Looking over my Dramalist stats, seems like I’ve got a ton of dramas on my plate, when you include the ones I’m stuck in subtitle limbo as well, I’ve got over 27 shows I’m “currently watching”!
But out of all of them, there are a few above the rest, and I thought I’d take the time to give a little praise on them!
7- RemoLove
After disliking practically every character in the show’s premiere episode, I had no intention of watching any more of RemoLove. The story of a woman who meets a mystery love interest online and finds out he may be someone she works with isn’t all that interesting when you hate every prospect anyway.
But after being persuaded to give the show another chance, I got into the groove of the drama, and after reassessing the drama as a light farce rather than a straight forward romcom, have actually been enjoying it quite a bit!
6- 7-nin No Hisho
As expected, i’m really loving this tale of the 7 women who fight the battles of the little guy behind the scenes as the secretaries of the huge government figures. I do wish the cases were a little bit more complex and the eventual reveals more satisfying, however- So far, the actual cases they’re solving have been fairly mundane….
The girls have been great to watch in action, though, and I love the hints of backstory they are giving to each character, especially Mochizuki and her cabaclub hostess history!
5- Lupin No Musume 2
I love how they’ve taken the set-up from the original series and added a whole plateful of new elements to it. Hana and Kazuma have their hands full keeping their marriage secret when a newborn baby enters the picture,
especially when Supersleuth Mikumo Hojo becomes Kazuma’s new detective partner! It’s one thing hiding your marriage from such a brilliant detecting mind, but when Mikumo starts falling for Kazuma, things are sure to slip! Add int he fact that Hikikomori brother Wataru is in love with Hojo as well and you’ve got an exciting set-up!
4- 35 sai no Shoujo 
Well, we are at the point of this drama where all the other movies of this type where a kid becomes a grown-up (Big, Shazam, etc) fail, where I feel the adult character is acting way more childish than the original kid ever did. Playing on park rides, coloring crayons, these are things that I’m pretty sure the 10 year old girl would have been moving past.
Nonetheless. Shibasaki Kou does it with expert hand, and though I question some of the things they have her do, I still believe she is doing it through the mind of Nozomi. Cautiously keeping it here at number 4 though I fear the drama may slip into some cliches in the coming episodes, especially regarding the other family members and their rotten lives.
3-Gokushufudo 
Was always entertained by this tale of the yakuza thug who gives up the mob life for blissful family life, and with the latest episode where they show us how Tatsu and Miku met, Gokushufudo had become one of my big faves! Though overly slapstick to a fault, you always know that the point of the show is Tatsu and his love for his wife and child, and when they are focusing on this, it’s just the best!
2-Talio-Fukushu Daiko no Futari 
I am absolutely LOVING the dynamic between Minami Hamabe and Masaki Okada as lawyer/con artist partners who help save the weak from being preyed on. Such great, energetic characters that light up their scenes~
At first I was afraid the show was going to paint Minami’s character of Mami Shirasawa as a delusional screw-up who only THINKS she's as good as she says for comedy sake, but nope, Mami is strictly badasss here!!!! My favorite character i’ve seen her play so far!
1-Kono Koi Atatamemasuka 
Without a doubt, my favorite drama on right now, this is the kind of show that makes me remember why I love watching J-dramas! Good, likeable characters, good pacing and an excitement to see what comes next!
I had mentioned before how this story, with its romantic tale of the humble girl taking on the big bad CEO reminded me of Rich Man Poor Woman, but more than, that, it reminds me of my golden age of J-drama watching, when every evening was time for yet another fun, engaging tale, and such is Kono Koi Atatamemasuka!
Well, these are the cherries on my huge J-drama watchlist, we'll see which ones come out ahead (and which ones end up disappointments!) No matter, it's still a marvel that there are so many shows that can captivate me even now 25 years on! Viva J-Dramas!
