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!

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.