How many of our top Japanese dramas have you watched this year? From the cross-cultural romance of "Eye Love You" to the heartfelt "Where Does the Sea Begin," there's plenty to explore from 2024 if you haven't seen them all.

BEST JAPANESE DRAMAS of 2024

After being involved in an accident, Yuri Motomiya (Fumi Nikaido) is shocked to discover that she can now hear other people’s thoughts, anytime she makes eye contact. To spare herself, she stays isolated from others until she happens to meet Yoon Tae Oh (Chae Jong Hyeop), a Korean student whose thoughts are a mystery to her. Could Tae Oh be Yuri's chance at true love that she believed to be unattainable?&nbsp;

An endearing love story with a fantasy twist, this is a 2024 Japanese romantic comedy drama directed by Fukuda Ryosuke, Okamoto Shingo, and Kato Akiko.

Eye Love You

"Love lost in translation" 

Fuji TV

Twenty-eight-year-old Natsu Tsukioka's (Ren Meguro) world turns upside-down when he learns that his college girlfriend, Mizuki Nagumo, has passed away. Natsu attends the funeral while struggling with unresolved feelings and disbelief, as Mizuki had broken up with him out of the blue and they hadn't spoken since that day. To his surprise, Natsu meets a young girl named Umi (Rana Izutani) – and Mizuki's mother informs Natsu that Umi is his and Mizuki's daughter that Mizuki had raised alone for the past seven years. Confronted with this new information, Natsu seeks to understand his newfound daughter and her relationship with her mother. Can Natsu develop his own parental bond with Umi and learn more about Mizuki's choice to leave him all those years ago?

Where Does the Sea Begin

Beyond the Horizon

TV Asahi

Shifumi Asano (Yuka Itaya) is a renowned architect, thriving in her careers. On the other hand, Toru Kojima (Ren Nagase) is a medical school student, bored with his life. Despite their differences and a twenty-year age gap, fate brings them together, creating an unexpected connection. Though Shifumi is married, she and Toru begin an affair, inspiring Toru’s friend, Koji Ohara (Genta Matsuda), to seduce Kimiko Kawano (MEGUMI), a housewife and mother of one of his students. With so much complexity in their relationships, will either of these couples find true happiness? Adapted from the novel of the same name by Kaori Ekuni, this 2024 Japanese series was directed by Shinji Kuma.

Tokyo Tower

An Affair ❤️‍🔥

Music school receptionist Asuka Yukihira (Alice Hirose) attends her high school reunion and reconnects with Haruto Mizuno (Gordon Maeda), her old crush. To her delight, she discovers Haruto has also harbored feelings for her all these years. They begin to date, eager to make up for lost time and resolve past misunderstandings. However, tragedy strikes when Haruto is hospitalized and falls into a coma. Asuka remains steadfastly by his side, reflecting on their past while grappling with an uncertain future. Will Haruto recover, allowing them to reclaim the love they almost lost, or is it already too late? This 2024 Japanese drama series was directed by Yuichiro Hirakawa.

366 Days

🏮 A Year And A Day 🌞

WOWOW

Futaba Yoshioka (Natsuki Deguchi) loved her warm-hearted classmate Kou Tanaka (Kaito Sakurai) during their middle school days, but they were abruptly separated when Kou moved to Nagasaki. Just as high school is about to end, Kou returns to Futaba’s life, but he’s not the same boy she fell in love with: he’s adopted a cold demeanor and a new surname. As they slowly reconnect, complications arise when Futaba discovers that a classmate, who also hails from Nagasaki, shares a painful history with Kou. As the final days of school unfold, tension builds and a potential love triangle emerges, threatening to overshadow their rekindled romance. Will Futaba and Kou's reunion blossom into a love that conquers the past, or will old wounds and new challenges lead them to heartbreak once more? This 2024 Japanese drama, based on the hit manga series of the same name by Io Sakisaka and directed by Kimura Mahito, follows 2023’s “AO HARU RIDE.”

AO HARU RIDE 2

The Blue Spring Ride Team

A Japanese high school is rocked by the arrival of an enigmatic, charismatic, and highly mysterious transfer student named Mishima Zero (Michieda Shunsuke). This white-haired 19-year-old begins telling classmates that he wants to bring down the current world order – created and run by adults – and build a new future. He asks them to join his cause, and help put an end to the world they know.

Many of the school’s more disgruntled, depressed, and rebellious students begin to flock to Mishima Zero’s cause – some of them seemingly falling under his charismatic spell. They create a group called Mars, as they begin on their destructive quest. Teachers and some students, however, are less keen on Mars’ talk of revolution. Mars finds itself on a collision course with those unaligned with its values – but who will prevail?

“Mars” is a 2024 Japanese drama series that was directed by Katayama Osamu and Hirakawa Yuichiro.

Mars

🐺 The Rebels 🐺

After being dumped by her ex-boyfriend on their six-year anniversary, Miyabi Sayama (Yuuka Sugai) immerses herself into her job on the sales team at a real estate firm. Meanwhile, Tsukasa Donose (Takuya Kusakawa), is a highly successful company CEO, seeks a marriage of convenience to satisfy societal expectations. When he meets Miyabi, he proposes a “business marriage” where she can live rent-free in a luxury apartment, and he can present a “wife" to the world. There’s just one clause: If they develop genuine romantic emotions, they must divorce. However, cupid has other plans, and their arrangement beings to falter as emotions come into play. This 2024 Japanese drama series was based on a manga series of the same name by Kirato Ruka and was directed by Takayoshi Tanazawa.

Business Marriage

 Love for Rent Team

Journalist Akihiro Miyata (Makoto Hasegawa) seeks out top university professor Takashi Iwanaga (Robin Furuya) to write a column for his magazine, only to discover that the professor is his former boyfriend and high school classmate. Back in their high school days, Akihiro and Takashi dreamed of running away together. But Akihiro has since moved on to find a girlfriend and a demanding career. While Takashi wants to rekindle their former friendship, Akihiro wants to keep things professional between them. However, old emotions begin to bubble to the surface. Will they get a second chance at love? Or is it time to say goodbye to the past – once and for all? This 2024 Japanese BL drama series was based on a manga by Keiko Kinoshita and was directed by Yasukawa Yuka.

Love Is Better the Second Time Around

Love me tender, love me twice

The Special Disaster Management team is a rapid response unit dedicated to saving lives during meteorological emergencies. Led by the charismatic yet blunt Kankuro Haruhara (Tomohisa Yamashita), the team often grapples with his sharp criticisms. Among the newest recruits is Aya Kumota (Natsuki Deguchi), a determined and straightforward rookie in the meteorological field. Initially skeptical of Aya, Kankuro soon realizes her tenacity could be a vital asset. As a deadly storm barrels toward Tokyo, the team faces their greatest challenge yet. Can Kankuro, Aya, and their colleagues act swiftly enough to avert a catastrophe? This 2024 Japanese drama series was based on a manga by Kana Ozawa and was directed by Ryo Tanaka and Tomonobu Moriwaki.

Blue Moment

Blue Hour's Moment Team

Newlywed couple Soichi Haruta (Tanaka Kei) and Ryota Maki (Hayashi Kento) have been through a lot. They went from co-workers to lovers, surviving the perils of a love triangle with Soichi Haruta’s former boss Musashi Kurosawa (Yoshida Kotaro). In more recent times, they were kept apart by coronavirus pandemic-related travel restrictions. Ryota Maki found himself stuck in Sinagapore, and their relationship was forced to go long-distance. Now they can finally live together, they can finally enjoy marital bliss...or so they think!

Fate has other plans for Soichi Haruta and Ryota Maki. As both settle into new roles at work, they find themselves increasingly busy. Household chores begin to pile up, threatening to cause friction between the two lovebirds. When a colleague suggests they use a housekeeping service, the duo agrees. But they are dealt a shock when the housekeeper who arrives at their doorstep turns out to be the recently retired Musashi Kurosawa. Could the love triangle return – and will wedded joy turn out to be short-lived?

This drama is the follow-up to “Ossan’s Love” and other “Ossan’s Love” titles such as “Ossan’s Love: in The Sky.”

“Ossan’s Love Returns” is a 2024 Japanese drama series that was directed by Yuki Saito, Toichiro Ruto, and Daisuke Yamamoto.

Ossan’s Love Returns

Love Reborn Team

One year after heartbroken high school student Mikoto Ochiai (Akari Takaishi) and "scumbag" loser teacher Jin Haiba (Ryo Hashimoto)'s fateful first meeting on the school's rooftop, the two are in a relationship, but have kept it a secret from everyone else. So far, they've managed to succeed, but all that is about to change – after a particular school assignment and celebrating each other's birthdays, the origins of their relationship end up revealed. Will this spell the end for their forbidden romance? This 2024 Japanese drama follows the events of the first season, adapted from the manga of the same name by Sora and directed by Natsuki Takahashi and Yuuka Eda.

Falling high school girl and Irresponsible teacher 2

Sensei, please seduce me! 

High schooler Ame Aihara (Mei Nagano) struggles with self-confidence, but finds solace in her kind classmate Taiyo Asano (Yuki Yamada) and her secret dream of becoming a top pastry chef. But as she never told Taiyo about how she felt, they never explored their feelings for one another. Eight years later, they reunite as adults, but disaster strikes when Taiyo suffers a critical accident. A mysterious figure offers Ame a chance to save him, but she must surrender her five senses in return. Will she accept? Can her actions save Taiyo? And will love finally bloom between them? This 2024 Japanese drama series was directed by Hiroaki Matsuyama.

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