The similarities and differences between Japanese and British drama series
Comparing Japanese and British drama series. It was a few years ago when I was scrolling through Amazon Prime Video in Japan, and a BBC drama series called The Split caught my eye. This series was a huge success in the U.K. running for three seasons, with a special episode released just last December. What piqued my interest was the Japanese translated title, Rikon Bengoshi meaning “Divorce Lawyer”, writes Mayu Yamamoto, Japanese content expert, King’s College, London.
This instantly reminded me of a popular Japanese drama from the 2000s with the same title. I thought, “Has Rikon Bengoshi been adapted in the UK…?!”. I hit the play button, only to realise the two series are completely different. Yet, despite their differences, there are certain similarities as well.
Main image above: ©2004 Fuji Television Network, Inc.
To dive deeper into this topic, I spoke to Yusuke Kato (right), Head of Global Business at Fuji TV. Fuji TV are the production company of the Japanese ‘Rikon Bengoshi’. Kato is also known for his work directing many Japanese renowned drama series.
Comparing Japanese and British drama series:
Similar main characters, similar themes, but…
The most obvious similarity between the two series is the lead character.
Hannah in The Split and Takako in ‘Rikon Bengoshi’ are both female lawyers specialising in divorce/family legal issues. Both women are highly capable, strong, independent women working in the law field which is typically dominated by men. And they are both committed to helping female clients. However, the difference between them is that while Hannah is a married woman with three children at home, Takako is a single woman with no children dedicating herself only to her work.
I began by asking Kato about this difference…
He explained that this is partly because of the different generations in which they aired, and the different cultural backgrounds. In the early 2000s in Japan, there was still a tendency for women to have to choose either work or home. That’s why many Japanese dramas in the 2000s employed a single career woman as their main characters. Also, “Japanese dramas tend to depict the main character in a straightforward way. This is because of the Japanese drama broadcasting structure,” Kato said.
Yusuke Kato
Head of Global Business,
Fuji Television
Above: The Split is a British legal drama television series, written and created by Abi Morgan. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One from 24 April 2018.
Below: Rikon Bengoshi, is the story of Takako Mamiya, a lawyer who quits her job at a prestigious law firm and establishes her own office. Due to interference from her former firm, she loses both clients and employees, but she begins to solve clients’ divorce and family issues by working together with her new, incompetent but enthusiastic crew.
Rikon Bengoshi Season 2, ©2005 Fuji Television Network, Inc.
British series are a Marathon, Japanese series are a Sprint
Japanese drama series are usually produced for only one season with 10 episodes.
Due to the limited number of episodes, they tend to employ memorable main characters focusing on one characteristic. Of course, Japanese main characters are also well-thought-out and deep, but they are simpler and whittled down because they need to grab the audience’s attention with a fresh compelling lead every three months.
On the other hand, the most interesting part of ‘The Split’ is that while the main character, Hannah, solves clients’ problems with style, she herself struggles with her personal issues such as her relationship with her husband, her ex, her sisters, and her kids. ‘The Split’ depicts characters in more detail and delves into their personal lives. This is due to the British drama series production style (and American ones, too) in that they are often designed with multiple seasons in mind.
Different focuses in the stories
The variation in the length of a series leads to more differences.
Japanese legal, medical and crime drama series often follow an “episodic structure”, where each episode depicts one case (story). And each episode has ‘kisho-tenketsu‘ (Japanese traditional storytelling structure, consisting of introduction, incident, twist and end).
On the other hand, although ‘The Split’ also has this kind of episodic structure, the focus is more on Hannah’s private story. This weaves across all three seasons, gradually disclosing more about the characters’ personal lives and relationships. Sometimes revealing surprising facts. Japanese episodic structured dramas typically shy away from delving deeply into the main characters’ personal lives. Instead, each episode places more focus on the episodic story.
Kato points out that one of the benefits of this episodic structure is that audiences can enjoy the story even when they start watching it in the middle of the season.
Needless to say, there are also Japanese drama series that depict one story throughout the 10 episodes. But they are usually romance, mystery and human dramas. Even in these cases, each episode tends to have the ‘kisho-tenketsu’ structure. This allows audiences to enjoy the series even when they have missed one or two episodes.
I would say that Japanese drama series are more accessible to anyone. And British drama series are better at depicting characters’ lives more in detail.
Comparing Japanese and British drama series:
Finding a balance between both worlds
Despite their differences, both Japanese and British drama series have their strengths.
The fact that both ‘Divorce lawyers’ share certain similarities means that there are universal topics and themes that can resonate with global audiences regardless of their cultural backgrounds.
The key to creating a drama series that engages global audiences might lie in finding a balance of different styles.
In today’s globalised world, with more opportunities for co-productions and international IP exchanges, there is more chance to create a new style of drama series that could resonate around the world.
Contact Percy & Warren today
Get in touch with us at Percy & Warren to talk about how to meet international partners, explore global co-pros, and use PR to position your company and content on an international level – no matter the language, format or stage.