Japanese "Manga-To-Live Action" Dramas

I'm calling it--this is probably one of the best manga-to-live-action adaptions from Japan. Before this, I felt like Taiwan was always making the better manga adaptions (such as "It Started With a Kiss," "Meteor Garden," "Mars," and the list goes on...)--but this is just perfect.
Is it an absolute copy-paste of the manga? No. Is it worth 2 even 3 re-watches for how good it is on it's own? Yes. Now watch it. >:)

I'm telling you--the cinematography, the actors--everything is on spot.

One of my first, if not the first J-drama I ever watched--and I've watched many, many afterwards. Up to this day I still remember this show--just comes to show how good it is. 

Watched this recently, and I was pleasantly surprised. Now, I went into this not excepting much. The review on Viki wasn't as bad as what I've seen on other J-dramas there, so I gave it a shot; needless to say, it was good! It had some very comedic moments and the overall storyline is quite interesting. There's a lot of drama involved, so I wouldn't be surprised if you end up binge-watching this yourself! Definitely a memorable watch and recommend-worthy!

This is a movie. Mind you, I rarely watch movies. I don't know, they just don't feel 'complete' to me. This one, however, was very much to my liking. As someone who watched the anime prior, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It's not the most amazing thing in the world, but if you enjoy the kind of story line--and especially if you would like to see more of historic Japan (there really aren't that many historical dramas from Japan, huh?) this is probably right up your alley.

Note: This is not for everyone. This drama is about a student-teacher relationship, and I understand that not everyone feels comfortable with this kind of, perhaps 'risqué,' storyline. 

Yet, this drama is made very well, and portrays in a very realistic way the emotions of a suicidal high schooler. 

Great thriller/mystery J-drama. Completed it in one sitting. I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next as soon as the episode would come to an end. I definitely recommend this if you are into mystery or suspense. 

I'm worried that some people will not like that I placed HYD so 'low' on the list. It's not intentional--I promise! Well, I lie, it kind of is. Sorry. 

Here's the thing; this drama, in it self, is great. I 100% recommend watching this adaptation if you are not interested in how faithful and close it is to the manga, but for me personally, it's not the best adaption. And to be completely honest, I don't think there is one. I like the ML of the Korean version better, but I like the FL of the Japanese version better as well. As for the Chinese adaption...well, it honestly doesn't count because not only is it quite different from the manga, but it's also a reimagining, as it is not set in the 80s in Japan. But setting and time aside, I think the Thai version is the best current adaption of Hana Yori Dango. 

Like "Switched," this J-drama is a mystery. It's honestly not really a thriller, though. I liked watching it for the ML and the cinematography---which was very nice. I'm not at all into cooking dramas, or anything to do with cooking really, but this was a fun watch--especially for the mystery aspect of the storyline. 

I can't express how utterly in love I was with this drama when I was first watching it. It was so good! Granted, this was one of my very first J-dramas--now I am mush more picky and spoiled about everything, so if I were to re-watch it now, I would probably find some issues with it. But still, I think you should give this a shot if the plot interests you. 

Seishun Cinderella is quite an interesting drama. Being a moderately-rated Viki show, I was curious to watch it and see whether it lived up or down to this reviews. I wasn't too impressed, but I wasn't disappointed either. I felt like the show was being a tad too overemotional in some scenes, but the overall storyline and message that this drama conveyed is sweet. I would probably recommend this for a one-time, cute and sweet watch. 

This is...a cute drama. It's very light hearted, so don't go into this thinking who-knows-what. It's quite silly too. The idea of a girl crossdressing and hiding her true identity at an all-boys-school is quite ridiculous, and the drama definitely doesn't make it seem as though it's even remotely realistic. Still, for the sake of this list and for any fans, I added this there.

A bit of a weird one--if I dare say so myself. Perhaps it's due to the fact that being a Christian, it felt strange to watch a relationship blossom between a woman and a religious (Buddhist) man. It is a good watch though, don't get me wrong! Similarly to Seishun Cinderella, it's really a one-time watch thing for me, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is the same for you, as well.

How can I even justify myself for having watched this...I'm innocent, I promise! I don't know...something in me told me one day, 'hey, this looks like a good show, let's watch it!' and I complied. This is really a smut manga turned into a PG14 adaption. It's goofy, and silly--but hey, if you feel like watching something with a possessive male lead and one very gullible FL, be my guest.