The Best J-Dramas Available on Viki.... whether you'll love them for the good actors/actresses, cute stories, slice of life genres, or more (or hopefully all of it combined), here are the best J-dramas on viki.

Although there are a couple that aren't perfect, they are still enjoyable despite the minus points.

The Best J-Dramas on Viki

Five years after witnessing a doctor’s heroic act, rookie nurse Sakura Nanase (Mone Kamishiraishi) joins the same hospital, only to find out that her idol, Dr. Kairi Tendo (Takeru Satoh), is a cold perfectionist. Despite his harsh demeanor, Sakura’s relentless dedication and open affection begin to soften his heart. As she endeavors to prove her worth and win him over, the clash between her optimism and his cynicism becomes a test of love and perseverance. Will Sakura's unwavering commitment turn this cold-hearted doctor into a believer in love? This 2020 Japanese romantic comedy drama was adapted from the manga by Maki Enjoji, and was directed by Fuminori Kaneko, Ryosuke Fukuda, and Kenta Tanaka.

An Incurable Case of Love

Fuji TV

Misaki Sakurai (Mirei Kiritani) is down on her luck. Her dreams of becoming a top-level pastry chef with her own business seem as distant now as they have ever been and her love life appears to have stalled. To top it all off, she has just been fired from her job, and could find herself out of money and out of a home. But just when things are looking like they couldn’t get any worse, she finally gets a lucky break when her old high school flame Chiaki Shibasaki (Shohei Miura) appears on the scene and not only offers her a part-time job at his restaurant over the summer, but also a place to stay – in the house where her and his two younger brothers the cooking school dropout and womanizer Toma (Nomura Shuhei) and the unflappably patient Kanata (Yamazaki Kento) also live there.

The brothers, also talented cooks in their own right, and are as full of charm as Chiaki Shibasaki. And as Misaki Sakurai starts to live with them, she starts to realize that she might have romantic feelings not only for her former flame, but also his siblings. Will true love end up on the menu for Misaki Sakurai – and can she get her culinary dreams back on track?

“A Girl and Three Sweethearts” is a 2016 Japanese drama series that was directed by Hiro Kanai, Ryo Tanaka, and Tomonobu Moriwaki.

A Girl & Three Sweethearts

🍰Sweet Treat🍰-Team

Totono Kuno (Masaki Suda) is a quiet, intelligent, highly observant, and introverted student with no friends or girlfriend. He enjoys peace and quiet and spends his time at home quietly observing the passage of the seasons and cooking curry. But the tranquillity of his daily existence is shattered one day when – while he is cooking curry – a police detective comes knocking at his door.

Totono Kuno is told that one of his classmates has been killed in a nearby park and that he is the only suspect. All of a sudden, he is forced to use all of his natural gifts to discover what really happened in order to prove his innocence. As he listens to the police’s case against him, he begins to mentally gather data that may help him clear his name. Things get more worrying still when a weapon apparently bearing his fingerprints shows up. And as well as the case he is involved in, other crimes are also taking place – with many of them requiring his attention. It looks like Totono Kuno’s formerly peaceful life will have to give way to a much more eventful way of living!

“Don’t Call it Mystery” is a 2022 Japanese drama that was directed by Hiroaki Matsuyama, Shunsuke Shinada, Hideyuki Aizawa, and Hiroyuki Abe.

Don't Call it Mystery

🧣221B Baker Street Team🕵🏻

With the motto, “Quick, cheap, and delicious” Tokyo Seimenjo has been serving affordable, delectable udon to customers since the day their doors first opened. With a steady flow of customers and more than their fair share of regulars, the restaurant is clearly a local favorite. But with the manager two months into her maternity leave, and the most reliable of the staff having just quit, the stability of the remaining restaurant staff is deeply shaken.

Completely uneasy about their two most reliable members now gone, the remaining staff, Haruto Aoi (Shuntaro Yanagi), Yoshio Midorikawa (So Okuno), Rin Momota (Shiori Akita), and Setsuko Kimoto (Keiko Enoue), aren’t entirely sure what to do next. To make matters worse, the restaurant’s parent company has just sent them a new manager, Kotaro Akamatsu (Hokuto Yoshino). At twenty-seven, Kotaro has all of the confidence of a successful manager, the only problem is, his area of expertise is hotel management, not food service.&nbsp;

Painfully aware that Kotaro has no experience in the restaurant business, the staff of Tokyo Seimenjo are left feeling uneasy, to say the least. Will their new manager find a way to return their beloved restaurant to its former glory or will his awkward mannerism and lack of experience drive them into ruin?

A story of noodles and new beginnings, “Tokyo Noodle Factory” is a 2021 comedy drama directed by Keisuke Kondo.

Tokyo Noodle Factory

The 🍜Noodles 4 All 🍜 Team

Once a model student with a bright future ahead of her, Harumi Junko (Kyoko Fukada) should be living the dream. But after she was denied admission to Tokyo University, her life started to take a very definite downhill turn. Struggling to find a job and failing at every relationship she’s ever had, thirty-one year old Harumi is now living a very different life than the one she once imagined for herself. Taking work as a teacher at a private cram school, Harumi wonders if her life could possibly get any worse.

As if the universe was determined to answer that question for her, one-by-one Harumi’s cram school students begin dropping her class, leaving her superiors to wonder if it isn’t time to let her go. To make matters worse, her mother won’t stop hounding her about her non-existent love life. Ready to give up on everything, Harumi confides in her long-time friend, Masashi Yakumo (Kento Nagayama) who unbeknownst to her, has secretly harbored a crush on her for the past twenty-years. While Masashi tries to work up the courage to confess his feelings, an unruly high school student by the name of Yuri Kyohei (Ryusei Yokohama) steps in and does just that. Enamored by the only teacher who has ever stood up for him, Yuri can’t hide his feelings for Harumi, but he isn’t the only one vying for her affection. Smitten by the woman who helped him graduate, all those years ago, Yuri’s high school teacher, Kazuma Yamashita (Tomoya Nakamura) has decided the time is finally right to confess his love.&nbsp;

With three men now trying to win her heart, Harumi has no idea what to do. How can she know which man is her one true love when her heart is pulling her in three different directions?

Based on the manga of the same name, by Aki Mochida, “A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love” is a 2019 romantic comedy drama directed by Ryosuke Fukuda and Ken Yoshida.

A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love

 💖True Love Team 💖

What would other people do in the situation? Sumire Iwaya (Noriko Iriyama) is a well educated, successful journalist who has a string of misfortunes.

Sumire graduated from Tokyo University and Harvard and works as an editor for a renowned newspaper. But her fiancé dumps her because he becomes tired of living under the shadow of her greater achievements. Then, Sumire fights off the advances of her drunk boss and gets demoted at work.

After the series of bad events, Sumire comes home one day to find a homeless young man, Takeshi Goda (Jun Shison), in a cardboard box outside her apartment. Takeshi resembles Sumire’s beloved former dog, Momo, and she has a strong desire to take Takeshi in as a pet.

What will become of this strange new relationship between a woman and her human pet?

“Kimi Wa Petto” is a 2017 Japanese drama series directed by Izuru Kumasaka. It is based on the manga “Kimi Wa Petto” written by Yayoi Ogawa. Two previous adaptations of the manga originally aired in 2003 and 2011.

You’re My Pet - Kimi Wa Petto

Fuji TV, FOD

At sixteen years old, Hana Nonomura (Aisa Takeuchi) was the last person you’d ever expect to be going on a blind date, especially one meant for finding a suitable marriage partner. But when her older sister, Yukari (Arisa Deguchi), refuses to go, Hana finds herself forced to be her stand-in, or risk bringing shame to the entire family. With no other options, Hana agrees to go, hoping to get the entire thing over with as quickly and peacefully as possible; but when she meets Takane (Mahiro Takasugi), everything changes.

The heir of the Takaba Group, 26-year-old Saibara Takane is the epitome of perfection. With killer looks and a fabulous career, he’s the man every woman dreams of having. There’s just one problem, he’s a haughty, arrogant snob who thinks of no one but himself. With such a nasty attitude, his plans to ruin his impending blind date would be easy enough, he just had to be the right amount of awful to chase her away. His plan should have been perfect, but he never expected to meet someone as fiery as Hana Nonomura.

Intrigued by Hana’s complete lack of concern over his looks, position, and money, Takane finds himself drawn to this most unusual girl. When fate brings this spunky girl back into his life, Takane finds himself falling for her but can such polar opposites really attract?

Based on the manga series, “Takane to Hana” by Yuki Shiwasu, “Takane and Hana” is a 2019 romantic comedy drama directed by Yusuke Ishii.&nbsp;

Takane and Hana

💕 Trapped by the Love 💕

Tsukushi Makino (Mao Inoue), a quiet student at the elite Eitoku Academy, clashes with Tsukasa Domyouji (Jun Matsumoto), a key member of the “Flower Four” or “F4” gang, made up of devilishly handsome bullies sons of some of Japan’s richest businesspeople. The F4 orchestrates bullying campaigns aimed at forcing students they don’t like out of the academy. However, Tsukushi refuses to be pushed around and berates Tsukasa. This has unexpected consequences, leading both Tsukasa and his fellow F4 member Rui Hanazawa (Shun Oguri) to fall for her. Will love save the day – and might romance help teach F4 the error of its ways? This 2005 Japanese drama series was based on a hit manga series by Yoko Kamio and was directed by Yasuharu Ishii.

BOYS OVER FLOWERS

🍡 A Bouquet of Dango 🍡 Team

Rinko Amaki (Takada Kaho) is a successful 27-year-old woman who works at a busy wedding planning agency. She excels at her job to such an extent that she is promoted to lead her unit. She is popular, beautiful, and hard-working, but there is just one thing that frustrates her: Despite being surrounded by loved-up couples and romance all day at work for years, she is still single. And on top of that, she has never made love. She wants to lose her virginity, but has never found the right man.

In a twist of fate, her male co-worker Gen Kamisaka (Totsuka Shota), another wildly successful wedding planner is in the exact same predicament. Also aged 27, he has never had any intimate relations with a woman. The duo, having discovered they share the same “problem,” decides to do something about it. But they soon discover that work and physical intimacy are not easy to balance. And while they might have initially envisaged a quick and fuss-free fling, Cupid might have other plans for them...

This drama was based on a 2017 manga series of the same name, which was created by Mio Fujita.

“Rinko-san Wants to Try” is a Japanese drama series that was directed by Keijiro Tsubakimoto.

Rinko-san Wants to Try

Try to ❤ Team

Yaeko Kogure (Haru) is a 27-year-old white-collar worker who is tired of her office life and looks forward to getting married and putting it all behind her. It is with great joy that she gets engaged with her boyfriend and hands in her notice. But before she really has a chance to celebrate, she gets a shock when her fiancé tells her he wants to break up with her because he has started a relationship with another woman.

Dejected, she sits in a shopping mall where she hears the Bach violin piece “Air on the G String” (from the composer’s “3rd Suite in D major”). On a whim, she decides to take a violin class, where she meets and befriends a younger university student named Rihito Kase (Taishi Nakagawa) and a married woman named Yukie Kitagawa (Matsushita Yuki). The former is in love with the violin class teacher, but Yaeko Kogure starts to develop romantic feelings for him...

This drama was based on a manga series that was serialized between 2013 and 2018.

“You, Me, and Bach” is a 2019 Japanese drama series that was directed by Fuminori Kaneko, Kentaro Takemura, and Ryosuke Fukuda.

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