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| CATEGORIES ABOUT JAPANESE TELEVISION DRAMA | |
| japanese entertainment terms | |
| japanese television dramasjapanese entertainment terms | |
| japanese television dramas | |
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Japanese dramas (テレビドラマ; ''terebi dorama'', lit. televi(sion) drama) are a staple of Japanese Television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of dramas including romance, comedies, detective stories, horror, and many others. Japanese dramas are broadcast in three-month long seasons, with new dramas airing each season. The majority of dramas are aired weekdays in the evenings around 9:00pm, 10:00pm, or even 11:00pm. Dramas shown in the morning or afternoon are generally broadcast on a daily basis, and episodes of the same drama can be aired every day for several months, such as NHK 's ''asadora'', or morning dramas. The evening dramas, however, air weekly, and are usually 9 to 12 episodes long, though sometimes there will be an epilogue special made after the final episode if the drama has been a huge success. Japanese television seasons are: Winter (January–March), Spring (April–June), Summer (July–September), and Autumn or Fall (October–December). One characteristic of Jdorama that differentiates it from others is that each episode is usually shot only a few (2–3) weeks before it is actually aired. Many fans have been able to visit their idols' shooting scenes at the same time the show goes on air. TRENDY DRAMAS Most people associate today's Japanese dramas with the modern style of screenwriting which has coined the term ''trendy dramas.'' The ''trendy'' formula for Japanese dramas was invented in the late 1980s when screenwriters decided to reach the television audience with themes that covered real-life Japan, at a time when the Japanese were experiencing a Bubble Economy . The ''trendy'' formula was improved in the early 1990s , when the story lines changed with the times of that period. By gambling on harder issues, including teenage Violence , Child Abuse , and modern family life, the trendy drama formula is tweaked to fit the television viewers' changing taste. Even today, the success of Japanese dramas is a result of sticking with the trendy drama formula. Although some people consider Super Sentai and Tokusatsu type shows as dramas, they are not covered when dramas are referred to using the ''trendy'' definition. Generally, most evening dramas aired nowadays are ''trendy dramas'', and the term doesn't apply to other types of dramas such as '' Asadora ''. DIFFERENCE IN FOCUS BETWEEN NETWORKS Dramas broadcast on Fuji Television (Fuji TV) and TBS are usually the most popular. NTV produces some popular drama, too. Fuji TV is widely known as the inventor of the drama formula. It's generally believed that the 9:00pm dramas shown on Monday nights are the most popular. These usually involve a love story, a very popular genre. But the Gekku slot is losing its shine and most of the dramas recently are big critic flop and most don't cross the 20% mark anymore. Other Japan television networks also have their own focuses. TV Asahi , for example, focus heavily on Jidaigeki and crime-situated stories. NHK puts more effort into programming that reaches an older demographic, focusing mostly on epic period dramas of historical significance, often with all-star casts, called ''taiga'' dramas, as well as inspiring dramas that focus on a young, strong-willed Hero or Heroine . THEME MUSIC AND BACKGROUND MUSIC Theme music and background music sets the overall tone of the Japanese drama series. Most dramas will start off with one or two minutes of opening theme music during the opening credits. Other dramas will have at the very least a catchy melody in the beginning, displaying the drama's name that lasts a few seconds, and then one to two minutes of ending theme music during the closing credits. Background music is placed and used at strategic points of the episode in order to set the mood of that particular scene. There is a Sub-genre of Japanese drama fans that are also huge fans of the drama's original soundtrack. Most television networks work with music companies to produce original soundtracks. Most opening and closing theme music is written especially for the drama series, while other theme music is licensed from other sources that previously existed. Once the library is put together, the television network will release the original soundtrack compact disc, usually a few weeks after the start of the drama. Closing themes are often sung by a popular J-pop singer or band. NHK produces its own theme music and is one of the only Japanese television networks that has its own orchestra. Most of the theme music heard in their taiga and asadora dramas were written and produced ''in-house''. In recent years, many theme songs have been licensed from sources outside of Japan. In some instances, theme songs have been licensed from some of the biggest names in the Western recording industry. This practice does have its disadvantages. When the Japanese drama is licensed outside of Japan, theme music licensing becomes very costly. For example, in the Fuji TV drama Densha Otoko , the opening song and some of the background music had to be replaced in the release that aired on the Nippon Golden Network because they couldn't get the rights to use the music. IMPORTANCE OF RATINGS IN JAPANESE DRAMA |
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