Everyday its bloody corona this and corona that. Supermarkets are empty, its feeling like a zombie movie in real situation, everyone is stressed and there are all sorts of quarantines going around. What better way to spend all that time at home than watching jdoramas?
Below are 10 jdoramas I think are great for corona quarantine. The most important quality I am choosing these shows for are feel good. We want to freaking feel good, forget real world problems and lose ourselves in some jdorama goodness. So no dark and depressing shows.
1) SUMMER SNOW
The show that got me hooked on jdoramas as well as Hirosue Ryoko at the height of her powers. Feel good show with great cast including Oguri Shun and Ikewaki Chizuru. You will fall in love with all the characters and it will warm your heart.
The best jdorama soundtrack ever meets the coolest surgery series ever. The names Asada Ryutaro, Ijyuiin, Miki and Noguchi sensei will forever be etched in your memory. So freaking good you will wonder why Japan would want to make any more surgery shows after this? The best part is that you get 4 seasons of really good stories.
Once upon a time, Koizumi Kotaro was a good actor and he was in a feel good show with Haruna playing a student at a part time high school who he decides to tutor to get to university. Nothing is more feel good than underdog trying to do the impossible. I am not sure this has been subbed though.
So freaking heartwarming it might keep corona away.
The writing by Nojima Shinji is so good and funny. Need to rewatch it one of these days.
Kudo Kankuro is a genius. You will laugh and laugh and laugh.
7) MANHATTAN LOVE STORY
Kudo Kankuro is a genius. You will laugh and laugh and laugh.
Talk about feel good sports jdorama with romance thrown in. The only bad thing is that the subs aren't very good. I should probably try to find a better rip cause this show is so rewatchable.
I didn't give Coffee-ya a must watch but its in my feels so much better to watch than it has any right to. I can just rewatch this show every year.
10) PRIDE
Takeuchi Yuko at the height of her powers and a macho sports dorama which is rare. If you want a touching, testosterone filled jdorama to keep corona away, this is it. That's it for my list. Plenty of other shows that deserve to be here but these 10 are great for making you feel good.
Thanks for the recommendations. I watched Golden Bowl a while back after finding your review and it was excellent. Gonna check out one or two of these that I haven't seen. Juken no Cinderella has been subbed.
ReplyDelete-Robert
i have everything except for love shuffle. i didnt want to try it a while back after reading the plot summary... i guess now that you give it a recommend, i better take a second look.
ReplyDeleteu in australia right mike? are u guys now in quarantine?
I guess there are a ton of good doramas to watch. I am happy you rembered Kohi-ya no Koibito.
ReplyDeleteI'd add some sentimental but maybe a bit heavy doramas like Arifureta Kiseki, Bara no nai Hanaya, Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni and Wakamonotachi to the list.
Of course probably having something lighthearted is better.
Like Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso or Tokusatsu Gagaga or Mayonaka Panyasan
(which is like another feel good dorama like Kohiya no Koibito)
And of course for the longer timeframe a Asadora would be perfect as they are usually lighthearted. For instance take the much fairytaly Churasan.
3) JUKEN NO CINDERELLA
ReplyDeleteThere are subs on Avistaz (don't know how good)...
Happy to see Love Shuffle among your recommendations. Maybe time for a Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi rewatch as well?
ReplyDeleteHope you're staying safe and healthy!
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ReplyDeleteIts been ages for me to plan to finish watching Tiger & Dragon, I watch the first episode but didn't understand the Rakugo part. Does the Rakugo part is the main story of the drama and does I need to know Japanese to enjoy it? Thx for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely post! We need it..
ReplyDeleteOn this list I have only watched KISEKI NO HITO and highly recommend it.
@Robert- Glad you enjoyed Golden Bowl!
ReplyDelete@dgundam- Do give Love Shuffle a go! We are still alive in Australia with a Prime Minister who doesn't want to do a proper quarantine for whatever reasons.
@hamanosilence - I have not seen Arifureta Kiseki. Will put on list.
@junny - I think I did a rewatch of Shikaotoko a few years back and it was still fun to watch.
@unknown - Didn't know Juken no Cinderella had subs.
@faizikari - You should be able to find English subs for Tiger & Dragon
@suppaf - Kiseki no Hito is very good and I hope you can find other shows on this list that you'll like
I found a blu-ray source for Tiger & Dragon, but I'm not sure the english subs is sync to the source. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't remember why I drop Tiger & Dragon in the first place, I think I watch it long time ago subs by SARS Fansub, maybe the Rakugo part didn't translate well in english. :D
If its a must watch drama maybe I should finish it, weirdness aside, I'm having a blast watching other Kankuro Kudo drama, Ikebukuro West Gate Park. :)
What, no Shinya Shokudo?! I need to finish Love Shuffle one of these days. I read an unintentional spoiler and ended up not watching the last few eps.
ReplyDeleteI watched Summer Snow upon your recommendation here and it was excellent. Given the first photo you used I was a little disappointed to find that Kuninaka Ryoko played only a minor role. Otherwise the cast was great and I was hooked after the first episode.
ReplyDelete-Robert
@Robert: Glad you enjoyed Summer Snow!
ReplyDeleteSummer Snow is a feelgood show, with that ending? Come on man.
ReplyDelete@Anon: I did not like the main actor so I loved the ending but I think I've come to appreciate his role in the story.
ReplyDeletei recomend "if talking paid" for funny banters!
ReplyDeleteas for feel good takeuchi yuko dramas, i think egao no hosoku is much more feel good and heartwarming than pride(plus instead of kimutaku you get hiroshi abe)
ReplyDelete@anon: Egao no Hosoku is the Abe as a writer in an onsen show right? I can't remember whether I like it or not and it looks like I've never written about it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's the one where Abe is the mangaka who has to hide in the ryokan from other publishing companies with takeuchi as his helper. It's a feel good slice of life show where hijinks happen in the ryokan with okami-san giving the characters life lessons. It's not preachy and more about subtle character development with little to no drama.One of the few jdramas that have that iyashikei vibe.
ReplyDeleteJust found this list now, in August and in the middle of a tiring hard lockdown in Melbourne. Your recommendations are really helpful and I haven't watched any of these - except Kiseki no Hito which I didn't like. The male lead was always over the top, and the deaf-blind stuff just recycled the old cliches and it was clear nobody in the production had done any real-life research. But the child actor was brilliant; either she did her research or else was a natural. I had to hunt around for most of these, a couple I couldn't find at all.
ReplyDelete