Welcome
to the J!-ENT Japanese Dorama Database.
The first English Japanese dorama database which was first
created on Neo-Tokyo BBS in 1993 and extended to the Web in
1998. The database is a collection of Japanese doramas
which members of THE SPY! CREW and many fans of
Japanese dramas have submitted over the years. The majority
of the dramas featured are "trendy" dramas which
feature today's top actors and actresses and are on the main
stations excluding NHK. We apologize for not carrying
NHK doramas but those tend to last more than 12 episodes per
dorama. [Note: We use the Japanese phonetic and most common
word "dorama" to describe Japanese doramas"]
NOTE: For over a decade, it has been a pleasure to give Japanese drama fans information they needed on the trendy dramas of Japan. But what worked well in the '90s and the early 2000's was fine for that time and since then, there have been others who have created their own drama databases.
J!-ENT has been a fan of the site jdorama.com since its beginning and from here on in, we recommend all J-drama fans to please support their site as they are the best Japanese drama site online.
We thank everyone for their support way back when we started and for many years after. We will continue to leave this site open, mainly for nostalgia and for those seeking info. for older dramas. Thanks again for supporting the J!-ENT Dorama Database and our website, J!-EN & NEO-TOKYO 2099. |
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There
have been several books covering Japanese pop culture
from films to Japanese dramas but
I've found one book that literally I just didn't want
to put down. "The Couch Potato's Guide to Japan" by
Wm. Penn is the book that followers of Japanese entertainment
have to read because it's full of information and tidbits
of Japanese television which I didn't know
about. Many people know Wm. Penn's work from her "televiews" columns for the
Daily Yomiuri and pretty much bought a television in 1982 in Japan and what do
you know, started writing about what's on television since 1987. What I enjoyed
about this book the most is the connection it makes to the Japanese entertainment
fan. For those in the United States or outside of Japan who have followed Japanese
dramas, the variety shows, comedy shows, news shows really will get into this
book.
Those little things we think about when we watch Japanese television, Wm. Penn
does a good job covering them. Plot devices such as food. For example, in chapter
2 titled "Japanese TV Sociology 101", she talks
about the importance of food in Japanese culture and how symbolic it is on television.
She uses dramas as examples such as the 1996 series "Hakusen Nagashi" in
a part of series when character, Sonoko is making obento for Wataru and his jealous
ex-girlfriend confiscates the obento and destroys it. Another example is the
drama "Campus Note" where Haruka (Uchida Yuki)
attracted to a student who needs to pass a bar exam to become a lawyer decides
not to bother him during his studies but her rival always visits him with a carefully
wrapped obento. Who succeeds in getting the male student's attention? The book
is not entirely about Japanese dramas, Wm. Penn also covers variety shows featuring
comedians that many of us know about and enjoyed watching. From
learning about Tamori-san (who we watch on "Waratte Itomo" or on "Music
Station"). How she felt about Ninety Nine's "Mecha Mecha Ikitteru".
There is also a chapter on news shows, variety shows and explaining shows like "Denpa
Shonen" when duo Saruganseki, Drones and others did that hitchiking segment
and my all time favorite feature on Denpa Shonen featuring Nasubi. Also, explaining
who Monta Mino, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi and Hiroshi Sekiguchi are. Wm. Penn also goes
into Johnny's Jimuosho and Hello! Project talent such as SMAP and Morning Musume.
Also chapters on Wide shows, TV Tourism, cooking shows and so much more. Also
articles on American shows that did or didn't do well in Japan and reality shows
like "Survivor" which didn't do so well in Japan. The final chapter
goes into Websites and magazines to check out if you are into Japanese television
and this book offers so much more. For those who are expecting negatives, I think
there are a people who may be bummed that there are no photos in this book (and
she goes into explaining that)
and to tell you the truth, it doesn't really detract from reading the book because
the book is truly fun to read.
There is no book like it (in English) that goes into Japanese entertainment like
Wm. Penn does. This book is all about Televiews and Wm. Penn's observations of
Japanese television that many of us Japanese entertainment fans will definitely
understand. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend all Japanese entertainment
fans to check this book out! |
Purchase
from Amazon
Purchase
from Stonebridge Press |
This is the book that Japanese
drama fans have been waiting for. As a fan and also a
creator of the online J!-ENT Japanese Dorama Database,
it is a real pleasure to see a book not only covering
Japanese drama but also sentai and including anime references
for the anime fans who have discovered Japanese dramas.
Within the last five years, there has been a significant
Japanese dorama boom in many countries thanks to the
growing popularity of anime, Japanese music and Japanese/Asian
entertainment. Although Japanese drama is not readily
available as Japanese animation or Asian cinema on DVD,
there is a growing fandom for dramas thanks to the International
channels, Japanese rental stores, fan-trading/subbing,
BT and VCD's. What I like about this book is that it
has something for everyone. For fans looking for information
on trendy Japanese dramas, the very long duration NHK
and TBS dramas (especially those samurai/historical dramas),
sentai and of course, dramas within the last fifty years,
I was very impressed how the authors handled and included
them in this book. What I worried about the most was
the translation or the titles that would be used for
the drama because what other countries have used as their
English title for a Japanese drama has nothing to do
with the translated title and thus, I was happy by the
way this book handled that. One thing that also impressed
me is the author and Stone Book Press's dedication to
update the encyclopedia (there are dramas missing and
a few errors but they are not as numerous and can be
fixed in the next version especially with the input from
readers). For a freshman book, it actually surpassed
what I was expecting and I highly recommend the purchase
of this book. So, may you be the trendy drama fan like
me or the fan who just watched the live version of GTO
or You're Under Arrest and are hooked and want more!
This book is THE ONLY SOURCE that you will find this
much information on Japanese dramas.-KNDY |
Why
Japanese dramas?
Japanese
dramas or what fans like to use, the romanization: dorama.
Nihon dramas are far from the typical soap operas that you
see on television in the US. These are not permanent
series that last for decades. They tend to be 12-episodes
and are the prime time episodes at night in Japan. The
stories are so riveting, many are well written that it will
captivate your attention, it will win you over and convert
you to a Japanese drama fan.
Where
do I get Japanese dramas?
The
majority of the people in the United States and Canada view
Japanese dramas in four ways. For hardcore drama fans who
want to see the latest Japanese dramas they go to a Japanese
video rental store which offers two episodes per tape. Usually,
the viewer is three weeks behind in Japan since Hobankyou
(the company formed by many Japanese TV stations to keep a
close eye on Japanese video rental stores) and the stores
have two episodes per tape. The second way is through the
International channels on television. Some stations such as
Hawaii and Los Angeles continue to have Japanese dramas in
English subtitles but more and more stations are getting rid
of the subtitles. The majority of these dramas are aired on
the weekend. The third way is through trading with Japanese
drama fans. The fourth way (which is how many East Asian viewers
watch Japanese dramas) is via VCD. They are in Japanese with
Chinese subtitles. The fifth way is a more expensive alternative
but that's actually purchasing the Japanese video for sale.
The
Challenges
As
Japanese dramas are gaining in popularity, there have been
obstacles on the roads in accessing Japanese dramas with the
cancellation of subtitles on Japanese dramas and the Hobankyou
situation, but as the genre starts to gain in popularity,
we can only predict that big things are going to happen and
all we can ask is get your friends tuned in to the passion
that many of you love, Japanese dramas.
Japanese
Dorama Questionnaire
At
Neo-Tokyo 2099, we would like to see original Japanese drama releases
outside of Japan in subtitled format may they be in two-episode
VHS tapes or a four episode or more DVD release. But
the only way we can figure out if this is possible is by your
help. We need you to fill out the Japanese
drama questionnaire and submit them to us. Anime
and sentai shows are not the only Japanese shows that are
taking fans by storm, J-ENT specifically Japanese dramas are
as well. We hope one day the Japanese TV networks will
realize that there is a market and many people outside of
Japan would love to purchase a popular Japanese drama - subtitled
and in very good video quality.
We'll see...
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