Japanese Viewers are Hooked to “Queen of Tears”? Remarkable Achievements

According to FlixPatrol on April 8, the K-drama “Queen of Tears” ranked 3rd in the Japanese Netflix Top 10 on the 7th.

In addition, Japanese local media reported that “Queen of Tears” topped the non-English Netflix TV show category in the last week of March, stating that it “leads the 5th Korean wave.” Japan’s largest content review site also affirmed that the K-drama received a rating of 4.4 out of 5 on this day.

Given that the author of ”Queen of Tears”, Park Ji-eun, also wrote “Crash Landing on You”, a K-drama that gained significant popularity in Japan, it was well-received among Korean drama enthusiasts.

Reactions of Japanese audiences towards “Queen of Tears” are also largely positive, with the below being some examples:

• I’ve never watched a Korean drama before, but I fell in love with “Queen of Tears” after watching it
• I’m eagerly waiting for streaming every week. The charm of the actors is great
• As expected of the “Crash Landing on You” writer
• Satisfying casting, script, and directing
• I was pleasantly surprised by Kim Soo-hyun’s comedic acting
• I discovered the beautiful actress Kim Ji-won in this drama
• It was nice to see actors from “Crash Landing on You” appearing
• It’s dangerous. I’m deeply immersed in this drama.

The popularity of Korean dramas in Japan has been steadily growing, with previous works such as “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim”, “Start-Up”, and “Vincenzo” attracting the attention of local audiences. 

In the Japanese entertainment industry, there have been analyses and some self-reflection on the factors behind the global popularity of Korean dramas, with some expressing envy.

Actress Hirose Suzu, famous as the protagonist of the Japanese version of “Sunny”, revealed that she “watched a Korean drama until 4 a.m. one time,” adding, “I went to bed to sleep, but I was curious about the later parts, so I returned to the living room and ended up watching the whole thing. It’s really fun,” expressing her love for K-dramas.

Meanwhile, Yokohama Ryusei, an actor known for his roles in “There’s a Reason for the Love I’m Wearing” (romanji “Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte”) and others, confessed, “During the COVID period, I watched ‘Crash Landing on You’ and ‘Itaewon Class.’ I didn’t even sleep and watched them continuously. They all acted so well that I used them as a reference for the characters I played.”

Famous Japanese actor Sato Takeru also expressed admiration for K-dramas’ global popularity by saying, “After Netflix emerged, I hoped that Japanese dramas would be loved globally along with K-dramas’ success,” adding, “It’s my first goal and dream.”

Finally, popular Japanese drama writer Nogi Akiko pointed out while attending the 16th Asian TV Drama Conference, “Japanese dramas became boring around 2010,” and criticized, “They’re even adapting low-quality mangas into dramas. It’s the laziness of the PDs.” 

“K-dramas are shot with overwhelming budgets, so they have sophisticated visuals and many powerful directors, producing dramas at a global level,” she emphasized. 

Source: Nate