Yeah I'm amazed there isn't more options to be honest, is Netflix in Japan?
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Let's talk about Japanese Dramas!
- Thread starter Kurita
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Yeah I'm amazed there isn't more options to be honest, is Netflix in Japan?
Yeah Netflix exists in Japan, and it has dramas on it.
GTO 2014 01:
It's like they cut a 2 hour SP into 1. This felt so rushed, the pacing for the first half was all over the damn place.
Looks like they're trying to outdo the level of problems the kids are facing this time around from last season. By the end, the ep was ok. I really hope further eps aren't so rushed.
It's like they cut a 2 hour SP into 1. This felt so rushed, the pacing for the first half was all over the damn place.
Looks like they're trying to outdo the level of problems the kids are facing this time around from last season. By the end, the ep was ok. I really hope further eps aren't so rushed.
D
Deleted member 17706
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littlegrasshopper
Member
Oh wow! I had no idea until reading this thread that they rebooted GTO in 2012. Are those worth watching? For a long time now, Takashi Sorimachi was my GTO. Is the new stuff just as good?
EDIT:
I am looking this up now. So there was 1 season and a movie and this GTO 2014 is season 2? And whats this GTO Taiwan I am seeing as well with the same new guy.
EDIT:
I am looking this up now. So there was 1 season and a movie and this GTO 2014 is season 2? And whats this GTO Taiwan I am seeing as well with the same new guy.
Oh you're right, it's Hulu.
The new GTO borrows a lot more from the manga. Onizuka is more comedic and feels like a shounen manga character. I really enjoyed the original but it was just a teacher/student drama and felt nothing like the source material. The Taiwan special was a side story they made in Taiwan. It's funny to see how they deal with the language barrier between the characters.
leonemesis
Member
Finished Kagi no Kakatta Heya a couple weeks ago and forgot to come back here and comment, hehe.
Man, I didn´t realize Erika Toda was in it up until I started watching it. In fact, it took me a while to recognize her, they sure made her look more, how can I put it, average? I guess it´s the hairstyle, haha.
Anyways, it was an enjoyable series, kinda follows the same formula seen in Galileo, quirks included. Even though it gets sort of predictable, the cases are quite interesting so you have the resolution of it to look forward to.
The ending was a pleasant surprise, enjoyed it.
Right now I´m halfway through "Oyaji", a family comedy/drama. So far I´m liking it a lot, the acting is good and there´s a good chemistry between most characters, feels like they are really related to each other. Some moments got me really emotional as I wish to be a father someday and can only imagine how hard it is to educate your kids.
Man, I didn´t realize Erika Toda was in it up until I started watching it. In fact, it took me a while to recognize her, they sure made her look more, how can I put it, average? I guess it´s the hairstyle, haha.
Anyways, it was an enjoyable series, kinda follows the same formula seen in Galileo, quirks included. Even though it gets sort of predictable, the cases are quite interesting so you have the resolution of it to look forward to.
The ending was a pleasant surprise, enjoyed it.
Right now I´m halfway through "Oyaji", a family comedy/drama. So far I´m liking it a lot, the acting is good and there´s a good chemistry between most characters, feels like they are really related to each other. Some moments got me really emotional as I wish to be a father someday and can only imagine how hard it is to educate your kids.
Memento_Mori15
Member
What's the must watch drama this season? Border was the drama to watch last season and that was really good.
Mozu Season 2 Episode 1
I forgot this started about 2 weeks ago. Must say, I'm losing interest in this drama. I probably won't watch this every week. I'll probably just wait until it finishes and watch the whole thing.
Young People episode 1
I wasn't really expecting much from this, but I liked the first episode minus the wrestling scene; it went on for a bit too long. Kinda surprised by the rating on yahoo. I'll try the next episode and see where it goes. Though, that Hasimoto Ai scene. Just turned 18 this year and already doing scenes like that :O Nothing was shown but was surprised by that and went online to read some of the reactions lol.
Mozu Season 2 Episode 1
I forgot this started about 2 weeks ago. Must say, I'm losing interest in this drama. I probably won't watch this every week. I'll probably just wait until it finishes and watch the whole thing.
Young People episode 1
I wasn't really expecting much from this, but I liked the first episode minus the wrestling scene; it went on for a bit too long. Kinda surprised by the rating on yahoo. I'll try the next episode and see where it goes. Though, that Hasimoto Ai scene. Just turned 18 this year and already doing scenes like that :O Nothing was shown but was surprised by that and went online to read some of the reactions lol.
Thank you very much!!
Where can I get these shows? I started learning Japanese and I thought a nice way to get used to the language is watching shows. I already watch a lot of Japanese movies but I want to get into live-action TV (anime bore me to be honest, anime series I mean).
Are their quality comparable to American shows? Is there a difference between cable and non-cable and so in the themes and images they show?
Are there English subtitles?
Are their quality comparable to American shows? Is there a difference between cable and non-cable and so in the themes and images they show?
Are there English subtitles?
Aβydoς;120565219 said:
Honestly, American shows are better produced than Japanese TV shows. Japanese ones tend to be cheesier but that's part of the charm imo. I don't watch them for award-winning performances or beautiful shots.
There's a je ne sais quoi that I don't find in American shows. Japanese humor also seems to be bit weirder and more far-fetched. It's not for everyone but I love it. I'd say that the themes aren't that different from American shows. You have your typical romance, comedy, crime...
Unfortunately the legal ways to watch Japanese drama are really limited so fansubs are often the only way to watch these in English. I won't link them for obvious reasons but Google is your friend on that one.
About the style I'm not worried, I don't think they differ much from the movies and I like everything from Kurosawa to Ozu, from Kitano to Miike, Hitoshi Matsumoto, Shindo, Mizoguchi, Sion Sono, Kobayashi...
I'm not afraid about that. I'm actually interested in seeing Japan's take on, say, the crime genre which is probably bloated on the US. What's the better in the genre?
Also, are there period dramas? I'm talking jidai-geki, feudal Japan stuff.
Are there TV shows which are considered hands down the best by almost everyone (like I don't know, The Wire for the US) from which I can start?
Sorry if I drown you in questions but I really have no idea where to start and you obviously seem the most prepared on the subject. Thanks
Memento_Mori15
Member
I'll send you a pm where to get them just to be safe lol. And I'm with you; I prefer live-action Japanese since I can't really stand the voices in anime at times.Aβydoς;120565219 said:
Quality: This is always brought up in this thread...let's just say the acting and the dramas itself aren't up to par to American shows(assuming you're American). The story can be good, it varies and rely heavily on the drama you watch. I remember watching a terrible drama and soon just poked fun of how bad it was but I was really into Border and 1 Litre of Tears(best drama still imo). I digress, I suggest watching the dramas in the OP, Amachan, Border, Late Blooming Sunflower, or No Con Kid. Latter question, I'm not sure.
Most dramas have English subtitles BUT you have to acquire soft subs, which are fan translated. I would suggest watching jdramas with JPN subtitles once you have a good foundation of the language, and I pick up new words doing this.
Aβydoς;120566935 said:
Don't worry about that, but honestly I'm not that knowledgeable about dramas haha, I made the thread back when I was just getting into them. Actually I'm like you. I'm majoring in Japanese so I started watching them like a year ago to improve my oral comprehension.
For crime dramas I'd say that Galileo and Kagi no Kakatta Heya are solid choices.
There are period dramas but I've never watched them so I can't help you.
Same for "best shows", the list in the OP is purely subjective, I guess other members could help you. Though Amachan and Hanzawa Naoki, which were the mega-hits in Japan last year are considered by many as really good.
I need to start doing that... Sometimes I'm just telling to myself "man, I could have done a better translation for that sentence" when I watch with English subs.
That's what I intend to do (using Japanese subs) one day, but it's waaaaaay too early for that. I started three months ago and I barely can say basic phrases like what I did today and stuff like that. Also I didn't start Katakana yet.
I'm Italian but I watch a lot of American shows, but I can understand what you mean by acting since I also watch Italian television and it's rarely at US' level. I asked this question because here in Italy shows are mostly soap operas with a few exception of great quality (Romanzo Criminale, Gomorra and Boris are basically the only good things we made in this regard for the last 40 years at least).
Anyway, the culture is so different that I think I won't even notice. I mean, it seems weird to say but different countries have different ways to play a character, I dunno exactly how to explain it lol.
Thanks to both of you, I'll start with a couple of them and I'll let you know what I think.
Gouda Jouji
Member
Yeah, the cut from Mariko showing up as Saejima's date and then to her in the lovel hotel with the chubby guy was weird, I ended up rewinding to see if I had missed anything, but no.
But anyway, I enjoyed it. Reminds me that I need to check up on the new GTO manga...
littlegrasshopper
Member
I just finished binge watching all of the new GTO. All of season one plus the 3 specials and the Taiwan mini-series. Saving the first episode of season 2 for tomorrow. I gotta say, I loved the old series with Takashi Sorimachi but the new series with Akira is really good. Never read the manga but I watched the anime which lead me to watching the first live-action. That made the first GTO have a special fondness but this new series just blew that away.
Really glad I stumbled upon this thread and saw you guys talking about the new GTO, if not I would of never known they rebooted it. Thanks fellow GAFers!
Really glad I stumbled upon this thread and saw you guys talking about the new GTO, if not I would of never known they rebooted it. Thanks fellow GAFers!
Jie wen! XD
It's not that hard to buy boxsets of dramas, especially recent ones. Websites like HMV Japan or cdjapan sell them.
Hero S2E1 wasn't bad, just bit underwhelming. They stuck with the formula from the first season, that wasn't all that interesting from the beginning. Characters made the show what it was. Now they are missing some of the key cast memebers and I'm not really feeling chemistry between the new and old characters. Then again, this was the first episode so I'll keep watching it.
thanks for reading my post on it!!
Go_Ly_Dow
Member
But it wasn't even a case of it being rushed!
Like the direction felt completely different. For example the camera kinda had sudden explosion type shots in season 1 which made it feel like manga.
Finally found the time to watch one, I started with Kagi No Kakatta Heya and... Goddamn was it fun. I really, really enjoyed it.
It seems a simple detective dramedy at first but I licked the idea of the locked rooms. Seems like it can bring something fresh.
The style reminded me heavily of Ace Attorney. The weird characters, the crazy theories about the murder, and the way they collected hints was very similar. Also, is it normal for Japanese lawyers to investigate on murders like this?
I liked all the three lead, very solid characters (especially Aito which is the cutest thing). Enomoto is not maybe that original of a character but I still liked his ramblings. Sawazara (right?) was also funny as hell especially in the "I will tell you tomorrow." scene.
I liked the CGI they used for explaining their theories.
If I have to find something that wasn't right for me is probably the music, it overstayed a bit and was too upbeat, but maybe I'll get used to it.
The acting is pretty good also so nothing to complain about that.
From what I understand there are 11 episodes and a special, right? That's it, no new seasons? I like it, so I can go to another series right after this one.
It seems a simple detective dramedy at first but I licked the idea of the locked rooms. Seems like it can bring something fresh.
The style reminded me heavily of Ace Attorney. The weird characters, the crazy theories about the murder, and the way they collected hints was very similar. Also, is it normal for Japanese lawyers to investigate on murders like this?
I liked all the three lead, very solid characters (especially Aito which is the cutest thing). Enomoto is not maybe that original of a character but I still liked his ramblings. Sawazara (right?) was also funny as hell especially in the "I will tell you tomorrow." scene.
I liked the CGI they used for explaining their theories.
If I have to find something that wasn't right for me is probably the music, it overstayed a bit and was too upbeat, but maybe I'll get used to it.
The acting is pretty good also so nothing to complain about that.
From what I understand there are 11 episodes and a special, right? That's it, no new seasons? I like it, so I can go to another series right after this one.
I watched the pilot of Liar Game. Liked it.
The production value was a little bit off, but the premise is interesting and I like mind games if well done. How's the ending? Are all the episodes shorter than normal?
I'm absolutely in love with Toda Erika by the way.
Thinking to start Hanzawa Naoki next. Has it been renewed for a second season?
The production value was a little bit off, but the premise is interesting and I like mind games if well done. How's the ending? Are all the episodes shorter than normal?
I'm absolutely in love with Toda Erika by the way.
Thinking to start Hanzawa Naoki next. Has it been renewed for a second season?
Nice, I read it's really really good.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
where do people watch shows like Amachan? the sites i use only have the shows that have 10 or so episodes.
I wanted to watch Amachan but it's really long. Also is it a soap? They made like 150 episodes in like a year from what I've read.
Anyway:
Kagi No Kakatta Heya 1x05 - really loving it, already feel sad I'm half way to the end. The cases are always unbelievable but that's why I like it, and the comedy damn, it's great.
Liar Game 1x02 - got much more interesting than the Pilot, seems like these two episodes should've been the Pilot itself imho.
Hanzawa Naoki 1x01 - I liked it a lot but maybe 90 minutes was little bit too much. The protagonist is great and the story is OK. More interested about the characters so far. Maybe a little bit rhetorical but it seems like it could end up great. Also loving the title of the episodes LOL
Anyway:
Kagi No Kakatta Heya 1x05 - really loving it, already feel sad I'm half way to the end. The cases are always unbelievable but that's why I like it, and the comedy damn, it's great.
Liar Game 1x02 - got much more interesting than the Pilot, seems like these two episodes should've been the Pilot itself imho.
Hanzawa Naoki 1x01 - I liked it a lot but maybe 90 minutes was little bit too much. The protagonist is great and the story is OK. More interested about the characters so far. Maybe a little bit rhetorical but it seems like it could end up great. Also loving the title of the episodes LOL
OK, I'll finish the ones I started and then try that out.
I'm also going to watch Gunshi Kanbee soon since it's a jidaigeki, how is it?
HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
Welp haha, that was unexpected
John Dunbar
correct about everything
I finished watching Hanzawa Naoki. I enjoyed it, but did feel it was running out of steam at the end. The two arcs ultimately just felt too similar.
But the biggest thing I was left with was how depressing the corporate culture in Japan seems to be. If that is even close to reality (and based on pretty much everything I have seen or read on the subject before, I have no reason to doubt that), I have no idea how a society like that can even function. So fucked up, not that I am a fan of how employment is handled in western countries either.
I got to say, I have no idea how realistic some of the maneuvering with the agencies and evidence was. For example it seems that the only evidence that there was a tip-off was a single report which the guilty party had access to. Why on earth would they file it and not just burn it? Also, I have no idea what exactly was so bad about those boxes that had to be hidden in the basement. If it's so bad that the FSA would have fucked the bank up, why not just destroy them? Clearly nobody can be allowed to see them, so why even allow them to exist?
But the biggest thing I was left with was how depressing the corporate culture in Japan seems to be. If that is even close to reality (and based on pretty much everything I have seen or read on the subject before, I have no reason to doubt that), I have no idea how a society like that can even function. So fucked up, not that I am a fan of how employment is handled in western countries either.
I got to say, I have no idea how realistic some of the maneuvering with the agencies and evidence was. For example it seems that the only evidence that there was a tip-off was a single report which the guilty party had access to. Why on earth would they file it and not just burn it? Also, I have no idea what exactly was so bad about those boxes that had to be hidden in the basement. If it's so bad that the FSA would have fucked the bank up, why not just destroy them? Clearly nobody can be allowed to see them, so why even allow them to exist?
Kagi No Kakatta Heya 1x11. I really liked this series. Loved the characters, loved the case, and the ending was totally unexpected (dat smile). It's nice to know that there's still the two-hour special (how is it by the way? I think I'll watch it tomorrow).
Liar Game 1x04. I don't know, I kinda like it I guess, but goddamn the characters are always telling in every detail what is going on. I have no idea where they're going with it. Can someone give me some heads-up?
Hanzawa Naoki 1x02. I like it, even though it's a little rhetorical here and there. It is a little hard to follow for me, both for the language and the topic (don't know shit about economics and stuff, learning a lot from this though). It's very different from a western drama even though it tries to imitate it here and there, the result is a weird mix but it still works. I just love the main actor. Does it delve into violence by any chance?
Liar Game 1x04. I don't know, I kinda like it I guess, but goddamn the characters are always telling in every detail what is going on. I have no idea where they're going with it. Can someone give me some heads-up?
Hanzawa Naoki 1x02. I like it, even though it's a little rhetorical here and there. It is a little hard to follow for me, both for the language and the topic (don't know shit about economics and stuff, learning a lot from this though). It's very different from a western drama even though it tries to imitate it here and there, the result is a weird mix but it still works. I just love the main actor. Does it delve into violence by any chance?
Aren't you guys watching Blue Flame (or Blue Blazes, or Aoi Honō, or whatever else is called)? Please, do it just to see the smug face of Hideaki Anno's impersonator...
Memento_Mori15
Member
Young People 2-3
Caught up yesterday and I must say, this drama gets better at a steadily rate. Each episode is better than the last and in episode 3, there really was no drawn out scene lol. Asahi's character is the best and just reminds me of someone I know. Really happy it got better after episode 1.
Caught up yesterday and I must say, this drama gets better at a steadily rate. Each episode is better than the last and in episode 3, there really was no drawn out scene lol. Asahi's character is the best and just reminds me of someone I know. Really happy it got better after episode 1.
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