Mertseger

I'm fairly sure you'll love it. One very minor note: it's on Netflix, and I sub to Netflix, but I still re-watch the series on unlicensed sites for one of the dumbest reasons ever. On the Netflix version they blur out shots of the movie poster for the movie The Graduate and all shots of Arsenal football games playing on various screens. That only effects a handful of shots total over the course of the series, but you have been warned .

I have only rarely dipped my toes into cdramas (mostly because they are so long). But my favorite kdrama romance might match your criteria well: https://mydramalist.com/24678-because-this-is-my-first-life .

Oh, NHK. Always producing great things and then always screwing up the distribution and marketing outside of Japan. Whelp at least they haven't ruined the name of Kazoku Dakara Aishitan Janakute, Aishita no ga Kazoku Datta yet.

Thanks for the update!

I have no idea why the name changed here. It was previously listed on MDL using the romanji "Koisenu Futari" and there's no evidence that it's hit a legal source like a major streaming site using "The Aromantics" which is, indeed, a poor translation or description of the piece.

On Prime I'd go with Mother from 2010. On Netflix, Saving My Stupid Youth from 2014. And, of course, if you enjoyed Non's performance here, Amachan from 2013 from before she was royally screwed by the agency system in Japan and forced to disappear for 10 years. But this latter one is only available at unlicensed streaming sites and torrent sites, and like all asadoras of the time 156 episodes of 15 minutes length.

The best of jdramas are great, even if the bulk of Japanese productions are not as good as your average Korean productions (or those of the west).

It's best to not have any expectations going into this particular film. But I will say that from what I can tell by following responses to it over the years that even people who will find parts of it triggering based on their past personal experiences have generally been glad they watched it. Cathartic, perhaps, but generally not depressing, I would say for most people.

Apparently, at least not until the relevent perpatrators die. See Johnny Kitagawa. When I just glanced at the wikipedia page about his abuses, I was surprised that there had even been attempts to expose him before he died (since he was so powerful).

But in Non's case citing plotlines in her subsequent movies as evidence of what may have happened to her is a bit sketchy since by that logic we should assume she happily killed people on the reg because she was in this series. OTOH, a court at least looked at SOME evidence in LesPro defamation suit and conceded that there was no evidence of power harassment (and there was no allegation of sexual harassment from the bunhsun's side) while being pretty clear that Non was treated shittly by the agency as is routine in the industry. The huge Yoshimoto comedy agency routinely took 90% from all their talent's entertainment income (and provided annually updated salaries) based on handshake agreements until the scandal in 2019.

Does sexual harassment occur routinely in all entertainment industries? Yes. Does it effect even the majority of talent? Almost certainly not. Is it wrong that it happens at all? Yes. Does power in the industry allow particular abusers to get way with it for decades? Yes. Did it happen to Non? Who knows? But plotlines in movies that she's been in are not evidence for or against. Heck, she's MADE (wrote, directed and edited) two movies herself and there are no such plotlines in those movies.

I'm not sure I've ever heard of any sexual harassment allegations directed at LesPros, but what is true is that she left LesPros in 2015 and a bunshun reported that she did so because they refused to meet some really mild demands including what looks to be fairly reasonable requests compensation relative to her popularity and accused them of power harrassment. (She was getting 50000Y per month during Amachan for the first three months and 200000Y per month for the second three months plus an unknown bonus amount. But the known amount is roughly a total of $7,500 for the lead role in the most popular series of the year). LesPros then sued the bunshun for about $1 million in defamation, and while the suit ground on for the following four years, the industry barred her from getting any roles because she left LesPros without their permission. LesPro won the case but only got roughly $66,000 but that was later reduced about $44,000 by a higher court. Her case led to FTC guidelines meant to allow actors to be able to leave agencies, but these are only guidelines and agencies in Japan continue to exploit their talent to extents that are pretty unimagineable in most countries.

If you venture into the high seas, there's a French dvd that has maybe B+ English subs with some minor pronoun problems (and onnii-chan consistently misheard as onnee-chan, and so lots of "sister"s referencing a guy).

The streaming version is indeed blocked but if you scroll down from there to the Download Hardsub line, you can still download the episode - I just downloaded it again, and it worked fine.

Then the above linked Shiawase Kanako no Koroshiya Seikatsu is your only real choice for a recent series. She was black-listed by the agency system in Japan for over ten years for having the utter gall (/s) to leave her agency in 2014. However, she had the lead role in the 2013 asadora Amachan, and it is a comfort watch for me that I have watched repeatedly. All 156 episodes: https://mydramalist.com/6182-amachan

Episode 11.

Subs and RAWs are at drama-otaku

The one that beat Tori ni Tsubasa for Best Director that quarter was Kazoku Dakara Aishitan Janakute, Aishita no ga Kazoku Datta. It was originally released in 2023 on an NHK satellite channel, but they broadcasted it last summer. I strongly recommend it. Subs and RAWs are available at drama-otaku.

For me, it's the best thing since Tora ni Tsubasa last year. But: it's a Japanese comedy. The acting is broad at times, and if it does not match your sense of humor, it may not work for you. I think the action sequences are objectively well executed, but almost entirely bloodless, and so don't go looking for gritty realism here. (What was your first clue? The talking chibi animals?) All I can say is that ep. 4 just made me genuinely cry, and then genuinely laugh.

Non singing PUFFY? Have the producers been reading my secret wish diary?

For anyone discovering and loving Tokyo Love Story now that it's on Netflix, the writer, Sakamoto Yuji, continues to write to this day with two movies coming out in theaters in Japan in the next 3 months. He is one of the most lauded writers in Japan and won best screenplay in Cannes 2 years ago for Monster. Here's a guide from 3 years ago to the works that have English subtitles and are available out there: https://mydramalist.com/article/a-watcher-s-guide-to-the-series-of-sakamoto-yuji.

Since writing that guide, three works have come out. I'd now put Monster as a Must Watch, Hatsukoi no Akuma as, eh, probably a Great though it is one his stranger series, and In Love and Deep Water as part of The Rest as one of his rare pieces that do not quite work.

Yes.

Yeah, no: the usual unlicensed streaming sites including that one only have through ep. 6 at this point in time. However, drama-otaku has all of the episodes - you just have to find the link on the episode page which are on all the anchors.

Is it just me, or does the show really start working in week 4? I mean, I like Nika Riisa and all, but does she really elevate the rest of the cast that much?