Japanese Dramas
(listening to songs requires realaudio 3.0+ and a 28.8+ modem)
Japanese dramas ("doramas") encompass a wide variety of shows, from comedy to mystery to love stories. Some grasp the TV viewing audience so that not a week goes by where almost all of Japan isn't watching that particular drama on that particular night. Here are a few dramas that have caught my attention in the past or presently (links included to my pages):
Long Vacation is a love story, with its funny moments, as well. This is one show that captured the audience every week when it was on. Pretty much everyone in Japan recognizes this name if you mention it to them that you've seen it. It focuses on a young piano player and the has-been model who moves in with him by a strange twist of fate. It has great background music and a cute storyline that you don't mind watching over and over again; plus, it's the best for KimuTaku viewing pleasure. :)
1996
Theme Song / Listen to it!
This show is a love story, focusing on love, rebirth, and self-recognition. It focuses on a single pregnant woman and the man pretending to be her fiance (played by Takashi Sorimachi and the growing love between them. Also features a great theme song by Namie Amuro.
February 1997
Theme Song / Listen to it!
Saigo no Koi
"Last Love," this is a love story of a young woman named Aki Shinozaki and a Keiyo med student named Natsume (played by a member of SMAP, Masahiro Nakai). Aki works in a pachinko parlor during the day and works in an elite escort service at night to pay for the hospital bills of her younger brother Jun, while Natsume starts to grow fond of her, unaware of her secret night job. This is written by the same person that did Long Vacation, Eriko Kitagawa.
July 1997
Theme Song / Listen to it! Gift
KimuTaku as a mobster! ^.^ This comedy/drama is about a young man named Yukio who has complete amnesia, and only knows that he must deliver something, and that he can run very fast. So he works as a special delivery boy; each episode features a different exciting delivery. You learn lots of colorful yakuza (Japanese mafia) speech, and get lots of laughs.
Theme Song: Tokyo Joe
May 1997
Beach Boys
Featuring two hotties, Takashi Sorimachi and Yutaka Takenouchi, this show is about one young man who goes to the sea to find life, and another young businessman who goes to escape life. I've only seen the first episode so far, but it looks to be interesting. Mostly just a comedy/drama, and it also stars Ryoko Hirosue. Theme Song: "Forever" by Takashi Sorimachi w/Richie Sambora.
July 1997
Kyosokyoku
"Concerto," this show is about a young architect (played by the greatest babe of all, KimuTaku), his girlfriend, and his life-long mentor. It features his struggle to the top and the hardships associated with someone working off raw talent.
1997
Hoshi no Kinka
"Heaven's Coins," this show is about a deaf-mute (i put something here earlier that was kind of a spoiler.. my bad) nurse named Aya who falls for a Tokyo doctor named Shouichiro. Things get complicated when she goes to Tokyo to find him and he is in the hospital with amnesia. I recommend skipping the second series, though.. it's not really worth it.
1996
Kenshui Nanako
This is a comedy about a new doctor, fresh out of med school, who can't seem to get anything right. Each episode presents
a new story, a new problem the doctor has to face. The theme song is "Shapes of Love" by Every Little Thing, and the story
originated from a shojo manga of the same name. I recommend this for good, clean, family fun.
1997
Asunaro Hakusho
This is one of the first dramas KimuTaku was in (but he's not the main character). We also get to see him in glasses. :) It's such a shoujo manga
story, no wonder it was actually a manga first! It's by the same author as Tokyo Love Story and Age 35.
It actually has live-action shoujo moments! It really is cute and addicting though, so I recommend
it.
1992
Love Generation
Maybe, just maybe, when I go back to school, if I get some sponsors,
I'll make a webpage for this (I got enough requests for it). I have most of the soundtrack on mp3, so... :)
This drama is a little bit too much like Long Vacation theme-wise, but I really liked it and thought
it had originality. It stars KimuTaku (the babe) and Takako Matsu (Ryoko from LV). Their on-off relationship
is the hilight of the story, and I have to say, even though the plot may sound redundant, it's really well done.
1998
101 Proposals
This drama is really cute, about an unlikely romance between a construction foreman and a professional cellist. I don't really like the leading lady (she played that mean lady on "Coach"), she's too skinny, but I really like the hero, the plain guy who wants to get the beautiful girl (the dad from "Virgin Road"). Recommend for clean, family fun. Features a great theme song, "Say Yes" by Chage and Aska.
1992
Tokyo Love Story
Even though there's a lot of hype about this story (written by the same person who did "Asunaro"), I don't like it. It's pretty cute, but it tries too hard. I couldn't go on with the story after one episode, the main girl was too annoying.
1994 (?)
Narita Rikon
"Narita Divorce" is about a couple who get married and then decide to get divorced on the day they return from their
honeymoon, at the Tokyo Narita airport. But complications arise and the divorce doesn't quite go through as planned... I've only seen
about two episodes of this drama, and since my family's already since the whole thing so I can't borrow it again,
I have to go with what my family says -- it's good. :)
1998
Tomoko to Tomoko
This show is really hilarious! It's about two sisters, not blood-related (their parents married), with the same name.
It gets serious at times, but the characters are well-done and have great quirks. One of the Tomokos is played by the wife from Age 35. I totally recommend this for good comedy
and drama in one. Theme Song: "Club Tropicana" by Wham!
1998
Wanaga Police Station - Special
I only saw the special, but after seeing it, I really wanted to see the series... It stars the same guy from "Tokyo Love Story," as a detective who is actually a good guy, wanting to be a police officer in order to do good for the society. I think one of the SMAP guys also plays a bad guy in the special... I'm not sure, it looked like him... Anyway, if you find this TV series anywhere, tell me. Otherwise, I recommend the special.
1998
With Love
This is akin to "You've Got Mail," except no annoying AOL and the characters aren't in competition. Stars the hearthrob Yutaka Takenouchi as a composer and this other chick as a bank clerk. They fall in love over e-mail and it's addictive yet sometimes annoying. You might find yourself yelling at them, "Geez, can't you figure it out already!?" :)
Theme song: "Destiny" by My Little Lover
1998
Kami-sama, Mou Sukoshi Dake
"God, just a little longer," is a really good dorama facing the really real situation of HIV in Japan. Stars babelicious Takeshi Kaneshiro (Chung King Express, Anna Magdelena) who is a top music producer with a budding romance with an HIV-infected girl (played by teen idol Kyoko Fukada. I'm so glad they had this dorama, it's valuable for HIV/AIDS education! Theme song: "I for you" by Luna Sea, Other songs: "In the Sky" and "Kirara" by Shizuka Kudo, OST by S.E.N.S. called "Wish"
Preview the songs
1998
GTO
"Great Teacher Onizuka" is based on a manga, so it's characters are very vivid and active. It's about a young man named Eikichi Onizuka (Takashi Sorimachi) who decides to become a teacher, but his teaching style is not very traditional. I've seen the whole story and it's funny and intriguing. I definitely recommend it! Theme song: "Poison" by Takashi Sorimachi
My Top Ten
- Long Vacation
- Gift
- Love Generation
- Virgin Road
- Asunaro Hakusho
- GTO
- With Love
- Saigo no Koi
- Tomoko to Tomoko
- 101 Proposals
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