Hello all, I’m Mo, and I’m here to tell you how your life can be improved by Jdrama!
From 'Love Shuffle', a jdrama from winter 2009
What is Jdrama?
The word “jdrama” (also “jdorama”) means “Japanese Drama” and refers to the broad category of live-action Japanese TV shows. Jdramas come in many of the genres you might expect: comedy, romance, mystery, etc. Episodes are aired daily in Japan (mainly in the evenings) and are a big part of Japan’s TV culture. However, unlike anime, jdrama is not widely known outside of Japan.
How are Jdramas different from Western dramas?
- Fewer episodes: each jdrama typically has only 10 to 12 episodes total.
- Seasons: There are four jdrama seasons per year, each with a few weeks break in between. This means there are almost always new shows going on, and there’s no such thing as summer reruns.
- Themes: A lot of western shows focus on sensational plotlines and visuals: cars crashing, drugs, sex, violence, etc. You won’t see many of these in jdramas, but they can still be just as entertaining.
- Recognizing actors: There’s a relatively small number of jdrama actors/actresses compared to Western TV. After you watch 3 or 4 dramas, familiar faces will pop up in almost every new show you see.
- Actors aren’t just actors: Most celebrities in Japan do acting, singing, dancing, commercials, tv shows, variety shows, etc. Don’t be surprised when two members of KAT-TUN show up in the jdrama you’re watching.
- Jdramas don’t drag on forever: We may be on season 9 of Smallville and past episode 200 of Naruto, but unlike Western dramas and anime, jdramas typically last only a single season. The entire story is told and wrapped up in 10 to 12 episodes. This means that writers don’t have to scramble for new content after X seasons just to keep the show going. (Also, it means that when you find yourself completely addicted to a show, you can finish watching it in a couple of days!)
Who watches jdrama?
In Japan, a surprising number of people watch them. They’re aired at prime hours (weekday and weekend evenings), times when the entire family is typically home. While jdramas are particularly popular with teenage girls, boys and adults often watch these shows as well. There are also a number of fans outside of Japan, where jdramas are not broadcast. These fans typically watch the shows online, and we’ll get into how to do this in future articles.
What if my Japanese isn’t very good?
Never fear: you have lots of options. I have many friends that know zero Japanese and still love jdramas. They just watch the subtitled versions. On the flip side, if you know a little bit of Japanese, you may be able to watch some simpler shows without subtitles. Watching TV is a great and enjoyable way to keep up your Japanese and get more exposure to the language, especially great if you are currently living in Japan or are actively studying and trying to learn Japanese.
School in Japan taught me about jdramas and vice versa
Who are you and why do you know so much about jdrama?
I lived in Japan from 2006-2007, right out of high school, and have gone back to visit a couple of times. I actually saw my first jdrama during high school Japanese class (it was called Tokyo Niwatsuki Ikkodate for the record). During my year in Japan, I watched several dramas as they aired and saw the role TV played in the lives of the four different host families I had that year. I watched jdramas with my host sister, talked about them with friends, and obsessed over Oguri Shun and his various acting roles right alongside my Japanese classmates.
Since I returned to America, my love for jdrama only grew. I swear it’s maintained my Japanese level: I haven’t formally studied Japanese in a year, and yet when I visited Japan this winter, my language skills had not degraded at all. Jdrama is powerful stuff.
What is your favorite Jdrama?
Probably Manhattan Love Story with Kekkon Dekinai Otoko coming in at a close second.
What will you write here in the future?
Mostly jdrama reviews, but I’ll also be covering HOW to watch jdramas (where to get them, where to find more information on them, etc.). Stay tuned for the next installment in a couple of weeks!
Related posts:
Mo is an undergraduate in Computer Science whose true passion is watching jdramas, seeing a lot of live music, and spending too much time on the internet. She lived in Kobe, Japan for a year between high school and college, and still yearns every day to eat takoyaki.
I can attest to the addictiveness of J-dorama. As soon as my significant other discovered she could watch it on YouTube (subbed in Portuguese) our Bandwidth usage went through the roof and we met our quota a week early.
I agree also that watching J-dorama can be good for your Japanese, but only if you take the time to respond to it, either buy using phrases you’ve picked up in conversation or writing about it. watching TV is largely passive activity, anything you can do to turn it around into something productive helps.
I’m looking forward to more of your posts on this Mo.
Brett,
Yes yes, I am completely familiar with the bandwidth drain due to jdramas… interesting that there’s so many subbed in Portugese on YouTube!
Certainly there’s a difference between using jdrama to maintain Japanese proficiency and trying to improve it. Passively watching will keep your listening skills sharp, but you’ll still lose the ability to speak simply because you are getting no practice. I like your idea of responding to it — I do find myself occasionally repeating what the characters say (if I particularly like it), or even, during those long dramatic pauses, trying to predict what they are going to say (which is scarily possible even for a reasonably novice at Japanese, if the show is cliche enough… usually not the mark of a good jdrama).
Maybe later on in this series we can collaborate and try to come up with ways to bulk up your Japanese a bit while watching jdrama!