Top 5 most underrated jdramas

Discuss Japanese drama series here.
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Top 5 most underrated jdramas

Post by *member* » Feb 19th, '11, 00:42

looking for good ones not just the popular ones

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Post by mrsmith10 » Feb 19th, '11, 04:29

Seito Shokun with Uchiyama Rina and Horikita Maki is pretty darn good, and underrated IMO. I love the dark story, the cast, and the fast pace drama. The only problem is most of the soundtrack sucks, except for the theme song (My Generation by YUI) which is pretty good.

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Post by curlywurly » Feb 19th, '11, 06:11

I watched Atami no Sousakan a few days ago, have to say I really enjoyed this one. Didn't know anything about it before viewing, ended up being a very pleasant surprise. Made a refreshing change from a lot of the mediocrity out there.

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Post by dewiku » Feb 19th, '11, 06:37

1. JIN
2. Ninkyo Helper
3. Koshonin 1 & 2
4. Magerarenai Onna
5. Soratobu Taiya

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Post by marriedtomisaki » Feb 19th, '11, 06:56

1. Long Love Letter. That was a crazy drama.
2. At home Dad
3. Mop Girl

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Post by xploring » Feb 19th, '11, 07:23

Ruri no shima
Ame to Yume no Atoni
Medaka

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Post by NiiKame » Feb 19th, '11, 07:57

1. At Home Dad

Absolutely loved this feel-good family drama, I'm sorry I'm unable to mention any others

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Post by «minah» » Feb 19th, '11, 08:17

No particular order:

Magerarenai Onna
99 nen no Ai (well that thread got empty kinda fast ;_;)
Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003 (not sure if people talked about it... but I liked it ^^)
Musume no Iguana (kinda old lol)
Watashitachi no Kyokasho

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Post by dekatrain » Feb 20th, '11, 12:22

Atami no Sousakan is the best drama I've seen in a while.

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Post by JaJe » Feb 20th, '11, 22:20

"Ghost Friends" and "TROUBLEMAN" - I really liked them. TROUBLEMAN is directed by SABU, so it is quite twisted and at some point I wished not to watch it because I knew I will feel bad when I´ll get to know the whole truth. Shigeaki Kato from Johnny´s Entertainment stars as the main character - I would say it´s one of his best works - he should act more (he does that better than singing - sorry Shige!) But it was still amazing - I even have it´s ending scene as my desktop pic. Loved the story. :roll

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Post by mizune » Feb 22nd, '11, 04:24

Agree w/ all of xploring's choices, plus:
Sexy Voice and Robo
Ando Natsu

And to a somewhat lesser extent
Muri na Renai
Dare yori mo Mama wo aisu

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Post by earthcolors » Feb 22nd, '11, 22:56

Shinya Shokudo
Moteki
Meitantei no Okite
Tiger and Dragon
Kekkon Dekinai Otoko

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Post by dokaben » Feb 23rd, '11, 02:42

My Little Chef
Suika
Gonzo
Golden Bowl
Manhattan Love Story

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Post by lollercopter » Feb 23rd, '11, 13:25

About what others have suggested:
Atami no Sousakan: worth seeing just for its uniqueness and weirdness. The story is hampered by an excessive amount of loose ends, though (I strongly believe a second season was supposed to happen).
Long Love Letter: excellent premise completely ruined by an Idiot Plot. Not recommended if you're bothered by lapses in logic, which you will witness every five minutes at least.
Mop Girl: easily one of my favorites. The fourth episode in particular is amazing.
Ando Natsu: nothing remarkable about it, but it's competent enough.
Meitantei no Okite: very, very funny. I thought the first episode was so-so, but it got much better after that. It seems to get increasingly absurd and outrageous with every episode.
Kekkon Dekinai Otoko: one of the best dramas for sure. Effortlessly entertaining. Not exactly underrated, however.

A recommendation I would add is Cat Street. It's dismissed by many because a) it's not a faithful adaptation of the manga and trades melodrama for realism, b) the lead actress is not a kawaii idol, and c) they're simply too dumb to appreciate many aspects of the story and characterization.

Edit: oh, I completely forgot about Nanase Futatabi. Now there's an underrated gem. It's also scifi, which I think is relatively rare on Japanese television.

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Post by Kazuya_ » Feb 23rd, '11, 14:57

Koi no Chikara
Lupin no Shosoku
Suika
Second Chance
Okane ga nai!

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Post by dokaben » Feb 24th, '11, 01:00

Koi no Chikara was actually my #6 choice. Fukatsu Eri's pretty much watchable in any show.

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Post by «minah» » Feb 24th, '11, 21:17

I dunno how popular Ashita no Kita Yoshio was but if it wasn't then I will say it's underrated ^^ I loved it a lot and I feel the same with Homeroom by the Beachside (not sure if it was really popular or not) but yeah. Some of the characters were annoying but the overall theme and content was something I couldn't ignore

I also think Cat Street was really good but I'm not sure if it had much attention

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Post by ainhoa » Feb 26th, '11, 04:23

dewiku wrote:1. JIN
2. Ninkyo Helper
3. Koshonin 1 & 2
4. Magerarenai Onna
5. Soratobu Taiya
JIN is absolutely amazing but I wouldn't say it's underrated. It had really high ratings and won several awards.

I loved Cat Street.

Most of the dramas I really love were made 10+ years ago so I don't really know if they were popular in their day or not.

Some more recent underrated dramas I would add are Aishiteru (!!), Triangle, Tentai Kansoku, Itsumo Futari de, Byakuyakou, Tiger&Dragon, Gift (seriously. most underrated Kimutaku drama ever)

I don't know, I love older jdramas because they were much more... bold and interesting

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Post by hhnd » Mar 2nd, '11, 06:18

My list of 5 underrated dramas (among international communities, mostly, because I wouldn't know how popular they were at the time of airing in Japan :lol )

1. Ai kurushii - it's not an excellent drama per se, but at least it's a watchable family drama that has some touching moments. I put it as #1 because it doesn't seem like people know about it at all.
2. Tiger & Dragon - the most interesting and unique dorama I've seen, hands down.
3. Shiroi Kyoto - high ratings, swept most awards for the season, amazing drama. Wonder why so few people recommend it to others :pale:
4. Arifureta Kiseki - I love the way it was filmed, but you have to have some patience to follow through. Both Nakama Yukie and Kase Ryo's acting was really good.
5. Kekkon dekinai otoko - somewhat slow-paced, realistic (but still hilarious) comedy. Nothing over the top. :mrgreen:

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Post by gljangel » Mar 2nd, '11, 08:36

Gosh so many of my favourite dramas have already beenmentioned- Gift, Ruri no Shima, Ashita no Kita yoshio, Dore Yori mo Mama wo Aisu, Magareranai Onna - but I'd like to add:

Love Shuffle
Konya Hitori no Beddo de
Yume wo kanaeru Zou
Katagoshi no Koibito
Daisuki

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Post by «minah» » Mar 2nd, '11, 15:16

Wow was Tiger & Dragon really underrated? I only found out about it through Unubore Deka so I wouldn't know if it was popular during the time it came out in 2005.

I wanted to add Love Shuffle but I thought (well at least on here) many people liked it when it came out... but I dunno how well-received it was in Japan. Love Shuffle was pretty excellent and Earth Wind & Fire's song was perfect ^^

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Post by lollercopter » Mar 2nd, '11, 16:25

«minah» wrote:I dunno how popular Ashita no Kita Yoshio was but if it wasn't then I will say it's underrated ^^ I loved it a lot and I feel the same with Homeroom by the Beachside (not sure if it was really popular or not) but yeah. Some of the characters were annoying but the overall theme and content was something I couldn't ignore

I also think Cat Street was really good but I'm not sure if it had much attention
Ashita no Kita Yoshio was pretty good. Homeroom was acceptable, but too formulaic and by-the-numbers. Good cast, though.

I think whatever attention Cat Street got was because of the manga (by the same person who did Hana Yori Dango).

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Post by «minah» » Mar 2nd, '11, 16:46

lollercopter wrote:
«minah» wrote:I dunno how popular Ashita no Kita Yoshio was but if it wasn't then I will say it's underrated ^^ I loved it a lot and I feel the same with Homeroom by the Beachside (not sure if it was really popular or not) but yeah. Some of the characters were annoying but the overall theme and content was something I couldn't ignore

I also think Cat Street was really good but I'm not sure if it had much attention
Ashita no Kita Yoshio was pretty good. Homeroom was acceptable, but too formulaic and by-the-numbers. Good cast, though.

I think whatever attention Cat Street got was because of the manga (by the same person who did Hana Yori Dango).
Yeah I think the characters were a bit typical/practical in Homeroom but I liked how darn I forgot his name... the teacher lol... well I liked how he was exposed to the world and wasn't closed-minded and knew what was some of the sad things the world has out there. So I think it was his character that I liked... it brought more to the show. It wasn't some Gokusen or whatever. I liked the part where um... II think it was Yamato's character who got hurt and Keiko said "Don't help him! If he gets hurt more who will take responsibility?!" And well the teacher was like "It's not about responsibility! It's about him living or dying!" or something along those lines. So to me I loved his character a lot and think he's better than other tough teachers in other shows.

Did Cat Street really get attention? lol I wouldn't know honestly. But I didn't know it was by HYD mangaka. I did like the story and I like the lead girl a lot. It wasn't that crazy over the romance part, but it wasn't a bad small series.

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Post by lollercopter » Mar 2nd, '11, 19:36

The ratings were 05.9, I don't know how good that is by NHK standards.

Around here (as in the English-speaking Internet) I have mostly just seen people complain that it isn't like the manga and Tanimura is not beautiful enough to be the lead.

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Post by «minah» » Mar 2nd, '11, 19:42

lollercopter wrote:The ratings were 05.9, I don't know how good that is by NHK standards.

Around here (as in the English-speaking Internet) I have mostly just seen people complain that it isn't like the manga and Tanimura is not beautiful enough to be the lead.
Well I watched Zettai Kareshi (and own the manga) and that's pretty much nothing like the manga but that's not why I hated it. They turned Riko in a whiny spoiled b*tch and never knew cream puffs were the best sweets in the whole world lol

I love how Tanimura looks! She has this innocent pretty adorable look to her that I can't explain ;_; I'm not into girls but... I really find her pretty and cute

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Post by hhnd » Mar 4th, '11, 03:08

«minah» wrote:Wow was Tiger & Dragon really underrated? I only found out about it through Unubore Deka so I wouldn't know if it was popular during the time it came out in 2005.
The rating wasn't exceptionally high, and I only found out about it because I was looking through the list of drama that won the Television drama academy awards :roll Didn't hear about it from anyone I knew :cry: I personally think it's Kudo Kankuro's best drama work. :mrgreen:

I was new to J-dramas at that time, and when I asked for recommendations, I usually get recs like GTO, 1 litre of tears, Hana yori dango (LOL I personally dislike it), Tokyo Love Story, etc. And I definitely think Tiger & Dragon belongs to the "great dramas", only that it's a bit hard to follow through at first because of the confusing structure :-)

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Post by iluvasiandrama » Mar 18th, '11, 01:51

My 5 picks

1. Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend)
2. Akai Ito
3. Atashinchi no Danshi
4. Smile
5. Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku


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Post by howtwosavealif3 » Mar 20th, '11, 18:44

here's just 5 i like but they're not that popular? only one i'm uncertain of is LIAR GAME but rest i'm sure isn't thatpopular.
mop girl
gyne
liar game
watashitachi no kyoukasho
LIFE

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Post by ha_na_bi » Mar 21st, '11, 01:00

hhnd wrote:My list of 5 underrated dramas (among international communities, mostly, because I wouldn't know how popular they were at the time of airing in Japan :lol )

1. Ai kurushii - it's not an excellent drama per se, but at least it's a watchable family drama that has some touching moments. I put it as #1 because it doesn't seem like people know about it at all.
2. Tiger & Dragon - the most interesting and unique dorama I've seen, hands down.
3. Shiroi Kyoto - high ratings, swept most awards for the season, amazing drama. Wonder why so few people recommend it to others :pale:
4. Arifureta Kiseki - I love the way it was filmed, but you have to have some patience to follow through. Both Nakama Yukie and Kase Ryo's acting was really good.
5. Kekkon dekinai otoko - somewhat slow-paced, realistic (but still hilarious) comedy. Nothing over the top. :mrgreen:
3/5 I agree with you.

My own list in no particular order:

I loved Tiger and Dragon, it exposed me to the art of Rakugo and boy the story-telling was by far the most interesting. Kudo Kankuro was at his best when he wrote that drama.

Shiroi Kyoto was just... amazing. No words can describe the tight script and the talented actors. I assume it doesn't get that much exposure or popularity with international drama fans because it's not the typical story that stars "popular" and "younger" talents.

Kekkon Dekinai Otoko sealed my love for Abe Hiroshi. It's hilarious. The relationships drove the drama and the subtleties make the revelations very poignant.

Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi was an interesting late-night drama about a man who got a deer head. Better than it sounds. They have the best use of a kendo tournament. A bit slow at first, but once the ball gets rolling, it doesn't stop until all is revealed.

Yasashii Jikan has the most gorgeous cinematography I've seen in a drama. The winter scenes in Hokkaido are breathtaking. Again, this drama is more about subtleness and nuances of human relationships.

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Post by ryoko11 » Mar 30th, '11, 01:11

1. Ashita no Kita Yoshio - The ratings in Japan were terrible, but the drama was excellent. Matsuda Ryuhei even got award recognition for his role, though I think Kohinata Fumio really deserved a nod too. He was amazing, and his role required a lot of range. Most people who viewed it around here really enjoyed it. It's on my short list of classics. Unique drama with a fantastic ensemble.

2. Yasha - Another entry on my short list of classics. Loved the acting (it's rare that I've seen twins done so believably with such different personalities.) The cast was excellent, especially Ito Hideaki and Abe Hiroshi. The story was exciting and didn't pull its punches. It is for mature audiences as it contains nudity and adult situations (as well as violence). Overall, it's just a good action/sci-fi drama of a type that isn't really seen today. One of the most memorable drama endings for me. Really fit perfectly.

3. Gonzo ~ Densetsu no Keiji - aka Gonzo is probably the best police drama I've ever seen. Uchino Masaaki plays a post nervous breakdown detective who has fled into less emotionally demanding areas of working for the department. An ongoing case needing his type of brilliance pulls him back into investigation--awakening both his love for the job and his old emotional scars. Uchino's performance is great. I can't say enough about this drama and its presentation of a mystery that unfolds over the course of the series. Wonderful drama.

4. Shika Otoko Awoniyoshi - Starts slowly as it weaves its own folklore into existing Japanese folklore and history. It's creative and different, and the characters are quite fun. I enjoyed the humor after the series really gets going. Very satisfying ending too.

5. Warui Yatsura - This was a very enjoyable rather dark drama for me. Twisted relationships, plenty that can be interpreted in different ways. It has an ending I've been dying to discuss with someone since I saw it. (True ending comes after the credits.) Only problem is there's NOBODY to discuss it with. For a drama that I enjoyed so much, that's still shocking to me.

Wowzers.... I can't seem to stick to just five, so I'm gonna go to 10. Sorry.

6. Anata no Tonari ni Dareka Iru - If you liked the weirdness, mystery, and supernatural mixture of Atami no Sousaken, you should try Anata no Tonari ni Dareka Iru. It's a very cool showwith a great cast, and I don't really want to give anything away by trying to describe the plot. I can say that involves layers of unfolding truths about a potential murder and revenge, but just let it take you where it will. There's a little nudity in the first episode or two, so it's not really for younger viewers. (It's one scene, but I think it is split between the end of ep 1 and beginning of ep 2.) It's part of establishing someone's double life, and it's actually highly effective.

7. Jikou Keisatsu - Zany crime comedy from the guy behind Atami no Sousaken all about a cop who takes as a hobby the investigation of murders that have passed the statute of limitations--even though the criminals can't be prosecuted. It's played to the humor and contains many familiar faces for fans of AnS. The cases are fun, and the methods for discovering the guilty party are usually pretty funny. The episode with the ultra cool macho singer is still a favorite. "Osu!" ROFL The supporting cast is a joy, and Mikazuki's crush on Kiriyama (Joe Odagiri) is adorable. When Japan abolished their statute of limitations on murder my first thought was, "Guess they can never make a new season of Jikou Keisatsu.... *sniff* I wonder if the murderers would still trust his 'I won't tell anyone' cards...." You know you loved a series when you think of news items in terms of how it would affect your fave dramas.

8. Utahime - As much as I love Nagase's crazy comedic gangster persona, Utahime is probably his best performance ever. (It's surely up there with IWGP for me.) He plays a dual role both as a young man in the modern world going to see the closing show in an old cinema at his mother's request and an amnesiac man creating a life for himself ten years after washing up on the beach of a rural village at the end of WWII. Taro's life there is joyful, and it's hard not to love all the characters that surround him in this little paradise. When someone from his former life finds him, it becomes a matter of time before he must choose which life he wants to lead. Taro is further afraid of what memories could lurk inside him from the war and whether remembering his past could wipe out the memories he's made since. Thankfully, the people from his past are not villianized, so it really is a dilemma that viewers have had multiple views on and some interesting discussions about. It did terribly in the ratings in Japan greatly because of the regional dialect spoken in the drama. It's an enjoyable, memorable drama though.

9. Mop Girl - There's much to love in this quirky jdrama. The character relationships are engaging, the show's take on her ability to go back and help people who died with strong unresolved feelings was fresh, and the humor was terrific. I still would love another season or a special... it's hard to let go when there's so much cool stuff that they could still do... and so much we'd still like to see.

10. Yama Onna Kabe Onna - This drama is about a professional woman who has body image issues about her flat chested figure, a problem magnified when a new employee (with the figure Megumi feels society would prefer from her) enters the scene causing Megumi to feel competitive both professionally and personally. It's a slice of life, friendship, professional, family, romance, comedy. There's kinda a mix of everything. Some viewers can't seem to get past the abundance of boob jokes in this drama, but having worked with women like Megumi there's a truth to her insecurity about not having her ideal figure that is quite endearing for me. The jokes are very much from a female perspective. The drama itself does move past boob jokes the further you go into it, and it becomes a very warm ensemble piece about growing friendships, self-esteem, finding love, and professional accomplishment while maintaining its tone as a fun, silly romp with a little ecchi mischief. This is one of my favorite ensemble casts, and the drama is like a comfort food title for me. It put some great performers on my radar. On a bad day it's still a great choice to put a smile on my face.

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Post by «minah» » Mar 30th, '11, 01:50

1. Ashita no Kita Yoshio - The ratings in Japan were terrible, but the drama was excellent. Matsuda Ryuhei even got award recognition for his role, though I think Kohinata Fumio really deserved a nod too. He was amazing, and his role required a lot of range. Most people who viewed it around here really enjoyed it. It's on my short list of classics. Unique drama with a fantastic ensemble.
Totally agree with you on that. I loved AnKY. This made me have a little crush on Fumiyo lol. I really wanted to see more of him and was so happy he actually had a leading role. It was also interesting to see Ryohei in a drama since I think he's a movie actor. I think everything was excellent in this show (never thought Fumiyo could play such a bad role too >< ) but I think the ending was very surprising and unexpected. But yeah, agree.. this show as pretty cool ^^

I wasn't super crazy about Utahime, (I don't like Aibu and by chance all of the roles I've seen her in.. I don't like her.... maybe except from attention please... she was ok ^^;; I like her chubby face and black hair) but I liked seeing Nagase not being a foolish silly person (kinda like IWGP though he seem like 2 different people when comparing him then and Utahime)

I think Mop girl was cool too. I was happy to see Keiko have her on lead (since I loved her in PGSM) so I was happy to see her in this. I wouldn't say it's underrated to me... well, maybe a teeny bit... but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. But I think it was pretty good (and she was too) for her first drama lead.

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Post by dtyc » Mar 30th, '11, 03:28

For me it's Shinya Shokudo, Ai no Uta, Suika. Especially Shinya Shokudo, very underated!

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Post by «minah» » Mar 30th, '11, 03:32

dtyc wrote:For me it's Shinya Shokudo, Ai no Uta, Suika. Especially Shinya Shokudo, very underated!
Which Ai no Uta? Because the one I meant to watch was a different one starring Kanno Miho ^^;; (it was nice though)

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Post by ryoko11 » Mar 30th, '11, 04:18

«minah» wrote:
1. Ashita no Kita Yoshio - The ratings in Japan were terrible, but the drama was excellent. Matsuda Ryuhei even got award recognition for his role, though I think Kohinata Fumio really deserved a nod too. He was amazing, and his role required a lot of range. Most people who viewed it around here really enjoyed it. It's on my short list of classics. Unique drama with a fantastic ensemble.
Totally agree with you on that. I loved AnKY. This made me have a little crush on Fumiyo lol. I really wanted to see more of him and was so happy he actually had a leading role. It was also interesting to see Ryohei in a drama since I think he's a movie actor. I think everything was excellent in this show (never thought Fumiyo could play such a bad role too >< ) but I think the ending was very surprising and unexpected. But yeah, agree.. this show as pretty cool ^^
Ever since AnKY, anything with Kohinata Fumiyo will get a look from me. If he's in a supporting role, I might be even more excited about him that the "big names" on the drama. I can agree about that little crush too. I mostly know Ryuhei from movies also, so that was cool to see him on the small screen. Before AnKY all I knew Kuriyama Chiaki from was Kill Bill, so it was wonderful to see her in such a different role. Now I follow her work. The series is also what put Kaname Jun and Yoshitaka Yuriko on my radar. I've worshipped Namase Katsuhisa for years now though. LOL

I really loved the constant twists and turns in the story. It's different from pretty much any other drama I can think of. Even the jazzy soundtrack set AnYK apart. I loved the visuals they created particularly concerning Cristina's World.
I wasn't super crazy about Utahime, (I don't like Aibu and by chance all of the roles I've seen her in.. I don't like her.... maybe except from attention please... she was ok ^^;; I like her chubby face and black hair) but I liked seeing Nagase not being a foolish silly person (kinda like IWGP though he seem like 2 different people when comparing him then and Utahime)
Nagase is one of my favorites. He's great at crazy comedy (which I do love), but he can play straight roles too. IWGP is one of my all time favorite dramas, though I couldn't say any show that popular or impactful is underrated. I did consider posting Tiger and Dragon for my underrated list (I love it!), but there's just something about Utahime and the fact that not as many people got to see the really fine performance he gave in it. I also have to admit that my IWGP fangirl loved seeing him work with Sato Ryuta again here. Oh, Croissant... he cracks me up.

Utahime was only my second Aibu experience, so I hadn't hit the one role that I really hated her in yet. I could understand the immaturity and flaws in the character of Suzu, and I felt they were logical in the story. She did show genuine caring too, imo. For in depth opinions on Suzu and Miwako (including who I was rooting for), I did get involved in some cool discussions on the Utahime thread. It's too spoilery for here. Maybe my love for Nagase shielded Utahime from my post ZK hatred of ever having to see Aibu again, but I've never been able to extend that hate to Utahime. I've reached a point of tolerance for her non ZK roles... but I'm still wary.
I think Mop girl was cool too. I was happy to see Keiko have her on lead (since I loved her in PGSM) so I was happy to see her in this. I wouldn't say it's underrated to me... well, maybe a teeny bit... but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. But I think it was pretty good (and she was too) for her first drama lead.


It's really rare that I call any drama a masterpiece, but Mop Girl is a solid, good drama. I think it went a bit under the radar since it was Kitagawa's first lead. I didn't know her work yet, so I started watching for Tanihara. The final episode made me very interested in where things would go from there. The character relationship between Tanihara's and Keiko's characters was very nicely done, and it had some nice depth to it particularly in the final episode. The drama doesn't leave you hanging, but after the developments in the final episode it felt like they really wanted to continue the series further. It hooked me into wanting to see that potential more.

dokaben
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Post by dokaben » Mar 30th, '11, 05:58

I just finished watching Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi. Very good, but a bit unsettling considering all the earthquakes going on in Japan right now!

«minah»
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Post by «minah» » Mar 30th, '11, 14:41

Ever since AnKY, anything with Kohinata Fumiyo will get a look from me. If he's in a supporting role, I might be even more excited about him that the "big names" on the drama. I can agree about that little crush too. I mostly know Ryuhei from movies also, so that was cool to see him on the small screen. Before AnKY all I knew Kuriyama Chiaki from was Kill Bill, so it was wonderful to see her in such a different role. Now I follow her work. The series is also what put Kaname Jun and Yoshitaka Yuriko on my radar. I've worshipped Namase Katsuhisa for years now though. LOL

I really loved the constant twists and turns in the story. It's different from pretty much any other drama I can think of. Even the jazzy soundtrack set AnYK apart. I loved the visuals they created particularly concerning Cristina's World.
Yeah this was my first time seeing Yuriko so I've been watching out for her. (Though for a while she played similar roles... but glad for her role in Love Shuffle) I saw Kaname Jun in Grave of the Fireflies. I always see him just pop in these supporting roles in dramas so I kinda wish he had a leading role (that's if he wanna) and I like Namase a lot too ^^ (he makes me wanna meet him than like... the younger hot actors lol. He seems pretty cool ^^) I think many of us here know Chiaki from Kill Bill/Battle Royale but because of those roles it makes me wanna watch her in something different (so it was kinda cool to see her in the Tanaka Koki drama ^^)


After seeing Aibu in ZK, Utahime, & Buzzer Beat I was like... (omg... why do these roles... make me like her less and less?) So I dunno if it's just a coincidence or what but man... She was no problem in her guest role in one of those Water Boys shows (you can barely recognize her) and I have no comment on Regretta.... whatever it's called (I wasn't really into it... dropped it after half the first episode) Oh yeah she was in Shinzanmono... >< Maybe that fatsuit drama might change my opinion. I don't wanna say it's really her... but... she just so happens to play roles that I don't like ^^;;

Because of Mop Girl I've gotten into Tanihara (he's so cute! ^^) and still at that time I was getting into more dramas so Iw asn't familiar with lots of people (just Keiko from Sailormoon ^^;;) but it made me more aware of like Takaoka Sousuke, Sato Jirou, (and the dude who was a rapper in the one episode lol)

Actually, I wanna kinda add (or at least mention again) the Tanaka Koki drama. I wanted to watch more stuff he was in (I got a crush on him from MBMY and then found out he was a Johnny which made me like him even more because of the face... he had no hair!! And y'know, Johnnys the younger ones especially, well when I think of them they have long flippy hair lol. So it was like this kinda statement: I don't need my hair to be a hot Johnny Boy!" to me lol) So since MBMH I was interested in what other shows he was in and found out he had his own. "Tokkyu Tanaka San Go " so I wanted to check it out and actually... the story wasn't that bad. You would've think that a show about trains would suck and would seem nerdy... but I like the message the drama had... The cast wasn't that bad... Takashi, Kato Rosa, Kuriyama Chiaki... so I was also interested to see them as well... and I actually like the story. I don't think it's underrated, but I see it on the same level as Mop Girl. It's... maybe a bit overlooked because it talks about trains, but that's not even the whole point of the story (I like the friendship they all form) ^^

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Post by Issy » Mar 30th, '11, 15:56

I think Utahime is one of my most favourite and most hated Jdrama of all time. I have been following its rating weekly and noticed that it was not very high in Japan and it WAS one of less active threads here.
been a Nagase fan for over years, i was jumping with joy when he picked up a drama that he did not had to rely on his silly faces and baka behaviour like Makky in MBMH (unfortunelty i have seen him being type-cast in such roles over and over after Utahime and that made me give up on him.) I loved him in MBMH but doing the same role again and again was not much fun for me to watch. he can do serious characters (Big Money, Hakusen Nagashi,..) and semi- serious ones like in IWGP and Tiger & Dragon (that is one of my most Nagase characters EVER) as well as and maybe much better as comic ones.

back to Utahim, I watched without knowing Aibu Saki and even though i loved the whole story,but I really hated her character (younger version as well as older versions). even though i admit that she tried to convey her emotions as much as she could but some how, the more she tried, the less she succeeded in my eyes and the more i disliked her. maybe because I was rooting for Miwako and angry at Taro for how blind he is toward his first love but still, Suzu did not make me sympathesie with her the way Miwako did, considering she was trying so hard in every ep.
had to watch her next dramas out of choice because i was either curious about the storylines or had interest in her co-stars. still, my disliking her is on the rise with each new drama.

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Post by «minah» » Mar 30th, '11, 16:13

Issy wrote:I think Utahime is one of my most favourite and most hated Jdrama of all time. I have been following its rating weekly and noticed that it was not very high in Japan and it WAS one of less active threads here.
been a Nagase fan for over years, i was jumping with joy when he picked up a drama that he did not had to rely on his silly faces and baka behaviour like Makky in MBMH (unfortunelty i have seen him being type-cast in such roles over and over after Utahime and that made me give up on him.) I loved him in MBMH but doing the same role again and again was not much fun for me to watch. he can do serious characters (Big Money, Hakusen Nagashi,..) and semi- serious ones like in IWGP and Tiger & Dragon (that is one of my most Nagase characters EVER) as well as and maybe much better as comic ones.

back to Utahim, I watched without knowing Aibu Saki and even though i loved the whole story,but I really hated her character (younger version as well as older versions). even though i admit that she tried to convey her emotions as much as she could but some how, the more she tried, the less she succeeded in my eyes and the more i disliked her. maybe because I was rooting for Miwako and angry at Taro for how blind he is toward his first love but still, Suzu did not make me sympathesie with her the way Miwako did, considering she was trying so hard in every ep.
had to watch her next dramas out of choice because i was either curious about the storylines or had interest in her co-stars. still, my disliking her is on the rise with each new drama.
I think that's why I didn't like Aibu in that. Because well... it's bad enough Taro hasn't been there for his wife/child for about a decade or something... but it was like, she still wanted him to stay. I guess it was selfish and she probably tried to ignore the fact that he had life before he came into hers and just thought things were gonna be that way forever... well, try to at least avoid the fact that his memories would/could come back at any time. I really felt bad for Miwako because in her position, your husband (and father of your child) goes off to war and never returns... and finding out years later he's alive but doesn't remember anything. I am happy the drama did let him be with Miwako in the end (it was the right thing to do) but had their reincarnated whatever selves end up together to please the Taro/Suzu fans ^^;;.

I at first I did drop it, but decided to give it another chance (I like Nagase. I'm not a super big fan of his, but he's one of my favorite actors within JE. I don't like him always being a clown because I don't like non-versatile actors. So though I love laughing, I like being taken back to see an actress or actor play a role that's different than their usual ones. ^^) And I wanted to see Sato Ryuta and Nagase reunite again (I'm looove Ryuta! I didn't know he was a clown-ish character either until I saw IWGP I think... my first drama I saw of him was Bambino so I thought he was just a harda** lol) The story of Utahime was different but.. I dunno.. I didn't like Taro & Suzu as a couple (just the fact he watched he grow up and all of a sudden sees her a woman... I dunno I guess that's kinda weird to me and I really didn't like her... and it's hard to separate Suzu and Aibu ^^;;)

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Post by Issy » Mar 30th, '11, 16:42

:lol
you just reminded me of our heated debate about Taro x Suzu or Taro x Miwako.
I think the story had potential but somehow story got twisted in the way and played with our emotions. I did not like the ending of Utahime because
Taro did not go back to Miwako because he remembered his old undying young love for the first woman he fell in love and married but because he felt the obligation as a father to be next to his child. so pretty much, his first great love was out of the window because of suzu.
in my head, the story was wrong. no matter how others felt for suzu, it was just not right. the little girl who decides on marrying him when she is only 8 was just creepy.

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Post by «minah» » Mar 30th, '11, 17:00

Issy wrote::lol
you just reminded me of our heated debate about Taro x Suzu or Taro x Miwako.
I think the story had potential but somehow story got twisted in the way and played with our emotions. I did not like the ending of Utahime because
Taro did not go back to Miwako because he remembered his old undying young love for the first woman he fell in love and married but because he felt the obligation as a father to be next to his child. so pretty much, his first great love was out of the window because of suzu.
in my head, the story was wrong. no matter how others felt for suzu, it was just not right. the little girl who decides on marrying him when she is only 8 was just creepy.
Yeah I do agree
I mean it is bad he only got together with her because of the child, but I think it's better than picking Suzu over his old family. (because imagine if the writes had him pick her... I don't think many people would've been happy ^^;;) At least Suzu settled with Croissant. So no one really had the ending they really wanted, except the every end when the reincarnations met so... It did lean over more for the Suzu/Taro fans but I just ignored the present day thing lol (because I didn't like them as a couple )

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Post by ecco27 » Mar 30th, '11, 17:03

Ahh all this talk about Utahime. I loved Utahime at the time, it was one of the first dramas I finished and I was so sad about the ratings because I think it was better than that. I liked Suzu and I'm not crazy about Aibu now but back then I hadn't seen her in anything else. Yeah I was a bit disappointed with the ending and I found many of the characters annoying at some point but overall I really liked it.

My other favorite underrated dramas were Atami no Sousakan (mentioned a lot here I see!) and Arifureta Kiseki (which I didn't watch till a while after it aired so I don't remember the reaction to it at the time but it seems pretty unloved XD mostly I've just seen people call it boring which I personally don't think it was!). Oh I also saw Cat Street mentioned earlier too, I also liked that... I wouldn't say it's a masterpiece or anything but I think that if more people watched it they would enjoy it.

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Post by ryoko11 » Mar 30th, '11, 19:57

Issy wrote:I think Utahime is one of my most favourite and most hated Jdrama of all time. I have been following its rating weekly and noticed that it was not very high in Japan and it WAS one of less active threads here.
been a Nagase fan for over years, i was jumping with joy when he picked up a drama that he did not had to rely on his silly faces and baka behaviour like Makky in MBMH (unfortunelty i have seen him being type-cast in such roles over and over after Utahime and that made me give up on him.) I loved him in MBMH but doing the same role again and again was not much fun for me to watch. he can do serious characters (Big Money, Hakusen Nagashi,..) and semi- serious ones like in IWGP and Tiger & Dragon (that is one of my most Nagase characters EVER) as well as and maybe much better as comic ones.

back to Utahim, I watched without knowing Aibu Saki and even though i loved the whole story,but I really hated her character (younger version as well as older versions). even though i admit that she tried to convey her emotions as much as she could but some how, the more she tried, the less she succeeded in my eyes and the more i disliked her. maybe because I was rooting for Miwako and angry at Taro for how blind he is toward his first love but still, Suzu did not make me sympathesie with her the way Miwako did, considering she was trying so hard in every ep.
had to watch her next dramas out of choice because i was either curious about the storylines or had interest in her co-stars. still, my disliking her is on the rise with each new drama.


Good to have you in this discussion, Issy. :) I always enjoyed your posts on the Utahime thread. Your ending thoughts on page 15 matched my own impressions pretty well. Especially, about the significance of the watch and the confusion concerning the importance of certain relationships.

So I guess we were all Miwako supporters here. I didn't hate Suzu. I just thought she was very immature. She was on the edge of adulthood and still experiencing her first love, which had started as a little girl's crush. She was afraid of losing someone who'd been very important to her for 10 years, and she often didn't behave in the correct way, as a result. She didn't have the maturity or strength of Miwako, and I felt that part of the story was how it would affect Suzu's growth as an individual. I had hoped that she would show that growth of her own initiative rather than have it thrust upon her by others making the choice when she could not, but the fact that the more mature characters could see a bigger picture rang true to my own memories of adolescene. I was okay with Aibu's performance in this one because I felt that these were really presented as flaws in Suzu's character. They weren't malicious flaws to me. I do feel that they were a form of foreshadowing that it wouldn't work out with Taro though.
Her hiding the existence of his child from him seemed designed to give viewers a reason to feel the relationship couldn't work as it was.
I totally understand why she's a polarizing character.

This is the page where I expressed my thoughts on Suzu vs. Miwako:
http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic_51051_165.htm
I don't really feel that it was just because of the child he had with Miwako that Yuu went back. He held onto that watch earnestly, he looked hurt when she told him she would leave, and something more than just nerves seemed to hold him back from Suzu for so long, imo. I felt it was more of since he loved both women, he chose his love for his child as the tie breaker. I also really wish he had picked Miwako because of his love for her alone, but I think they were trying to make it a grey area to allow for Taro and Suzu in the next life. The whole thing gives me some confusion about the ending, and it didn't sell me on the strength of Suzu and Taro's love being what allowed them to meet in the next life--more like unresolved feelings that are given a chance to express themselves in the next life.

Miwako showed enough strength throughout the drama that I don't believe she'd have let Yuu/Taro stay if he wasn't happy with her. We also never got to see what finally led Suzu to marry Matsu. He really loved her, and he was entirely capable of doing something that would cause her to develop love for him. Even if she still had love for Taro, it is possible to love someone else sincerely and be happy. A widow or widower can always love a departed spouse, but it doesn't mean they don't love their second spouse too. So much is left up to the viewer to fill in the blanks, and we'll all fill them in differently.

For some folks Taro and Suzu are more than the crush that I see, and I've enjoyed seeing some of their different views.

For me the flaw at the end is the idea of one love needing to be greater. It's more meaningful to me if I view it as a him finally being given the opportunity to live both of his lives, since the crash lead him to starting a life he couldn't finish.


@minah
I first got into Tanihara Shosuke after Yama Onna Kabe Onna. (His character starts out kinda understated, but he gets into some funny hijinks later.) It was a trip after that to find out that he was the same guy who played Aki's former boyfriend in Pride. TOTALLY different roles. I should post his kiss scene from Nagai Nagai Satsujin on youtube. Wow. It's unsubbed, but I liked his performance very much... and not just in the kissing scene. He played with Keiko again in the movie The Handsome Suit. Very funny. My whole family really enjoyed it. Of course his role in Love Shuffle was also really fun.

Right after AnKY, I watched Kaname Jun in Kimi Hanin Ja Nai yo ne? He's the male lead, and it's a very over the top comedy/mystery. Took me a little while to settle into it, because it's more of a comedy series than a mystery series. But, I love zany comedy, and he was fun to watch in there. Otherwise he's mostly in supporting roles, like in the movie Casshern or the series Ryusei no Kizuna. I'd love to see him get more big meaty roles.

My second experience with Yuriko was Konno-san to Asobo (a short unsubbed series). It was totally different than Shinobu-chan, so I didn't have as much experience of her in similar roles. Never saw her in Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu, though I seem to remember positve comments from viewers. I watched her bit part in Naminori Restaurant, and part of Tonsure. Loved her work in Love Shuffle and Tokyo DOGS. :wub:

We pick up tons of dramas from liking the people in other dramas, apparently. Man, Sato Jiro is in soooooooooo much. Him and Furuta Arata are nearly everywhere in comedies. Hehe

As far as Aibu's most likable roles, I think it's the background role she has in Triangle. She's the detective's little sister, and her character was pretty kind from what I remember. I was really worried about picking up that series post ZK, but I don't remember myself or anyone else having a problem with that role. Of course, it's also a really small role. I had conflicting feelings about the end of the drama because I'm a stickler for certain writing details, but maybe she has one role that nobody hates her in.

@dokaben
Yeah, Shikaotoko is unsettling with the earthquake subject matter presently. It's still a good, positive show though. Glad you liked it.

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Post by «minah» » Mar 30th, '11, 20:42

We pick up tons of dramas from liking the people in other dramas, apparently. Man, Sato Jiro is in soooooooooo much. Him and Furuta Arata are nearly everywhere in comedies. Hehe


Totally agree! Because that's exactly how I get into other dramas ^^ Because of (mostly) Hotaru no Hikari I wanted to see more of Naohitio (he's so hot ^^) and I love how versatile he is! Playing some player reporter in Love Revolution, a pitiful teacher dude in Kou Kou Kyoushi '03, a crazy cowboy in Galcir and some rebel in Shibatora (that was my first time seeing him ^^) So I think he's really interesting (and I think I'm the only one who thinks he got hotter as he got older #^^#) But yeah all thanks to Shibatora (that show isn't too bad... I think some of the cheeseyness gets in the way with its serious stuff at times)

Just read (well one) of your comments on the Utahime thread. Really insightful. It actually made me remember some parts of the drama (I forgot a lot of it... it was a couple of years ago and it wasn't my favorite-favorite)

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Post by Pantheria » Apr 1st, '11, 03:38

Bit late on the discussion but thought I'd shime in. My 5 underrated picks + 6 more because I couldn't decide. Not in any order. Most of these dramas really took me by surprise. I went in not expecting a lot but enjoyed each one for their own unique reasons. :)

- Cat Street
- Yasha
- Innocent Love
- Voice
- Dr. Koto's Clinic
- Long Love Letter
- Triangle
- Strawberry On the Shortcake
- Aikurushii
- Yasuko to Kenji
- Saru Lock

outcast_within
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Post by outcast_within » Apr 1st, '11, 09:35

Well i'm kinda surprised hammer session is not popular at all.
Basically it's a gokusen. But with a male teacher (night, zettai kareshi) and the girl from my avatar.
The stories aren't as generic in gokusen as well. They have some twists and in general is bit less family friendly and morally correct.
It has good production vallues as well.

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Post by «minah» » Apr 1st, '11, 16:07

outcast_within wrote:Well i'm kinda surprised hammer session is not popular at all.
Basically it's a gokusen. But with a male teacher (night, zettai kareshi) and the girl from my avatar.
The stories aren't as generic in gokusen as well. They have some twists and in general is bit less family friendly and morally correct.
It has good production vallues as well.
The only thing that makes it similar to Gokusen the "main" students in the class get like their own special episode and the teacher pretty much helps them through what problems they're dealing while the teacher keeps their identity hidden. It's funny you say Gokusen because he's from season 2 (he was Shun's character pretty much) lol

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Post by outcast_within » Apr 1st, '11, 16:14

«minah» wrote:
outcast_within wrote:Well i'm kinda surprised hammer session is not popular at all.
Basically it's a gokusen. But with a male teacher (night, zettai kareshi) and the girl from my avatar.
The stories aren't as generic in gokusen as well. They have some twists and in general is bit less family friendly and morally correct.
It has good production vallues as well.
The only thing that makes it similar to Gokusen the "main" students in the class get like their own special episode and the teacher pretty much helps them through what problems they're dealing while the teacher keeps their identity hidden. It's funny you say Gokusen because he's from season 2 (he was Shun's character pretty much) lol
How would you describe gokusen lol. It's about a teacher solving students problems :P.
It's like macdonalds and burger king menu's are only similiar in the sense they both have a burger, fries and soda.

Also the teacher has a secret which cannot be known otherwise there will be problems.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm just saying if gokusen is so popular why is this show not getting any love?

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Post by «minah» » Apr 1st, '11, 16:22

Because they have many differences between the two. Like you said Gokusen is not really family-friendly and is a bit more serious. The scenarios that happen are actually more relatable (not the Hammer Session itself lol but the kid's problems) to people than Gokusen because not everyone is a pretty boy bada** who thinks the whole world hate them ^^;; (though I would think because HS! is more relatable people would watch it more but...~) But I guess Gokusen has been out since... what... the 90's? So it's more known and liked I suppose...


I think the McDonalds and Burger King reference is more for Gokusen and Misaki Number 1 (because I think that's more Gokusen than Hammer Session I mean.... it's almost a mirror image >< That's how I know HS is just different... because I can still watch it unlike Misaki lol)

Pantheria
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Post by Pantheria » Apr 1st, '11, 20:57

outcast_within wrote:Well i'm kinda surprised hammer session is not popular at all.
Basically it's a gokusen. But with a male teacher (night, zettai kareshi) and the girl from my avatar.
The stories aren't as generic in gokusen as well. They have some twists and in general is bit less family friendly and morally correct.
It has good production vallues as well.
It's probably because no one has watched it since it's not fully subbed. :(

outcast_within
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Post by outcast_within » Apr 1st, '11, 21:39

Pantheria wrote:
outcast_within wrote:Well i'm kinda surprised hammer session is not popular at all.
Basically it's a gokusen. But with a male teacher (night, zettai kareshi) and the girl from my avatar.
The stories aren't as generic in gokusen as well. They have some twists and in general is bit less family friendly and morally correct.
It has good production vallues as well.
It's probably because no one has watched it since it's not fully subbed. :(
I finished the last three episodes on viki. And i can tell you the last episodes are pretty good as well.

Is it not subbed because it's not popular
Or is it not popular because it's not subbed.
That is the question/

Pantheria
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Post by Pantheria » Apr 1st, '11, 21:42

probably not popular because it's not subbed. if people can't watch, it can't get popular. also I'm one of those who hates softsubs on dramas, movies it's ok, dramas it just hurts my eyes too much.

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Post by «minah» » Apr 2nd, '11, 21:30

Subs are subs to me... as long as I can watch it. I'm just grateful people take the time out to do it ^^

I wouldn't know why Hammer Session isn't popular (well at least on this site anyway) Some stuff isn't everyone's cup of tea I guess and may get tired of school dramas ^^;;. But to me I wouldn't say if it's underrated or not... it's just kinda there. It's nothing special but it is nice to see Mokomichi in a drama all smiley (he has such a cute cheesey anchorman smile lol)

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Post by Archaenon » Apr 5th, '11, 08:54

Ninkyo Helper is high up on my list of the best of Japanese Dramas, it was so overlooked by general fans, and I was glad it got a special.

School!! is going to be underrated as well, it's one of the best , imo, this quarter had to offer compared to everything else.

I'm also going to agree that Gonzo flew under the radar as well, it was great in so many aspects.

More recent.
Dr. Ichiro Irabu is decent as well, I don't like/watch anime, so I was really skeptical about this one, but I really enjoy it overall.

Arcana : Heaven's Flower is actually really good imo, I think it needs more praise.

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Post by popoycanton » Apr 12th, '11, 00:26

Pantheria wrote:
outcast_within wrote:Well i'm kinda surprised hammer session is not popular at all.
Basically it's a gokusen. But with a male teacher (night, zettai kareshi) and the girl from my avatar.
The stories aren't as generic in gokusen as well. They have some twists and in general is bit less family friendly and morally correct.
It has good production vallues as well.
It's probably because no one has watched it since it's not fully subbed. :(
IMO it's probably because its terrible. With these sort of generic school/teacher storyline, the thing that draws audiences is a lead actor with "charisma," i.e. gto. Hammer fails because it doesn't have that x-factor.

I agree w/ gonzo and kita yoshio being under rated, those two have solid story lines.

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Post by iLLusiOnEr » Aug 10th, '11, 16:24

Soredemo Ikite Yuku is sooo underrated by it's rating! Wish it can be like Mother in 2010, taken the season by storm, whilst it was never expected to do so. Both dramas have the same writer and solid performance. Maybe even better because SIY tells the story by its body language too.

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Post by SSpiegel » Aug 10th, '11, 17:09

People have already mentioned many good dramas! I think it's really hard to judge whether something is popular or not these days, since people are so lazy to talk about dramas anymore, plus there are many older ones that never get a thread in the first place.

Most of my favorite dramas are probably quite underrated or just not that popular. I think I have a thing for weird and non-traditional storylines. And usually there's no pretty idols to be seen either.

Ashita no Kita Yoshio
Homeroom by the Beachside (made me cry, dammit!)
You're my pet (I'm on the fence with this one - I think it was pretty popular because of Jun, but then people didn't like it because of the weird story...)
Yume wo Kanaeru Zo
Long Love Letter (this one was wack, but so good tho!)
Cat Street
Home Drama
Medaka
Moteki

I have a few others in mind too, but they are probably too popular to count.

Reira_pl
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Post by Reira_pl » Aug 10th, '11, 17:26

dekatrain wrote:Atami no Sousakan is the best drama I've seen in a while.
I agree, best drama of 2010. Also Jikou Keisatsu by the same screenwriter.

Meitantei no Okite - after watching it, you get different perspective on detective dramas.

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Post by Sorvaseven » Aug 10th, '11, 17:36

Jyoou no Kyoushitsu (+ the two specials!!)
Long Love Letter
Okane ga nai!
Satorare
Xenos

and maybe Freeter, ie o kau. It won many awards in Japan last year, but isn't popular in the international fandom (i guess because the subs are only recently completed).

howtwosavealif3
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Post by howtwosavealif3 » Aug 13th, '11, 17:04

howtwosavealif3 wrote:here's just 5 i like but they're not that popular? only one i'm uncertain of is LIAR GAME but rest i'm sure isn't thatpopular.
mop girl
gyne
liar game
watashitachi no kyoukasho
LIFE
I wanted to explain
Mop Girl simply because it's better than hotaru no hikari. What makes me compare it is that ayase haruka was really annoying and not cute in hotaru no hikari while kitakawa was really cute and funny and likable. But I had no problem with ayase haruka in JIN.

GYNE ... it came out in the same season as JIN, samurai high school,tokyo dogs and basically I NEVRE HEARD ABOUT THIS SHOW WHATSOEVER. but I accidentally saw a commercia for this drama when somebody didn't crop out the CM in some other drama. IT was a commercial for ep 5 or 6 and it wasbasically the
intense court room scene
that drew me in. LIKe I LOVED that stuff in watashitachi no kyoukasho.
It's so much better than samurai high school, tokyo dogs but not as much as JIN>

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Post by SSpiegel » Aug 17th, '11, 00:07

I went from Joker ~ Yurusarezaru Sousakan to Atami no Sousakan after reading this thread. I'm having really weird reactions with AnS, tho. I'm not really into bizarre Japanese humour, but somehow it's really interesting. It's like Japanese Twin Peaks, and I really loved Twin Peaks even tho it was so weird and hardly made any sense. I think I have a serious problem with understanding symbolism, and that's what keeps me from enjoying stuff like this to the fullest.

moustachegai
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Post by moustachegai » Aug 17th, '11, 00:19

Hachi-One Diver - This introduced me to Japanese drama. Well, technically Naka Riisa did after I extinguished her movie catalogue but hey! Very anime like TV show.

Moteki - very well done as well, very relatable and has sexy women.

Gakko Ja Oshierarenai! - it's written by the same guy who did the Great Teacher Onizuka TV show, and although it's cheesy, it's a very heartwarming and poignant I think. It's like if Disney and the hit UK tv show Skins got together....

Ninkyo Helper - Agreed with everyone it's very good.

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Post by hhnd » Aug 17th, '11, 00:53

iLLusiOnEr wrote:Soredemo Ikite Yuku is sooo underrated by it's rating! Wish it can be like Mother in 2010, taken the season by storm, whilst it was never expected to do so. Both dramas have the same writer and solid performance. Maybe even better because SIY tells the story by its body language too.
I actually agree with this :) While I enjoyed Mother, I think Soredemo ikite yuku has more subtlety to it; things that aren't said and make you watch more closely to understand the feelings of each character. Very underrated drama, but the plot isn't exactly attractive to the majority of audience I guess? I just hope the ending can make sense, because at this rate nothing is solved yet :-(

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Post by rootabega » Dec 5th, '11, 10:37

I haven/t seen over 90% of the J-doramas out there, but most of the ones recommended are in my collection. Yeah!
My personal underrated recommendation (it did well in Japanese ratings, but won/t be found on any fanlistings in my lifetime):
Hagetaka - yes, it/s pretty much a pure business dorama, recalling the days of vulture funds swooping in on post-bubble Japan, but it is quality entertainment. I found myself getting wrapped up in the story right from the get-go. Oomori Nao :wub: is awesome in the lead, and there/s also Matsuda Ryuhei :w00t: (move over Shota), and Chiaki Kuriyama. Uniformly good ensemble acting (except for the Western actors - ugh), an excellent climax, and a denouement that is one of the best I/ve seen. If you watch one business dorama ever, this would be a worthy choice.

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Post by Renai FanSubs » Dec 6th, '11, 08:27

My under rated J-Drama:

Mop Girl <-I thought this show was super cute, and fun to watch. Not many have given it a chance though :P

howtwosavealif3
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Post by howtwosavealif3 » Dec 8th, '11, 02:55

Renai FanSubs wrote:My under rated J-Drama:

Mop Girl <-I thought this show was super cute, and fun to watch. Not many have given it a chance though :P
I just think of it as .... a drama that is loads better than hotaru no hikari yet hotaru no hikari is more popular. hotaru no hikari is ayase haruk's pathetic attempt at being cute... while in mop girl kitakawa keiko is actually cute. but really it's not just about it being cute... it's a good comedy drama.

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Post by Keikan » Dec 8th, '11, 15:33

^^The only reason why I haven't watched Mop Girl yet is because I'm not a fan of Ketagawa Keiko. Her voice really gets on my nerves so I tend to stay away from her dramas. Maybe one day I'll give this drama a fairer chance. :P Oh and I looove Hotaru no Hikari.

howtwosavealif3
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Post by howtwosavealif3 » Dec 8th, '11, 21:21

Keikan wrote:^^The only reason why I haven't watched Mop Girl yet is because I'm not a fan of Ketagawa Keiko. Her voice really gets on my nerves so I tend to stay away from her dramas. Maybe one day I'll give this drama a fairer chance. :P Oh and I looove Hotaru no Hikari.
god we have the oposite problem. i can't stand ayase haruka... at least in hotaru no hikari... her voice, and everything. she was fine in JIN. welllll like i said i personally think it's loads better than hotaru no hikari in like every department including cuteness lol.

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Post by mrsmith10 » Dec 9th, '11, 03:50

howtwosavealif3 wrote:
god we have the oposite problem. i can't stand ayase haruka... at least in hotaru no hikari... her voice, and everything. she was fine in JIN. welllll like i said i personally think it's loads better than hotaru no hikari in like every department including cuteness lol.
Off-topic but whenever other people complain about any Japanese actress, why do they always their voice? I've heard this complaint on at least five different actresses now. Do Japanese women have some type of accent that people find annoying (which is no fault of their own) or is everyone just trying to nitpick at that aspect because they don't like the person they're complaining about? :roll

howtwosavealif3
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Post by howtwosavealif3 » Dec 9th, '11, 16:18

mrsmith10 wrote:
howtwosavealif3 wrote:
god we have the oposite problem. i can't stand ayase haruka... at least in hotaru no hikari... her voice, and everything. she was fine in JIN. welllll like i said i personally think it's loads better than hotaru no hikari in like every department including cuteness lol.
Off-topic but whenever other people complain about any Japanese actress, why do they always their voice? I've heard this complaint on at least five different actresses now. Do Japanese women have some type of accent that people find annoying (which is no fault of their own) or is everyone just trying to nitpick at that aspect because they don't like the person they're complaining about? :roll
well it's part of the character she's playing. ayase haruka's trying to be all cute and everything in hotaru no hikari so she tends to talk in this really annoying way with her tone and everything. in jin her goal isn't trying to be cutesy etc etc so she doesn't talk in that fake-trying-wayto-hardtobe-cute thing. I just find her really annoying in hotaru no hikari. I just find it really annoying and anything but cute especially compared to kitakawa keiko in mo pgirl.

but yeah I don't understand how kitakawa keiko's voice is annoying to that person either. so i understand how you feel. I personally am not just saying her voice is annoying just to hate on her... it just is annoying.. I personally don't like it.

and to answer your quesiton: Do Japanese women have some type of accent that people find annoying (which is no fault of their own) ?

YES there is. like there is this burikko thing where the japanese girls talk in this fake high-pitched voice but obviously they're doing on purpose so it is their fault..
 
example: ogura yuuko, this is her real voice

Code: Select all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJUFP6TqRxw
but she talks like this now-a-days...

Code: Select all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8d8TpltUuk&feature=relmfu

Keikan
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Post by Keikan » Dec 10th, '11, 00:41

mrsmith10 wrote:
howtwosavealif3 wrote:
god we have the oposite problem. i can't stand ayase haruka... at least in hotaru no hikari... her voice, and everything. she was fine in JIN. welllll like i said i personally think it's loads better than hotaru no hikari in like every department including cuteness lol.
Off-topic but whenever other people complain about any Japanese actress, why do they always their voice? I've heard this complaint on at least five different actresses now. Do Japanese women have some type of accent that people find annoying (which is no fault of their own) or is everyone just trying to nitpick at that aspect because they don't like the person they're complaining about? :roll
I don't have a problem with Japanese actresses in general. I just said I don't like Kitagawa Keiko's voice. As someone who's studied acting for many years, I think she just doesn't have a good control of her voice. It sounds way too nasal and badly placed, and no offense but yes I do think that is her fault for not getting appropriate training. I don't have a problem with Kitagawa herself, I'm simply judging her based on my past training. To me it's just like saying "I don't listen to X band because I don't like the way the singer sings". But, like I said, I might give Mop Girl a try in the future. :)

But anyway... back to topic.

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Post by mrsmith10 » Dec 10th, '11, 03:02

howtwosavealif3 wrote:
and to answer your quesiton: Do Japanese women have some type of accent that people find annoying (which is no fault of their own) ?

YES there is. like there is this burikko thing where the japanese girls talk in this fake high-pitched voice but obviously they're doing on purpose so it is their fault..
 
and what about actresses who have a naturally high-pitched voice?

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Post by am00339 » Dec 22nd, '11, 03:22

Shinya Shokudo
Seigi no mikata
...

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Post by mezoomozaa » Dec 25th, '11, 04:52

In my opinion , and from what I already watched

the most underrated Jdorama of all times is [Hikari to tomo ni] !

I know it won many awards , and many people consider it as great drama

but I am talking about being one of the greatest japanese dramas of all time !
I rarely see it in top-5 list of anyone

I rate it as the best or second best drama ever

L'Arc
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Post by L'Arc » Dec 25th, '11, 21:55

A lot of great picks here!
I can only think of three dramas right now:

1- Binbo Danshi: One of Oguri Shun's best roles. Great comedy!
2- Shinzanmono: Stunning cinematography, amazing soundtrack (Kanno Yugo) and most of all Abe Hiroshi.
3- Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi: No comment. See it. If you're up for a real DARK mystery and astonishing performances all around, then this is the ultimate, most underrated kimura takuya drama ever.

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Post by «minah» » Dec 26th, '11, 20:31

^
I'm not sure if Shinzanmono is underrated... it's based on Higashino's novel (pretty much all dramas adapted from him are usually good and looked on positively) and it already had a SP & a movie. Maybe on intl forums/sites it's underrated/not talked about too much (but I think even the the Shinzanmono thread here had many people commenting ^^)

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