With February over, the January winter drama season is reaching its climax. Many of the winter dramas are unique, but have the exciting stories attracted more fans? We've compiled a list based on the trend in the number of favorite subscribers on TVer, one of the barometers of popularity.
The previous season's fall dramas were a big hit, with "Jaa Jaa, Anta ga Tsukutte Miro yo " (TBS) breaking the station's record for missed-viewing views. Excluding "Aibou" (TV Asahi, Wednesdays at 9 PM), which airs for two consecutive seasons, there are three shows with over 1 million subscribers, including "Jaa Tsuku" with 1.75 million (as of December 7, 2025), "Good Things and Bad Things" (NTV), and "The Royal Family" (TBS). There were also three shows with subscribers in the 900,000s, including "Fake Kummie." "Aibou" is also a popular series, reaching over 1 million subscribers.
Meanwhile, the only two winter dramas with over 1 million subscribers are "Reboot" (TBS, Sunday 9pm) starring Suzuki Ryohei with 1.366 million (as of midnight on March 1st) and "Reunion: Silent Truth" (TV Asahi, Tuesday 9pm) starring Takeuchi Ryoma with 1.121 million. Following closely behind is "Okome no Onna: National Tax Agency Materials Investigation Division, Miscellaneous Affairs Room" (TV Asahi, Thursday 9pm) starring Kanna Hashimoto Nanako Matsushima with 834,000, and the Getsuku drama "Delinquent to Doctor" (Fuji TV, Monday 9pm) starring Hashimoto Kanna with 735,000, but no dramas are in the 900,000 range.
Among them, the number of subscribers that saw the biggest increase was for the number one show, "Reboot." As of January 25th, it was in second place with 885,000 subscribers, just behind "Reunion" with 911,000, but it has increased by nearly 500,000. The suspenseful story, written by hit-maker Tsutomu Kuroiwa, is full of tension and has been stimulating deep reading and debate, and like the previous season's "Good Things and Bad Things," it is likely a show made for TVer. The show was suspended for one week due to the House of Representatives election held on February 8th, but the impact of this was thought to be limited.
Furthermore, Takeuchi, who starred in two seasons of "Jaa Tsuku" and "Saikai," has had two consecutive hits. He has been a popular actor up until now, but as a "man with the numbers," his future success is expected to rise to the next level.
However, when looking at the winter dramas as a whole, it's hard to shake the impression that the season is a bit tough compared to the popular fall dramas such as "Jaa Tsuku" and "The Royal Family." However, one thing that's unique to this season is the impact of the Milan-Cortina Olympics, which took place from February 6th to 22nd and generated a lot of excitement. Many shows were suspended due to the Olympic coverage, and it seems that they had a hard time keeping viewers hooked.
In terms of subscriber growth, the dark horse is the socially conscious police drama "Tokyo PD Metropolitan Police Department Public Relations Unit 2" (Fuji TV, Tuesdays 9pm), starring Fukushi Sota. As of January 25th, it had 508,000 viewers, but now it's at 593,000, recording the third-highest growth after "Okome no Onna" and "Delinquent to Doctor" This season seems to be full of tough shows due to special circumstances such as the Olympics, but there are also some hidden gems, so be sure to check them out as the climax approaches. (MANTAN/Tateyama Natsuyuki)
