Oh well, I haven’t been watching much of J-Drama either and I’m sure I don’t have to recommend any of Kimutaku’s stuff to you. But one of those that’s stuck in my head is “Mukodono” and I recall being greatly entertained by it. It’s almost 10 years old so not sure if it would be your cup of tea :)

Not gonna lie, Ryo definitely has a killer smile. I’m not too into Jpop (especially not JE, I try to avoid JE boys like the plague…) but I’ve seen a clip here and there with Ryo and he strikes me as kinda 4D. Wish Jpop stuff were easier to find on Youtube because I don’t know the Jpop fandom too well, but Youtube never has anything, so it’s hard for me to get into J-variety shows and stuff.

I’ve considered starting “Last Friends” maybe 10 times already, but I just don’t think I can stomach the content of the drama, so I probably won’t ever get to watch it.

After ’1 Litre of Tears’, i was more into J-Pop than J-Drama. and gotta admit the MAIN reason he became my no.1 J-Pop-er is because of his smile (and his eyes.. omagaahh). And then i just started watching performances/interviews/shows with him and his fellow NEWS & Kanjani 8 members and found that he just.. stands out. Doesn’t try too hard, and if u read/watch his interviews, he always has something different/unique/intriguing to say. His thought goes way deep at times heh. i think my English is limiting my explanation but wish i could share those clips.

Oh, ‘Last Friends’ is worth watching too. Watched that for him (albeit him having relatively minor role) and Eita :)

Hinata KILLS ME. She’s so freaking adorable, yet bratty, YET ADORABLE.

I’m also currently watching “Soredemo, Ikite Yuku,” which is NOT light in any sense. Hahaha, watch with caution. Other than that, I’m not watching anything else. Thought about starting “Don Quixote,” but even my love for Matsuda Shota can’t swallow that foolish storyline.

“1 Litre of Tears” is on my eternal backburner — definitely need to be in that certain mood where I want to watch someone slowly die from great disease (as of “Scent of a Woman” isn’t enough).

I agree with your statement about Aragaki Yui not being a great dramatic actress. Always wanted to watch Smile, but never had a chance to do so. She’s been passable to me until this week’s episode 8 between her relationship with her father. Aside from that crying bit in the end, there were quite a few places where her response regarding her father’s actions it felt lacking(?). I did not know whether it was her character or the way she executed it, but it made me more frustrated and even more sorry for her father. I don’t know really know how to describe it, but it made me more wary of how I was interpreting Wakaba.

I think the children are adorable as well.

After being soaked into Korean dramas for the past 6 months, it is nice to delve into a Japanese drama. I really enjoy how fast-paced they are because they are usually shorter than the Korean ones, and I feel like I turn to them when I need something light, and they give off such caricature-like characters that I don’t find super annoying. Any other recent Japanese dramas you would like to recommend? I felt like Zenkai Girl was one of the only light-hearted ones I could find aside from Ouran/Ikemen types that I am not fond of.