Personally, I think the cultural differences are big part of the reason for J-doramas having a lower profile here. The anime/manga inspired shows really do have a very different vibe to what many are used to, especially coming from a K or C Drama habit. The production values are often lower too, and that's a big turnoff for much of MDL's core demographic, I suspect.
Bt to be fair ot J-content, A LOT of MDl's ratings are driven by visual aesthetics of the actors, not the content of the shows. Shows get rated highly if their (almost always) MALE leads are considered visually attractive by large numbers of viewers. The comments threads in the top-rating Dramas bear this out - in the end what wins a Drama 10,000 "10s" is the fanbase of its male lead, not the quality of the acting or the brilliance of the writing or the artistry of the director, etc. There are fewer big name J actors with large fandoms here, so the 'pretty' factor is not in play. Add to that the fact that J-doramas often have very quirky content and are MUCH shorter than most K Dramas and all C Dramas, and of the course the fact that many are either not subbed or have subs that are hard to dind, and the failure of J-doramas to gain high ratings at MDL is not surprising
Taste is utterly subjective of course, and there's nothing at all wrong with the fact that most MDL users don't care for J-doramas. The real problem is the exaggerated and unfounded importance many attach to MDL ratings. They mean NOTHING and say NOTHING about a show's merits, or lack thereof. My one wish is that people would stop fixating on MDL ratings as a guide to either the quality of a show or whether they personally would enjoy it, and sinply check Dramas out for themselves, wherever they come from.
For me, J-doramas areeasily my favourite. My average score for Japan is 7.2, versus 6.46 for SK, and 20% of the J-doramas I've watched I've scored at 9 or higher, verus 11% for SK. Personal taste should be one's guide, not the utterly meaningless MDL ratings