Your underrated JDramas of all time!
Ultimate list of underrated JDramas that you feel not many people have seen or that tend to get overlooked, especially by newcomers to the world of JDramas!
Feel free to add anything that you think fits the bill. (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
Guidelines:
- Definition of underrated. ☜ (Clickable link)
- Can be from any year.
- Any length.
- Not just your personal favourites, must have something unique, refreshing or unusual about them. Different type of story, really good acting, great OST, unique way of filming etc. Just something unique that not many people have seen or heard of.
- Just to give a clear limit, let's say under 2500 "# of Watchers" for now. Let me know if you think this should be higher or lower.
- Once something reaches over this limit it will be removed & possibly moved to a different list yet to be created.
- Must be a JDrama.
- No movies or specials.
- No popular Dramas, that defeats the point.
- To add new items, simply scroll down & type in the search box at the bottom of this page.
Any other guidelines you feel are missing, please comment.
ElliShrax Jan 1, 2020
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![dele]()
Freelance programmer Sakagami Keishi is paralysed in the lower half of his body because of an unknown illness and uses a wheelchair. He sets up a company called dele. LIFE in partnership ...more -
![Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru]()
Aikawa Kazuki is a university lecturer who teaches ethology, which is the study of animal behaviour. He has just started work as a lecturer at the recommendation of Professor Samejima Shun whom ...more -
![Quartet]()
Maki Maki, Sebuki Suzume, Beppu Tsukasa, and Iemori Yutaka happen to meet and form a quartet. They even begin to live together in Karuizawa during the winter, but there is a big ...more -
![Long Love Letter]()
Yuka Misaki, whose parents run a flower shop, casually begins dating college student Akio Asami, and later falls for him. But due to some type of accident, the two lose contact with ...more -
![Osozaki no Himawari]()
The drama is set at the beautiful Shimanto River in the Kochi prefecture and revolves around a group of seven men and women and the unfolding of their lives. Ikuta plays a ...more -
![Yasha]()
The story is about a set of twin baby boys who were created/cloned in the laboratory as a part of a gene-altering/gene therapy experiment. Because of the nature of the project, the ...more -
![Nagi no Oitoma]()
28-year-old Oshima Nagi works for a home appliance manufacturer in Tokyo. She conforms to her surroundings as she constantly gauges people’s moods. Because of that, her goal is to pass each day ...more -
![Manhattan Love Story]()
Next door to Chuo TV's offices is "Manhattan," a coffee shop for aficionados. The owner's passion for coffee is almost a sickness and all he wants is for his customers to enjoy ...more -
![Kinou Nani Tabeta?]()
Kakei Shiro is a 45-year-old attorney who works for a small law firm and lives with his lover, Yabuki Kenji, a hairdresser. Kakei Shiro's regular routine is that after work, he buys ...more -
![Gibo to Musume no Blues]()
Miyamoto Ryoichi, a father to an 8-year-old daughter, proposes to and marries Akiko Iwaki, a career-minded 32-year-old woman. What happens when a career-oriented woman who has never raised a child before now ...more -
![Juhan Shuttai!]()
Kokoro Kurosawa used to be a contender for the Olympic Judo Team, but she had to give up on her dream due to an injury. In the end, she ends up working ...more -
![Yutori Desu ga Nani ka]()
Drama series depicts the lives of three men born in 1987 and oppose irrational things of the world through work, love and friendship. The men are from the Yutori generation when the ...more -
![Unmei ni, Nita Koi]()
During their childhood, a little girl and a boy made a pledge to meet again. Now at the age of 45, the girl, Kasumi, is now a divorced mother of a son ...more -
![Slow Dance]()
A man who constantly applies the brake in his life, a woman who could do with a brake in her life. They have their careers, but they are both failures in love. ...more -
![Holyland]()
High school student, Kamishiro Yu, doesn't fit in and is constantly bullied; fed up with the abuse, Yu secretly trains in boxing and takes revenge on those who once bullied him. Eventually, ...more -
![Kou Kou Kyoushi]()
The life of the lead character has been a series of embarrassing events beyond his control. Yet his fate is sealed when he falls in love with one of his students, with ...more -
![The Count of Monte-Cristo: Great Revenge]()
17. The Count of Monte-Cristo: Great Revenge
Japanese Drama - 2018, 9 episodes294 points by 3 votersWrongfully imprisoned for 15 years despite his innocence, a man manages to eventually escape his demise and makes a thrilling return as a fresh new character—unbeknownst to everyone from his past, who ...more -
![Kyo Kara Ore wa!!]()
Two transfer students, Mitsuhashi Takashi and Itou Shinji, tired of their boring normal life and unpopularity decide to take their arrival at a new school as an opportunity to reinvent their image, ...more -
![Aozora no Tamago]()
Torii is a hikikomori who can make deductions even when he's given a very small amount of information. His friend Sakaki works in an insurance company, and he's the only person who ...more -
![Egao no Hosoku]()
Yumi (Takeuchi Yuko) is a 23-year-old office worker. Out of the blue, she is fired from her job. A few days later, wearing kimono, she is rushing to an interview for some ...more -
![Ghost Writer]()
Tono Risa is a gifted writer in her 30s. She has already made a name for herself, but actually feels that she is at the end of the road. At that moment, ...more -
![Soredemo, Ikite Yuku]()
Fukami Hiroki's younger sister was killed by a friend. Hiroki then meets the killer's sister, Toyama Futaba, 15 years after the incident. Both of their families have been burdened with grief, but ...more -
![Bara no nai Hanaya]()
Shiomi Eiji is a florist. He is a single man with a young daughter named Shizuku. One day, he invites a blind woman seeking shelter under his shop awning to come in ...more -
![Iari: Mienai Kao]()
Several nights after the wife of university professor Hirokawa Seiji died of illness, an unknown woman visits their house and asks if his wife is at home. When he hurriedly opens the ...more -
![Ashi Girl]()
Hayakawa Yui is a 16-year-old girl whose only strong point is her ability to run fast. When her reclusive but genius younger brother invents a time machine, she accidentally gets sent to ...more -
![Nemureru Mori no Jukujo]()
Chinami Aizawa is a 46-year-old housewife who quit her job at a bank, after her marriage. One day, her husband asks for a divorce because he reunited with his first love through ...more -
![Kekkon Aite wa Chusen de]()
Due to the nation's low birth rate and aging population, the Japanese government implements a new policy. The new policy requires single men and women from the age of 25 to 39 ...more -
![Golden Bowl]()
Focus, concentration, proper posture and good release are the hallmarks of a good bowler. Welcome to Golden Bowl bowling alley. A bit rundown and small but no worse for wear, the Golden ...more -
![Long Goodbye]()
Set in Tokyo, Japan during the 1950's. Tamotsu is suspected of murdering his actress wife, Shizuka Harada. He flees to Taiwan and commits suicide. Tamotsu’s friend Banji Masuzawa works as a private ...more -
![Yakou Kanransha]()
The drama is based on the best selling same-titled novel Minato Kanae, and is about two families that reside in the same upscale neighborhood. Amongst all the beautiful homes lined up in ...more -
![The Queen's Classroom]()
A new school year begins at Hanzaki Elementary School, and there's a new mysterious teacher named Akutsu Maya in grade 6, class 3. Meanwhile, Kanda Kazumi is now entering the 6th grade ...more -
![Kaitou Yamaneko]()
Yamaneko is an eccentric and mysterious 'Phantom Thief' who steals from the corrupted rich while exposing their misdeeds. Along for the ride is Katsumura Hideo, a magazine reporter who, at Yamaneko's request, ...more -
![Yasashii Jikan]()
This is the story about one small coffee shop located in the northern island of Hokkaido. Yukichi Wakui used to work as a successful businessman at a prestigious trading firm. He worked ...more -
![Princess Maison]()
26-year-old Numagoe Sachi works for a Japanese-style bar and earns an annual income of 2.5 million yen. She lives with the goal of buying an apartment. Her routine is to spend her ...more -
![Strawberry Night]()
Himekawa Reiko is a female detective at the Metropolitan Police Department. Reiko doesn't come from an elite background, but she has risen fast through the ranks with hard work. Reiko than becomes ...more -
![Mop Girl]()
Momoko has just started a new job at a company that offers funeral services and cleans up after crime scenes when she discovers she has an amazing supernatural power. When she touches ...more -
![Radiation House]()
Igarashi Iori is a talented radiographer who believes the “truth” is definitely captured in CT and MRI images. He and radiologist Amakasu An work at a hospital’s radiology department where they determine ...more -
![Tokyo Joshi Zukan]()
The story follows Aya Saito from last year in high school to her 40s, as she moves from Akita, a small rural town in the Japanese countryside to the glittering metropolis of ...more -
![Minshu no Teki]()
Sato Tomoko leads an ordinary life as a 40-year-old wife and mother with a part-time hourly job to supplement the household income. One day, she defies an unfair rule at her customer ...more -
![Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu]()
"I thought I might be using a lifetime's happiness in a moment. I was that happy, and she was that beautiful." A young boy stands on the red earth of Australia under ...more -
![Bread and Soup and Cat Weather]()
Akiko lives with her mother, but suddenly her mother passes away. Since then she quits her editing job and takes over her mother's small restaurant. At the restaurant there's only two items ...more -
![Uchi no Otto wa Shigoto ga Dekinai]()
Tsukasa is an ideal husband to his wife Sayaka. He possesses a good appearance, impressive educational background and earns a high salary, but he keeps a secret from Sayaka. His secret is ...more -
![Mondai no Aru Restaurant]()
Tanaka Tamako had been working for a male-dominated restaurant business but was betrayed by her boyfriend who was hired as the chef. In addition, she is taken to the police as a ...more -
![Toumei na Yurikago]()
17-year-old Aoi came to Yui Obstetrics and Gynecology clinic as a part-time nurse apprentice in Summer 1997. Right after her entry, she is shocked after witnessing an abortion surgery. However, she also ...more -
![Tokyo Love Story]()
When Kanchi first came to Tokyo to work, he is full of uncertainties. He is 'lost' in his work and his love relationship is in a mess. During those times, Rika, his ...more -
![Garasu no Ie]()
When Tamaki Rei was a child, her parents died in an airplane accident in France. She grew up in a difficult environment, and money was always hard to come by. Now in ...more -
![Koi no Chikara]()
Toko (Fukatsu Eri), decides after she turns 30 that she is all but ready to give up on any future career hopes or romance, so she turns to the bottle for comfort. ...more -
![Brother Beat]()
Tanaka Misako stars as a woman struggling to raise her three sons - played by Tamayama Tetsuji, Hayami Mokomichi and Nakao Akiyoshi - after her husband dies. Kuninaka Ryoko will appear as ...more -
![Dr. Koto Shinryojo]()
After making a serious mistake in his work in Tokyo, talented surgeon Goto Kensuke is invited to take charge of the only clinic on the small island of Yonaguni, Okinawa. It is ...more -
![Hokuto]()
20-year-old Hokuto is being detained as a murderer and tells his court-appointed lawyer Takai Soichi to get him the death penalty. Hokuto was actually severely abused by his parents in his childhood ...more -
![Sumika Sumire]()
Kisaragi Sumi is a 20-year-old university student. But do not be surprised that she is a 65-year-old inside. Under pressure to help out with the family business from a young age, she ...more -
![Hatsumori Bemars]()
The park of Hatsumori, where Nanase and her friends grew, is in danger of being erased. Will it and its memories survive? Its future will be decided on a softball competition. (Source: ...more -
![N no Tame ni]()
University student Sugishita Nozomi, Naruse Shinji, Ando Nozomi and Nishizaki Masato end up coming upon the scene of the murder of the Noguchi couple, because of a plan they had devised. Nishizaki ...more -
![Love and Fortune]()
Frustrated by life with her boyfriend, thirty-something Wako can't stop herself from being interested in high schooler Yumeaki, despite the age gap. (Source: Netflix) ~~ Adapted from the manga "Koi no Tsuki" ...more -
![Mukashi no Otoko]()
Akari is a jewelry clerk who doubles as the store’s catalog model. She does not appreciate only being valued for just her beauty. She is eager to marry her boyfriend Hayato who ...more -
![Home Drama]()
In a house in the outskirts of Tokyo, there lives a family of eight. Such a large family is rare these days; however, not one is related by blood. They all lost ...more -
![Going My Home]()
The drama focuses on 45-year-old Tsuboi Ryota, the coordinator of a large CM company who is receiving a request from one of their clients to change some parts of their new CM. ...more -
![Ashita no Yakusoku]()
The main character, Hinata Aizawa, is a school counselor at a high school, someone everyone could rely on. She listens to the students talk about their problems at school and at home. ...more -
![Keizoku]()
Graduating at the top of her class, elite detective candidate Jun Shibata is transferred to the section that handles cases deemed "unsolvable" by the department. Her partner, though a well-respected and experienced ...more -
![Strawberry on the Shortcake]()
At some point, Irie Manato began to withdraw himself from the world. Even when picked on, it's not the real Irie, but an act. However one day he meets a strange girl ...more -
![Semi Otoko]()
Okawa Yuka is living out the daily motions of life but doesn't understand her reason to keep living. After a confrontation with a co-worker, she decides to end it all but fails ...more -
![Kaidan Botan Doro: Beauty & Fear]()
The ghost of Otsuyu, a beautiful lady who died pining for love, visits her beloved Hagiwara Shinzaburo every night. The personalities and desires of Otsuyu's father Iijima Heizaemon the loyal Kurokawa Kosuke ...more -
![Suugaku Joshi Gakuen]()
The story, developed with the cooperation of the International Mathematical Olympiad in Japan, is set at a specialized math school full of “suugaku joshi” (“math girls”). Naturally, the show will incorporate various ...more -
![Hard Nut!]()
Kurumi Nanba is a student in late teens majoring in math at Tokyo university. She's viewed as a weirdo due to her poor communication skills, but having a genius level intellect. Meanwhile, ...more -
![Chef: Mitsuboshi no Kyushoku]()
Hoshino Mitsuko is the talented three-star chef of famous French restaurant, La Cuisine de La reine, in Ginza, Tokyo. She has drawn attention not just from Japan but also the world for ...more -
![Big Money!]()
"Big Money!" is a human drama with a suspense twist about a young man who learns the tricks of the trade about stock exchange from a well-experienced investor. The backdrop of this ...more -
![Lupin no Musume]()
Hana comes from a family that has been thieves for generations. Hana refuses to become a thief, and she wants to live a normal life. She currently works as a librarian, and ...more -
![Girl Gun Lady]()
Koharu is a dull high school girl who is always alone. Her only hobby is making plastic models. One day, Koharu stops by a mysterious antique shop and purchases a plastic model ...more -
![SPEC: Birth]()
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has set up a special department named Mishou (Unidentified Crimes Unit) for hard to crack cases without evidence, witnesses, or involving special organizations. These cases are beyond ...more -
![Kaseifu no Mita]()
Can a family hope to recover after losing their mother to suicide? Keiichi Asuda serves his wife, Nagiko divorce papers after he tells her that he intends to marry his mistress. The ...more -
![Boku no Yabai Tsuma]()
Mochizuki Kohei married Maria, the beautiful and talented daughter of a wealthy family. He quit his job at a medium-sized advertising agency to run a café and appears to have everything going ...more -
![Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi]()
Forced out of his research group after conflicts with his colleagues, Ogawa Takanobu takes up an offer to teach at a girls' high school in Nara. When taking roll call on the ...more -
![Water Boys 2]()
Three years ago, the former all-girl Himeno High School opened its doors to male students but remained a female-dominated institution, with the majority of students being girls. One day, Eikichi Mizushima transferred ...more -
![Namae o Nakushita Megami]()
Anne stars Yuuko, a homemaker who marries a co-worker at the age of 22. They share the duties of chores and soon after, Yuuko gives birth to a son. After giving birth, ...more -
![Sexy Voice and Robo]()
Hayashi Niko is a mature middle school student with heightened hearing and the ability to mimic the voice of anyone she encounters. Sudo Ichiro is an immature Otaku who is obsessed with ...more -
![Medaka]()
Takako Meguro's dream has always been to get married and quit her job. But one day, she finds herself working as a teacher at a night school. At first, she is unmotivated ...more -
![Siren]()
Satomi Shinobu works in the Mobile Investigation Unit of The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The Mobile Investigation Unit conducts the initial investigation at all crime scenes. He works with Inokuma Yuki. They ...more -
![Love Story]()
Misaki is a 30-year old unlucky in love editor. She tends to fall in love hard and smothers her boyfriends to death. With no major accomplishments under her belt, she is told ...more -
![Kiken na Aneki]()
Hiroko is the number-one hostess club girl. Hailing from the Miyazaki countryside, she has been told since her youth that all she has is a beautiful face. Her brilliant younger brother, who ...more -
![Camouflage]()
The series consists of four 3-episode chapters, each handled by a different director. The directors were given freedom in their stories, but they all share a common theme: lies. --Tokyograph All of ...more -
![Star no Koi]()
Sosuke Nakata is just your everyday salaried worker. There is really nothing special that stands out about Nakata. He is a serious guy, whose life mostly consists of going back and forth ...more -
![Bunshin]()
Two women who look identical search for the secret behind their births and, in the process, discover forbidden medical technologies and the mystery of life. ~~ Adapted from the novel "Bunshin (分身)" ...more -
![Date - Koi to wa Donna Mono Kashira]()
Yabushita Yoriko, a 29-year-old economics expert who holds a Masters degree from University of Tokyo and works in the field of macroeconomics research, is rigid and refuses to pander to others. As ...more -
![Wonderful Life]()
Kirishima is the most famous baseball player in Japan. However, an unfortunate injury forces him to retire. His family abandons him, and all that's left is a vacant coaching position at a ...more -
![Last Money - Ai no Nedan]()
Seiwa Life Insurance receives approximately 3,500 claims a day and the company pays out on average 4.9 billion yen a day. When the company suspects possible fraud, they investigate the claims within ...more -
![Mother Game]()
Kanbara Kiko is a divorcee and raises her 5-year-old son alone. To open a box lunch food store, she moves to her grandfather's house. She tries to enroll her son Haruto into ...more -
![In Hand]()
Himokura Tetsu is a scientist who specialises in the study of parasites. He loathes people and is very sadistic. Tetsu bought a huge botanical garden in Hakone which he converted into his ...more -
![Namonaki Doku]()
Saburo Sugimura works for the PR department of a company that his father-in-law Yoshichika Imada runs. One day, Yoshichika Imada asks Saburo Sugimura to find out about Nobuo Kajita. A complicated story ...more -
![Tenshi no Wakemae]()
Arisa Mizuki plays a 35-year-old woman named Kurumi, who suddenly loses everything in her life when her fiance runs off with all of her assets. Left with a mere 15,000 yen and ...more -
![Toho Nanahun]()
32-year-old Kurosaki Yoriko has no man, no friends and no job. She starts to live alone for the first time and comes in touch with a new world. This is the story ...more -
![Petero no Souretsu]()
Saburo Sugimura works for the PR department of a company which his father-in-law runs. His job is to edit the company newspaper. One day, on the bus, Saburo Sugimura faces a hijacking ...more -
![Watashi no Uchi ni wa, Nanimo Nai]()
Mai used to live in a messy room, but now has an obsession with decluttering. She wants to live a "Nannimo Nai" Lifestyle. However, when friends visit, they are shocked by her ...more -
![Voice]()
A group of five medical students take on the task of conveying the "voices of the dead." Kaji Daiki fails to get into a popular heart surgery seminar but is somehow accepted ...more -
![Fukuyado Honpo - Kyoto Love Story]()
Fukuyoshi Hina, Arare, and Hana are three sisters whose family run Fukuya, a 450-year-old traditional Japanese confectionery shop in Kyoto. This is the story of their individual romances, love of family and ...more -
![Quartet]()
Shun is a tattoo-clad 3rd generation orphan in China. Shun and two others assist the police in undercover investigations in the fictional town of Midori, where illegals live. "Quartet" is a serious ...more -
![Fumo Chitai]()
Iki Tadashi is a military leader who was captured by the Soviets during World War II. Treated as a war criminal, he was sentenced to many years of labor in a harsh ...more -
![Hatachi no Koibito]()
Hatachi no Koibito tells the story of Inoue Keisuke, a married salaryman. At the age of 50, he begins thinking about his purpose in life. By chance, he encounters Sawada Yuri, a ...more -
![Triangle]()
The series starts with the murder of a 10-year-old girl in 1984. 15 years later, after the case goes unsolved and passes the statute of limitations, a doctor named Goda Ryoji suddenly ...more -
![Muri na Renai]()
Shogo is a divorced man with one daughter. In his younger days, he was briefly in a band but it quickly broke up, and he took on a job at a record ...more -
![Arakawa under the Bridge]()
Ichinomiya "Riku" Kou, a young upper-class man who tries to live a life without any debts to anyone, and a strange yet beautiful homeless girl called Nino who claims to be from ...more
