JDrama

In many respects, Noburu Tagawa (Atsuhiro Inukai) is the very definition of an ideal husband. He loves his wife dearly, has a good, well-paying job, voluntarily helps out around the house, and to top it all off, he’s also incredibly handsome. In all honesty, it would be hard to find a husband more perfect and yet, it would seem that his wife, Aiko (Miona Hori), still finds him lacking.

Frustrated in a marriage that feels more like one of convenience, rather than love, Aiko has recently felt her heart waver, when in the presence of a different man. Unable to resist the heart-fluttering attention of her boss, Aiko gradually begins to return his obvious feelings for her. Soon caught up in a heated affair, Noburu is crushed when he uncovers the truth about Aiko and her boss.&nbsp;

Devastated by Aiko’s betrayal, Noburu soon teams up with the wife of Aiko’s new lover to exact their revenge. Will their plan bring them the catharsis they seek, or will it only serve to make matters worse?

Adapted from the manga series, “Saretagawa no Blue” by Chika Semoto, “Melancholy of the Betrayed” is a 2021 Japanese drama directed by Smith.

Melancholy of the Betrayed

💘Avengers💘Team

TV Asahi

Working as a design planner for a housing manufacturing company, Kaori Maejima (Reina Triendl) seems to be the sort of person who lives a very normal, comfortable life. Having been with the company for years, Kaori has all the appearances of a well-settled individual. But underneath that innocent exterior, Kaori harbors an unexpected secret.

Having fallen in love with her boss, Takuma Fuyuki (Hidekazu Mashima), years ago, Kaori knew that as a married man, he would never take notice of her; but in reality, she couldn’t have been more wrong. For years now, the two have been involved in a secret affair. Despite knowing she has no future with Takuma, Kaori can’t seem to let him go. But the arrival of Haruto Shinonome (Dori Sakurada), an interior designer fresh from New York, changes everything.&nbsp;

Assigned to work on a design project together, Kaori’s life becomes infinitely more complicated with Haruto around. Finding herself forced to face several harsh realities, could Haruto be the catalyst that changes Kaori’s fate forever?

Based on the manga series of the same name by Ririo and Aya Tsukisima, “Perfect Crime” is a 2019 Japanese romantic drama directed by Takeshi Furusawa, Yusuke Taki, and Osamu Minorikawa.

Perfect Crime

♡ Love Sickness Team ♡

Narita Misao (Mikami Ai) has just started working in a new, white-collar job. She is the youngest member of the team, and has developed a crush on her line manager Tsukasa Deno (Yuki Furukawa). She sits next to Ichikawa Kazuya (Sato Taiki), an abrasive fellow employee who has an annoying habit of speaking his mind whenever he feels like it. While she tries to work her way into Tsukasa Deno’s heart, Ichikawa Kazuya teases her. But when Ichikawa Kazuya invites her manager to have sushi with him and some other workmates, she agrees to come along.

However, Tsukasa Deno doesn’t show up to the meal, and after the event is over, Narita Misao and Ichikawa Kazuya begin texting one another. Their messages begin to hint at romantic feelings, but at work, later, Ichikawa Kazuya tells her that he has a girlfriend. Regardless, the flirtatious messages continue – until she learns that he is actually engaged to another woman. Confusion and guilt set in...but her feelings for this two-timer are far too strong to simply resist. Meanwhile, Tsukasa Deno is also developing feelings for her, leading to yet more conflicting feelings!

“liar” is a 2022 Japanese drama series that was directed by Kumasaka Izuru.

liar

Liar in Love

Born and raised in a small rural town, Nami Suzuki (Mone Kamishiraishi) has lived a very average, ordinary life. With no particular dreams and no real ambition, Nami doesn’t really want much out of life. If she can find moderate amounts of work and love, she’s convinced she’ll be happy.&nbsp;

In order to pursue that moderate love, Nami follows her childhood friend and long-time crush, Kenya (Inukai Atsuhiro) to Tokyo, where she hopes to get a job in the supply management department of the same publishing company where Kenya works. Unfortunately Nami’s plans don’t work out exactly the way she imagined they would. Rather than working in the supply management department, Nami is hired to work in the editorial department of one of the company’s fashion magazines. Not really taking her job seriously, Nami soon earns the scorn of her hard-working editor-in-chief, Reiko Horai (Nanao).

Rather than letting Reiko’s criticism get her down, Nami allows it to inspire her to have bigger dreams of her own. With her attitude about work gradually changing, Nami finds that her thoughts on love have also started to change, especially after meeting cameraman Junnosuke Horai (Yuta Tamamori). With a new-found determination now driving her, will Nami have what it takes to make her new-found dreams come true?

A delightful tale of chasing big dreams in the big city, “Oh My Boss! Love not included” is a 2021 Japanese romantic comedy drama directed by Yasuharu Ishii, Kenta Tanaka, and Takeyoshi Yamamoto.

Oh My Boss! Love not included

Chasing Our Dream Team

MBS, TBS

At 26 years old, Kanoko Tsukishiro (Aoi Morikawa) may not be an expert at love but that doesn’t mean she isn’t living the dream. Working as an editor in the literature department of a prominent publishing company, Kanoko has settled into the job of her dreams, and nothing in the world could make her happier. Or so she keeps telling herself. Deep down she knows that she’d like to experience love at least once in her life. But work has always come first and love will just have to wait. But not for long...

Given the task of overseeing the works of wildly popular mystery writer, Saku Kagaya (Yu Shirota), Kanoko suddenly finds herself working side-by-side with the very man whose lessons on love have shaped all her dreams and ideas on the subject. Having learned all about love through Saku’s books, Kanoko can’t help but feel a little something special when it comes to her new work partner. Unfortunately for her, Saku seems to feel nothing at all.

Petty and aloof, Saku’s greatest pleasure seems to come from picking on poor Kanoko. Determined to help Saku produce yet another top-selling novel, Kanoko puts up with all of her writer’s nonsense but it isn’t easy. Especially not when, despite everything, she finds herself falling for him. Pondering the decisions of her heart, Kanoko has to wonder, can an unlovable man and a woman who’s never been in love really find happiness together?

Based on the webcomic, “Bungaku Shojo” by Mayaka Nakano, “A Virgin Woman of Literature” is a 2018 romance drama directed by Smith.

A Virgin Woman of Literature

♥Literature Woman♥

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 💕

Office worker Manatsu Miura's (Mizuki Itagaki) mother is ill, and he decides that the best way to cheer her up is to get married. The problem? Miura isn’t actually dating anyone. While searching on a dating app, he finds a match in Ami Haruta (Airi Matsui), a woman who thinks throwing herself headlong into a new relationship will help her forget her unfaithful ex-fiancé. The duo hold a haphazard wedding, knowing almost nothing about one another. Unfortunately, they find out that they’re actually co-workers, and neither told their colleagues about their nuptials! Miura and Haruta decide to keep their marriage a secret at work, but will doing so end in disaster – or could it ignite the fire of a lasting romance? This 2020 Japanese drama series was based on a hit manga series by Emi Fujiwara and was directed by Ryo Morita, Ryohei Shingu, and Daisuke Honda.

In-House Marriage Honey

✨The Honeymooners Team✨

Murakami Maiko (Aoi Wakana), aged 24, is the daughter of a business owner. She is straight-talking and pure of heart, but has never been in a romantic relationship. One day, her father asks him to go on a blind date with one of his work acquaintances, a man named Hanasato Harumi (Takezai Terunosuke). On paper, this match is as terrible as they come: Murakami Maiko has lived a sheltered life, and Hanasato Harumi is a 44-year-old divorcee. She agrees to go on the date to please her father, while Hanasato Harumi only concedes to the meeting because he values her father as a business partner.

But when they meet, she discovers that he is actually both attractive and has a good personality. She instinctively makes her feelings for him known. Against his better instincts, he also starts to fall for Murakami Maiko. But when – on just their third date – the issue of marriage comes up, things get very serious very suddenly.

Their fledgling romance then comes under sudden threat when one of Murakami Maiko’s platonic school friends resurfaces – and confesses that he has feelings for her too. Could the odd couple really go the full distance, despite their 20-year age gap...and tie the knot?

“May December Couple” is a 2020 Japanese drama series that was directed by Hiroki Ryuichi.

May December Couple

Age Gap Lovers Team

When her father’s work suddenly transfers him, Yu Akahane (Nana Komatsu) finds herself forced to move into one of the school dormitories. Excited to be living in the same dorm as the school’s “White Prince'', Shirakawa Takumi (Yudai Chiba), Yu can’t wait to move in. With a head full of dreams of the kind Shirakawa sweeping her off her feet, Yu tries to settle into her new home quickly. But all her hopes of a happy dorm life are squashed, the moment she meets Haruto Kurosaki (Kento Nakajima).

Known at school as the “Black Devil”, Haruto is anything but nice. A bully through and through, Haruto not only steals Yu’s first kiss, but also demands that she become his slave. Unable to escape Haruto’s cruelty, Yu’s only glimmers of light come from the shining White Prince, who has taken a keen interest in her; especially now that Haruto has made his intentions towards her clear. Driven by curiosity, more than anything, Shirakawa begins to pay more attention to Yu, helping her as she suffers under Haruto’s bullying. The more time Shirakawa spends with Yu, the more he begins to realize that she has inadvertently captured his heart.

Caught between the Black Devil and the White Prince, Yu isn’t sure which way to turn. Struggling to unravel the mysteries of her own heart, she begins to wonder which is better to follow, the heart or the mind?

Based on the manga “Defying Kurosaki-kun” by Makino, “The Black Devil and the White Prince” is a 2016 high school romance film directed by Sho Tsukikawa.

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