Dorama and Asadora

Japanese television drama (テレビドラマ terebi dorama^?, television drama), also called dorama (ドラマ^?), are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily.

All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others. For special occasions, there may also be a one- or two-episode drama with a specific theme, such as a drama produced in 2007 for the 60-year anniversary of the end of World War II.

One characteristic of Japanese drama that differentiates it is that each episode is usually shot only a few (two to three) weeks before it is actually aired. Many fans have been able to visit their idols shooting scenes even as the show is still airing.

Japanese drama series are broadcast in three-month seasons, with new dramas airing each season.

Renzoku Terebi Shōsetsu (連続テレビ小説^?, "a serial TV novel") also known as an Asadora (朝ドラ^?, "Morning Drama") is a serialized television series broadcast by NHK in the mornings in Japan.

The asadora started in 1961 with the black-and-white Musume to Watashi (娘と私), starring Takeshi Kitazawa.

Today, works in the first half of the year are produced by the NHK Tokyo Broadcasting station and works in the second half of the year are produced by the NHK Osaka Broadcasting station.

The asadora have become some of the most popular shows on Japanese television, with some, like Oshin, earning over 50% in ratings.^[1] The current series is Umechan Sensei (2012).