If You Read These Books…Try These J-Dramas: Mystery/Thriller Edition
Hello Everyone! As you know, I’m a big fan of Japanese dramas and Romance novels. Since I did a post about K-Dramas, today I’ll be shifting my focus to J-Dramas once again. Today I’ll be recommending Mystery/Thriller novels that can be paired up with Japanese Dramas and vice versa.
Each book or show centers around a storyline with high suspense or mystery sleuthing. I hope you all enjoy these personal picks and come away with some new books and TV shows to watch!
In The Agency the main protagonist is Mary Quinn, who is taken into Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls and works as a teacher. She inquires about a new role at the academy and learns that the school is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency. Soon she sets off on a mission to go undercover as a maid and tries to figure out the dirty laundry of a merchant’s family who seems to be covering up underground activities. Mary is a fun protagonist that is clever, caring, and has a lot of spunk. She has a lot of attributes that make her a good undercover agent and she quickly learns to be resourceful when caught in a sticky situation.
Secret Agent Erika is a series about Erika Takahashi who is a former secret agent for Japan’s Cabinet Information Investigation Department. She is now retired and happily married. One day, Erika receives a request from her ex-boss. The twist? Erika has kept her past life as a secret agent a secret from her husband. I like this drama because of the double life trope as Erika has to juggle her life between two worlds after leaving her profession for some time. The series starts out light but increases the action and thrills as it proceeds through each episode.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Spy Sleuths, An Undercover Thriller
A Deadly Inside Scoop is about the main character, Bronwyn, who takes over her family’s ice cream shop and tackles all of the whirlwind emotions of becoming a new business owner. Her nervous excitement about the shop’s grand re-opening is soon shattered once a family foe who reappears, ends up dead near her shop. Bronwyn is determined with the help of friends to solve the mystery and clear her family’s name before it’s too late. It’s so entertaining with its colorful cast of characters (amateur sleuths) trying to solve the mystery along with Browyn with very unconventional methods.
If you enjoy slapstick comedies Danger-less Detectives is a show I highly recommend! It’s light-hearted, fun, and completely wacky. The series does not take itself too seriously at all which I think is the appeal of it. Takano and Yonaka are detectives that literally want to do the bare minimum of work and it was hilarious how they wanted to spend their days drinking iced coffee, but end up actually having to be roped into a current case with each episode. It’s formulaic, but a good show to watch after a stressful day at work.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Amateur Sleuths, Comedy
A Killing Fire follows Raven Burns, a homicide detective in the midst of a murder case. Raven struggles with the fact that she is the daughter of Floyd Burns, a notorious serial killer. She works as a cop to prove to herself and others, that she is nothing like him. She can’t seem to escape from the past, no matter how hard she tries. Snowden lures her readers into a tangled web of lies inviting them to solve the mystery. The characters were diverse and complex which I appreciated. Readers are not sure of who to trust (including our narrator, Raven) and I like the way their backstories are pieced together as the plot progresses.
Dirty Mama is a single mother Takako, who works as a detective. She possesses the highest rate of successful arrests. She is on a waiting list to get her daughter into a public daycare center and because of this, Takako takes her baby to work. She has arguments and does not get along with the conservative male detectives. Meanwhile, Takako trains a new detective Aoi who is shocked by Takako’s unusual methods. The two butt heads multiple times and their banter provides some comedic bits during the action scenes. I love how the two develop a friendship over the series and how they learn from each other.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Strong Heroines, Determined Detectives
In A Bounty With Strings, the story focuses on Zack a retired superhero who now works as a bounty hunter. Set in a fantasy alternate version of Canada the story is jam-packed with elemental magic, supernatural beings such as were panthers, and mystics.While I enjoyed all of the action-packed scenes and fantasy elements what I really enjoyed the most was the characters of this novel. Zack and his new companions come together under intense circumstances and throw their differences to the side in order to work together.
May I Blackmail You is actually quite a lighthearted J-Drama (at least so far) despite its dubious title. Kanji Senkawa receives requests that the police or private investigators can’t handle. He solves the cases by threatening people. Kanji Senkawa meets wealthy university student Mio Kanesaka. It’s pretty funny and the blackmailing cases presented aren’t too dark. Each episode focuses on a new case and we see how the blackmailer becomes misconstrued and wants revenge. Though this drama teeters on the edge of being called a rom-com more than a mystery drama I still recommend it for a lighter watch. I love the witty banter of Mio and Kenji as the leads in this rom-com/mystery.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Comedy, Action, Whimsical Characters
The Woods Were Always Watching was similar to watching a horror film that takes place in the woods. I think the heavier focus of the novel was the friendship aspect between Josie and Neena and dealing with change and the overall theme of survival. The novel quickly delves into horror as tensions between the two friends lead them to a detour off the trail and straight into a waking nightmare that they have to make their way out of.
Think Lord of the Flies when you watch Limit. Five high school girls are stranded in the forest and the only survivors of a bus crash that happens during a school trip. Left alone in the woods they have to fend for themselves and work together to stay alive. On top of everything, all the girls are from different cliques which brings up tensions, but in this situation survival is the most important. We see how each girl was perceived, their personalities, social status, and instances of bullying which all end up playing a part in their survival.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Suspenseful, Survival, Action-Packed
Have you watched any of these Japanese Dramas or read any of these books? What pairings would you recommend? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
