: In the 1990s and early 2000s, J-dramas enjoyed immense popularity across East Asia due to a shared sense of "Asian modernity". Fans in regions like Taiwan and Hong Kong identified with the "ganbaru" message (striving and struggling hard) depicted by urban heroes.
“...audiences engage with media programs to experience enjoyment and relaxation, temporarily diverting from the issues one need to deal with in reality.” The IAFOR Research Archive : In the 1990s and early 2000s, J-dramas
“"Japan drama, anime, and music significantly increase students' motivation to learn Japan, especially through the introduction of new vocabulary..."” ResearchGate Representative Scholarly Resources A Systematic Review of Drama Research Using Data Mining : In the 1990s and early 2000s, J-dramas