A to Z Challenge
As per @Knotting, one drama per letter of the English alphabet. I still have a lot of letters to fill, but let's consider this an ongoing project. Last edited September 9 2022.
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1. Aogeba Toutoshi
Japanese Drama - 2016, 8 episodes
A - No one does heart warming school dramas quite like Japan can. With its underdog narrative, this one ends up a winner.
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2. 30Sai made Doteida to Mahotsukai ni Narerurashi
Japanese Drama - 2020, 12 episodes
C - Considering this one under its English title "Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!" Just as it title implies—it's pure magic.
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3. The Gifted
Thai Drama - 2018, 13 episodes
G - Come for the mystery and stay for the character growth—suspense may runs in its veins, but this is a character drama through and through.
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4. Hikikomori Sensei
Japanese Drama - 2021, 5 episodes
H - A hidden gem and a much-needed reminder that there is always beauty in life to behold.
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5. Interpret My Love With Your Heart
Thai Drama - 2020, 5 episodes
I - Taking influence from Hashiguchi Ryosuke's Like Grains of Sand, this gentle tale of sexual self-discovery is stunning, raw, and above all else, utterly captivating.
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6. Juhan Shuttai!
Japanese Drama - 2016, 10 episodes
J, Part 1 - It was hard to choose between this and Jimi ni Sugoi, but deciding to choose both was easy. They feel like two sides of the same coin: workplace dramas with plucky female leads who tackle the day-to-day in their own unconventional ways.
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7. Jimi ni Sugoi! Koetsu Garu Kono Etsuko
Japanese Drama - 2016, 10 episodes
J, Part 2 - Where Juhan Shuttai posits a lead who puts her heart & soul into her work despite the ire of her colleagues, Jimi ni Sugoi has one who tries to run from her job but can't, because she doesn't realise just how much her heart & soul belongs there.
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8. Kamisama no Ekohiiki
Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes
K - Its premise is built for comical shenanigans. Instead, we are dealt a delicate queer narrative exploring the power of love in all its forms.
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9. Raion no o Yatsu
Japanese Drama - 2021, 8 episodes
L - Terminal illness is a touchy subject. Treating it with gravitas ensures it's done right.
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10. Mondai no Aru Restaurant
Japanese Drama - 2015, 10 episodes
M - A drama that never leaves you. Complex female characters with complex relationships (with each other and others around them) navigating a world of misogyny. Prepare your tissues.
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11. Niji ro Karute
Japanese Drama - 2021, 9 episodes
N - I consider Okada Yoshikazu the master of "bad things happen to good people" narratives. There is perhaps no work in his repertoire that represents that approach better than this.
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12. O Mimi ni Aimashitara
Japanese Drama - 2021, 12 episodes
O - It's rare to get a drama brimming with so much confidence to be itself: to laugh at its own jokes, soak in its own imagery, and dance like no one is watching.
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13. Ore no Sukato, Doko Itta?
Japanese Drama - 2019, 10 episodes
O - School dramas can contain multitudes. If some win the heart for being earnest, Ore no Sukatto? trumps them all by just being fun, whether it's making sense or not. You end up wishing school was like this.
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14. Ryosan Gata Riko: Puramo Joshi no Jinsei Kumitateki
Japanese Drama - 2022, 10 episodes
R - Through charming "plamo" metaphors, Riko and her colorful cast of workmates learn just how to build better versions of themselves. Now, if only life had an instruction manual this easy...
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15. Project S: Skate Our Souls
Thai Drama - 2017, 8 episodes
S - Take caution: this one's heavy. If you've ever faced depression or been around someone who has, this series might break you like it broke me. (The stunning cinematography is just a bonus.)
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16. Tetsu Ota Michiko, 2 Man Kiro
Japanese Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
T - Let Michiko be your travel guide across the stunning vistas of rural Japan, as she contemplates obsolecence, the casualties of progress and the resilience of the human soul.
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17. Youkai Sharehouse
Japanese Drama - 2020, 8 episodes
Y - A zany supernatural sitcom that's equal parts camp and charm. You'll wish you had roommates like these.