi, Ogura Saki and Hanzawa Mako. Emi works for a lighting company as a lighting technician, where she is surrounded by men due to the nature of the profession. She has a straight-forward and generous personality, but is unconcerned about general feminine interests such as fashion. She is often treated like another man by her boss and colleagues, and feels that being in love is tiresome. However, she cannot forget about her ex-boyfriend and hopes to someday fall truly in love. Saki is prideful and determined, but fails in landing a desirable job. As a result, she starts to work at a bar as a hostess, keeping the fact a secret from her parents. Mako is the youngest of all, having attended the same high school following Emi and Saki. She is earnest and responsible, but on the other hand, rather clumsy and afraid of taking chances on a romantic relationship. The three women end up living under the same roof by coincidence, and it is there that they share each other's experiences, bitter or sweet, desperately struggling with their love life. A life-sized unconventional love story ever to air on Fuji TV's prime 9 Monday drama slot!" (from dramawiki)

This is a good one as well. I love to see Karina and Yoshitaka Yuriko working together again after Love Shuffle which I really love as well. I think this is a really mature drama, ladies in their 20s and 30s can probably relate to this the most. I didn't know Oshima Yuko when I watched this one, and she didn't really impress or charm me in here. Karina and Yoshitaka Yuriko got the show.

Mitsu no Aji ~A Taste of Honey~ (Autumn 2011)

"The story will focus on a love triangle between the three leads. Eikura plays the role of Morimoto Naoko, a girl from the countryside whose first love is her uncle, Ikezawa Masato (ARATA). She follows after him to Tokyo by getting admitted into an elite medical university, but there she runs into Masato's girlfriend and colleague Aya (Kanno), a beautiful and intelligent researcher who is the daughter of the university hospital's director. However, things get complicated after Naoko and Masato meet again." (from dramawiki)

It is somehow creepy when I read the plot (And I don't know why I view ARATA creepy himself), but on the other hand, the story seems interesting and mysterious. This is not a priority, but I might check it out.

Hungry! (Winter 2012)

"Mukai is taking on the role of Eisuke, a former bassist of a rock band who gave up his music dreams to carry on the tradition of his family's French restaurant. The show will involve a love triangle as Kuninaka and Takimoto play rivals for Eisuke's heart.

Kuninaka has been cast as Eisuke's older girlfriend Maria, who works at a bank. She is shocked to learn that Mukai has abandoned his music to devote himself to the restaurant, leading her to uncertainty about their relationship. Takimoto's character is a 20-year-old college student named Chie who comes from a farming family. Although she initially had a bad impression of Eisuke, she begins to develop feelings for him after tasting his cooking.

SMAP's Inagaki will play Tokio, the owner of a competing French restaurant. In the past, he was fond of the restaurant that Eisuke's mother ran, but after she passed away, he deceived Eisuke's father and bought out the restaurant's chefs and staff. Knowing of Eisuke's ability as a chef, Tokio views him as a rival.

Eisuke's friends, who were part of his band ROCKHEAD, are being played by Tsukamoto (guitarist) and Miura (vocalist). Both of them help Eisuke with his restaurant." (from dramawiki)

Not the best, but it's okay. A few scenes were a little boring, but the sense and the passion were there. I wanted to check out Takimoto Miori after seeing her first in Ikemen Desu ne. I didn't like it that Osamu Mukai and Kuninaka Ryoko met on this set, and is now married. Loljk. I don't like Kuninaka Ryoko that much, but it seems they are happily married, I'll support them. I don't have any right to meddle anyway. Yes, I know, so you don't have to lecture me on that. Miura Shohei and Ishiguro Hideo are both part of the cast as well. Yamashita Rio is a discovery, I like her more than Takimoto Miori after watching this. Good to see Shori here too, he was new to the industry by then.

Renai NEET ~Wasureta Koi no Hajimekata~ (Winter 2012)

"Nakama Yukie plays the role of Rin, who works at a publishing company and is someone who has not dated in 8 years. She has been too busy working and looking after her siblings after their parents passed away. Her colleagues and boss consider her "difficult" to handle because of her strong-willed personality.

One day, she goes to her best friend's "divorce celebration" with Nanako who lives in the same apartment. There, she meets Matsumoto, a dentist, Tada, a researcher at a food manufacturing company, and Shunpei, a part time worker. Few days after the party, all three of them contact her but she has been out of the dating market for so long, she does not know what to do...

A unique comedic "love scramble" among 6 men and women who are in serious need of lessons on how to date." (from dramawiki)

This sounds interesting and fun. I like Sasaki Kuranosuke, I've watched him several times but he got me with his acting in the first season of Saitou-san. Sasaki just became an ideal man and husband. Of course, I love Nakama Yukie, and I can shake off the Gokusen image from her so I hope I can watch another drama of hers. Lol. I think I'm going to check out this one.

Plots and commentaries to follow. :) 05.26.2015 I have finally finished this second part. Been working on some stuff and kind of lazed around.

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Japanese Romance Dramas (Part 1 of 6)

I've compiled a list of latest Japanese romance dramas. These dramas were aired from Winter 2010 to Winter 2015. This is a very long list! I hope I can hang in there until I finish the 6th part! Lol. This is overwhelming, but I'll do my best! The list of detective/crime dramas is actually longer so I might save that for last!

Please note!
This list will only include dramas which are:
- centered on romance, even if it has work/business, mystery, or other genre involved, or is mostly set in a school or workplace, as long as it emphasizes more on the lead character's romance life.
- series and not special dramas with only one or two episodes.

This will not include dramas which are:
- focused on mystery, medical, or any other genre more than romance.
- Asadora and Taiga dramas.
- SPs aired in a season.

And of course, I will only include dramas which piques my interest. 

While I can promise that I'll do my best to categorize the dramas, I cannot promise that it'll be perfect as categorizing some of them can be really confusing. The dramas I haven't watched yet are even more confusing to categorize. I might edit this post if sometime in the future, I think a drama fits another genre more. If you would like to suggest that a drama fits a certain genre more than where I included it, feel free to comment so I can take it into consideration.

Japanese Romance Dramas

Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku (Summer 2010)

"Taiga (Matsumoto Jun) is a struggling second-generation actor who has developed a complex due to his father, a famous actor in his time. Most of the time, Taiga only gets to appear in variety shows. One day, when his friend brings him out skydiving, a big wind drags him away from the dropping point and he gets stuck in a tree. A beautiful woman, Shiori (Takeuchi Yuko), rescues him. Shiori is a cheerful woman who laughs away all of her worries. She's exactly the opposite of Taiga..." (from dramawiki)

First, I would like to state here that I don't get the promotional poster above. I'm not sure if it's the official poster, but this is a summer romance drama we're talking about so clearly, it doesn't quite fit. It has an aura of deception or seducing, right? Lol. This is a so-so drama, not a favorite but the plot is good. Didn't sense too much chemistry between Matsumoto Jun and Takeuchi Yuko, but most probably it's because I'm too much of a Maotsujun shipper. XD 


Hotaru no Hikari 2 (Summer 2010)

"Three years ago, the heart of Amemiya Hotaru, the 'dried up female', had settled on Takano 'Buchou', and 'dried up female' was supposed to have grown up... However, right after that, HOtaru was posted as aproject team member to far-away Hong Kong. She was cut off from 'Buchou' and devoted herself to work. Then, three years later, Hotaru returns to Japan after finishing the project. She is assigned to the First Planning Department, where 'Buchou' belongs, and immediately begins work as one of the team members. However, both the staff as well as the mood in the company have changed a great deal."(from dramawiki)

Interesting plot, interesting leading men with Fujiki Naohito and Osamu Mukai, but with a not-so-interesting leading woman Ayase Haruka (I just really can't understand the hype about her, she's just a weirdo with very limited acting ability to me). I would like to watch this one, but I have to watch season 1 first. Even if I don't like a certain actor/actress, it's my principle to always given them a chance to prove themselves as actors/actress to my liking, though they're no really obligated to do so if they are liked by other people. 


Q10 (Autumn 2010)


"Heita is an ordinary high school boy with a kind heart but no real interest in romance. His class is joined by a transfer student named Q10 (pronounced "kyu-to," the same as "cute"), who looks like a girl but is actually a robot. Together, the two ended up causing trouble at school, and Heita even begins falling for Q10." (from dramawiki)

I can't forgive myself because I didn't notice Kaku Kento, Ikematsu Sosuke, and Hosoda Yoshihiko when I watched this. I should allot some time to re-watch it and see what I missed. I think this was a good drama for Maeda Atsuko that time, because her role doesn't have too much emotions. Her emotions was a little lacking by then, her acting is better now. You see, I'm not a hater. Lol. I love the story though it's quite a sad one. A little boring in a few parts but likable over all.


Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta (Winter 2011)

"Toda and Miura play two teachers, Natsumi Uemura and Shuji Kashiwagi, at the same high school who are set to get married in half a year. However, the night before the school year's opening ceremony, Shuji becomes involved with the young Hikari Saeki (played by Takei), without realizing that she will be a student in his class starting the next day. As Shuji struggles to help Hikari deal with the mental complex she is suffering from, he is also torn inside by his betrayal of Natsumi. Meanwhile, Hikari attempts to get closer to Natsumi, driven by feelings of jealousy and a desire to destroy the couple's relationship." (from dramawiki)

I find this one heavy. It's a mature romance drama - tackles complex feelings and acceptance. I guess I'm really more impressed with Takei Emi's older dramas. This one really brought out her talent. She was irritating as Hikari. She was very effective portraying the role, in my opinion. This drama really got me. Both Toda Erika and Miura Haruma were great as well, of course. They seem really mature. I discovered Shinoda Mariko in this drama, she played as a bestfriend to Toda's character. I found them really matured friends.


Shiawase ni Narou yo (Spring 2011)

"The story involves Katori playing a successful advisor at a mariiage consultation agency that aims to bring together people looking for partners. Kuroki plays one of the agency's clients, who is "so beautiful" that the manual he uses doesn't apply to her, while Fujiki plays a rich and handsome lawyer who is also a client. Katori starts to fall for Kuroki, but as a professional, he pairs the two together." (from dramawiki)

I don't know why I haven't watched this one as well. I love Katori Shingo, but maybe it's because I'm not into Kuroki Meisa. I'm starting to like her now, huge reason for that is because he's Akanishi Jin's wife. I'd say it has a lot of influence. I just learned while looking at the dramawiki page that Fujiki Naohito, Naka Riisa, and Tamamori Yuta are part of the cast as well. I should really get to watching this one.


Rebound (Spring 2011)

"After a failed relationship, Nobuko puts her all into dieting and finds success. She begins to work for her favorite fashion magazine, and just when her new life is falling into place, she meets Taiichi, a handsome patissier. However, when Nobuko eats cakes, she can't stop - moreover, if she gains weight, she'll be fired. In the end, will Nobuko rebound...?" (from dramawiki)

This doesn't interest me much but I might give it a try just to check out Aibu Saki and Hayami Mokomichi's on-screen reunion after Zettai Kareshi.



Plots and commentaries to follow. :) Yey! This first one is done. Five more parts to go! XD :)

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Manga Recommendation: ReLIFE

Hello! It wasn't such a nice day for me, I'm a little worn out because of something which happened today. Sadly, today, I don't have the drive to continue the dramas posts categorized by genre, because that requires time, and I just want to sleep soon.

So today, just for a quick update, I'm sharing this manga I've been reading (and loving) lately. What makes it different from my usual reads which can be seen here and here, is because it's not actually romance-centered and it's Sci-Fi, which is one of the genres I'm least interested in.

The manga I want to recommend is entitled ReLIFE. ReLIFE is a web manga by mangaka Yayoi Sou. 

''The story follows Kaizaki Arata, a 27-year-old jobless man, who fails at every job interview he had after quitting his last company. His life changes after he met Yoake Ryou of the ReLife Research Institute, who offered him a drug that can change his appearance to 17-years-old and to become a subject in an experiment for one year. Thus, he begins his life as a high school student once more." - myanimelist.net

This manga probably got me with its premise, because I can kind of relate with the lead character's situation. I'm not exactly in the same situation as him, but there are things I could really relate to as I read along the story. It's really interesting and each chapter is very short. It won't take too much of your time, so I really suggest you check it out. For me, this manga is like, 'It hits you where it hurts the most.' Lol. But really, I'm glad to have found this manga. I guess it makes me realize some things. Aside from my emotional attachment to it, it's actually a very engaging read, not boring at all. The content is so hilarious, though hitting you with realizations here and there.

If you're reading this or have checked it out, feel free to share your thoughts! Thank you for reading!

Note: I do not own the photo used in this post. All rights goes to the owner.