Some of my all-time fave dramas are Japanese doramas. I’ve been watching J-doramas since the early 90s, when I was a wee lass (okay, not so wee, but definitely still a lass), and following this bandwagon has been a bumpy ride. When its good, the ride was exhilarating. When its been blergh, it feels like an interminable period of uninteresting dreck. Folks have asked me to add Taiwan and Japan dramas to my ratings list, and I certainly have watched enough to render opinions on quite a few works. Rather than rating the ones I’ve watched and care to even talk about, I thought it more productive to write about them in a comprehensive post. This list contains a handful of J-doramas I’ve watched over the years, it’s not comprehensive or all-inclusive, but should be a good starting point for newbies to dive in. I think J-doramas are so intrinsically different than K-dramas and TW-dramas that the first key to watching them is to throw away preconceived notions and open the mind up to new experiences. If you hit on one that you love, it might just became an all-time favorite. Continue reading →