The JDrama Experiment

I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to watch more Japanese dramas. Why? So I can practice my Japanese. I’m studying the language, but not really practicing. I usually have some Japanese music going on in the background, but that is the extent of my immersion in the language. I need to hear more Japanese to improve my own Japanese.

Except there’s a tiny problem. I can never find any Japanese dramas I like. I can find addictive Korean dramas easily enough, but I’m not studying Korean! This is my dilemma. I don’t know if I’m just predisposed to enjoy kdramas over jdramas, or if it is just easier to find fun kdramas since they are all subbed. I mean, with viki.com and dramafever.com, if you don’t like a kdrama after 5 minutes you can just watch another one. It seems only the most popular of jdramas get subbed… But, I’m learning Japanese! So I don’t need subs!! (That’s a lie, I need subs, but I’m going to try without I am forced to.)

So here’s the experiment: For each drama season, I’ll pick out all the Japanese dramas I’m interested in. I’ll watch the first episode, with or without subs. If I like, I’ll keep watching. If not, I will move on and not cry about the fact that I can’t find any enjoyable Japanese dramas. With this method, I’m bound to find great dramas and improve my Japanese!

I’ll catalog my findings here, but be warned: my Japanese is very very poor. I’m just a beginner. This little experiment is for me to work on my Japanese and find some good TV to watch. Don’t expect comprehensive summaries or meta or anything besides my opinions.

Published by msjumpingjax

Not-so-seriously studying Japanese. Not-so-slightly obsessed with SMAP. This blog is an outlet for my SMAP love and a way to practice my Japanese. I'm not fluent but hopefully I am successful with at least getting the gist of what goes on.

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