Japanese Drama Recommendation and Where to Stream Online

Succulent on 23/02/2021 - 13:45

Dear fellow jdrama fans,

Few years ago I remembered watching two awesome japanese drama show below

  • Liar Game : story about how an honest female chracter being trapped in a game where everyone supposed to lie and trick each other to survive and win the game.
  • Koi Ni Ochitara : story about intrigue at work place and owning a business.

I love japanese movies where there is a fair bit of thinking, have twists or where the ending is unexpected but good.

Does anyone have a recommendation of good family friendly japanese drama? So no dark, horror, thriller, or gore one please.

Also, does anyone know where to stream the japanese drama with subtitle that are safe (no malware etc)?

Thanks!

Entertainment TV Series

Comments

  • realaaa on 23/02/2021 - 14:00
    +1

    https://asianwiki.com/Solitary_Gourmet_Season_1 is strangely enjoyable give it a try if you haven't seen it, and if you like Japanese food

  • onetwothreefour on 23/02/2021 - 14:23
    +1

    My wife is Japanese but I've never been into J Drama although I really enjoyed Jin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_(TV_series)

    Not sure where you'd be able to stream it, I downloaded it ages ago by torrents.

    • purplelady on 23/02/2021 - 16:45

      Oh yeah, Jin was good!

    • havebeerbelywillsumo on 23/02/2021 - 17:01
      +2

      Good to see another Jin fan

      To the OP

      Thanks for Koi Ni Ochitara will follow that up, Liar Game is on the list

      This is a personal list and as such you need to know where I am coming from - I like older series (which makes streaming finds difficult) as I think they are better made (not technically of course), loath most KDramas (scatty overblown overemotional and overacted). Overall Japan and Korea with daylight to the Asian rest. Hate dubbing and superheroes. Dislike most modern Hollywood. Bollywood singing makes me cringe. Prefer serious drama but romcoms are OK if they are well done

      Series list that should keep you going for some time LOL (note added the year where i feel it is handy in identifying the actual nominated production)

      +++++++ picks

      Secret Garden romance near perfectly done
      Jin 1 & 2 time travel, period, romance
      Mother (2010) simple title makes production year important when trying to find. Brilliant.
      Jewel in the Palace - period, you read the synopsis and think "no way" but it's ****superb****
      Kekkon Dekinai Otoko AKA The Man Who Can't Get Married (2006). Brilliant.
      Nodame Cantabile series and movies - if there was one production that I want more of, this is it (note this is the live action, anime is OK as well bit the live is best - just don't confuse the two)

      Just finished watching and OK - streaming gettable as recentish???

      Hanza no Shokogun_seasons 1 & 2 (detective, great idea, erratic execution)
      Kemono ni Narenai Watashitachi (romance, very good)
      Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi seasons 1&2 (sorta romance but with family elements as well - it's predictable and last ep is a bit ugly but can be very funny (unusual for me to laugh so much in Japanese productions), overall I was impressed despite the negatives.

      Older watches completely random as to genre, some Korean, mainly Japanese

      99.9 Criminal Lawyer seasons 1&2
      Innocent Days (2018) hard to find, excellent
      Soratobu Taiya
      Ice World (Koori no Sekai)
      Star no Koi
      Dragon Zakura
      Shiroi Kyoto
      Golden Bowl
      Seigi no Mikata
      Haken No Hinkaku
      BORDER (2014)
      Brother Beat
      Oh Mikey Hardcore
      Heaven's Coins series 1 only
      101st marriage proposal
      14 Sai no Haha
      Anego (2005)
      Baian the Assassin
      Beach Boys
      Bijo ka Yajuu
      Freeter Ie Wo Kau
      Kagi no Kakatta Heya AKA The Locked Room Murders
      Kazoku No Katachi
      Kurosagi The Black Swindler
      Majo no Jouken (1999)
      Orange Days (2004)
      Moto Kare
      Ousama no Restaurant (1995)
      Strawberry Night
      Tantei no Tantei
      The Masters Sun
      With Love (1998)
      Zenkai Girl
      Amalfi - mix of series and movies
      Long Vacation 1996 one of the most famous japanese dramas, still being rereleased
      Ando Natsu
      Boss series 1&2
      Chuno
      Densha Otoko
      Admiral Yi - the most amazing Korean (and person of any nation) who ever lived in the military sphere IMHO, the drama is fair, got it more for the man than the show. Look him up if you've never heard of him. Nelson only needed to fight the French & Spanish, this guy needed to fight another nation and in a way his own as well
      Soratobu Kouhoushitsu
      Galileo series & movies (mystery/detective - not the astronomer)
      Hero (2016)
      Hotaru no Hikari series 1 & 2
      Liar Game
      Meguri Ai aka Refrain (1998)
      MR. BRAIN
      My Love From Another Star
      Ninkyo Helper - Series, Special, Movie
      Osen
      Oshin - epic in scope and size, and in Asia, outside Japan, probably the most famous (over a period of time) Japanese production
      Pasta
      Queen In Hyuns Man
      Rich Man, Poor Woman
      Magerarenai Onna
      The Suspicious Housekeeper
      Two Weeks
      Otenki Onee-san
      Yamikin Ushijima-kun if memory serves me correctly this tails off badly after the initial good series one
      Yokai Ningen Bem

      (added on edit)

      The Great White Tower (2003) - made at least 3 times so the production year is significant, have seen the 1966 version but the 2003 version
      trumps it IMO

      Hotel del Luna a modern Korean drama that is really what I wish all Kdramas aspired to - a well told, semi original,
      non-mawkish but still has "feels", tale

      Note I have yet to see a Korean remake that is a patch on a Japanese original so this is a skipped class.

      END

      Just as an aside - tried quality anime?

      and there are many Asian movies that are the bees knees.

      • Succulent on 23/02/2021 - 19:02

        This is great! Thank you for taking time in writing this down.

        loath most KDramas (scatty overblown overemotional and overacted).

        Yeah me too I am not a big fan of KDramas.

        Bollywood singing makes me cringe.

        Yeah i dont watch bollywood movie, except for this Three Idiots. The storyline for this was so good that I bought the original copies from India (with subtitle) and watched them 3-4 times. I generally only watch a specific movie once, unless if that is really good.

        I think we have similar preference when it comes to movie. Looking forward to check them out and yes this list will last me for a while, maybe years lol..

        I am not into anime, except one piece. Thanks for the suggestion!

        • havebeerbelywillsumo on 24/02/2021 - 04:55
          +2

          There are only 2 Indian movies that I thought were really good, 3 Idiots was one and "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India" is the other, 8.1 on IMDB and one of those rarities that actually deserves such a high rating, I even forgive this one for having a couple of Bollywood bits………….am not an IMDB fan LOL

          Thanks for the tip on Koi ni Ochitara, watching and enjoying now.

          "Yeah me too I am not a big fan of KDramas" there are some on that list, they are exceptions to the rule IMO and deserve to be watched.

          "I am not into anime, except one piece". Anime started my love of Asian cinema but I disregard things like One Piece, as popular as they may be. To me they are anime that is not anime See if you can find "Blame!", "From the New World", "Ghost in the Shell" (1995). These may change your opinion, there are many others.

          • follow on 24/02/2021 - 07:43

            @havebeerbelywillsumo: From the New World 👌
            curious if you like mainstream anime like attack on titan, full metal alchemist, parasyte: the maxim, death note, monster, hunter x hunter, code geass etc

            • havebeerbelywillsumo on 24/02/2021 - 13:38
              +1

              @follow: attack on titan, unwatched and no desire to
              (full) metal alchemist, - which iteration though? Watched some in the 2000's when it was on TV, it was OK
              parasyte: not bad this one
              the maxim, unknown…oh, it's another name for Parasyte
              death note, Loved the idea and the series initially, lost it's momentum near the end. Idea and initial parts are, to me, unforgettable - which made the decline so hard to take. Stein's Gate and Shakugan no Shana come to mind as being similar in that regard.
              monster, on the "one day" list, keep feeling "this will be a hard one", like Grave of the Fireflies
              hunter x hunter, Watched most if not all of the 1999 iteration, was OK, but not to watch more
              code geass on the "one day" list

              You've missed Clannad 1 (not it's main thrust but best comedy scenes in an anime for me) and 2 (if you can get your head around the huge reality twist) was even better bar one appalling "do good" ep, Gantz, Boogiepop Phantom, Fate-Zero, the many Monegatari iterations, Twelve Kingdoms (maybe not mainstream but one of the best world building there is, aside from the overwhelming detail from the old Legend of the Galaxy), the GITS franchise, the Space Battleship Yamato franchise, Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, Elfen Lied, EF Memories (maybe), the early (up to ep 200 odd??) Gintama, Card Captor Sakura. I'd call most if not all of these mainstream, there will be others that don't come to mind and some that I just shudder about (Sailor Moon, Dragonball, Bleach, A Certain Scientific Railgun, Sword Art Online, Girls und Panzer, etc etc)

  • boomramada on 23/02/2021 - 14:36

    Amazon prime video has few

  • follow on 23/02/2021 - 14:58
    +1

    samurai gourmet
    midnight diner

    • havebeerbelywillsumo on 23/02/2021 - 16:27
      +1

      Both of these are on Netflix. IMHO MD is a class A show, SG irritated me.

      The only worry with Netflix and MD is that Netflix pretended it was their series whereas in reality it started a couple of years before. As such (from memory) there are 3 seasons on Netflix. I would watch season 3 (which is pre Netflix) first then 1 & 2..I think there are 2 seasons not covered. This one is a personal fav with the intro music unbeatable.

  • geek001 on 23/02/2021 - 14:59
    +2

    I use the viki app for korean/japanese/chinese dramas with english subtitles. It is ad-supported or you can sign up to be a member. The streams are generally very good quality and has very minimal buffering.

    https://www.viki.com/apps

  • pharkurnell on 23/02/2021 - 15:50
    -1

    Nothing like reading a good movie…

  • Blue Cat on 23/02/2021 - 16:47

    (no malware etc)?

    Every site is safe with uBlock Origin.

  • netbies on 23/02/2021 - 17:22
    +1

    I love jdrama too. I mainly like mystery and crime genre but I like Jin too.

    I either watch them online or download the latest ones.

    There are a few classics missing above. For example, old one like Trick, it is interesting and funny. It have both TV series and movies. Newer one you cant miss Hanzawa Naoki - highest audience rated. Classics like Kasouken no Onna or Aibo, they are into 20th and 19th season respectively.

    Unfortunately most of them do not have English subtitles if you need to rely on it. Some do come with Chinese and Japanese subtitles.

    Cheers

  • Donaldhump on 23/02/2021 - 18:20

    monkey magic?

  • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2021 - 20:59

    Yoshiro Mori's recent Olympic comments?

  • TRANCE on 23/02/2021 - 21:17

    A few of my favorites are:

    My Boss, My Hero
    Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
    Gokusen
    Great Teacher Onizuka

  • Taro Milk Tea on 04/03/2021 - 10:11

    I love tokyo love story

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