Year In Review: The 2025 Japanese Dramas that Brightened Up Our Days

If you’ve been a fan of Japanese television for a while, you might have noticed how much easier it is to find Japanese dramas on international streaming platforms nowadays. Slowly but surely, platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Viki have been offering more and more Japanese content with subtitles and even dubbing options lately.

We could even say that we’ve been living the “golden days” of Japanese television: not only are these platforms releasing current doramas, but they are also making older, classic J-dramas available internationally. What a time to be alive, my fellow J-drama fan!

Without a doubt, 2025 was a year of wider and easier access to Japanese television — and cinema! Sotozaki Haruo’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle and Hikari’s Rental Family have conquered hearts all around the world. Lee Sang-il’s kabuki epic Kokuho broke a 22-year-old box-office record to become Japan’s top-grossing live-action film in history — and it has already secured international distribution for 2026 too! Film festivals worldwide celebrated Japanese cinema with some extraordinary stories, such as Chie Hayakawa’s Renoir, Kei Ishikawa’s A Pale View of the Hills, and Sho Miyake’s Two Strangers, Two Seasons.

Even though there are still thousands of Japanese stories that remain hidden, we surely have reason to celebrate this year. Shall we talk about the good (and not-so-good) adventures that 2025 Japanese dramas offered us?

2025 Was a Year of… NHK’s 100th Anniversary

Japanese public broadcaster NHK is turning 100! To celebrate the first century of broadcasting history in Japan, NHK released the Yokohama Ryusei-led Unbound. Unbound is NHK’s 64th taiga drama (i.e. year-long period drama), one that broke away from its traditional format. Usually, taiga dramas are inspired by real-life events that happened during very turbulent moments in Japanese history. However, as Mark Schilling explains for The Japan Times:

[Unbound] marks a departure from this series’ template. It is the first to be set in the late 18th century, when Japan was at peace and swords mostly stayed in their scabbards. Instead of a warlord or other notable samurai name, it focuses on Tsutaya Juzaburo (Ryusei Yokohama), also known as Tsutaju, a commoner born and raised in Yoshiwara — the notorious red-light district of Edo (feudal-era Tokyo). (…) Over the course of the series, Tsutaju, like his real-life counterpart, becomes a successful bookseller and publisher who boosts artists like Utamaro, Hokusai and Sharaku to stardom.

The series, whose 48-episode journey came to a close on December 14th, has been mostly well-received.

If investing an entire year in a show seems too much for you, you might enjoy NHK’s adorable asadora instead (that is, a 15-minute daily drama). The year started with the second half of Omusubi, which didn’t attract that much attention. Then, we had Anpan, a lovely story inspired by Komatsu Nobu, the wife of Anpanman’s creator Yanase Takashi. Led by Imada Mio and Kitamura Takumi, Anpan had an average rating of 16.1% and received lots of love from audiences. The year will come to a close with The Ghost Writer’s Wife, which is currently airing and proving to be quite a hit, too. A fictional retelling of Koizumi Setsuko’s life, the wife of Greek-Irish writer Lafcadio Hearn, The Ghost Writer’s Wife stars Takaishi Akari and Thomas Bastow in the leading roles.

2025 Was a Year of… Extraordinary Streaming Originals

Okay, confession time: Netflix nailed its Japanese originals this year, didn’t it? From Asura to Last Samurai Standing, the Tudum platform offered a handful of unique narratives with incredible visuals that we won’t forget anytime soon.

2025 started with Koreeda Hirokazu’s Asura, which we showered with praise here on The Blossom Review:

Showing acute and incisive awareness of its subject, Asura is an equally elegant and chaotic celebration of women. Through an excellent cast, stunning cinematography, and compelling storytelling, Asura offers well-rounded characters that both abide by and challenge convention.

Then, we had the mesmerising Glass Heart in July, Satoh Takeru’s passion project that turned out to be quite a hit. We loved it too:

Thanks to its sublime, unforgettable musical sequences, talented and charismatic cast, and heartfelt dedication to its theme, Glass Heart succeeds despite its narrative flaws. If you love music and its power to connect us all, be sure that TENBLANK will guide you through a moving, captivating, and dynamic exploration of sound, heart, and self-expression.

September welcomed the third season of the dystopian hit Alice in Borderland, which might not have been as flawless as its previous seasons, but still offered a solid and entertaining end to its iconic characters. I say “end,” but is it really? With everyone speculating about a potential spin-off or fourth season, we might have some good news coming up in the future.

October saw the release of what came to be one of my all-time favourite romantic comedies: Romantics Anonymous. Led by the irresistibly charming Oguri Shun and Han Hyo-joo, this was a magical, humane, and profoundly endearing story about love and acceptance:

Full of personality, allure, and tenderness, Sosuke and Hana’s story goes beyond the traditional conventions of its genre to offer a narrative as bright as its characters. Artfully crafted and charismatically delivered, Romantics Anonymous proves that even the simplest of tales, when created with heart and thoughtfulness, can be remarkable.

Finally, November brought the much-anticipated Last Samurai Standing, directed by Michihito Fujii. The show seems to have lived up to the hype: for the Tokyo Weekender, Cezary Jan Strusiewicz described it as “like Squid Game, only with samurai“:

Last Samurai Standing definitely lures you in with cartoonish yet gory action and its colorful characters, but it keeps you watching because there is always something more to each episode. Sometimes it’s a heart-wrenching character backstory. Other times, it’s just a feeling that the people behind Last Samurai Standing had a blast working on it, and that love for a project is both palpable and infectious.

Over on Disney+, Gannibal returned for a second season, which was just as intense and even bloodier than the first. Led by the exceptional Yagira Yuya, Gannibal continues to be considered one of the best Japanese horror shows to have come out in the past decade.

2025 Was a Year of… Successful Remakes

With the cultural bonds between Japan and Korea becoming stronger, 2025 was a year full of Japanese remakes of Korean original stories. WOWOW’s Kaibutsu offered a Japanese perspective to JTBC’s Beyond Evil, MBS released a (bland-ish) remake of SBS’s Suspicious Partner, TV Asahi’s The Kidnapping Day recreated ENA’s dramedy of the same name.

However, the most successful one was — without a shadow of a doubt — Prime Video’s Marry My Husband: Japan, a remake of tvN’s 2024 hit. Koshiba Fuka and Satoh Takeru (yes, him again!) created their own unique version of this story of love and revenge, delivering charm, love, sorrow, and vulnerability with mastery.

2025 Was a Year of… Beloved Specials

Japan also offered us a way back to some of our favourite universes. NTV’s marvellous slice-of-life If Talking Paid returned with a Spring special, while the adorable After School Doctor came back with an Autumn special:

Humane and heartwarming, After School Doctor – Autumn 2025 – reminds us that engaging stories aren’t always made of twists and turns. They can come from our daily hardships, no matter how small or unimportant they may seem. They can come from a sincere piece of advice or a kind helping hand that helps us see the answers we’ve been looking for.

Or they can come from a grumpy doctor surrounded by children who adore him and whose relationship inspires us to be a tad more compassionate.

2025 Was a Year of… Enchanting Romances

We’ve already talked about Romantics Anonymous and Marry My Husband, but we should also mention several other Japanese romances that stole our hearts in 2025.

During Spring, Fuji TV made us giggle and swoon week after week with the lovely A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You:

A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You can be a tad saccharine, but it’s still a wholesome, gentle, and inspiring love story. Embracing the essence of both a slice-of-life and a romance, the series encourages us to appreciate the small moments we get to spend with our loved ones and to work more actively to foster healthy, supportive relationships with the people around us.

Charming in its utopian innocence and resolute in its retelling of gender expectations in pre-war Japan, A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You offers the comfort of an endearing, amusing romance with a refreshing perspective on culture and customs.

Then, over the Summer, TBS aired Cinderella Closet, a series that went “from a standard rom-com [to] a series that challenges the conservative nature of its culture and inspires its audience to embark on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.” I was honestly fascinated by it — for very clear reasons:

[Cinderella Closet] dares to go against centuries of conservative attitudes to welcome diversity and freedom of gender expression. Sincere, respectful, and humane in its messages, this is an adorable, entertaining romance that cleverly repurposes the clichés of the genre. Beyond its sweetness and simplicity, Cinderella Closet reminds us that being yourself can be a revolutionary act.

If you’re more into angsty romances, you might have enjoyed Fuji TV’s Learning to Love — a beautifully shot and powerfully delivered romantic drama. Learning to Love heavily relies on melodrama, quite a few clichés, and a very sorrowful tone, but offers some resounding messages about resilience, prejudice, and hope.

Of course, nothing is ever perfect so we also had our fair share of okay (NTV’s Ensemble, TV Tokyo’s Tokyo Holiday or 10 Things I Want to Do before I Turn 40, Chukyo TV’s Small Bait, Big Love: Ebiko’s Hunt for Her Mr. Right), bland (TV Osaka’s I Still Want to Do It With My Wife or MBS’s The Yakuza Boss’s Beloved) or simply poorly executed stories (TV Asahi’s Changes of Heart, ABC’s Tokyo Camouflage Hour, TBS’s Love Is for the Dogs, TV Asahi’s Musashi no Rondo) too.

2025 Was a Year of… Whimsical, Moving, and Thought-provoking Stories

This year was full of diverse stories that made us laugh, cry, and reflect on our lives. During the winter season, NHK released Tokyo Salad Bowl, an episodic tale about empathy, acceptance, and endurance. TBS then offered Mr Mikami’s Classroom, a riveting drama that dared to comment on Japan’s educational and political system. Our days also became warmer thanks to Bakarhythm’s quirky comedy Hot Spot on NTV, Fuji TV’s marvellous portrayal of an oft-forgotten profession in 119 Emergency Call (which will return for a 2-hour special episode on January 3rd, entitled 119 Emergency Call: 2026 Yokohama Blackout), and the heartfelt, inspiring adventures of TBS’s Diary of a Surgical Resident: Madoka.

Then, over the spring, NHK offered a comforting slice-of-life with Eat, Sleep, then Wait for Happiness and a curious discussion on social issues with I Want to Die Alone. TBS aired two incredibly relevant series with Two Husbands One Wife, a slightly absurd but humane exploration of modern relationships, and (my personal favourite) Who Does Housework Anymore?, which we called a “rare gem“:

Who Does Housework Anymore? (Taigan no Kaji) is a quietly revolutionary and timely slice-of-life that doesn’t propose an ideal world, but definitely opens a door to it. Through an endless amount of empathy and tenderness, it explores the struggles of modern life, the failings of gender expectations, and the value of the things we take for granted. Most importantly, it celebrates our differences and defends our freedom to live a life that we can really call our own, emphasising how this diversity can make us stronger and how, by respecting each other’s choices and needs, we can create more fulfilled communities.

The summer saw the release of TV Asahi’s Their Marriage, a romantic mystery that refuses clear-cut categorisation. September brought us AbemaTV’s Miss King, an incredibly cinematic quest for freedom. Here on The Blossom Review, we couldn’t help but praise the series, saying:

Thematically and visually gritty, Miss King is an intense portrayal of trauma, sexism, parental neglect, and hypocrisy. However, this isn’t a toxic narrative that pulls its characters into endless spirals of malice. Miss King is, ultimately, a story of courageous women who fight the odds to reclaim their identities and freedom. That means that, if you expect it to be a classic tale of revenge, you’ll surely be disappointed. Asuka’s journey reminds us that, in real life, revenge isn’t as cathartic as the movies make it out to be — because what is done is done and nothing will ever change our pasts. But Asuka reminds us that we can still create our own futures, and there’s nothing more empowering than being free to be whoever we choose to be.

The end of the year has brought several unique tales that are slowly coming to a close throughout December. We had a ton of vital social commentary with TBS’s irresistible Then You Try Making It!, NTV’s sweet Chosen Home, Fuji TV’s thought-provoking When I Was a Child Everything Was Fine, and TBS’s surprisingly moving Fake Mommy.

We also had TV Asahi’s heartwarming Papa and Daddy’s Home Cooking and NHK’s comforting Hirayasumi. Finally, we have to mention that very few 2025 Japanese dramas have been as quirky as Fuji TV’s star-studded Pray Speak What Has Happened, TV Asahi’s labyrinthine Just a Bit Espers, and NHK’s sci-fi misadventures in Queen of Mars.

2025 Was a Year of… Genuinely Entertaining Stories

Whether you were looking for compelling thrillers and mysteries or simply for a story that would make you feel happy and hopeful, 2025 Japanese television certainly had some options for you. These shows weren’t perfect or groundbreaking, but they joyfully accompanied us throughout the year.

Over the winter, TBS gave us the twists and turns of Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle?, NTV offered the entertaining Inheritance Detective, Fuji TV aired the lovely Japan’s Number One Jerk Salaryman, TV Tokyo came up with the eternally comforting Bansan Blues, and TV Asahi released the fun Private Banker.

We might remember this year’s spring kuru with WOWOW’s creepily haunting Sai or TV Asahi’s slightly clichéd but enjoyable Ameku Takao’s Detective Karte. Then, we had a profoundly charming summer alongside NTV’s Chihayafuru: Full Circle, TBS’s The 19th Medical Chart, and Fuji TV’s A Brighter Tomorrow and School Lawyer: Finding the Colours of the Stars. If you’re more of an investigative drama kind of person, I’m sure TBS’s DOPE: Narcotics Control Department Special Investigation Unit and Fuji TV’s Stingers: Undercover Verification Unit were your cup of tea.

Closing the year, we had TV Tokyo’s intriguing Synanthrope, NTV’s surprisingly engaging Escape and the sorrowful The Right to Judge, TBS’s heartfelt Passing the Reins, and ABC’s adorable School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To. Phew!

Remember that art is bound to resonate differently with each and every one of us. So how would you organise these 2025 Japanese dramas? Did I forget to mention your favourite? Let me know in the comments!

Merry Christmas and may 2026 be a year full of incredible J-dramas!🎄