Name |
Cast |
Rating
(5-pt. system) |
Aired |
Synopsis |
| HAPPY MANIA 
|
Inamori
Izumi
Fujiwara Norika
Kaneko Ken
Abe Hiroshi
Morohoshi Kazumi |
3.5 |
Jul-Sep 1998 |
OK, call me
shallow but I really liked this drama. Yes, it's eye-candy, and the storyline's not only
frivolous but rather implausible (even to someone as susceptible as me!)... But I had a
good time watching it, and for some reason, it was one of those dramas that kept me up at
nights. The story is centered around Inamori Izumi as your typical Asian "dumb
blonde" but luckily has a smart and down-to-earth best friend (Fujiwara Norika) who
tries to check her crazy impulses while Inamori Izumi leaps from one relationship into the
next in her quest for love. |
HARU RANMAN
(Spring Romance) |
Oshio Manabu
Tomosaka Rie
Kitamura Ikki
Henmi Emiri |
4.0 |
Apr-Jun 2002 |
Tomosaka Rie is so disgusted by her broken-down apartment that she rashly takes on a
beautiful flat that is beyond her means and is forced find a roommate. She ends up living
with Manabu Oshio, a carefree, easygoing tourguide working in a domestic agency. An
amusing comedy about two opposite personalities with different lifestyles and outlook on
life living under the same roof. Quite enjoyable, especially when you watch the two of
them fight!
|
HATSU TAIKEN
(First Experience) 
|
Mizuno Miki
Fujiki Naohito Shinohara Ryoko
Koizumi Koutaro
Sakai Maki |
4.0 |
Jan-Mar 2002 |
Mizuno Miki is a 27-year old vet who is still a virgin and ashamed of it. A chance meeting
brings her face to face with her childhood friend, Takumi Fusano, who was a sweet kid in
primary school but has now turned into this layabout who drifts from job to job. But when
she asks him, he denies it and holds up a bag with a different name "Hirota".
Nonetheless fate throws them together and she ends up living next to him. Despite his
irresponsible appearance and lack of scruples, he’s not a bad guy at heart and
gradually, he changes through his friendship with Miki. Despite the mundane storyline, the
drama is interesting and some scenes are really funny.
|
| HERO 
|
Kimura
Takuya
Matsu Takako |
|
Jan-Mar 2001 |
This one broke all records when it aired in Japan!! Kimura plays a public prosecutor from the Aomori District Court
who has been transferred south to serve the cause of justice among Tokyo's elite. He
never graduated from high school but managed to pass the bar exams to qualify.
Kimura's maverick approach leads him to behave in ways that are alien to his more
conventional colleagues, including career climber, Matsu Takako. But his lack of
professionalism is countered by his achievements, and she is slowly won over to his
approach. Interesting subplots involving legal intrigues and courtroom dramas.
|
HITORI KURASHI
(Living Alone) |
Tokiwa
Takako Takahashi Katsunori Nagasaku Hiromi |
1.0 |
Oct-Dec 1996 |
Tokiwa
leaves house and starts living alone, and meets Takahashi and falls in love with him.
Nagasaku plays her best friend who has lesbian tendencies. A super-bad drama. The worse I
have ever seen Tokiwa Takako in!! |
HITONATSU NO PROPOSAL
(One Summer Proposal) |
Sakai Maki
Hosaka Naoki
Inamori Izumi
Takaoka Saki
Nakamura Toru
Terawaki Yasufumi |
|
Jul-Sep 1996 |
A light
romantic comedy involving love triangles between friends. Three men, three women...
the math adds up but the chemistry doesn't... Sakai Maki is on the rebound after being
dumped by her fiance, and an accidental meeting leads her to fall in love with a guy who
ends up being interested in one of her friends. Meanwhile her other best friend
loves the guy who has a crush on herself. |
HITOTSU YANE NO SHITA
(Under One Roof) 
|
Eguchi
Yosuke
Fukuyama Masaharu
Sakai Noriko
Ishida Issei
Ooji Megumi |
5.0 |
Apr-Jun 1993 |
This is the
first drama I watched, and it got me hooked, so what else can I say? It's a heartwarming
family drama about five kids whose parents have died and they have since drifted apart
until the eldest brother (Eguchi Yosuke) unites them "under one roof" again. The
elder sister (Sakai Noriko) is actually not their "real" sister, as she was
adopted at a young age (thus making it possible for her to secretly love Eguchi , which
the second brother (Fukuyama Masaharu) loves her.) Each sibling has a unique character,
and the drama consists of sub-plots of different things that happen to them. |
HITOTSU YANE NO SHITA 2
(Under One Roof 2) |
Eguchi
Yosuke
Fukuyama Masaharu
Sakai Noriko
Ishida Issei
Matsu Takako |
5.0 |
Apr-Jun 1997 |
I liked
this second series even more than the first! It is basically just a continuation of the
former series, but everyone's now older and there are more developed storylines. (OK, and
there's more relationship things that come up too...) Matsu Takako joins the original cast
to play Ishida Issei's love interest. Incidentally, I think I cried more in this drama
than in any other J-dramas I've ever watched. Read
the episode synopsis for it |
HYAKUNEN
MONOGATARI
(Story of One Century) 
|
Matsushima
Nanako Watabe Atsuro
Osawa Takao
Harada Ryuji
Yamaguchi Yuuichirou |
5.0 |
Aug 2000 |
This is a
great drama special! Three two-hour long stories that trace the lives of three generations
of women (mother, daughter, grand-daughter) - all played by Matsushima Nanako - and it
offers quite a moving portrayal of the sort of issues that women face in their days.
I strongly recommend it!! Read the episode synopsis for this drama |