What’s the last Japanese TV drama that enjoyed the same success as Man From the Stars?
最近播出的日剧中，有哪部能和《来自星星的你》相媲美？
I’ve been thinking about this since the South Korean TV series captivated a lot of Asian audience earlier this year. But the only answer I can think of so far is Tokyo Love Story, which was released more than 20 years ago. Ever since then not one Japanese series has even come close to that level of popularity.
今年初，韩剧《来自星星的你》吸引了众多亚洲观众，自那时起我就一直在思考这个问题。但是，我唯一能想到的只有20多年前红极一时的《东京爱情故事》，此后的日剧似乎一直难创辉煌。
It’s actually quite sad to think that the two countries used to be competitive rivals in the Asian TV drama market, but now it’s just a lopsided battle.
曾经的亚洲电视剧市场，日剧与韩剧一直平分秋色，现在却只有韩剧一边独大。这着实让我有些伤感。
But this spring and summer, it looks like a few Japanese dramas have the potential to turn things around. First Class, which finished airing over the weekend, is one of them.
不过，今年春夏，出现了一些颇具潜力的日剧，或许能够扭转颓势。上周收官的日剧《First Class》就是其中之一。
The ten-episode drama is about the fierce rivalry among women working for a fashion magazine. Sawajiri Elika, 28, who returned to the TV screen after being absent for eight years, plays the role of Yoshinari Chinami, a young woman who starts as a part-timer but gradually pushes her way up. Along the way, she is frequently humiliated and bullied by her “enemies” like the chief editor, the assistant, the stylists, and even top models.
这部10集的电视剧讲述了一个时尚杂志社里女职员间的“激烈的战争”。剧中的女主角吉成千奈美由28岁的泽尻绘里香饰演，这也是泽尻绘里香阔别8年重新回归后出演的首部日剧。（这块儿你再check一下）该剧讲述了吉成千奈美从兼职实习生干起，逐步成为主编的奋斗之路。一路上，她饱受主编、助理、设计师、甚至一流模特等“敌人”的欺辱。
It’s neither a complicated story nor a new idea, but for Japanese dramas, which have a long tradition of presenting social values in extreme ways — either simply inspiring or utterly dark — First Class has a bit of both sides and gets the balance just right.
这部剧并非情节复杂，也不是立意新颖。但对于素来善用极端方式（或单纯励志或完全暗黑）来呈现社会价值观的日剧来说，First Class兼顾了二者，并且达到了完美的平衡。
Compared with last fall’s Hanzawa Naoki，which also has an office setting, in First Class the story focuses on ordinary staff rather than an elite group. The fashion-related working environment attracts younger audiences, and the perspective of a modern-day Cinderella struggling to climb up higher in the corporate hierarchy also sounds more intriguing than a story of vengeance. Besides, China’s The Legend of Zhen Huan already set a good example of how an underdog can survive in a ruthless jungle.
同为职场题材的电视剧，不同于去年秋季讲述精英圈故事的《半泽直树》，《First Class》着眼于普通职员的生活。时尚相关的工作环境设置吸引了很多年轻观众；同时，相较复仇类的主题，现代版灰姑娘通过不断努力并得到晋升的故事更加吸引人。说到“受压迫小角色在残酷环境中生存”的故事情节，古装剧《甄嬛传》就是个很好的例子。
Of course, First Class isn’t as elaborately produced as the long-running The Legend of Zhen Huan, in terms of its plot, details and emotions. But in only 10 hours, it delivers a story of passion, which draws out the fate of different characters and reflects the face of society.
当然，无论在情节、细节以及情感方面，《First Class》都不可能像《甄嬛传》那样精密制作，但是这部总计不过10小时的电视剧却充满了正能量，刻画出每个角色与众不同的性格，折射出社会现实。
In a time of Japanese TV dramas going downhill, the creators and writers of First Class certainly have done impressive job thinking outside the box, bringing hope to both fans and the industry.
在日剧一路下滑之时，《First Class》的导演与编剧无疑都成功的打破了定式，为人们留下了一部印象深刻的作品，同时也给日剧爱好者和日剧行业带来新的希望。