Things I noticed from Jdramas.

[ephesus]

A lot of Hells_gate's comments are just common things of Japanese culture though. The original post were silly things about DRAMAS that aren't actually reality in the real world. For example: 1-16 with the exception of 4 are just parts of Japanese culture that most people abide by, simply because it's the culture. You might be surprised if you spend any length of time in Japan how all of those things are reality.

The one that bugs me is how EVERYBODY magically runs into people they know in Tokyo. It's hard to find people you know even when you're talking on your phone to them and TRYING to meet them in tokyo, you dont just run into people. And my least favorite thing is how EVERYBODY lives in huge apartments in Tokyo, even though they're teachers, or OLs when in reality you'd be living in a box under a bridge somewhere on that sort of income

[Em_mie]

once you attract the attentions of a bishonen, you become a bishonen magnet....i wish i were in japan right now.....

[Keeper of hells gate2]

26 ) All love relationships in Japan will be resolved in a span of 11 (45 minute to an hours) episodes usually.
27 ) Their is always an problem causing friend, that likes to cause problems especially with relationships and is way to straight forward. Long Vacation for example
28 ) Kimura Takuya is in alot of Good Dramas (He plays the same character pretty much over and over, but he is good at it)
29 ) Japanese Actors and Actresses seem to be really "marketed out" to the public. I mean they blantantly market products to the public in Japan. I guess that works in Japan, but it doesn't work here in the U.S. with American actors and actress promoting something themselves. Its always done somewhat indirectly, to the public.
30 ) That TV show I think its TBS or something that runs these specials that we see on here from time to time. That shows clips from shows in order to promote them. They need to get rid of the box showing the people watching the clips, Its really irratating. Why do I need to see thier fascial expressions for?
31 ) Directors like to use the same shot over and over and over and over again. I mean how many times do we really need to see a bridge, a sign, river etc... to get it
32 ) Some Japanese Actresses look really really I mean really scary in the dark. However, I kind of like that

[Gir]

29 ) Japanese Actors and Actresses seem to be really "marketed out" to the public. I mean they blantantly market products to the public in Japan. I guess that works in Japan, but it doesn't work here in the U.S. with American actors and actress promoting something themselves. Its always done somewhat indirectly, to the public.
l

They just go to Japan and make comercials there too.

[yumeaki]

Not sure if I have overlooked these two points in any of the earlier posts…

1)Teachers have to roam the street just to see if their students are loitering around the game centres.

Seriously? Thank goodness this does not happen in my school.

2)When you have no idea how to pose in front of a camera, just raise two fingers and SMILE.

[gutman]

terminally ill girls are the hottest

[keroro]

There will be always a weak one and a strong one in schools (they are always on teams of three and the one in the middle is the boss). of course, the weak one will be bullied by the strong one until someone comes to put an end to it. Maybe the strong one, you and the bullied will all become friends!

[Keeper of hells gate2]

33) Japanese english pronouciation or wording can be pretty bad. Watching the drama good luck. The co pilot was making an announcement to the passengers and said in english. I hope you enjoy your fight. GOOD LUCK. I was laughing so loud. The last thing I want to hear on my plane ride is GOOD LUCK LOL. Why am I going to need it?
34) A stewardess is an ideal job in Japan for a women?
35) The Japanese in general seem to be very clean people. I mean everything seems to be really organized and well kept in their apartments etc... their is no what I call "Artistic Clutter" or as some people with lesser minds might say a mess LOL.

[rosetyler]

Wow...didn't know you could actually learn something from watching Jdramas?

[doc_tomoe]

I learned that I don't know anything about life in smaller towns or villages (well i don't think Ruri no Shima is a good example) in Japan ... I also learned that i wouldn't want to live in that country where image is everything

[Ebony_Hime]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Ill post anyway. I've noticed there is always one of the characters either the heroe or heroine who has lost a parent. This applies to anime as well. Seldom do you see stories where both characters have both their parents.

[groink]

Going along the anime line... There seems to be a TON of high school teens living completely alone in Japan, while their parents are living out of the country - usually in a European country like Italy or France.

[yumeaki]

Don't think this was mentioned or did I miss it?

Baseball is a really popular game in Japan and in all happy families, the father must have played baseball with his son. It's a MUST or the son will be really sad and feel neglected.

[azazil7]

this thread is the best! and funny too! this thread rocks!!!

[rukiaichigo]

I have to agree about them japanese running. It's like they have to run to get from point A to point B. Been seeing it in almost every series that I have watched. Well, with the exception of Beautiful Life. ;)

[zaraki_kenpachi]

this is some pretty interesting things you've all pointed out.
it is probably stereotypical and cliche, but i also think it has alot to do with their culture. the way they act and do certain things. i think japan has one of the best cultures around in the world, compared to english their language is soo much more beautiful. In my opinion if english wasn't the world language i'd say it'd be japan they're up there in terms of technology. they supply us with most of our cartoons you see on tv nowadays, dont' forget to mention our cars
Oh i also noticed (not all but quite a few in jdramas) when someone gets a chance to see a certain girl they like, or touch them with a handshake or go on a date..they go buck wild! super nervous and uncontrollable! its funny but probably not all true..hehe

[shineox]

in japan, if two people are walking the opposite direction towards each other, time to slow down right when the two intercross and both person will always be staring away from the other person.

[trickyamadaueda]

in japan, if two people are walking the opposite direction towards each other, time to slow down right when the two intercross and both person will always be staring away from the other person.

lol lol

[Keeper of hells gate2]

36) The Japanese get a kick out of driving on the wrong side of the road. Its a practice that needs to STOP, it can be very dangerous. Also, they put the stearing wheel on the wrong side of the car.
37) Japan must have been a place of total and utter chaos before cell phones. Did Japan even exist before cell phones? I don't see how it could be possible.
38) Japan seems to be a place of old world meets new world or vise versa. You can see a person walking down the street in a kimono followed, by a woman in a business suit.

[keroro]

i have to agree with that. in all the jdrama series i'm watching, they have cell phones.

[Yokai832]

Here are some of the important life lessons I've learned from watching J-drama:

When a love interest is even slightly artistic, he or she will spontaneously depart for Germany -- just as the romantic possibilities become clear.

All of the characters frequent the same neighborhood bar or restaurant every day at roughly the same time. Even better, often a supporting character will open a new or buy an existing establishment to ensure that everyone has a reason to hang out together every night.

If your knowledge of Japanese currently limited to "Arigoto", "Sayonara", and "Konichi wa", the next phrase you'll learn will be "Daijo desu ka?"

[/list]

[jaycee05]

If your knowledge of Japanese currently limited to "Arigoto", "Sayonara", and "Konichi wa", the next phrase you'll learn will be "Daijo desu ka?"

You shouldn't forget the numerous forms of calling someone stupid, "Bakayaro!!" "Bakajanai!" "Baka, baka, baka" etc...

[fearspooky]

its not "daijo desuka?", its "daijoubu desuka?"

[tonydesu]

Funny thread
I don't know if these are mentioned but:

- To cap off a passionate confession of love it's customary for the guy to give the girl an awkward hug.

- In some new dramas, instead of an awkward hug, this is replaced with an awkward kiss, (if this is how they kiss in real life, that's pretty sad.)

[namithenavigator]

I learned that sayonara is something like a permanent goodbye or it's like "Goodbye, we won't meet again".

Jahna/janna is the correct way to say "goodbye" to someone.

[Em_mie]

not so much in dramas (but then again i haven't seen that many dramas yet).....but when a guy and a girl get together it is almost very likely that the guy will provide the girl with a cell phone i seriously need me a japanese boy....

[gsr_raver]

I was wondering, On all the Dramas i seem, I tends to see that all of the people in Japan Cell phones works everywhere they go to. Except fot HYD.... !! They must have a Powerful network. For me, in the states, if i go 20 miles out of my town, i lose connection.!

[wingsky]

Cell phone coverage in Japan is the best in the world i think, almost if not 100% coverage over the land!

[wingsky]

Here are some of the important life lessons I've learned from watching J-drama:

When a love interest is even slightly artistic, he or she will spontaneously depart for Germany -- just as the romantic possibilities become clear.

All of the characters frequent the same neighborhood bar or restaurant every day at roughly the same time. Even better, often a supporting character will open a new or buy an existing establishment to ensure that everyone has a reason to hang out together every night.

If your knowledge of Japanese currently limited to "Arigoto", "Sayonara", and "Konichi wa", the next phrase you'll learn will be "Daijo desu ka?"

[/list]

Slow Dance fan, eh?

[Seghal]

Cell phone coverage in Japan is the best in the world i think, almost if not 100% coverage over the land!

Same here in Germany.

[jaycee05]

It just suddenly came to me that jdramas don't have a lot of shower scenes(in fact, I dont remember any at all) compare to kdramas...lol...is it because most of the j-actors particulary the young ones are skinny? The trend must really be different there to have a similar body build...But even then, I still love and get more addicted to j-actors than k-actors.
The idea of putting a shower scene in a jdrama is just hilarious...it seems so out of place.

I learned that sayonara is something like a permanent goodbye or it's like "Goodbye, we won't meet again".

Jahna/janna is the correct way to say "goodbye" to someone.

Yah, I noticed that too...when I was in high school and learning about the Japanese culture in our Social Studies, we learned a few words and sayonarra was one. So when I actually had some Japanese friends over here, I kept saying sayonarra and my friend said "ja ne" would be more appropriate or the more popular one--> "Bye-bye". I think sayonarra translates more into "Farewell". It was funny coz I was just re-watching 1 litre of tears and the bit at ep06 where Aya said Sayonarra reminded me about this subject you've just mentioned.

Back to the things that I noticed about jdramas...I dont know if this was mentioned, but most stories takes place in an office, usually involves salary men and office ladies. (as opposed to Presidents and CEOs of large corporations on kdramas, huh )

[littlemissfab]

It just suddenly came to me that jdramas don't have a lot of shower scenes(in fact, I dont remember any at all) compare to kdramas...lol...is it because most of the j-actors particulary the young ones are skinny? The trend must really be different there to have a similar body build...But even then, I still love and get more addicted to j-actors than k-actors.
The idea of putting a shower scene in a jdrama is just hilarious...it seems so out of place.

haven't you seen Stand Up? or Tokyo Wankei? or Tokyo Tower?.. oops.. the last one's a movie.. although in stand up.. there were shower scenes...

[cow]

33) Japanese english pronouciation or wording can be pretty bad. Watching the drama good luck. The co pilot was making an announcement to the passengers and said in english. I hope you enjoy your fight. GOOD LUCK. I was laughing so loud. The last thing I want to hear on my plane ride is GOOD LUCK LOL. Why am I going to need it?

true.. i think i'll get outa the plane quick if i hear the pilot saying that

34) A stewardess is an ideal job in Japan for a women?.

coz it means u'll have a far greater chance than anyone else (ie OL) in meeting a very $$$ business man --> hence securing themselves in what they believe to be a happy marriage (by being financially secured)????

fyi its an ideal / dream jobs for young gals not only in jp, but also in other far eastern countries such as korea, hong kong, singapore.... too

anyway...
there are a few real life observations i'd like to add to the list-

1. jp ppl wld do anything everything to look not just great, but fabulous + fashionable (ie decorate themselves with head-to-toe designers outfit) and wld wear whatever is "in" at the time.
this is further fuelled by magazines such as "Non-No" which have endless pages on how to mix & match designers outfits (ie monday: gucci x dior x vivienne westwood; tuesday: westwood x fendi x chloe ...etc)

2. staying or being part of a "group", hence have the same "group identity" is important in jp that every gal wld dress in the same sort of style... wear same shoes... bags... make up etc. as they'd hate to be left out. eg now the "Nana" (Nakashima Mika) punk look is very "in" so there r troops of Vivienne Westwood w smoky eyes armies around...

3. in order to maintain their face, hence their $$ outfit, tonnes of high sch gals wld not hesitate to have sex w mid aged business men. ie part-time prositutes. u can spot these gals immediately wen you go to places say, shibuya station. these gals usually wear high sch uniforms, hang around the station alone or in groups, as if they r waiting for someone (which is true). all u need to do is to approach them directly and ask them for their availability + charge.

4. the ordinary jp men r somewhat... either too bored or r seriously sexually frustrated. they 'd pay a bomb for high sch gals underwear. the fresher the better. n they r willing to pay alot more if ur a foreigner + has blonde hair ... but i heard the latest collectors item is high sch gals' saliva so mb undewear is no longer in trend?????

this (fetish) demand is sooooooooo high that they have specialist (fetish) stores selling high sch gals underwear + other collectables in central tokyo.
o n they even have a vending machine selling underwear too (seriously. i got this confirmed by a jp male friend)

honestly, wat so fascinating abt high sch gals????

5. jp guys dun seem to mind if their gf been working as former part-time prositutes.

6. the jp wld go to great extent in protecting their own natural environment... but wld go to indonesia + malaysia + brazil n clear off the virgin forests there to make their elaborate wooden bowls, beautiful paper etc...

7. no female pop singers (and here i meant the very very top ones) could stay ultraly popular for more than 3 years. past eg includ- amuro namie, uchida yuki, hirosue ryoko, and very, recently hamasaki ayumi

8. they dun always tell you the truth due to their overtly polite manner



cow.

[redsea]

33) Japanese english pronouciation or wording can be pretty bad. Watching the drama good luck. The co pilot was making an announcement to the passengers and said in english. I hope you enjoy your fight. GOOD LUCK. I was laughing so loud. The last thing I want to hear on my plane ride is GOOD LUCK LOL. Why am I going to need it?

true.. i think i'll get outa the plane quick if i hear the pilot saying that

This is so hilarious. Gosh the shower thing also funny haha

[Moomin]

Here are some of the important life lessons I've learned from watching J-drama:

When a love interest is even slightly artistic, he or she will spontaneously depart for Germany -- just as the romantic possibilities become clear.

All of the characters frequent the same neighborhood bar or restaurant every day at roughly the same time. Even better, often a supporting character will open a new or buy an existing establishment to ensure that everyone has a reason to hang out together every night.

If your knowledge of Japanese currently limited to "Arigoto", "Sayonara", and "Konichi wa", the next phrase you'll learn will be "Daijo desu ka?"

[/list]

Slow Dance fan, eh?

And orange days

[jaycee05]

It just suddenly came to me that jdramas don't have a lot of shower scenes(in fact, I dont remember any at all) compare to kdramas...lol...is it because most of the j-actors particulary the young ones are skinny? The trend must really be different there to have a similar body build...But even then, I still love and get more addicted to j-actors than k-actors.
The idea of putting a shower scene in a jdrama is just hilarious...it seems so out of place.

haven't you seen Stand Up? or Tokyo Wankei? or Tokyo Tower?.. oops.. the last one's a movie.. although in stand up.. there were shower scenes...

Im stuck at ep05 on Stand Up, I cant stand Suzuki and Shouhei...if not for Yamapi, and Shun, I would have dropped it altogether. BUt I dont recall seeing any shower scenes at all...well it's a slight-ero drama , showers scenes wouldn't be so OP. and Tokyo Wankei, I skipped coz I read it was like a kdrama...haha, that's probably why a shower scene is in it huh?
I'll pass on Tokyo Tower too, my cousins said it was gross(even if she liked Jun)...Japanese really like older women younger men relationship on their dramas and movies.

[kanmurikurisumasu]

It seems to be really important, when meeting someone, to order drinks and leave without even touching them. That also happens a whole lot more in k-drama. ^^

[techie]

Warning, no spoilers but some hints to parts in some episodes so I put them in the spoiler encap.

(Nobuta wo produce)

1) Japanese parents who are in high business positions don't care if their 17 year old high school sons have a lot of credit card bills for female clothing

(Hana Yori Dango)

2) Japanese parents don't mind having future inlaws who are apparently disrespectful They still promote their daughters getting in with the family.

[Keeper of hells gate2]

39) Construction Jobs in Japan must pay very well! Seeing how when you get into debt its a forgone conclusion your going into the construction business. Go figure

40) Roof tops are places of spiritual enlightenment. And you can always access them.

41) The japanese take far far far to many pictures in order to preserve memories. I mean half of their vacation seem to be taking pictures of being on vacation. Its almost to the point where they take pictures of themselves taking pictures of them selves in order to perserve the memory of taking pictures

42) Arranged marriages? Marriage is almost like a life and death thing in Japan. To where arranged marriage is even an option.

43) The Japanese redifine the meaning of peer pressure.

[techie]

41) The japanese take far far far to many pictures in order to preserve memories. I mean half of their vacation seem to be taking pictures of being on vacation. Its almost to the point where they take pictures of themselves taking pictures of them selves in order to perserve the memory of taking pictures

Ahemm.. I heard one worse...
and this one is supposedly true from a bus tour in Germany...

Three people on the same tour, whom did not know eachother before the tour had three cameras each.

Friend 1 gave 2 & 3 the camera 2 & 3
Friend 2 gave 1 & 2 each a camera too
and three, guess what, got an extra for each as well.

Friend 1 went to attraction 1, took one picture with cam 1, 2 & 3
Friend 2 went to attraction 2 and so on.. you get the picture...

Once back in Japan, they all got together after developing their films, handed each one a copy of each snap, and compared the pictures talking about and describing the scenery and atmosphere around the attractions.

In this way, in true Japanese efficiency, they all got a feeling of having seen three times more on their vacation than they actually had time for

Now how's a westerner gonna compete with that, on a cheap flight to Gran Canarias

[cow]

39) Construction Jobs in Japan must pay very well! Seeing how when you get into debt its a forgone conclusion your going into the construction business. Go figure

That's same in the UK + HK too. hard labour r paid $$$$$$ coz its difficult, its a specialism, can be potentially life threatening, + extreme hard work

42) Arranged marriages? Marriage is almost like a life and death thing in Japan. To where arranged marriage is even an option.

isnt marriage supposed to be 1 of the 4 most important events in life (birth, marriage, having kids + death)?? plus marriage is supposed to be a life-time commitment so its natural that its almost like a life & death thing??

in the more family-orientated, conservative asian culture (and i mean not only the far east, but also SE asia... central asia.. n india etc) wedding is a BIG BIG BIG thing. its a unification of 2 families afterall. so u dun just marry / divorce then marry again just coz u dun love tat person anymore. there r face issue.. family obligation... etc.. etc..

also not only in jp, alot of places like india + SE asia still practise arranged marriage today and it doesnt just apply to the rich ppl. its a very very common practise among them and it still happens to the british asian (ie pakistani.. indian... bangladeshi etc) today

43) The Japanese redifine the meaning of peer pressure.

u mean bullying? and not being part of the "group" by not doing the same thing together (eg go to the loo together?)??



cow.

[Kirari]

Warning, no spoilers but some hints to parts in some episodes so I put them in the spoiler encap.
(Hana Yori Dango)

2) Japanese parents don't mind having future inlaws who are apparently disrespectful They still promote their daughters getting in with the family.

Wrong observation. It teaches us about the Japanese way of thinking.. "don't get mad, get their money."

39) Construction Jobs in Japan must pay very well! Seeing how when you get into debt its a forgone conclusion your going into the construction business. Go figure

Yes, so true . I've learned that from GTO, Gokusen, Dragon sakura en a few more which don't recall.

[Alegi]

Haha this was a funny thread , i must say my thoughts about the running part. They can get a taxi easy, and they've got the subtrains and all that, still they run like hell so fun!

One more thing i've noticed. You dont need to be good at english to be called an excellent english talker.

GTO for example, the good student who talked to the english man, and the english man told him that his english is very good.

[Kirari]

^ I get that from people too . Like at my job, customers would ask me something and when I reply they compliment me on how well I speak the language. So rude, since I was only born and raised in the Netherlands and they wouldn't hire me if I didn't speak the language.

[gsr_raver]

I just finish watching Orange Days. I saw out that really bother me!!

yes they still run around town rather than using a taxi, but

in this shot, more people had a Camera Phone to take picture with then using a regular or digital camera!!... In the states We still using Digital camera.

As you can see there are more Camera Phones thant regular Camera(actually i can't even spot one of them!)
This is shot came the last part. DONT SAY I WARN YOU IF YOU GET SPOILER!!!!!

Watch the series, You should get a better picture of what i'm saying! (part 12/12)

[Mobius Man]

Gotta say, in Love Revolution, the whole pimping umbrella thing did the trick. Makes me wanna try it sometime...

[enkhee]

(Nobuta wo produce)

1) Japanese parents who are in high business positions don't care if their 17 year old high school sons have a lot of credit card bills for female clothing

funnie ..... ^_^; real funnie ... but since its japan ... still really funnie ... ^_^;

[airskape]

(Nobuta wo produce)

1) Japanese parents who are in high business positions don't care if their 17 year old high school sons have a lot of credit card bills for female clothing

if you're talking about kusano, i dont think his father would even bother looking at akira's credit card bills

anywayyy i just spent like ages reading all 8-9 pages! such a good read
i especially loved the co-pilot one saying good luck before a flight..hahaha

[thaigerl]

I love this thread, it's hilarious and I've noticed the majority too. Love that one remark from the pilot -- cracked me up

Something I doubt has been mentioned while reading through this whole thread is how everything is sponsored in Japan. Well, more specifically in doramas. Like the beginning credits will say Shiseido and Coca-Cola (seem to be MAJOR sponsors in every show I've seen) and then when you see the ending credits, there's like 5 long minutes alone listing every single sponsor they can name probably from the manicurist to the socks brand the cast is wearing.

[xiaowanzi]

hmmm interesting thread indeed...

learnt a lot from everyone here.
my 2 cents:
-E younger kids always bring bento to school. But e high sch students will not eat bento in sch. They'll always eat out.. no canteens in sch...

-When they r shocked... they'll go "Ehhhhh" with eyes almost popping out... kawaii ne!

-OL n nurses r vv sexy n kawaii to boys... especially OLs with vv short skirts

-Jap always have a table lamp n a small fan on their desk...

-Other than lotsa running, they always have to walk quite a distance to their desinated place...

-There's always a bridge/park/roadside stall somewhere when they r walking to their desinated place...

-They are always late~ haha... at least someone in e show is always late..

[TNF]

i know people complain about kdramas having identical plots and what not. Here's something along the same lines that I found in jdramas: the main character is always narrating. I mean, the lines they say are beautiful and everything, but to see this in so many jdramas really turns me off. A lot of jdramas (sos, orange days, beautiful life, kimi wa petto, ice world, just off the top of my head) start out with a narrator. Narration really distracts me from the storyline. I'd rather just have natural dialogue than a main character speaking all of a sudden.

[mikomi]

i know people complain about kdramas having identical plots and what not. Here's something along the same lines that I found in jdramas: the main character is always narrating. I mean, the lines they say are beautiful and everything, but to see this in so many jdramas really turns me off. A lot of jdramas (sos, orange days, beautiful life, kimi wa petto, ice world, just off the top of my head) start out with a narrator. Narration really distracts me from the storyline. I'd rather just have natural dialogue than a main character speaking all of a sudden.

That is very true. When I first began to watch Jdramas, it was the first thing I noticed: someone has to narrate to get the story going. However, I think it's one very distinctive aspect of Jdramas that sets Jdramas apart from all the other dramas I've watched. I agree the narration can be pretty distracting sometimes, but once I got used to it, I actually like listening to those narrations as they somehow give me a personal view inside the characters' minds. It's very rare to see one drama w/o the narration parts. There are some dramas that don't have narrations, but I just can't remember their titles out of the top of my head.

Btw, this thread cracks me up. I really had an amusing time browsing through all the replies .

[ballistic88]

nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.... this thread is hella funny!! Too true on a lot of things people said in here... guess I took it for granted since I went to a Chinese school in the Philippines a LOOOOOOOOOOng time ago. to me, the stuff I saw on JDoramas was normal, except for all the bowing, of course... but the school uniforms, fashionable people, and the smoking! damn the smoking!! we did have mp's (military police - students in citizen army training) enforcing the rules of course. heck, even the hot teacher was present and accounted for, and unfortunately, so was the geeky know-it-all who almost got his ass whooped by uhmmm... my friends. I wasn't involved, of course.

and yeah, I've been wondering as well about how people seem to live rent free. even kids!! anyone see SOS, or similar dramas? isn't that illegal, having underage kids living alone AND working part time jobs? hell, they fend for themselves and cook and clean better than me!

[Keeper of hells gate2]

44) Apparently their is no good doctors in Japan.

45) A dizzy spell equals a date with the grim reaper

46) Any love relationship equals at least one trip to the hospital, its a forgone conclusion.

47) The Japanese over estimate their height.

48) If you are walking down a street in Japan you will see a person getting beaten up. A person crying in front of everyone because they broke up with a loved one. You will also, see a person attempting suicide. You will see alot of people running. You will see a few people making a fool of themselves. Japanese streets must be a place of chaos.

[TNF]

i know people complain about kdramas having identical plots and what not. Here's something along the same lines that I found in jdramas: the main character is always narrating. I mean, the lines they say are beautiful and everything, but to see this in so many jdramas really turns me off. A lot of jdramas (sos, orange days, beautiful life, kimi wa petto, ice world, just off the top of my head) start out with a narrator. Narration really distracts me from the storyline. I'd rather just have natural dialogue than a main character speaking all of a sudden.

That is very true. When I first began to watch Jdramas, it was the first thing I noticed: someone has to narrate to get the story going. However, I think it's one very distinctive aspect of Jdramas that sets Jdramas apart from all the other dramas I've watched. I agree the narration can be pretty distracting sometimes, but once I got used to it, I actually like listening to those narrations as they somehow give me a personal view inside the characters' minds. It's very rare to see one drama w/o the narration parts. There are some dramas that don't have narrations, but I just can't remember their titles out of the top of my head.

Btw, this thread cracks me up. I really had an amusing time browsing through all the replies .

I can name a few off the top of my head that don't have narrations: Mukodono, Handoku.

I really liked the narrations in koukou kyoushi 2003. It really added suspense to each episode. But then again I'm biased b/c that's one of my fav. dramas.

[sukida]

Gotta say, in Love Revolution, the whole pimping umbrella thing did the trick. Makes me wanna try it sometime...

?

[canon05]

This comes to my mind that they're often surprised when they find out someone turned out to be foreigner---like this "gaijin?!?" (Wedding Planner & Suekko Chounan Ane Sannin)

[taro]

It always rains when your sad.
You always get sick after being out in the rain.
Anemia is rampant in Japan.
High heels in Japan are terrible, the heel always breaks off. And if it's raining and you have no umbrella it's guaranteed to break. But if you get rescued by a guy & spend the night at his place, you won't get sick.

[spacecommand]

Wierd because most of the dramas I watch there's never anyone narriating.

[yunwun2k1]

Things I noticed:

-Schools stay open 24-hours.
-Police rarely patrol the streets.
-Teachers care WAY to much about test scores.
-There can be gangs in schools, and teacher/authorities don't do anything about it.

Just some of the fuuny things I noticed!

[auroragb]

One thing I noticed from the HYD finale:
- If the situation calls for it, Dorama characters can outrun ANYTHING (cars, buses, airplanes, etc) :

[wingsky]

One thing I noticed from the HYD finale:
- If the situation calls for it, Dorama characters can outrun ANYTHING (cars, buses, airplanes, etc) :

i saw that, but i never seen a character catch up to a bus

wierd that they can catch planes but not buses

[oberon]

One thing I noticed from the HYD finale:
- If the situation calls for it, Dorama characters can outrun ANYTHING (cars, buses, airplanes, etc) :

hahah that's really true.... LOL
But in a lot of drama's there is much running. Like gokusen 2 consists mostly of people running

[SummerLoveRemix]

Haha, the running thing kills me everytime. WHY are they running when they could easily catch a train!? And has anyone else noticed how EVERYTHING happens to be just around the corner from the runner's current location?

[auroragb]

One thing I noticed from the HYD finale:
- If the situation calls for it, Dorama characters can outrun ANYTHING (cars, buses, airplanes, etc) :

i saw that, but i never seen a character catch up to a bus

wierd that they can catch planes but not buses

Interesting that you brought that up, one notable thing about the current KSoTM, country princess, the main character DOES outrun the bus

[oberon]

Cell phone coverage in Japan is the best in the world i think, almost if not 100% coverage over the land!

Same here in Germany.

Also in the same here in the Netherlands. Everyone has a cell phone, sometimes even more than one. I, myself have three cell phones, but I only use one

[sadotsu]

Yeah the running thing cracks me up each time... it's like, it's compulsory for EVERY drama to have a running scene, and in most cases more than one. I know it's to show the desperation and intensity of the scene, but GEEZ. Think of another way to express it!

[Gir]

While starting to watch Hana Yori Dango, I remembered that annoying and/or rich snobbish girls always seem to travel in packs of three.

[. . : : Snow Fall : : . .]

I have noticed some things as well

1) Hitting 30 years of age is a major deadline
2) Once you are married I guess your life is set
3) I really have a hard time determing a Japanese persons age. 21 looks like 15 and 30 look like 22
4) Yeah, I noticed the running thing two
5) Not alot of over weight people in Japan - might have something to do with all of that running
6) The Japanese are very fashionable
7) Class is a big issue in Japan
"I love you" is a pretty common phrase for someone you just met
9) The Japanese really don't hind their feelings even to a stragner
10) The Japanese seem to consume alot of alchohol.
11) Smoking doesn't seem to be a major problem there
12) When you are drunk you can get away with doing and saying alot.
13) The whole senior/Junior thing
14) Students actually all and do wear school uniforms (that must suck)
15) Japanese School Girls can be viscious.
16) Alot of bowing alot - it not just a formal thing.
17) When you break up with your love one - its almost a certain guarantee its going to rain.
18) A umbrella can be a pimping tool, not just something to keep dry
19) Out of a country 126 million people and conjestion you are magically going to meat a person at either the appriopiate or inapprioate time.
20) 700 yen isn't alot of money
21) Your most personal information is going to be know by your neighbors friends and entire family - a major lack or privacy.
22) Slurping the noddles is good manners
23) The love age gap can be pretty pretty big
24) Cross walks are lethal after a breakup
25) Nakama Yukie is far to beautiful its scary.

puahahah that was funny. and so true~

[Romance]

Even if a person is 100 metres away, the cam focuses on her/his face and the dude looking at it - 100 meters away - understands the expression on the face... hah that was a challenge to explain :/

[Em_mie]

if all you've been watching is korean dramas till now, the endings to japanese dramas will completely and utterly confuse/frustrate/agitate you for like a day until you realize that it's all good! and you're left shaking your fist up at the sky/ceiling "Darn you Japanese, you got me again!"

[Keeper of hells gate2]

49) It appears that the majority of Japanese life happens in either a Hospital or a Class room.
50) Japanese actors are all singers and all singers are Japanese actors. Some are pretty bad actors also.
51) The goofy contests that have no relevance to anything.
52) Some of these Japanese boys act pretty feminent.
52) Hair Hair Hair its all about the Hair. I swear some of the guys must use more hair care products then the girls.
52) Why are lunches such a big deal in the class rooms. They have these exotic lunches. When I was in Highschool I ate doritos and peanut butters sandwitches so their.
53) Apparently, getting your drivers licenese in Japan isn't a big deal as Highschool students are riding Bicycles. I think the age you can get your drivers license in Japan is alot higher then 16 if I am not mistaken.
54) Whenever I see an interview with a Japanese actress she is so polite and formal. Kind of makes me uncomfortable.
55) How many women have been saved from getting run over on Japanese streets. It could be a full time job with a 401K.
56) Not a heck of alot of studying takes place in Japanese drama class rooms.
57) I wouldn't feel safe if I ever got admitted to a Japanese Hospital. Alot of power grabbing and nurse seducing happening. I wonder how they would have time to treat me.
58) All I can say about Japanese teachers are that they are strange. Lawyer, Gangster, Killer, odd stranger, ecentric - etc....
59) Older Japanese 30 - 45 men wear cloths that are for 16 - 25 year olds. And its perfectly fashionable.
60) All foreigners in Japan are apparently body gaurds. Not one significant role for a foreigner in a Japanese Drama that I have seen. Not even as a 3rd string character.
61) The Japanese can text message really fast. I am always looking for what keys to hit. Its a little embarrassing.
62) Nakama Yukie is still far to beautiful. She really needs to do a modern love story though. No more period dramas. How about this! A modern love story with a foreigner. That foreigners name is keeper of hells gate2. Genius! However I can't sing their for I can't act nor do I wear alot of hair gel - damn.
63) The Japanese Tea Cermony makes me Nervous I feel like I am going to break something just watching it.
64) Fashion this and Fashion that. What the heck ever happened to a t shirt and jeans in Japan? I would look like a bum off of the street if I just wore a t shirt and jeans their.

64)

[expo1970]

if real life were really like a drama....
64) people will be sneezing all the time because someone is talking bad about them
65) nurses are always forced to confront the law or doctors are always struggling for power
66) rivers are running next to every road that leads to school
66) there is no wind (thus explains why hair is never mussed)
67) the old girlfriend always pops up when things start to get good with a new girl
68) everyone who hates their job eventually grows to become passionate about it because of their colleague
69) the weather is different every couple of meters (or else it can't be sunny over the happy dude and raining over the couple breaking up)
70) people never drop their cell phones or touch the screens with their bare hands (i've never seen a scratch or a fingerprint on a phone in a drama before)
71)

[techie]

53) Apparently, getting your drivers licenese in Japan isn't a big deal as Highschool students are riding Bicycles. I think the age you can get your drivers license in Japan is alot higher then 16 if I am not mistaken.

Yeah but why would you need one.
A) it wont let you drive a shinkansen and B) try to find a parking space, which by the way requires being on a waiting list for approval by the prefecture and costs as much as a regular apartment, I was told.

Besides, according to this thread you'll spend more time running, and you need a bike to go to school anyway.

[Deedlith]

Really?
Well i went once in england for two weeks and made some japanese friends over there. One was called Hiromi and was there for more than a year already... It took me an entire week to understand what she was saying without having to say :" could you repeat please?"

As for the culture there's surely some similarities, but i just can't bear the way they deal with hierarchic statute... In reality, it's far worst then what you see in Densha Otoko... If you've read about the book by Amélie Nothomb " stupeur et tremblements" you'll know what it means to enter a japanese enterprise. I think the only way to avoid being humiliated is to become a doctor or teacher.