Compartmentalizing

I know that no one else reads this blog. I can't quite figure out how to make it searchable. But, I will one day and in preparation for that I thought it would be fun to have not just a summary of the shows that I've seen, but also a comparison of some shows to another. i.e. "If you like X drama you should check out Y drama" In my first step towards that, I am going to categorize the dramas that I've seen below. I will put them in order of my favorite types.


Working woman finding love: This type of show has the main character as a single woman at least in her mid-twenties who accidentally falls in love with another character. Usually there's some conflict preventing her from admitting the love at the beginning: either work, another boyfriend, a girlfriend/fiancee..something. But, in the end as expected the heroine makes it work with her beau -- usually learning a lot about what's really important to her. Most times this type of drama is approached from a comedic standpoint - but not always. If this type of drama seems interesting - you should check out:
Sapuri
Hataraki Man
Hokari no Hinkaku
Around 40
Kimi wa Petto
Zettai Kareshi
*Kekkon no Dekinai Otoko- the lead character here is a man

Quarter-life crisis: More like 1/5 of life crisis.: Kids in their 20s trying to figure out what life is all about. There's love and work and everything in between (often that's college).
Orange Days
Last Friends
Nodame Cantabile
Propsosal Daiskusen
Hatchimatsu to Clover (Honey and Clover)


Professional theme drama: I've seen two main types the medical drama and the police drama. They both focus primarily on the cases that these professionals face. The team has to overcome some unusual obstacle and they use their unusually high expertise to do so. Usually episodic in nature with three or four multi-episode cases in one season. It surprising how similar the the medical and the police dramas can be, which is why I've grouped them together. If you like watching ER - you should try:
Iryu
Team Medical Dragon
SP
Code Blue
Galileo

High school angst: This type of show is characterized by a girl and a boy who are at odds for most of the show, but clearly like one another. Usually there's a love triangle with a third person liking one of the two main characters (and sometimes a fourth). If this type of drama seems like fun to you - you should check out:
Hana Yori Dango (Boys over Flowers) - 2 seasons and a special
Hanazakari no Kimatachi e
*Nodame Cantabile (except this takes place in college)

Strong women kicking butt and taking names: These women kick butt either literally or figuratively (with their incredible minds). There's usually some minor love interest, but the focus of the show is on proving to the men that they can do it. If this kind of drama is exciting to you - watch:
Koshonin
Unfair

Family drama: This one can be a comedy or a drama or a slice of life type of show, but the focus of the series is on family dynamics: husbands and wives, women and their children, friendships or maybe all of those in one. There's usually some sort of social commentary about the state of Japanese life in the subtext.
Haikei, Chichuie-sama
Saitou-san
Karei-naru Ichizoku
Monster Parent
SCANDAL


The Classroom: Inevitably it's the high school classroom, from new teachers, to new students, to mean teachers, to mean students. These dramas usually have some "misunderstood" character element.
Queens Classroom
LIFE
Dragon Zakura

There's no "I" in TEAM: Team sports usually with a high school or college backdrop.
Ganbatte Ikimasshoi
Waterboys
ROOKIES

Hopeless Novice: The main character is starting out in a new field - usually this is a comedy or romance.
Attention Please (flight attendant)
Bambino! (chef)
Bengoshi no Kuzu (lawyer)

Sibling Rivalry: Brothers and sisters fighting for dominance - this is a comedy genre. This is actually my least favorite type as I stopped watching two shows of this type. But, if this kind of thing strikes your fancy try:
Kikken na Aneki
Seigi no Mikata


--And then there's the Drama Drama: These are tearjerkers that deal with illness/death or some other unfortunate circumstance. You know from the start that you will end up crying. I have not actually watched any of these -- as I tend to not want tv to make me depressed. But, from the descriptions I've seen here are some that look good:
Boku no Aruku Michi
14-sai no haha
Kaze no Garden
Bara no nai Hanaya

Going forward I will categorize any newly summarized dramas using this metric. Despite their being 11 different categories (a bit high) I think these groupings work. We'll see how it applies going forward.