Comments on: Top 5 Starter Jdramas for Dudes

By: Nora

Nora — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:58:43 +0000

I love your list! I’ve watched all the drama’s, so it won’t really help me right now (I’m currently looking for a new drama to watch, and since I have watched quite a lot of dramas, most lists don’t contain any drama I haven’t seen so far…), but I really liked all the dramas in this list. I also read all the comments, (I’ve even watched almost every drama that appears in those comments as well>….<), etc.\

Enough talking, now: A request! Do you have any dramas you would recommend to someone who has watched I guess over a hundred dramas allready? I really want to find a new drama to watch, but I'm out of ideas…=(

By: D. Satoshi

D. Satoshi — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:42:39 +0000

Awesomeness. My Boss, My Hero was my first Jdrama (back in 2008), then went to Stand Up!! then Kisarazu Cat’s Eye. Loved them all deeply (my friends and I have a limitless supply of inside jokes XD). I’ve been looking for a new one to get into and Kekkon Dekinai Otoko looks perfect; thanks for your insight!

By: dazu

dazu — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 09:38:41 +0000

Not a bad list but there are much better dramas for men. Stand Up is not really a drama for men as the guys in it are such wimps, more of a fantasy drama for girls. For men, there are better shows such as Holyland (street fighting), Be Nice to People (4 guys raising a little boy), Kita Yoshio no Ashita (suicide) and Fuuma no Koujiro for fun (ninjas). There are also many sports dramas which are pretty good if you ignore the romantic cliches. Baseball of course gets centre stage (Rookies is the best baseball drama) but there’s also ice hockey (Pride), car racing (Engine) and even board games like Shougi (Hachi one Diver).

Additionally no talk of jdramas for men would be complete without talking about 2 other kinds of shows:

Midnight dramas….nudity! Usually comedies, these are made for men with such gems as Yankee Boku ni Kaeru and Shimokita Days. Don’t expect plot but it gets made up to you in fan service shots!

Taiga dramas….Japan’s annual 50-episode drama about the history of Japan is almost always a feast for men with of course the Sengoku and Bakumatsu periods taking centre stage. If you’re new to Japanese history, start with Musashi (semi-fictional) and Fuurin Kazan to get a good background of the Sengoku period, quite possibly the coolest 60 years in the history of the planet.

By: locohama

locohama — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:44:17 +0000

Thanks for the info. I’m gonna check out all of the above based on your recommendations. They sound great!

By: mo

mo — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:35:51 +0000

@chodee: I saw part of IWGP but it was a very low-quality copy, unfortunately. I do LOVE the scriptwriter though, Kudo Kankuro. He does great work.

@casey: I definitely enjoyed Love Shuffle, but I don’t think it’s quite as high-quality as the others listed here. I also think it’s a bit less guy-oriented (though I do have several guy friends who enjoyed it!) It’s a good runner-up suggestion though, especially if people liked Tamaki Hiroshi in Nodame.

@Laurel: Wow, I’d love to guest blog for the Ganbatte Times!! I will shoot you an email this afternoon, but really, I’m honored!!

@Darrel: Densha Otoko looks like it could have made the list — LIFE I would have categorized as a girl-oriented drama more just because all the characters are schoolgirls. You’re right though, it is really intense, and kind of scary. I was definitely also hooked in the first few minutes.

By: Darrel

Darrel — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:00:46 +0000

I would definitely second Densha Otoko for this list, but Love Shuffle? Isn’t that the one where everyone pees in cups in the elevator together, then decides because of it they should trade boyfriends/girlfriends? Personally, I hated that one.

Another recommendation though is a drama called LIFE. Just watching the main character change from innocent HS girl to vicious revenge machine is amazing. And, like Kisarazu Cat’s Eye, LIFE moves 1000 miles a minute. I was hooked after the first ten minutes.

By: Laurel Ryan

Laurel Ryan — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:55:46 +0000

As someone who has lived in Japan for the last year and is just now getting into TV, this is a great article. I am currently co-editor for a brand new Kyoto online newsletter, and am trying to find some good guest posts for our readers. This post would definitely fit that role! Would you consider doing a guest post on manly J-dramas for the Ganbatte Times? My email is somewhere attached to this post, and the newsletter email is on the site. Please let me know!

Oh, I’d add Liar Game to the list. Sure, forty percent of the first season is slow-motion footsteps and evil laughter, but it’s still very intelligent.

By: casey

casey — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:14:18 +0000

how about LOVE SHUFFLE. totally love this one!

By: chodee

chodee — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:10:40 +0000

These are all really good esp. My boss my hero! You might check out are Ikebukuro West Gate Park, it’s directed/produced by the same person as cat’s eye.

By: Aeris

Aeris — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:18:04 +0000

So fun!!!! i see the last 4!
now.. i wanna see Kekkon Dekinai Otoko!!!