Fall 2024 Heart-Pounding Japanese Drama Rankings

A late addition to the fall season, this drama features Hayashi Meari, all of 19 years old. She plays the role of Yuki Rio, who is 26 and has been married for 10 years already. And yet she has not yet ever met her husband, Takamine Masatomo, played by Inukai Atsuhiro, who is also starring concurrently in Watashi no Machi no Chiba-kun wa. Admittedly a strange and weak premise. I wonder why the producers cast a 19 year-old with not much acting chops to play an older woman. I guess they wanted someone who could convincingly look and act innocently?

This one just suddenly appeared on my radar. It's about thirty-something year-olds acting like cute but selfish kids. Very funny AND romantic, so it's just up my alley. I especially enjoy the strong-willed, free-speaking lawyer FL character, Mirumachi Kahori, played by Takada Riho. Hilarious! <<OMAE, BAKA-KA?!>> she screams in the first episode after slapping Watanabe Shu's character, Sunagoya, SO HARD! Why, you may ask? Because he failed to disclose to her that he is a married man, before they had their tryst, right after meeting no less!

This is actually a tokusatsu (special effects) action-oriented, super-hero drama in the vein of the Kamen Rider. The majority of the plot revolves around our Man-of-the-Hour, junior high school student Hirono Kenta, and his infatuation with being a costumed super-hero who fights evil. But there's also a bit of damsel-in-distress going on with his classmate, Ogawa Miku, played by Kikuchi Hina. And that's why I'm including it in this list.

Weird Rom-Com where the FL, Onodera, is a high-school teacher who gets reacquainted with her first love, Yuichi, from her junior high school days. At the same time, his younger brother, Yuto, is one of her current students, and he's fallen for her! So two brothers going after one woman. What is Onodera to do?

This drama blows me away with its cuteness. I hardly ever watch a drama twice, but I find myself doing just that with this one! Both Nagase Riko and Nomura Kota are promising young actors, and their characters are both very charming. The music is great, to boot! Cosplayers should definitely check out this drama.

You've got a triple-double in this drama. Three couples. Of course, the story focuses on the main couple, played by Kikuchi Fuma and Kumada Rinka. I can count the number of times Kikuchi's character has smiled on one finger. So serious. And yet on his first date with Morita (Kumada Rinka), he spins her around and kisses her. On the other hand, Kumada's character is kind of bland to me. I can't really describe her in a way that would satisfy myself. As for the second-rank couple, I personally like Yamazaki Hirona, and I like her glasses-look this time around. But as for her opposite, until I started watching the drama, I thought it was another woman. Instead, it's MR. Sakamoto, played by Shimekake Ryuya. Oops. Actually I wish there was more camera time spent on the third-rank couple, played by Saito Nagisa and Kaku So. She's Mini, he's Mighty. 

I really like Nao. She's very personable on screen. I feel like I could have a totally normal conversation with her if I met her. Interesting story and well-acted and produced. Not exactly a Rom-Com, but definitely has good romance in it. I especially savor the love-hate feelings that Nao’s character, Sato Hokomi, harbors for Tamamori Yuta’s character, Kuzuya Kairi. This is Female Romantic Rocky. DA-DA-DADADA-DADA-DA-DA-DA!

Silly Romance drama that ends up being funny. I mean, you've got a suave Angel of Death who just loves to eat. So far clueless FL who just lets this Stranger of Death stay at her place, while her brother is clueful (is that a word?) and tries to protect his sister in the most round-about ways. All the while you know the Grim Reaper is actually the Grin Reaper, meaning he's actually good.

Like Watashi no Takaramono, the wife has a horrible husband. Actually, this drama one-ups that Matsumoto Wakana drama because at least in that one the husband doesn't cheat on the wife. In this one, Kaho, played by Kubota Sayu, is a "plain-looking" wife, although that's not really the case. Her husband, Shinya, played by Hasegawa Makoto, is having an affair with a co-worker. When he is confronted by Kaho, who found out about his deeds, he admits it, saying that "all husbands cheat at least once." He also complains about her plain looks and brags about how he did her a favor by marrying her. Shortly after this, they divorce. She starts getting involved with a college student, Iori, played by Sano Masaya. How will their relationship go?

Hard to fairly rate this drama, as it's two short stories every episode. But some of them have been very cute stories, so that's a plus. And as the title suggests, all episodes involve older girls/women with younger boys/men. But hardly any real relationships nor romance.

At once too serious AND too silly. I mean, how many high-schoolers in Japan are married? To further whittle it down, how many of those married high-schoolers are expecting a baby AND have kept it a secret from just about everyone? And even further, how many of those couples who have successfully kept their marriage a secret actually NOT love each other? The heights of incredulity are sky-high in this drama. *** UPDATE 11/27/2024 *** I’ve dropped this show from my list of dramas to rate. I’ll stick FF through the remaining episodes just to see what happens. Just not enough romance and too much regret in this show. 

Not a Rom-Com.  Actually very sad for me to watch this. So far, I'm disappointed. There was absolutely no subtlety in the producers' brains at all when it came to trying to get us to hate the husband of Matsumoto Wakana's character. They (the producers) obviously wanted the viewers to side with Kanzaki MIwa, the wife with copious amounts of GAMAN (the ability to take on pain with a smile on one's face). The husband was not allowed to show even one micro-ounce of love towards his wife. If I were Tanaka Kei, I would have hated myself after only one episode. This so we could forgive her one moment of weakness with a former school-mate on a library bed??? WHAT? ***UPDATE 11/22/2024*** I dropped this drama because I just couldn't take it anymore. This drama is so depressing and I can't believe an evil husband can so drastically change suddenly because he heard the wise words of a bartender. First impressions are often indelible.

Slice of life with a side helping of romance. Not much in the way of comedy. Serious faces abound. No one raises their voice when talking. Popcorn determines the course of a relationship. Very relaxing piano background music. There are university students getting mixed up with adults, as well with each other, so I'll keep my eye on this one.  *** UPDATE 12/16/2024 *** I’ve dropped this show from my list of dramas to rate. I’ll stick FF through the remaining episodes just to see what happens. Just not enough of anything for me.

Very well-produced drama, IMHO. I like the Showa-era set-up and costumes. Matsumoto Honoka is cute in her glasses. Good story thus far of the partnership between the detective Suzuka and his unlikely partner in crime(fighting) being I-can-tell-if-you're-lying-Urabe. So far no romance, but I'm sure the two leads will soon get a clue. But to be honest, this drama is better regarded as being of the detective/mystery genre. *** UPDATE 11/27/2024 ***I’ve dropped this show from my list of dramas that I rate. I’ll still watch it while FF’ing through each episode.  I’m just not into who-dunnit mystery programs. Especially those with no romance. 

I don't consider this drama romantic in any way. It's more of a kind of father-daughter relationship story. Still waiting for some romance between the ML, Harumi, and someone-anyone!