5 Retro J-Dramas About School Life You Should Watch

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Retro J-dramas about school life became popular across Asia and beyond from the late 1990s to the 2000s. These Japanese dramas pulled in viewers worldwide through relatable stories about friendship, identity, and growing up.

Why do so many people still watch retro J-dramas today? Because these shows capture something real about the school years, a time when young people in Japan and around the world figure out who they are and where they belong.

So here are five retro J-dramas about school life that are worth your time. These shows have been around for decades, but they will still remind you of something you felt when you were young.

This 10-episode school comedy is based on Miki Yoshikawa's manga of the same name. It follows Daichi Shinagawa, a delinquent who wants nothing to do with school, and Hana Adachi, a class rep with a hidden past as a former delinquent herself. Starring Hiroki Narimiya and Riisa Naka, the show is full of humor and an unlikely friendship that grows between two students who are more alike than they think.

Adapted from a novel by Gen Shiraiwa, this drama follows two high school boys who team up to help a shy, bullied transfer student become popular. On the surface it looks like a social experiment, but the real story is about three lonely teenagers who find genuine friendship in each other. The leads are played by Kazuya Kamenashi, Tomohisa Yamashita, and Maki Horikita.

Takashi Sorimachi stars as Eikichi Onizuka, a former motorcycle gang member who somehow ends up as a high school teacher in charge of a troubled class. Based on Tooru Fujisawa's hugely popular manga, which also spawned a beloved anime series, the show is funny and surprisingly touching. Onizuka does not follow the rules, but he genuinely cares about his students in a way no other teacher does.

A school drama with a twist: the homeroom teacher of a class full of delinquents is secretly the granddaughter of a yakuza boss. Yukie Nakama plays Kumiko Yamaguchi, also known as Yankumi, with Jun Matsumoto as the class ringleader in season one. The series ran for three seasons from 2002 to 2008 and was adapted from Kozueko Morimoto's manga, which also received an anime adaptation in 2004.

Mao Inoue, Jun Matsumoto, and Shun Oguri lead this iconic school drama based on Yoko Kamio's long-running manga, which also inspired an anime and several adaptations across Asia. The story centers on Tsukushi Makino, an ordinary girl at an elite school ruled by a group of wealthy boys called the F4. It is a classic mix of romance, class tension, and a heroine who refuses to back down.