Rules:) 

  • You may not use the same Title for different categories 
  • You may use this along-side any other challenge you may be participating in 

This is a challenge I am doing for myself as well you do no need to feel over-whelmed or daunted by some of the topics only choose what you want to watch and only stretch yourself where comfortable. 

I am not including Romance on this challenge..you may find romance in the topics but not a section just for that, we MDL users have no problem finding romance titles. 

You can use Movies, Drama Specials, OR Dramas from any year as long as you have not seen it before 

Because this is the first one there will be no point system and you set your own goal. 

Bonus put a mark next to the trope for every time you see one of these things in a drama

Example: bento destroyed you chose Hana Yori Dango but then you watched nobuta wo Produce which also has this so it would look like this

*  bento destroyed: Hana yori dango

And if you then watched something else it would be 

* * bento destroyed: Hana yori dango

FORM TO CUT AND PASTE


Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar. 

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don).   

  3. Piggy back ride to love 

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are). 

  5. Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever 

  6. Couple not accepted-either by parents or society 

  7. One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad 

  8. Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard. 

  9. Co-habitation 

  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one 

 

Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all 

  2. Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan) 

  3. Bullying 

  4. Business shut down by a bank 

  5. In debt 

  6. Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!) 

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance 

  2. Yankee Student 

  3. Transfer Student 

  4. School Festival 

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt) 

  6. Delinquent Teacher  

Sci fi 

  1. Aliens 

  2. Robots 

  3. Giant Monster 

  4. Super power 

  5. Gods 

  6. Time Travel 

HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199) 

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331) 

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570) 

  4. Edo (1603-1867) 

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912) 

  6. Taisho (1912-1926) 

  7. Showa (1926-1989) 

  8. Heisei (1989 –2019) 

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

  10. Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945 

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) 

  13. WWII 

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost 

  2. Psychological 

  3. Suspense 

  4. Serial Killer 

Sports 

  1. Baseball 

  2. Soccer 

  3. Hockey 

  4. Basketball 

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games 

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) 

  2. Bento with a heart 

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal) 

  4. Forgotten Bento 

  5. Food from the conbiini 

  6. Homemade food 

 

Misc. 

  1. Comedy 

  2. Festival 

  3. Fireworks 

  4. Single parent 

  5. Lawyer 

  6. Detective 

  7. Doctor 

  8. Chef 

  9. Character with a disability 

  10. Gay character 

  11. Yakuza 

  12. Age Gap 

  13. return to the countryside/rural hometown 

 

Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  1. AKS (company) 

  2. Avex Group 

  3. Horipro 

  4. Johnny & Associates 

  5. Ken-On 

  6. LDH (company) 

  7. Amuse 

  8. Other agency I forgot or did not know of 

 

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes 

  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic 

  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards) 

Repeat as often as you like 

 

MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 

  2. Add/update a person 

  3. Tag a title 

  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article 

Repeat as often as you like

Start Date- January 1, 2019

Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all Asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar- Busujima Yuriko no Sekirara Nikki  (3/28)

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don)- Shinya Shokudo (1/21)

  3. Piggy back ride to love- Kahogo no Kahoko (3/13)

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are)- Good Life - Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara (3/3)

  5. Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever-

  6. Couple not accepted (by parents or society)- Chugakusei Nikki (3/15)

  7. One Way Love (unrequited love)- Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita (3/24) 

  8. Amnesia- 

  9. Co-habitation- Snakes and Earrings (4/19)

  10. Rain-

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one

Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning- Good Life - Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara (3/3)

  2. Relative of a criminal prejudice- dele (1/8)

  3. Bullying- Liverleaf (1/25)

  4. Business shut down by a bank- Taiyou no Kisetsu (1/5)

  5. In debt- Memories of Matsuko (1/22)

  6. Housewife bullying- 

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance-

  2. Yankee Student- Love And Other Cults (2/7)

  3. Transfer Student-

  4. School Festival-

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt)- Gokusen (3/22)

  6. Delinquent Teacher-  

Sci fi 

  1. Aliens- Boogiepop wa Warawanai: Boogiepop and Others (4/12)

  2. Robots-

  3. Giant Monster-

  4. Super power- Tokyo Ghoul (3/6)

  5. Gods-

  6. Time Travel- Q10 (2/6)

HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199)- Taira no Kiyomori (5/24)

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331)-

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570)- Seven Samurai (1/29)

  4. Edo (1603-1867)-

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912)- Rurouni Kenshin (2/25)

  6. Taisho (1912-1926)-

  7. Showa (1926-1989)-

  8. Heisei (1989 –2019)- Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita (3/24)

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) -

  10. Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)-

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945-

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945)-

  13. WWII-

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost- Noroi: The Curse (2/15)

  2. Psychological- Sachiiro no One Room (4/8)

  3. Suspense- Utsukushii Rinjin 

  4. Serial Killer- Ichi The Killer (1/15)

Sports 

  1. Baseball- Gaki no Tsukai: Matsumoto Sports Challenge- Baseball (rewatch) (2/5) 

  2. Soccer-

  3. Hockey-

  4. Basketball-

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games- Gin to Kin (5/15)

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out)-

  2. Bento with a heart-

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal)-

  4. Forgotten Bento-

  5. Food from the conbiini-

  6. Homemade food- Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (1/6)

 Misc. 

  1. Comedy-  

  2. Festival-

  3. Fireworks-

  4. Single parent- Good Life - Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara (3/3)

  5. Lawyer-

  6. Detective-

  7. Doctor- Yasha (3/14)

  8. Chef- Shinya Shokudo 2 (1/24)

  9. Character with a disability- Yasha (3/14)

  10. Gay character- Shinya Shokudo 3 (1/31)

  11. Yakuza- My Boss, My Hero (1/11)

  12. Age Gap- The Liar and His Lover (2/3)

  13. Return to the countryside/rural hometown- I Am a Hero (1/26)

Japan’s Entertainment/ Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies 

  1. AKS (company)- 

  2. Avex Group- 

  3. Horipro- 

  4. Johnny & Associates- Yamada Taro Monogatari (1/30) ARASHI

  5. Ken-On-

  6. LDH (company)-

  7. Amuse-

Start Date: January 1st,2019

Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar. 

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don). Ani ni Aisaresugite Komattemasu 

  3. Piggy back ride to love Daisy Luck 

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are). 

  5. Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever 

  6. Couple not accepted-either by parents or society

  7. One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad

  8. Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard. 

  9. Co-habitation 

  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one 

 

Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all 

  2. Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan) Letters 

  3. Bullying 

  4. Business shut down by a bank

  5. In debt Prince of Legend

  6. Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!) 

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance 

  2. Yankee Student

  3. Transfer Student

  4. School Festival Rainbow Days

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt) 

  6. Delinquent Teacher  

Sci fi 

  1. Aliens 

  2. Robots 

  3. Giant Monster 

  4. Super power 

  5. Gods 

  6. Time Travel 

HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199) 

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331) 

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570) 

  4. Edo (1603-1867) 

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912) 

  6. Taisho (1912-1926) 

  7. Showa (1926-1989) 

  8. Heisei (1989 –2019)

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

  10. Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945 

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) 

  13. WWII 

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost 

  2. Psychological 

  3. Suspense

  4. Serial Killer 

Sports 

  1. Baseball 

  2. Soccer 

  3. Hockey 

  4. Basketball

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) 

  2. Bento with a heart

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal) 

  4. Forgotten Bento 

  5. Food from the conbiini 

  6. Homemade food

 

Misc. 

  1. Comedy The Confidence Man JP

  2. Festival 

  3. Fireworks 

  4. Single parent 

  5. Lawyer 

  6. Detective 

  7. Doctor 

  8. Chef 

  9. Character with a disability 

  10. Gay character 

  11. Yakuza

  12. Age Gap

  13. return to the countryside/rural hometown 

 

Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  1. AKS (company) 

  2. Avex Group 

  3. Horipro 

  4. Johnny & Associates

  5. Ken-On

  6. LDH (company)

  7. Amuse

  8. Other agency I forgot or did not know of 

 

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes 

  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic 

  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards) 

Repeat as often as you like 

 

MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 

  2. Add/update a person 

  3. Tag a title

  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article 

Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar. 

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don).   

  3. Piggy back ride to love 

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are). 

  5. ****Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever 

  6. *Couple not accepted-either by parents or society 

  7. One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad 

  8. Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard. 

  9. **Co-habitation 

  10. *Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one 

 

Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all 

  2. **Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan) 

  3. *Bullying 

  4. Business shut down by a bank 

  5. *In debt 

  6. Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!) 

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance Majo no Jouken 

  2. Yankee Student 

  3. *Transfer Student 

  4. School Festival 

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt) 

  6. Delinquent Teacher  

Sci fi 

  1. Aliens 

  2. Robots 

  3. Giant Monster 

  4. Super power 

  5. Gods 

  6. Time Travel Oresama 

HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199) 

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331) 

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570) 

  4. Edo (1603-1867) 

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912) Rurouni Kenshin  

  6. Taisho (1912-1926) 

  7. Showa (1926-1989)  (1953) Amagi Goe

  8. ***Heisei (1989 –2019) 

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

  10. Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945 

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) 

  13. WWII 

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost 

  2. Psychological (Boku no Yabai Tsuma  )

  3. Suspense 

  4. Serial Killer Signal: Choki Mikaiketsu Jiken Sosahan 

Sports 

  1. Baseball 

  2. Soccer 

  3. Hockey 

  4. Basketball 

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games Kakegurui

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) 

  2. Bento with a heart 

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal) 

  4. Forgotten Bento 

  5. Food from the conbiini 

  6. **Homemade food 

 

Misc. 

  1. Comedy 

  2. Festival 

  3. Fireworks 

  4. Single parent 

  5. Lawyer 

  6. *Detective 

  7. Doctor 

  8. Chef 

  9. Character with a disability 

  10. Gay character 

  11. Yakuza 

  12. *Age Gap Anego

  13. return to the countryside/rural hometown 


 

Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  1. AKS (company) 

  2. Avex Group 

  3. Horipro 

  4. **Johnny & Associates 

  5. Ken-On 

  6. LDH (company) 

  7. Amuse The Count of Monte-Cristo: Great Revenge (Dean Fujioka)

  8. Other agency I forgot or did not know of 

 

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes 

  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic 

  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards) 

Repeat as often as you like 

 

MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 

  2. Add/update a person 

  3. Tag a title 

  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article 

Repeat as often as you like

I'll have fun with this. Thanks for putting it together~ c:

Start Date: 1.1.19
End Date: TBD


Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar. 

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don).   

  3. Piggy back ride to love 

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are). 

  5. Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever 

  6. Couple not accepted-either by parents or society 

  7. One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad 

  8. Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard. 

  9. Co-habitation 

  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one 


Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all
    ↬ Niini no Koto wo Wasurenaide or Good Life

  2. Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan) 

  3. Bullying 
    ↬ Kingyo Club

  4. Business shut down by a bank 

  5. In debt
    Liar Game:  The Final Stage

  6. Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!) 
    ↬ Freeter, Ie o Kau.


School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance 
    ↬ Chugakusei Nikki

  2. Yankee Student 
    ↬ Yankee-kun to Megane-chan

  3. Transfer Student 

  4. School Festival 

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt) 
    ↬ GTO

  6. Delinquent Teacher  
    ↬ Yankee Bokou ni Kaeru


Sci fi 

  1. Aliens 

  2. Robots
    Zettai Kareshi

  3. Giant Monster 

  4. Super power 
    ↬ Orthros no Inu

  5. Gods 

  6. Time Travel 
    ↬ Long Love Letter


HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199) 

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331) 

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570) 

  4. Edo (1603-1867) 
    Yae no Sakura

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912) 
    Tenno no Ryoriban

  6. Taisho (1912-1926) 

  7. Showa (1926-1989) 
    Aguri

  8. Heisei (1989 –2019) 
    Mikazuki

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

  10. Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945 

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) 

  13. WWII 
    Grave of the Fireflies


Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost 

  2. Psychological 
    ↬ Life

  3. Suspense 
    ↬ Ouroboros

  4. Serial Killer 
    ↬ Rinsho Hanzai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri


Sports 

  1. Baseball 
    ↬ H2

  2. Soccer 
    ↬ Shoot

  3. Hockey 
    ↬ Pride

  4. Basketball 
    ↬ Kimi ni Sasageru Emblem

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games 


Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) 

  2. Bento with a heart 

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal) 

  4. Forgotten Bento 

  5. Food from the conbiini
     

  6. Homemade food 


Misc. 

  1. Comedy 

  2. Festival 

  3. Fireworks 

  4. Single parent 

  5. Lawyer 

  6. Detective 

  7. Doctor 

  8. Chef 

  9. Character with a disability 

  10. Gay character 

  11. Yakuza 

  12. Age Gap 

  13. return to the countryside/rural hometown 


Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  1. AKS (company) 

  2. Avex Group 

  3. Horipro 

  4. Johnny & Associates 

  5. Ken-On 

  6. LDH (company) 

  7. Amuse 

  8. Other agency I forgot or did not know of 


Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes 

  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic 

  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards) 

Repeat as often as you like 


MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 

  2. Add/update a person 

  3. Tag a title 

  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article 

Start Date: January 1, 2019
End Date: TBD

Completed: 13

Milestones
10 Completed: June 30th


Tropes

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar
  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don)
  3. Piggy back ride to love
  4. Plot Cancer – 3D Kanojo: Real Girl (Movie)
  5. *Lovers separated
  6. Couple not accepted – Kahogo no Kahoko
  7. One Way Love
  8. Amnesia
  9. *Co-habitation – Yuube wa Otanoshimi Deshita ne
  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS - A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one


Buckets (or Liters) of tears 

  1. *Terminal illness
  2. Relative of a criminal prejudice
  3. *Bullying
  4. Business shut down by a bank
  5. In debt
  6. Housewife bullying

School 

  1. *Teacher/Student Romance
  2. Yankee Student
  3. *Transfer Student
  4. School Festival
  5. Persistent Teacher
  6. Delinquent Teacher

Sci-Fi 

  1. Aliens
  2. Robots
  3. Giant Monster
  4. Super power
  5. Gods
  6. Time Travel

History

  1. Heian period (806-1199)
  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331)
  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570)
  4. Edo (1603-1867)
  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912)
  6. Taisho (1912-1926)
  7. Showa (1926-1989)
  8. Heisei (1989 –2019)
  9. First Shino-Japanese War (July 25, 1894 – April 17, 1895)
  10. Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)
  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945)
  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945)
  13. WWII

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost
  2. Psychological
  3. Suspense
  4. Serial Killer

Sports 

  1. Baseball – H2 (Rewatch)
  2. Soccer
  3. Hockey
  4. Basketball – Lovely Complex (Movie)
  5. Cards, tiles or dice games 

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out)
  2. Bento with a heart
  3. Bento with a panda/cat (or another animal)
  4. Forgotten Bento
  5. Food from the conbiini
  6. *Homemade food – Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu

Misc. 

  1. Comedy – Otona Koukou
  2. *Festival
  3. *Fireworks
  4. Single parent
  5. Lawyer
  6. Detective
  7. Doctor
  8. Chef
  9. Character with a disability
  10. Gay character
  11. Yakuza – Nisekoi (Movie)
  12. Age Gap – Kono Koi wa Tsumi na no ka!?
  13. Return to the countryside/rural hometown

Japan’s Talent Industry

  1. AKS (company)
  2. Avex Group – Rike Koi (Asakawa Nana)
  3. Horipro – I Don't Love You Yet (Adachi Rika)
  4. Johnny & AssociatesFinal Cut (Kamenashi Kazuya)
  5. Ken-On
  6. LDH (company)
  7. *Amuse - Tokyo Tarareba Musume (Yoshitaka Yuriko)
  8. Other Agency

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes
  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic
  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic

Repeat as often as you like


MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title
  2. Add/update a person
  3. Tag a title
  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article

Start Date: January 1, 2019
End Date: TBD

Green= Completed


Tropes

  1. *Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar - I Don't Love You Yet
  2. **Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don)
  3. **Piggy back ride to love
  4. Plot Cancer
  5. *Lovers separated
  6. *Couple not accepted
  7. *One Way Love - Eien no Bokura Seaside Blue
  8. Amnesia
  9. Co-habitation - Miseinen Dakedo Kodomo Janai
  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS - A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one


Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1. Terminal illness - Sunny: Our Hearts Beat Together
  2. Relative of a criminal prejudice - Suna no Utsuwa (2019)
  3. Bullying - Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita
  4. Business shut down by a bank
  5. In debt - Shoplifters
  6. Housewife bullying

School

  1. Teacher/student Romance - Hajimete Koi wo Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi
  2. *Yankee Student - Asuko March
  3. *Transfer Student
  4. School Festival
  5. *Persistent Teacher
  6. *Delinquent Teacher

Sci-Fi

  1. Aliens
  2. Robots
  3. Giant Monster
  4. Super power
  5. Gods
  6. Time Travel

History 

  1. Heian period (806-1199)
  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331)
  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570)
  4. Edo (1603-1867) - Samurai Marathon
  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912)
  6. Taisho (1912-1926) - Hanako to Anne
  7. Showa (1926-1989) - Yakusoku no Stage
  8. Heisei (1989 –2019)
  9. First Shino-Japanese War (July 25, 1894 – April 17, 1895)
  10. Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)
  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945)
  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945)
  13. WWII

Horror

  1. Yokai or Ghost
  2. Psychological
  3. Suspense
  4. Serial Killer

Sports 

  1. Baseball
  2. Soccer
  3. Hockey
  4. Basketball - Waiting For Spring
  5. Cards, tiles or dice games - Kono Koi wa Tsumi na no ka!? 

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out)
  2. Bento with a heart
  3. Bento with a panda/cat (or another animal)
  4. Forgotten Bento
  5. Food from the conbini
  6. *Homemade food - Little Forest: Summer & Autumn

Misc. 

  1. Comedy -Channel wa Sonomama!!
  2. Festival - Little Forest: Winter & Spring
  3. *Fireworks - Nagi no Oitoma
  4. Single parent
  5. Lawyer
  6. *Detective
  7. *Doctor - Tokyo Alice 
  8. Chef 
  9. Character with a disability
  10. Gay character
  11. Yakuza
  12. **Age Gap
  13. **Return to the countryside/rural hometown - Hiyokko 2

Japan’s Talent Industry

  1. AKS (company)
  2. Avex Group
  3. Horipro
  4. Johnny & Associates - We Love (Hirano Sho)
  5. Ken-On
  6. LDH (company)
  7. Amuse - Ano Ko no Toriko (Yoshizawa Ryo)
  8. Other Agency - Kingdom (Yamazaki Kento/Stardust)

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes
  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic
  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic

Repeat as often as you like


MDL Challenge

  1. Add/update a title - Added Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare 
  2. Add/update a person - Added Fukumoto Riko + Fukuda Mei
  3. Tag a title
  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article

Start Date: January 2, 2019


Tropes

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar
  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don) 
  3. Piggy back ride to love
  4. Plot Cancer
  5. Lovers separated
  6. Couple not accepted
  7. One Way Love
  8. Amnesia 
  9. Co-habitation
  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too. 

BONUS - A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one


Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1. Terminal illness
    I Give My First Love to You
  2. Relative of a criminal prejudice
    One Million Stars Falling from the Sky 
  3. Bullying
  4. Business shut down by a bank
  5. In debt
  6. Housewife bullying

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance
  2. Yankee Student
  3. Transfer Student
  4. School Festival
  5. Persistent Teacher
  6. Delinquent Teacher

Sci-Fi 

  1. Aliens
  2. Robots
  3. Giant Monster
  4. Super power
  5. Gods
  6. Time Travel

History

  1. Heian period (806-1199)
  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331)
  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570)
  4. Edo (1603-1867)
  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912)
  6. Taisho (1912-1926)
  7. Showa (1926-1989)
  8. Heisei (1989 –2019)
  9. First Shino-Japanese War (July 25, 1894 – April 17, 1895)
  10. Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)
  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945)
  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945)
  13. WWII

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost
  2. Psychological
  3. Suspense
  4. Serial Killer

Sports 

  1. Baseball
  2. Soccer
  3. Hockey
  4. Basketball
  5. Cards, tiles or dice games

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out)
  2. Bento with a heart
  3. Bento with a panda/cat (or another animal)
  4. Forgotten Bento
  5. Food from the conbiini
  6. Homemade food

Misc. 

  1. Comedy
    Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store 
  2. Festival
  3. Fireworks
  4. Single parent
  5. Lawyer
  6. Detective
  7. Doctor
  8. Chef
  9. Character with a disability
  10. Gay character  
    Udagawachou de Matteteyo
  11. Yakuza
  12. Age Gap 
  13. Return to the countryside/rural hometown

Japan’s Talent Industry

  1. AKS (company)
  2. Avex Group
  3. Horipro
  4. Johnny & Associates
  5. Ken-On
  6. LDH (company)
  7. Amuse
  8. Other Agency

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes
  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic
  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic

Repeat as often as you like


MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 
  2. Add/update a person
  3. Tag a title
  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article

START : Jan 1st, 2019

Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar. 

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don).   

  3. Piggy back ride to love 

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are). 

  5. Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever 

  6. Couple not accepted-either by parents or society 

  7. One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad 

  8. Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard. 

  9. Co-habitation 

  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one 

 

Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all 

  2. Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan) 

  3. Bullying 

  4. Business shut down by a bank 

  5. In debt 

  6. Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!) 

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance 

  2. Yankee Student 

  3. Transfer Student 

  4. School Festival 

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt) 

  6. Delinquent Teacher  

Sci fi 

  1. Aliens 

  2. Robots 

  3. Giant Monster 

  4. Super power 

  5. Gods 

  6. Time Travel 

HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199) 

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331) 

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570) 

  4. Edo (1603-1867) 

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912) 

  6. Taisho (1912-1926) 

  7. Showa (1926-1989) 

  8. Heisei (1989 –2019) 

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

  10. Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945 

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) 

  13. WWII 

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost 

  2. Psychological 

  3. Suspense 

  4. Serial Killer 

Sports 

  1. Baseball 

  2. Soccer 

  3. Hockey 

  4. Basketball 

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games 

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) 

  2. Bento with a heart 

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal) 

  4. Forgotten Bento 

  5. Food from the conbiini 

  6. Homemade food 

 

Misc. 

  1. Comedy 

  2. Festival 

  3. Fireworks 

  4. Single parent 

  5. Lawyer 

  6. Detective 

  7. Doctor 

  8. Chef 

  9. Character with a disability 

  10. Gay character 

  11. Yakuza 

  12. Age Gap 

  13. return to the countryside/rural hometown 

 

Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  1. AKS (company) 

  2. Avex Group 

  3. Horipro 

  4. Johnny & Associates 

  5. Ken-On 

  6. LDH (company) 

  7. Amuse 

  8. Other agency I forgot or did not know of 

 

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes 

  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic 

  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards) 

Repeat as often as you like 

 

MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 

  2. Add/update a person 

  3. Tag a title 

  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article 

Hope I'm not too late to take part.

Start: January, 2nd, 2019

Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar. 

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don).   

  3. Piggy back ride to love 

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are). 

  5. Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever 

  6. Couple not accepted-either by parents or society Kinou Nani Tabeta?

  7. One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad 

  8. Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard. 

  9. Co-habitation Yuube wa otanoshimi deshita ne

  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one 

 

Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all 

  2. Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan) Kekkon aite wa chusen de

  3. Bullying 

  4. Business shut down by a bank 

  5. In debt 

  6. Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!) 

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance 

  2. Yankee Student 

  3. Transfer Student 

  4. School Festival 

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt) 

  6. Delinquent Teacher  3 Nen A Gumi : Ima kara Mina-san wa, Hitojichi desu

Sci fi 

  1. Aliens 

  2. Robots 

  3. Giant Monster 

  4. Super power 

  5. Gods 

  6. Time Travel 

HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199) 

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331) 

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570) 

  4. Edo (1603-1867) 

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912) 

  6. Taisho (1912-1926) 

  7. Showa (1926-1989) 

  8. Heisei (1989 –2019) 

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

  10. Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945 

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) 

  13. WWII 

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost 

  2. Psychological 

  3. Suspense 

  4. Serial Killer 

Sports 

  1. Baseball 

  2. Soccer 

  3. Hockey 

  4. Basketball 

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games 

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) 

  2. Bento with a heart 

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal) 

  4. Forgotten Bento 

  5. Food from the conbiini 

  6. Homemade food 

 

Misc. 

  1. Comedy 

  2. Festival 

  3. Fireworks 

  4. Single parent 

  5. Lawyer 

  6. Detective 

  7. Doctor 

  8. Chef 

  9. Character with a disability 

  10. Gay character 

  11. Yakuza 

  12. Age Gap 

  13. return to the countryside/rural hometown 

 

Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  1. AKS (company) 

  2. Avex Group 

  3. Horipro 

  4. Johnny & Associates 

  5. Ken-On 

  6. LDH (company) 

  7. Amuse 

  8. Other agency I forgot or did not know of 

 

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes 

  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic 

  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards) 

Repeat as often as you like 

 

MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 

  2. Add/update a person 

  3. Tag a title 

  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article 

Repeat as often as you like

Start date: January 17th

Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar. 

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don).   

  3. Piggy back ride to love 

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are). 

  5. Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever 

  6. Couple not accepted-either by parents or society 

  7. One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad 

  8. Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard. 

  9. Co-habitation 

  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one 

 

Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all 

  2. Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan) 

  3. Bullying 

  4. Business shut down by a bank 

  5. In debt 

  6. Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!) 

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance 

  2. Yankee Student 

  3. Transfer Student 

  4. School Festival 

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt) 

  6. Delinquent Teacher  

Sci fi 

  1. Aliens 

  2. Robots 

  3. Giant Monster 

  4. Super power 

  5. Gods 

  6. Time Travel 

HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199) 

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331) 

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570) 

  4. Edo (1603-1867) 

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912) 

  6. Taisho (1912-1926) 

  7. Showa (1926-1989) 

  8. Heisei (1989 –2019) 

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

  10. Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945 

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) 

  13. WWII 

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost 

  2. Psychological 

  3. Suspense 

  4. Serial Killer 

Sports 

  1. Baseball 

  2. Soccer 

  3. Hockey 

  4. Basketball 

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games 

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) 

  2. Bento with a heart 

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal) 

  4. Forgotten Bento 

  5. Food from the conbiini 

  6. Homemade food 

 

Misc. 

  1. Comedy 

  2. Festival 

  3. Fireworks 

  4. Single parent 

  5. Lawyer 

  6. Detective 

  7. Doctor 

  8. Chef 

  9. Character with a disability 

  10. Gay character 

  11. Yakuza 

  12. Age Gap 

  13. return to the countryside/rural hometown 

 

Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  1. AKS (company) 

  2. Avex Group 

  3. Horipro 

  4. Johnny & Associates 

  5. Ken-On 

  6. LDH (company) 

  7. Amuse 

  8. Other agency I forgot or did not know of 

 

Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes 

  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic 

  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards) 

Repeat as often as you like 

 

MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 

  2. Add/update a person 

  3. Tag a title 

  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article 

 TROPES  Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese dramas (if not all Asian dramas) 

  • Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar.
  • Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-don or whatever-don). {Todome no Kiss}
  • Piggy back ride to love
  • Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought thing were horrible... someone gets terminally ill (or reval they are).
  • Lover's separated - either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever.
  • Couple not accepted - either by parents or society.
  • One Way Love: unrequited love is so sad.
  • Amnesia: Who are you again? I don't know but I must go find you in this blizzard. {One Week Friends}
  •   Co-habitation {Tokyo Bandwagon}
  • Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too. {Honey}
  • BONUS A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one.

 BUCKETS (or LITRES) OF TEARS  

  • Terminal illness: (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all. {I Give My First Love to You}
  •  Relative of a criminal prejudice {100-manen no Onna-tachi}
  • Bullying
  • Business shut down by a bank
  • In debt
  • Housewife bullying (You didn't sort your trash correctly!)

 SCHOOL 

  • Teacher/student romance
  • Yankee Student
  •  Transfer Student {Drowning Love}
  • School Festival
  • Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school - they come to your house, get in fight with a gang - they kick the gang's butt)
  •  Delinquent Teacher {Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom}

 SCI-FI 

  • Aliens
  • Robots
  • Giant Monster {BLEACH}
  • Super power
  • Gods {Boku, Unmei no Hito desu}
  •   Time Travel {Todome no Parallel}

 HISTORY  NeNe-What's over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  • Heian (806-1199)
  • Kamakura (1199-1331)
  • 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570)
  • Edo (1603-1867)
  • Meiji (1868-1912)
  • Taisho (1912-1926)
  • Showa (1926-1989)
  • Heisei (1989-2019)
  • Firs Shino-Japanese War (July 25, 1894 - April 17, 1895)
  • Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
  • Second Shino-Japanese War (July 7, 1937 - September 2, 1945)
  • Occupation of Korea (1910-1945)
  • WWII

 HORROR 

  • Yokai or Ghost
  • Psychological
  •  Suspense
  • Serial Killer

 SPORTS 

  • Baseball
  • Soccer
  • Hockey
  • Basketball
  • Cards, tiles or dice games

 FOOD  

  •  Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) {Hana Yori Dango}
  • Bento with a heart
  • Bento with panda/cat (or other animal)
  • Forgotten bento
  •  Food from the conbiini {Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store}
  •  Homemade food  {Jimi ni Sugoi! Koetsu Garu Kono Etsuko}

 MISC.  

  •   ☆   Comedy {Hanazakari no Kimitachi e}
  • Festival
  • Fireworks
  • Single parent
  • Lawyer
  • Detective
  • Doctor
  • Chef
  • Character with a disability {dele}
  • Gay character {Hidamari ga Kikoeru}
  • Yakuza
  • ☆ Age Gap {Kimi wa Petto}
  • Return to the countryside/rural hometown 

 JAPAN'S ENTERTAINMENT TALENT INDUSTRY   Watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  • AKS 
  • Avex Group
  • Horipro {Rich Man, Poor Woman - Ishihara Satomi}
  •  Johnny&Associates {Pink and Gray - Nakajima Yuto}
  •  Ken-On
  • LDH
  • Amuse
  •  Other agency - Tristone {Signal: Choki Mikaiketsu Jiken Sosahan - Sakaguchi Kentaro}

 WATCH WITH A FRIEND CHALLENGE 

  • Pick a topic on the challenge, finish in one week and compare notes.
  • Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic.
  • Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete challenge topic.

 MDL CHALLENGE  

  • Add/update a title
  • Add/update a person
  • Tag a title
  • Watch 3 recommends off of an "ask MDL" article

Starting date: January 1st 2019 ★

Currently Watching   -  Watched


Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas) 

  1. Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar. 

  2. Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don).   

  3. Piggy back ride to love 

  4. Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are). 

  5. Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever 

  6. Couple not accepted-either by parents or society 

  7. One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad 

  8. Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard. Saving Rock 

  9. Co-habitation: Yuube wa Otanoshimi Deshita ne

  10. Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too. Switched -

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one 

 Buckets (or Litres) of tears 

  1.  Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all 

  2. Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan) 

  3. Bullying 

  4. Business shut down by a bank 

  5. In debt 

  6. Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!) 

School 

  1. Teacher/student Romance 

  2. Yankee Student 

  3. Transfer Student 

  4. School Festival 

  5. Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang they kick the gangs butt) 

  6. Delinquent Teacher  

Sci fi 

  1. Aliens 

  2. Robots 

  3. Giant Monster 

  4. Super power 

  5. Gods 

  6. Time Travel. Kamen Rider Den-O -

 HistoryNeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that) 

  1. Heian period (806-1199) 

  2. Kamakura period (1199-1331) 

  3. 3 eras before Edo (1334-1570) 

  4. Edo (1603-1867) 

  5. Meiji (1868 – 1912). Laughing Under the Clouds -

  6. Taisho (1912-1926) 

  7. Showa (1926-1989) 

  8. Heisei (1989 –2019) 

  9. First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

  10. Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 

  11. Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945 

  12. Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) 

  13. WWII 

Horror 

  1. Yokai or Ghost 

  2. Psychological 

  3. Suspense 

  4. Serial Killer 

Sports 

  1. Baseball 

  2. Soccer. Bukatsu -

  3. Hockey 

  4. Basketball 

  5. Cards, tiles or dice  games 

Food 

  1. Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out) Dorokei -

  2. Bento with a heart 

  3. Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal) 

  4. Forgotten Bento 

  5. Food from the conbiini 

  6. Homemade food 

 Misc. 

  1. Comedy 

  2. Festival 

  3. Fireworks 

  4. Single parent 

  5. Lawyer. 99.9 Season 2 -

  6. Detective Nusumareta Kao  ๑  Cold Case s2 -

  7. Doctor 

  8. Chef 

  9. Character with a disability 

  10. Gay character. River's Edge -

  11. Yakuza 

  12. Age Gap 

  13. Return to the countryside/rural hometown 

 Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start) 

  1. AKS (company) : Hibiki (Hirate Yurina - 欅坂46)

  2. Avex Group 

  3. Horipro 

  4. Johnny & Associates 

  5. Ken-On 

  6. LDH (company) 

  7. AmuseChannel wa Sonomama (Oizumi Yo + Miyashita Kanako) -

  8. Other agency I forgot or did not know of 
    - Watanabe (ex: D-Boys members).  Princess Maison (Shison Jun) -

 Watch with a friend Challenge: 

  1. Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes 

  2. Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic 

  3. Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards) 

Repeat as often as you like  

MDL Challenge 

  1. Add/update a title 

  2. Add/update a person 
    (Add) Sakou Yoshi

  3. Tag a title 

  4. Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article

Tropes: Something that happens on a regular basis and is norm for Japanese Dramas (if not all asian dramas)

Almost married the wrong person OR jilted at the altar.

Kabe-don (Ashi-don, Atama-Don or whatever-don).  

Piggy back ride to love

Plot Cancer: A story that just when you thought things were horrible..someone gets terminally ill (or reveals they are).

Lover’s separated –Either by their own choice or outside forces they are apart for x amount of time before they reunite forever

Couple not accepted-either by parents or society

One Way Love-unrequited love is so sad

Amnesia—who are you again? I don’t know but I must go find you in this blizzard.

Co-habitation

Rain: When everything is just horrible it rains too.

BONUS-A drama with 5 or more of the above rolled into one

 

Buckets (or Litres) of tears

 Terminal illness (unlike above) the main character is sick from the beginning and an inspiration to us all

Relative of a criminal Prejudice (seriously this is HUGE in Japan)

Bullying

Business shut down by a bank

In debt

Housewife bullying (you didn’t sort your trash correctly!)

School

Teacher/student Romance

Yankee Student

Transfer Student

School Festival

Persistent Teacher (miss coming to school- they come to your house, get in a fight with a gang - they kick the gangs butt)

Delinquent Teacher  

Sci fi

Aliens

Robots

Giant Monster

Super power

Gods

Time Travel

History –NeNe-Whats over there? Can we take it? (pointers, look for notable people or events in that era, then look for a work about that)

Heian period (806-1199)

Kamakura period (1199-1331)

3 eras before Edo (1334-1570)

Edo (1603-1867)

Meiji (1868 – 1912)

Taisho (1912-1926)

Showa (1926-1989)

Heisei (1989 –2019)

First Shino-Japanese War (Qing–Japan War, Japan–Qing War, or War of Jiawu)(25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895)  

Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905

Second Shino-Japanese War (Key word:Manchukuo Est 1932) July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945

Occupation of Korea (1910-1945)

WWII

Horror

Yokai or Ghost

Psychological

Suspense

Serial Killer

Sports

Baseball

Soccer

Hockey

Basketball

Cards, tiles or dice  games

Food

Bento destroyed (crushed, stepped on, dumped out)

Bento with a heart

Bento with a panda /cat (or other animal)

Forgotten Bento

Food from the conbiini

Homemade food

 

Misc.

Comedy

Festival

Fireworks

Single parent
Toumei na Yurikago

Lawyer

Detective

Doctor

Chef

Character with a disability

Gay character

Yakuza

Age Gap

return to the countryside/rural hometown

 

Japan’s Entertainment   Talent Industry - watch something with a talent from these agencies (hint: Wikipedia lists some of their talent if you don’t know where to start)

AKS (company)

Avex Group

Horipro

Johnny & Associates

Ken-On

LDH (company)

Amuse

Other agency I forgot or did not know of

 

Watch with a friend Challenge:

Pick a topic on the challenge and both (or All) finish in one week and compare notes

Pick something off your friends watched list to complete a challenge topic

Pick a genre you hate off your friends watch list that they rated over a 6 to complete a challenge topic (this way you have someone to discuss with afterwards)

Repeat as often as you like

 

MDL Challenge

Add/update a title

Add/update a person

Tag a title

Watch 3 recommends off of an “ask MDL” article