Here is one:

Why is it that with all the restaurants in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, or whereever the show is supposed to be...

the 5 main characters (especially if the don't know one another to start with) all eat at the SAME little dinky Ramen shop? and they always bump into each other there.

If I had those kinds of coincidences in MY life... I'd find another ramen shop.
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Boy and Girl meet under a "serendipity" situation, then they spend a day or two with a fantastic memory before they leave each other. Then many months or years later, Boy and Girl somehow bump into each other again, but this time, they are both going out with someone else.

Hmm. This is a fun topic. What about this (for some doramas):

Main character usually holds a position in society that does not make a lot of money, a regular job (ie sushi chef, salary man, hairstylist). But the dorama makes it so that the job holds great value and importance to society, more so than the average American audience would think. And the main character strives to be the best in that particular position and usually achieves his or her dream.

(Speaking of which, it'd be nice if serious dramas in America could focus on some regular type jobs ie. construction worker/barber/etc etc without it being a comedy/murder mystery. Because the only serious dramas focus on those that most Americans cannot relate to: President, FBI Agents, Spies, Doctors, Lawyers) I think if the American Broadcasting people did make a greater variety of shows then maybe middle-class and lower-class American citizens would feel more proud of their work and work harder. Sigh. I went off topic.)
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The leading causes of death in J-dramas:

1) Cancer,

2) Leukemia,

3) Lead characters hit by speeding cars.
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Saburo wrote:

The leading causes of death in J-dramas: 1) Cancer, 2) Leukemia, 3) Lead characters hit by speeding cars.

LOL.

No deaths from ingrown toenails?

Saburo wrote:

The leading causes of death in J-dramas: 1) Cancer, 2) Leukemia

And leukemia is just another form of cancer.

Saburo wrote:

3) Lead characters hit by speeding cars.

...or motorcycles while trying to save someone's life.

So in other words, we have enough talent on the boards to come up with our own drama. If only we knew someone in the television industry...

maybe it's too obvious to even mention; but in jdrama it's like a law of nature, not to tell your loved one about your feelings, especially not if someone is trying to take him/her away from you
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Ah I love this topic

1. In winter dramas, every time there's a romantic or semi-romantic moment, it HAS to start snowing and they always go "oh, it's snowing! how beautiful!"

2. Main guy character goes to a foreign country/place and main female character wait for him (sometimes reversed). Some examples: Pride, Virgin Road, Haru Ranman, Love Revolution (if I am remembering correctly...), Orange Days, Antique (kinda...), etc.

3. In the newer ones, the progression always seem to be... confession of love, kiss, and then next morning bed scene.

Hmmm, that's all I can think of for now. :p

Hahaha, most of these are pretty good. I have a couple. I can't remember if these are mostly in Korean or if they are in Japanese too.

How about when a character is walking down the street and a new character who will soon be stirring up trouble or coming into the plot walks past the other character. Then they do that slow motion blur thing as they pass each other, then the first character turns around and looks like "Hmm, I sense something" as if they knew the person, but they DON'T.

And, how about the times where there will be 2 main characters in love (of course). Both are in different places but at the same moment, something happens to one of the characters. They flash to the other character in the place where they are, and he/she suddenly turns around as if they heard a noise, was startled, or sensed something at that moment, but you know they don't know a damn thing about what happened to the other character yet.

It's funny, but I had recently posted on my blog an entry dealing just with this subject. Here's the post:

Japanese dramas, like all formuliac television, relies on certain time honored precepts. Although when first encountered they appear somewhat unusual, eventually you become accustomed to them to the point where you expect them in domestic shows. Anyway, a short list is included below:

1. No Japanese woman is capable of running more than 100 feet in any direction before falling down. Why this is I'm not really sure. Of course, in many of these shows the female leads have fatal but visually undetectable diseases, so that might affect respiration.

2. If you're a highschool student then either
A - Your parents live overseas
B - Your parents are dead
C - One of your parents died. The other has remarried and you now have a devistatingly attractive stepsibbling.

3. The female lead must be slapped at least once, and possibly many more times. It seems to still be en vogue to resort to a little light abuse in order to keep your woman in line. It really is somewhat curious how common slapping is in dramas. Watch for it, you'll see it every time.

4. Despite the fact that Japan is an exceedingly homogenious society based, in large part, on communal precepts, the surest way to achieve ultimate success is to buck the system. Yeah, things will be rough at first, but then you'll find the one teacher/boss/client/boyfried/girlfriend who understands you and then it's just a few short episodes to becoming Prime Minister.

5. Ryoko Hirosue is gorgeous, especially with red hair*.


*= Of course, it's almost a given that Asian women with red hair are going to be irressitable.

My favorites are the weather cliche's.

In a highly dramatic moment, it has to rain on the main characters.

Then, once the two leads discover they are in love, it has to start snowing, so that they can look up, say "Ah, Yuki!" as if the gods had confirmed that their love is good and pure.

And of course, the seeming inability of the Japanese people to go out in the rain for a moment without catching a cold.

Unless of course they were upset, and then they can walk around in the rain all night long.
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Don't forget that they end up running, then stopping, in the rain. Nothing says "dramatic" moment than rain drops falling on your head.

Heck, I had that last week, it rained a fair amount and I didn't have an umbrella.
-PCM

dochira wrote:

Don't forget that they end up running, then stopping, in the rain. Nothing says "dramatic" moment than rain drops falling on your head.

I was always partial to the sudden snow fall. Nothing says romantic to me like a dramatic scene when it randomly snows.

"Aa, yuki da!"

Edit: Doh, I just read Geezer's post.

Here's another weather cliche:

When it's summer time (especially in school dramas), they usual make a trip to the beach.

"Wai, umi~!"

eightysix wrote:

Here's another weather cliche: When it's summer time (especially in school dramas), they usual make a trip to the beach. "Wai, umi~!"

Well, that's no big deal. If it's winter, I go to the ski/snowboarding resorts. In summer, I'll go to the beach.

Of course, guys like The Man & Groink & jholic live in Hawaii, so they're at the beach all the time!
-PCM

pcmodem wrote:

Well, that's no big deal. If it's winter, I go to the ski/snowboarding resorts. In summer, I'll go to the beach. Of course, guys like The Man & Groink & jholic live in Hawaii, so they're at the beach all the time! -PCM

what about the hackneyed cliche when the relationship of the male and female lead reaches a critical juncture for whatever reason and they go to see the other person to confirm or validate their feelings and they miss each other like two ships passing in the nite...that IS SO PLAYED OUT ALREADY....

Despite Japan having a very low rate of divorce and the longest life span of any major developed nation, characters in doramas often seem to have:

1. Divorced parents
2. Single-parent, where one parent ran away from the family
3. Widow / Widower
4. Both parents died at a young age


C'est la vie,
PCM

I think that it's in Oda Yuji's contract that he MUST have one major running scene per episode of a drama he's in

I mean every drama has the running scene cliche. But Oda-san seems to do it all the time.

There is always a taxi/bus waiting for the characters. If there's no taxi/bus waiting that means that one of the characters will try to say something but the taxi/bus will arrive before he/she can finish.

Also no one pays the poor taxi drivers.