19/06/2021: 6 classic live-action J-drama that were adapted from manga!
- BTC No Pico
- Jun 19, 2021
- 4 min read
The last post didn't do so good but we already wrote this ahead of time so we hope it does a little better?
1) Bloody Monday (2008-2010)
Classic thriller about a hacker who helps an anti-terror unit stop a terrorist attack using a deadly virus. It’s ridiculously exciting. There isn’t just action and high-stakes dangerous things (e.g., gunfights, car chases) but a lot of mind games and cunning traps (e.g., when a hero is stuck in a situation and has to outwit the bad guys without letting on something).
However, the acting is a little bit hokey by today’s standards. The older actors do a very good job and it’s just that it’s a young-actor-led show – but it’s not really that bad either! One memorable performance comes from Michiko Kichise as an older woman who’s a femme fatale.
2) Rookies (2008)
An energetic new teacher takes it upon himself to help the school’s baseball team (comprised mostly of delinquents) reform and get back into doing what they love – playing baseball. It’s a very heartwarming manga that makes you want to work hard and reach for your dreams!
In terms of casting, I don’t really like the students very much but the teacher, Ryuta Sato, does an excellent job. Although there’s a lot of overacting, the cast does have chemistry and the story keeps things going along so it’s enjoyable nevertheless. Give it a shot!
Legendary theme song by Greeen!
3) Gokusen (2002)
The daughter of a yakuza family manages to get her dream job of becoming a teacher and has to hide her family background or else she’ll lose her job. This is especially challenging because she’s always given the worst class with all kinds of hooligans to deal with. However, her toughness and kind personality will get through to the students and help them become good people.
An extremely cliched story that’s compellingly led by the gorgeous Yukie Nakama (Trick, among other shows). I should clarify that I don’t think “cliched” = “bad” because you can always have fun with a cliched story as long as you put a small spin on some of the tropes or have the tropes be executed by likable actors in a likable way. This series does a good job of that with fast-paced gags, dramatic stares and stirring music that makes you want to punch your fists in the air and scream while running towards the sunset. (Anyway, anything with Yukie Nakama can’t be that bad.)
4) GTO (1998)
This is arguably one of the most famous manga-adaptations in Japanese TV history. It’s like a funny Kinpachi Sensei about an ex-delinquent who becomes a rough and cool teacher and reaches the students’ hearts to help them grow as humans. The manga is one of the most popular of all time and it’s extremely funny!
This series stars Sorimachi Takashi as the titular Onizuka-sensei and he’s super handsome and charming. I vaguely remember him also starring with Tony Leung in a movie about killers but I can’t be certain. The female lead is Nanako Matsushima and she’s really beautiful and plays the stern but nice Azusa sensei really well. Their chemistry on-screen was perfect and must have carried on behind the scenes because they actually got married in real life!
A lot of the students are played by actors who would eventually go on to bigger roles so J-drama fans should have a blast going, “OMG that’s him/her?”
As for the show itself, it doesn’t have the budget to pull off all of the gags that were in the manga but manages to be a perfect adaptation because the cast is so likeable and the director knows how to make you simultaneously laugh while getting hit in the gut with the feels. (He’s Masayuki Suzuki – who is a famous TV director for Fuji TV.)
The series was extremely popular and led to a cinematic movie in 1999, which is also among my favorite movies.
5) Q.E.D (2009)
Q.E.D follows Touma, a teenage genius who’s graduated from MIT but goes to a Japanese high school. His classmate, Kana, is curious and helpful and drags him into helping solve mysteries like crimes that they come across and things like that. The mysteries in the show are really good because they have a lot of good source material to draw on. (The manga has appeared in our post on mystery manga:)
Aoi Nakamura does a fine job as Touma but my favorite member of the cast is Ai Takahashi who plays Kana. Ai Takahashi was the then-leader of legendary idol group Morning Musume and she was perfectly cast in the role. She’s not a very good actress, in my opinion, but this role just needed her to be energetic and cheerful so it played to her strengths very well.
Solid mysteries with a great cast.
6) The Files of Young Kindaichi (1995, 1996, 2001)
Another boy-detective show. Kindaichi and Miyuki come across all kinds of mysteries and he solves it although he’s a bit of a pervert and a goof because he’s got good instincts. The murders here are sometimes quite scary and intense, which I thought was quite impressive for a TV show from the 90s. A solid and exciting watch that largely stays true to the manga.
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