I used to watch a lot of Japanese dramas until I got addicted to korean dramas 2 years ago. This year, I've only watched Rich Man, Poor Woman, Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou, Sprout, Switch Girl 2, Hana no Zubora Meshi and Piece. One thing I realized is I really enjoyed most of them because they are short (30 minutes). (Note:Rich Man, Poor Woman is a special case because Oguri Shun is my fave. actor (>_<)) Since I have watched many japanese dramas, I have watched too many detective dramas, too much comedy dramas and I know the Japanese love super sentimental sad dramas. Thus, I would really appreciate it if you can recommend me japanese dramas that you feel special, a masterpiece and basically a must watch. Fave. japanese dramas so far (not ranked but if ranked, no. 1 would be Bloody Monday): Dragon Zakura (I never knew that one can look so cool studying) My Boss, My Hero (I never knew that pudding is that good) Bloody Monday 1 & 2 (Is there a better drama?? or about the same??) Mirai Nikki (too good that I can get a heart attack) Piece (good mystery) Sprout (I never knew that a love story can be that simple yet be so beautiful) I would really appreciate it if you can refer to my completed drama list before recommending. Thank you in advance!! (>_<)
I am very new watching asian dramas, but "Pride" is easily one of the best out there in my eyes. I also really liked "Kimi wa petto" and "Buzzer beat", few of my fav romantics. And there's "Code Blue", it's a medical drama starring Yamapi, Erika toda which I found quite good. Your completed list is quite long, I tried to check, hope there's nothing common. And again consider, I am a complete new bee.
Since your list is so long it's hard for me to recommend anything since you've seen most of what I have. However, there are a few on my list that you haven't seen and while they aren't "Masterpieces" I did enjoy a few giggles out of them. HUNTER ~Sono Onnatachi, Shoukin Kasegi~: It's about a group of ordinary women who unite as a team to become bounty hunters. Mop Girl: It's about a woman named Momoko who gets a job with a funeral services and discovers that when she touches an item belonging to someone recently deceased, she can travel back in time and is given a chance to save that person from their untimely death. Yokai Ningen Bem: It's about three monster Bem,Bella and Belo who battle evil for the sake of mankind, in the belief that they will be able to become humans one day. (the graphics are a bit outdated but keep in mind that is based off a 60's anime so the graphics were meant to be old) Kami no Shizuku: The story revolves around Kanzuki Shizuku, a young man who was estranged from his father, a world-famous wine critic. When his father passed away, he left behind a wine collection worth a fortune, but in order to inherit it, Shizuku must solve a series of puzzles left by his father to identify 6 wines. His competitor was Tomine Issei, a prominent wine critic, whom his father adopted before his death. I hope you enjoy them!
You haven't seen 4 of my 5 favorite J-Dramas:
The Queen's Classroom, Mother, 1 Litre of Tears, Legal High

Umareru. & Code Blue are great too :)
how about trying; Kurosagi (crime), Orthoros no inu (mystery), strawberry on the shortcake (high school-love-Abba music), Last Friends (any form of love), Watashi ga renai dekinai riyuu (casual life-love), Long Love Letter (science fiction-love) Frankly, I think Last Friends and Long Love Letter are all time "classic"s , that will change your aspect, but the others are also very good :)(hope I did not miss them in your lists, but I just could not see them)
For detective drama Ill go with Strawberry night, Ataru, Hi wa mata noboru, keizoku spec, kagi no kakatta heya, Joker Yurusarezaru Sousakan and mr brain.. I'll second with the queen's classroom and Legal high
Must watch :D : Honey and Clover Koizora
If you into romance I really liked Tatte Hitotsu no Koi. I fell for Kame big time in this series. He's my ultimate drama boyfriend - cool, silent and complicated type!! Loved his character in this series. I can recommend this series for a simple but very romantic story. I'm about to start Koizora so if you want I can let you know what that will be like :)