10 Japanese dramas to watch

10. Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo

Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo

• Japan, 2013-2015.
• Comedy, melodrama.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 7.6.

Silly but kind Aihara Kotoko at the beginning of a new school year falls in love with the handsome and genius Irie Naoki. Alas, he rejects the girl's advances. But then the heroine's house is destroyed by an earthquake, and her family moves in with friends. It turns out that they will now live with Naoki.

The drama is based on the manga of the same name. Moreover, the Japanese version is not the first film adaptation: before that, the story was adapted in Taiwan, Korea, China and Thailand.

9. Alice in the Borderlands

Imawa no Kuni no Arisu

• Japan, 2020 - present.
• Fantasy, Action, Thriller.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7.6.

The slacker and gamer Ryohei Arisu quarrels with his loved ones and leaves home. During a walk, the hero with two friends hides from the police in the toilet. Upon leaving, the whole trio discovers that they have fallen into a parallel world where they will have to participate in survival games.

This Japanese series will appeal to all fans of the Korean "squid games». And in some ways it is even more interesting: the plot refers to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, and the characters get into something like a computer game.

8. naked director

Zenra Kantoku

• Japan, 2019-2021.
• Drama, comedy, biography.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 7.7.

Unsuccessful textbook salesman Toru Muranisi finds his wife with her lover. This strangely changes his whole life: first, the hero begins to distribute audio recordings of sex. Then Muranisi launches his erotic magazine, and then opens a porn studio.

The comedy series loosely retells the true story of the famous porn director. Toru Muranishi greatly influenced the Japanese music industry. films for adults. Under his influence, censorship in the country even softened.

7. Emperor's cook

Tenno no Ryoriban

• Japan, 2015
• Drama, biography.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7.8.

An ordinary rural boy, Tokuzo Akiyama, cannot find a hobby to his liking. In order to somehow organize the young man, his parents even marry him. But soon Tokuzo finds his true passion - he wants to become chef.

This Japanese drama is based on a true story. Tokuzo Akiyama was really a simple young man who once tried a cutlet in an army canteen and fell in love with cooking. After 10 years, he became the chef of the Emperor of Japan.

6. Hours of my life: The time I was

Boku no ita jikan

• Japan, 2014
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 8.1.

The parents of student Sawada Takuto hoped that he would follow in his father's footsteps and become doctor. But the young man chooses a different path. And soon he finds out that he is sick with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and will die soon.

It is worth immediately warning that the drama will surely touch even the most callous viewer. In just 11 episodes, you can completely immerse yourself in the beautiful and very sad story of a young man who does not give up in very difficult situations.

5. Liar game

Liar Game

• Japan, 2007–2010.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 8.1.

The gullible Nao Kanzaki receives a box containing a huge amount of cash. It turns out that she became a participant in the game in which you need to deceive your rivals. The most cunning one gets all the money, the loser is left with a huge debt.

After two seasons of the series, two more feature films were released that completed the story. Alas, the main character did not appear in the latter.

4. Samurai Gourmet

Samurai Gourmet

• Japan, 2017.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 8.1.

Takeshi, an elderly Japanese man, is retiring. He has worked all his life for a large corporation and now does not know what to do with his free time. But then the hero begins to just walk around various cafes and restaurants, try different foods and pretend to be a samurai.

This drama has two main advantages. Firstly, short episodes of "Samurai Gourmet" can be watched even during a lunch break, even during a trip to the subway. And secondly, the stories shown there perfectly relax and soothe.

3. The city where I'm not

Boku dake ga inai machi

• Japan, 2017.
• Fantasy, thriller, detective.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7.8.

Unfortunate mangaka Satoru Fujinuma can move around in time. He tries to help others. But one day the hero decides to get into his own past and find out who killed his mother 18 years ago.

The drama is based on the manga of the same name. Before that, in 2016, an anime of the same name and a feature film were released. But it is the 2017 version that most accurately retells the original.

2. midnight diner

Shinya shokudo

• Japan, 2009-2014.
• Drama.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8.6.

The main character works in a night diner. It does not have a very diverse menu, but the owner, who is also a chef and bartender, is ready to cook any dish according to the client's order. And at the same time he gives advice to visitors who come to him.

Each episode of this Japanese drama is dedicated to the story of a new character and one dish. At the same time, the series unusually combines the maximum realism of the action and almost magical elements.

1. One liter of tears

Ichi rittoru no namida

• Japan, 2005
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 8.7.

Aya Ikeuchi is an ordinary schoolgirl. She helps her parents in the tofu shop and then goes to a prestigious high school. But it turns out that the girl has a dangerous disease that will soon affect her entire body.

This sad and touching series is based on real events. More precisely, on the diaries of the schoolgirl Aya Kito, who, having fallen ill, kept records for 10 years.

What Japanese dramas do you like?