East Asian dramas have been wildly popular over the past couple of decades, particularly due to the widespread usage of the Internet, more subtitles and translation, and funding going towards these kinds of shows. Whether anime,Chinese historical dramasset in the distant past, or aKorean fantasy show, global audiences can’t get enough of shows and movies from the region. Japanese dramas have been very popular domestically, and have covered a wide variety of genres in their subject matters. The film industry there has become well-known, but television from the island country is unappreciated outside of anime.
The idol industry in Japan has fed into the love for dramas, with some of the most loved idols appearing on shows, and there is a thriving industry for actors to get television work.However, Japaneseromancedramas have been a staple in Japan. Like their Korean and Chinese-language counterparts, these dramas have come with a list of tropes and methods of telling stories. AsNetflixhas beenincreasing its offeringswith international cinema and television, more Japanese romance dramas have been spotted as being on the platform in recent years. That said, these 12 romance dramas and movies are ones you should be adding to your to-watch list on Netflix.
12The Many Faces of Ito
A 2017 television series that was based on a novel titledIto-Kun A to E,The Many Faces of Itooffers a twist from the get-go. A 32-year-old screenwriter is done with the concept of love. She writes romantic comedies for a living and has become jaded because of it, but with her newest project, she’s going to use other people’s experiences. She recruits four women who are desperate for love and tells them she is going to be giving them romantic advice, but in actuality, she’s planning on using their stories for content. The results end up being completely different than she could have ever expected.
11First Love
Based on music created by Hikaru Utada, the Japanese romance seriesFirst Loveonly consists of nine episodes, but is gorgeous to watch. The show takes place across two different periods: youth and adulthood. A boy, Harumichi, and a girl, Yae, meet in their hometown in Hokkaido while going to school, falling in love in the process. Their relationship evolves over the years, but an accident tears them apart. Time passes, and while their lives look completely different now, the two end up crossing paths — but several twists are involved with this.
10Love Like the Falling Petals
AlthoughLove Like the Falling Petalsis a film, it unfolds like many Japanese dramas do. It was created based on a 2017 novel of the same name. A photographer, Haruto, meets a hairdresser and becomes her first client. He continues to come to her and get her services, but when she makes a mistake and cuts his ear when he asks her out on a date, this is a sign that the two are off to a rocky start. When they go out together, there are some big revelations about their paths and what’s to come for each of them.
Related:Netflix’s Call Me Chihiro: Why You Should Watch This Soothing Japanese Drama About the Intimacies of Life
9We Couldn’t Become Adults
A Netflix film that came out in 2021,We Couldn’t Become Adultsstars Mirai Morayama as Makoto, a young man whose story is told in reverse. It begins in 2020 and ends up going back to 1998, sparked by a friend telling Makoto about how only a few people in the world end up happy. The film reflects on his life, relationships, and career, showing how he became the person he is today.We Couldn’t Become Adultsis very timely for many these days, as its themes and philosophical musings are relevant in today’s world.
8Good Morning Call
Good Morning Callwas originally a Manga series that came out in the late-90s through the early-2000s and even saw a sequel created years after the conclusion of the original series. In 2016, a television adaptation was finally made of the series. Set in Tokyo, the television show follows the lives of the characters as they transition from high school to university. Two seasons of the show were released, watching the characters and their relationships grow, and a third season may or may not be happening in the future. Haruka Fukuhara portrays the main protagonist Nao.
7My Husband Won’t Fit
Released in 2019,My Husband Won’t Fittakes place across 10 episodes. It follows the lives of a married couple who have been together since college, but there is a big problem with their relationship. The two of them aren’t able to fit each other’s physical needs, which has created distance between each other emotionally and mentally due to the lack of intimacy the two are having. Although the show has very specific problems many may not relate to, the conversations that come up because of it are relatable to almost everyone.
Although the 2018 seriesSwitchedonly has six, fairly brief episodes, that doesn’t mean they aren’t impactful. It opens with a tragedy: a high school student struggling with depression makes the decision to kill herself, and she decides to jump from the top of her school’s roof. One of her classmates watches this happen, but when she passes out, she wakes up and realizes the two have switched bodies. Because of this, she can explore the reasons why Umine, the other student, decided to end it all and how she is bullied.
5Love and Fortune
Adapted from a Manga,Love and Fortuneshows what happens when one is unsatisfied with their current relationship. While in her 30s, Wako decides she is no longer happy with her boyfriend, leading her to fall in love with a high schooler. This subject can easily be shocking for many viewers, as she is thirty-two and the student she ends up seeing is 15. However, this comes with some serious debates and discussions throughout the show that dive deeper into the implications behind such actions. Because of that,Love and Fortunemay not be for everyone.
Related:Broker Director Kore-eda Hirokazu Calls for Reform of Japanese Film Industry
4From Me to You
A 2023 release,From Me to Youis based on a Manga series titledKimi ni Todoke: From Me to You. Its protagonist is Kuronuma Sawako, who is teased constantly by her classmates because her hairstyle looks like a character from a Japanese horror movie. Although she doesn’t have friends and becomes lonely because of it, she looks up to one of her male classmates. She doesn’t think he could ever notice someone like her, but, in actuality, he already has. The series delves deeper into their relationship as it flourishes and she goes outside of her shell.
3Fishbowl Wives
Like many other Japanese dramas,Fishbowl Wiveswas adapted from a Manga series. Released in 2022, the television show delves deep into the inner lives of six wealthy women and how unhappy they are with their relationships. No longer will they sit idle in their luxury apartments and be the textbook example of what a stay-at-home wife will be. What they end up doing may cross into the territory of infidelity, as they are seeking emotional and physical validation elsewhere. The show crosses into soap opera territory, making it fun to watch if one doesn’t want to think too hard.
