How about some of the NHK Asa Dora, like Carnation or many others. They are GREAT for language learning, great story lines and some showcase Japanese historical people. Itās sad to see sooooo many K-dramas and so few J-dramas. It looks like Japanese is only interested in anime, which personally Iām not interested in.
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A simple contrast: As lousy as my local cable system is - Los Angelesā Charter/Spectrum monopoly - just last Sunday I stumbled onto KXLA on channel 19, and to my shock I discover that theyāre running āDoctor X!ā
Iāve been wanting to see āDoctor Xā for years because it stars Yonekura Ryoko, whoās been my favorite heroine since her electrifying performance in ā35-sai no Koukouseiā (which latter Crunchyroll had on their service before they embraced cowardice and went 100% Anime.)
Since I immediately recognized Toshiyuki Nishida in the role of the hospital administrator, I knew this has to be Doctor X Season #2 or later, because heās played that role since Season 2 but did not appear in Season 1.
Needless to say Iāve got the DVR set to record this automatically (it comes on at 7pm Pacific time on Sunday nights,) Iām wondering why a low-rent cable channel in Los Angeles can run this series but Viki canāt. I really want to start with Season #1 of Doctor X, but itās not available.
If I ever get to the point of reasonable Nihongo comprehension I will just buy the full DVD set (the original DVDs apparently do not have English subs,) but I am at somewhere in the middle of JLPT N5 level, which means it will be years before I have that comprehension.
So Doctor X Season 1 would be another great choice for Viki to expand its variety. And in a quick YT search for Season 1 trailers I found this, which is apparently another non-Viki outlet thatās running the show - but again, Season 3 onward, not Season 1. But still: If even obscure media outlets like these are able to license this kind of show, why not Viki?
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I would love to watch one particular asian romance drama. But it is not in Viki anymore. And I do not remember serial name. A young girl wants to save her sick father. The family does not have the money for the necessary surgery and she is fertilized. She does not want to give up the child, but it is taken away from her and she does not know who the surrogate family is for her son.It is romance, protagonist has cancer in the end.
Hello!
Iāve put in Viki film requests for some of the classic films from Japan that were made back in the '50s - '70s by some of the greatest directors and cinematographers of Japanese cinema. But they arenāt something rom/com lovers may appreciate so I can see why they arenāt here on Viki. And many of the ones made in the '50s are black and white.
I used to watch them on TV when I was a kid in San Francisco. Well, when I was in Grammar school they were mainly Godzilla movies. 
But when I was a teenager they were the masterwork films. 
The last time I saw one of them was about 45 years ago, then college and working took all my time after that so I never saw them again. Iāve been looking for them for years.
I FOUND SOME OF THEM just recently! So for my birthday, Iāve been watching some of my favorites. If you are interested in watching some masterworks that ARE NOT rom/coms or anime, come to our drama lovers group on Discord. https://discord.gg/8ChtBjnF
I am running Rashomon at 5:30 PM Mountain Time - Wed Jan 26
Cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa
Rashomon
Directed by Akira Kurosawa ā¢ 1950 ā¢ Japan
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori
A riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice, RASHOMON is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Four people give different accounts of a manās murder and the rape of his wife, which director Akira Kurosawa presents with striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks. This eloquent masterwork and international sensation revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema, and a commanding new star by the name of Toshiro Mifune, to the Western world.
Restored by the Academy Film Archive, the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. Funding provided by Kadokawa Culture Promotion Foundation and The Film Foundation.
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For me, Jdramas have a certain flavor to them that is very unique. Iāve only seen less than 15 Jdramas, but most of them have been riveting. Some Jdramas I would like to see on Viki:
Gomen, Aishiteru (Japanese remake of Kdrama Iām Sorry, I Love You)
Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu (original story of the Kdrama remake That Winter, the Wind Blows. I would even say it rivals the remake, and I really like TWTWB)
Liar Game (again, itās the original of the Kdrama Liar Game. I like both Liar Games, each has its unique acting)
Zeni Geba (a psychological drama that just astounded me and I still think about it randomly now and then. I donāt even know how to start describing itāa man wants revenge on money would be the best way to put it).
Karamazov no Kyodai (Japanese adaptation of Dostoyevskyās novel The Brothers Karamazov. I enjoy reading his work, so I had to watch the Jdrama adaptation).
I try to stay away from detective and law dramas for certain reasons, so I canāt recommend any Jdrama crime shows except for maybe Galileo, which I watched several years ago back when it was on Viki.
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Apparently Viki has changed its menu structure, at least as it appears via Roku, where you can no longer even filter programs by country of origin. This is intensely frustrating and a huge waste of my time. The only option is to scroll. And scroll. And scroll. And scrollā¦
So when I go to the Home icon and scroll down to āViki Picksā and āLatest Releases,ā the vast majority are (big shock,) Romances, originating from Korea and Mainland China (the same Mainland China whose totalitarian government is imprisoning and torturing religious and political dissidents, right now as we sit here,) with a few BL shows from Thailand (of no real interest to me because Iām not gay,) and a couple of single-play movies from Japan.
In terms of its content, particularly content from Japan, Viki is getting noticeably worse. Whoever is running Viki does not seem to care what its viewers want to see - which means if new management and a new policy donāt happen, Viki will likely go the route of AZN-TV: straight into bankruptcy.
Why are the people who have the ability and infrastructure to bring streaming Japanese TV to the English-speaking world, so completely oblivious to the pent-up demand for Japanese TV in America and elsewhere? When will these people finally wake up? Iām at the point of wondering whether I should even continue my subscription - if it werenāt as inexpensive as it is, I would already have canceled.
This is just frustrating - and frustration is not something I consider to be a value in life.
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There seems to be some problem with Roku and Viki rn, because there have been quite a few complaints about it. You can still filter by country using the website or app.
I dont think itās Vikiās or other streaming servicesā fault that jdramas are so scarce. Iāve heard that jdrama copyright laws are crazy and Japan isnt even really interested in exporting them, so international streaming services have a hard time obtaining licenses. Its not the streaming services but JAPAN who is oblivious/just doesnt care about the pent-up demand overseas. Thereās an MDL discussion about it too
https://mydramalist.com/discussions/japanese-drama-movies/37259-why-aren-t-there-many-jdramas-on-netflix?page=2
According to a user, there are lots of jdramas on J-Netflix but not in other countries. Japan is just not interested in exporting or promoting their shows like K and C. Its hard to gain access to really popular romcoms(the most popular genre) so its understandable that getting less-popular genres like mysteries is nearly impossible. Seems like your options are
(1) wait for streaming services to gain enough popularity in Japan though we donāt know when that could happen
(2) get a VPN
(3) move to Japan (LOL)
(4) watch using fansubs from various Twitter/Discord teams dedicated to doing the impossible 
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Maybe that is the main cause why not much content is offered here at RViki site because it has the cause and effect factor of being inexpensive.
The relationship between these two things is very simple, one thing makes something else happen. For example, if we eat too much food and do not exercise, we gain weight, right?
In order to keep the prices down on subscription cost (that by your own admission is inexpensive), they also have to keep cost down to a minimum as they provide the vast variety of dramas/movies/shows etc. they have here.
So basically within their budget right now, they can only offer a certain amount of Japanese shows/movies/dramas etc. since they also have to offer so many other dramas/movies/shows like they do, from all around the world.
Like Netflix, HULU, Disney plus. they offer so many, many, wonderful up to date dramas/movies/variety shows, and so, so, much more. But in order for us viewers to get all these āāGoodies,āā we need to PAY the PRICE, and is not some cheap change either. I can tell you that much because I pay the price, and in my opinion, is worth every penny I spent in there. Butā¦can you afford to pay more somewhere else? Mainly, is it offered in your part of the world?
shakalabbit
This is just frustrating - and frustration is not something I consider to be a value in life.
I agree with what you are saying about the value of life, and the fact that frustrations should not be part of our life. For that same reason, if you can, find other alternatives of entertainment, to replace the lack of Japanese dramas in here. Doing that (in my opinion) would be such an awesome thing to do for yourself, and the well being of your state of mind. Frustration brings anger and anger can bring health issues like High Blood pressure, Heart Disease etc. No one needs that in their life so do the research and love yourself enough to find a solution to get rid of needless frustrations in your PRECIOUS life.
I am blessed to have Netflix/Prime that have so many wonderful variety of Japanese content which I fully enjoy on a daily basis, and I hope you can have that in your life, too. The Journalist and Japan Sinking are awesome series (I highly recommend them).
Good Luck.
I remember a couple of Japanese series I really liked, mostly a bit older.
- Gokusen: the granddaughter of a yakuza leader, who is the heiress to the clan, becomes the homeroom teacher of a class filled with delinquents.
- Atashinchi no Danshi: Chisato who is always on the run for debt collectors, gets married with Shinzo who will pay her debts if she will be a mother to his 6 adopted sons (some of which are her own age), so they will learn the meaning of family.
- Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge: 4 students are offered free board-and-lodging if they turn the niece of the house owner into a lady.
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Are these on Netflix? Iām telling you, I have a huge list of Japanese dramas Iāve already seen on NTFX, but Iām currently watching [The Journalist] and [Japan Sinks]. The variety of Japanese content in there is immense. I also see a lot of Documentaries, and many great Detective series.
[Memoirs of a Geisha] from 2005 was priceless. I loved that story from beginning to end. The FL and ML and rest of cast members were so in tune with their respective roles. I hope they make more like that one, but so far found nothing yet.
Thanks for the info. Weāll be looking into them.
angelight, as Iāve posted a bunch of times here, though I canāt speak for anyone else I would be happy to pay four to five times the current $5 a month Viki charges if they a.) got some shows that were NOT Romantic Comedies and b.) introduced more Japanese shows on a regular basis.
Iāve watched about all of the J-dramas in Vikiās catalog that I want to, so other than diving into Korean dramas - a culture I have almost no interest in - thereās nothing left for me here.
The only remaining option - Amazon Prime abruptly axed a bunch of their Japanese dramas a couple of years ago, and Netflix insists on doing remakes rather than presenting the originals - is to keep cramming Nihongo and just buy the original series DVDs from CDJapan and try to understand them without subs.
What is most annoying is the clear indication that nobody at Viki is listening or seems to care, even about something as bonehead-simple as variety. People are asking for variety and even in the few new shows theyāve gotten recently, Viki is solidifying itself as a single-genre streaming service - itās Rom-Coms and only Rom-Coms. Maybe they should change the name from Viki to Rom-Com.com.
Again, like any given genre those are ok for awhile and there are some certifiably excellent shows within that genre (like Jimi ni Sugoi! Koetsu Garu Kono Etsuko, a.k.a. Pretty Proofreader,) but itās like eating nothing but hot dogs every single day with no variation. It gets old, and all you want to do is go and eat something else.
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Theyāre not, unfortunately. I remember watching them years back after I downloaded them with eng sub. Looking back, it was most probably illegalš¬
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This was truly one of the first J-movie that broke my heart. If youāre in your 20s-30s, young adult or even older, this is an eye opener. Itās about the regrets of friendship, love and life. Second chances that are hard to come by. Itās a bit of āfantasyā in a sense but if you watch it in another perspective itās just seeing how life could be if you made different choicesā¦
If Viki could add this it would open doors for other J-dramas/movies that arenāt focused around rom-com. Thereās so much more to Japanese content that dig deeper than other Asian dramas.
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Vampire Heaven, and I requested it as well
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ok I put a bunch of requests in, lets see what happens
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I like Viki to add mystery and suspense dramas because most of the dramas here are romance. Also, please bring back the NTV dramas 
.
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Viki is so bias in the genre of Japanese dramas, they offer mystery, crime, suspense in korean dramas, but in Japanese dramas, it is very rare, most are romances and rom-com.
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I think the āpopularityā of K-dramas vs. J-dramas is analogous to priming a pump vs. not priming a pump. Presumably Korean TV companies allow licensing their dramas far cheaper than Japanese TV companies, so there are more of them here. Thatās understandable. But Viki - again Iām making an assumption here - should not confuse āpopularityā with simple āavailability.ā
Of course there will be more ābuzzā about Korean dramas if the overwhelming bulk of Vikiās content is K-drama. But the people running Viki should not make the mistake of assuming people therefore prefer K-dramas over J-dramas.
A. People like Asian dramas because generally speaking they make the junk we see on N. American television look likeā¦ junk in comparison;
B. They like Korean dramas for the simple reason theyāre the overwhelming majority of whatās available on Viki.
IOW, K-dramas are popular simply because theyāre available. Iām convinced that if Viki started adding Japanese dramas, especially if they broke out of the ridiculously-monolithic Romantic Comedy genre, ipso facto more people would start watching them. The more people watched them, the more buzz there would be about them; the more buzz there was, the more requests for them would appear.
But Viki is not āpriming the pumpā of Japanese dramas. And of course its management has adopted, inexplicably, a near-total tunnel-vision on genre.
Iām thinking that any given Viki viewer who decided for the first time to explore the lineup of Japanese dramas and saw that endless wall of rom-com after rom-com after rom-com after rom-com, they would likely just assume that āJapanese dramas are a big, boring lump of single-genre sillinessā and go back to looking at stuff from Korea and Taiwan.
So the whole thing is a big Catch-22.
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Again - Korea is the one aggressively pushing the Hallyu wave and making their dramas available. Japan isnāt as interested/invested in doing the same. Itās not the streaming platform, itās the source country. The overwhelming majority is k and c dramas because those are the countries SELLING their stuff. Japan doesnāt sell licenses easily.
A streaming platform isnāt totally interested in diversity. They will buy what sells(hence the huge number of romcoms). You are the one who wants the Japanese buzz to be createdā¦ streaming platforms donāt care and Japan doesnāt seem to, either.
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can I complain just once? there was another link DF, that had a bunch of Japanese dramas, from detectives, to sci fi, mysteries. and I am not able to find them. one was talking bones or lovely bones, there were many more I got attached to, and I donāt mean the anime ones, which I find interesting as well.
I did like those documentaries, and I do watch those Netflix, Prime act vid, imbd(?), iqi, and many more. But my thingā¦ I pay for this Viki, so why canāt we watch these here instead of going elsewhere.
and yes what you said about North American shows? I donāt know when I have watched one, and too another thing, are they losing customers because of this? K ,C, T are great, but where is the J dramas??
I donāt remember the name, but one I did love, a guy that was a detective of sorts, and his side kick was a writer that helped him solve crimes, it was cute and funny,
the other was a forensic guy/or girl that solved crimes, thats where the lovely bones come in
was Gallilo Japanese or Chinese, I forgot
another was a brainey guy and solved crimes as well. so thats kinda my list
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