What Japanese drama(s) did you see that you had low expectations for and were pleasantly surprised with?

I decided to create this thread because I saw one existed for disappointing dramas and I could not find one for surprisingly good dramas.

For me...

Kiina ~ Fukano Hanzai Sosakan: I had heard very little about the drama and the story sounded kind of generic and over done but Kanno Miho rocked this part in my opinion and the stories kept me engaged.

Yasashii Jikan - I had heard it was so dull and pointless but as I had the opportunity I watched it anyway and though it is slow I found it to be one of my favorites. Great music and charming story.

Kou Kou Kyoushi (original version) - I had heard it was dark and powerful and controversial but I was not expecting it to be that well acted and the OST was kind of haunting. Certainly one of the most memorable dramas I have seen and I never would have expected that when I was contemplating watching it.

MonsterZero65 wrote:

I decided to create this thread because I saw one existed for disappointing dramas and I could not find one for surprisingly good dramas.

I would think one of these threads would qualify for the topic you're referring to:

http://jdorama.com/viewtopic.11582.0.htm

or

http://jdorama.com/viewtopic.11425.htm

Medaka:http://www.jdorama.com/drama.837.htm

I started watching it just for Mimura, but in the back of my head I was thinking, "Geez, ANOTHER school drama!!" But it turned out to be real good!!

gaijinmark wrote:

Medaka:http://www.jdorama.com/drama.837.htm I started watching it just for Mimura, but in the back of my head I was thinking, "Geez, ANOTHER school drama!!" But it turned out to be real good!!

Oh yes, that was good! I was surprised by this one too.

Yes, medaka is excellent!

Mimura is an excellent reason to watch a drama.

I'd like to see Beginners...

Damn, Yasashi Jikan and Koukou Kioshi (1993) are still in my to be watched folder, I have to find time to check those.

20 century boy wrote:

Yes, medaka is excellent! Mimura is an excellent reason to watch a drama. I'd like to see Beginners... Damn, Yasashi Jikan and Koukou Kioshi (1993) are still in my to be watched folder, I have to find time to check those.

I had not heard of Beginners. I will have to check that out myself. I just read the description.

Yes, check out Yasashi Jikan and Koukou Kioshi (1993) for sure and please let me know what you think.

oops, it's beginner

http://jdorama.com/drama.779.htm

my mistake.

These are the ones that suprirsed me the most. ohno really does the weirdest roles....

Uta no Oniisan & Kaibutsu-kun. I was hesitant to pick both of these up because they seemed like they would be catering to kids... but my love for Ohno prevailed in each case. I was shocked at how serious both shows ended up being. Especially kaibutsu, since it has tokusatsu-esque makeup/styling going on. Both were totally worth watching.

Wonderful Life. I tend to like sports anime shows so I figured I'd try a drama, but the first episode really put me off and I wasn't sure, but by the end I loved it and thought it was adorable.

Proposal Daisakusen. The beggining obviously set up the formula for the show, and I thought it was going to be super repetetive, but in the end even though it was repetitive they kept it interesting.
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katsup wrote:

Proposal Daisakusen. The beggining obviously set up the formula for the show, and I thought it was going to be super repetetive, but in the end even though it was repetitive they kept it interesting.

ProDai makes me feel its good to fall in love and to be loved
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.... That's because this is ....

katsup wrote:

Wonderful Life. I tend to like sports anime shows so I figured I'd try a drama, but the first episode really put me off and I wasn't sure, but by the end I loved it and thought it was adorable.

Yeah, this makes my list too, watched it really for Kyoko but Sorimachi turned in a good performance for him, couple really sad episodes were in there too.
My other one which surprised me how good it is was Wedding Planner. Good cast surely helped, not a fan of sappy dramas like this but for some reason they managed to pull it off and make such a pleasurable series. Like I said the cast was really good, especially Naoko.
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tartan just mentioned Mop Girl in the "What are you watching now" thread. That's another one that would qualify as a surprise drama. Was expecting nothing, but it turned out pretty good.

From the dramas I've seen, Koi ni Ochitara would fall under this heading.

I don't even know why I decided to watch it at all, since it starred SMAP guy, but I'm glad I did... For that matter, the entire cast was great.

bmwracer wrote:

From the dramas I've seen, Koi ni Ochitara would fall under this heading. I don't even know why I decided to watch it at all, since it starred SMAP guy, but I'm glad I did... For that matter, the entire cast was great.

It feature Tsutsumi Shinichi , it's enough to watch a drama. I' ve seen a few good Kusanagi Tsuyoshi drama: Ninkyo Helper, boku no aruku michi, Koi ni ochitara...


The SMAP member I really can't stand ( I don't care much about Kimutaku or Katori Shingo) is Kishitani Goro...

And I have sympathy for people who run naked in parks.

20 century boy wrote:

The SMAP member I really can't stand ( I don't care much about Kimutaku or Katori Shingo) is Kishitani Goro... And I have sympathy for people who run naked in parks.

I think you mean Inagaki Goro.

I didn't really care for Kusanagi until after the whole naked-park-dancing incident. For some reason I find him a lot more endearing now, plus he seems to have finally gained back the weight he lost for Boku no Aruku Michi.

Koi ni Ochitara was a pleasant surprise for me as well. The title is quite misleading. I went in thinking it would be some generic romcom but it wasn't like that at all. The entire ensemble cast was so charming and entertaining.

Yes, Inagaki Goro. Mr choko potato.

Kishitani Goro, I like him a lot.

20 century boy wrote:

The SMAP member I really can't stand ( I don't care much about Kimutaku or Katori Shingo) is Kishitani Goro... And I have sympathy for people who run naked in parks.

LOL.

Kusanagi is the only SMAP guy I'll watch in any drama or film.

Last Friends was my first jdrama - so it was indeed a surprise for me, not because I had a prejudice against the japanese, but because italian and german series are mediocre or worse, at least in terms of acting

So despite the flaws in the plots and writing, Last Friends, was interesting, shot very well and the acting (mostly) very good.
And then... BAM! Juri Ueno!

.

In all honesty, Nodame totally surprised me: I didn't know squat about most of the actors in the drama... Then Bam! It's my all-time favorite drama.

bmwracer wrote:

In all honesty, Nodame totally surprised me: I didn't know squat about most of the actors in the drama... Then Bam! It's my all-time favorite drama.

I really need to check that drama out.

MonsterZero65 wrote:

I really need to check that drama out.

You should.

If you're not a fan of classical music, you might be after watching it.