I've been watching Japanese dramas since 2008, and til this day no drama has replaced Tiger & Dragon as THE quintessential Japanese dorama for me. The way Kudo Kankuro wrote it was unbelievable. He somehow managed to weave rakugo stories into real life stories - but they still make sense, end the story on the closing punchline (arguably the most important part of a rakugo story), while still having so much to say about family, friendship, arts, and finding one's true self. It would probably have been more popular if it wasn't slightly inaccessible - without paying attention closely, one might be utterly confused and give up on it an episode in (my husband refused to watch it after 1 episode, saying it was too confusing). But, as one gets over the first few episodes and gets used to the structure, it's such a rewarding drama.

I have other Kudo Kankuro dramas I've enoyed (Kisarazu Cat's Eyes, Gomen ne seishun, and his latest Extremely Inappropriate), but I don't think he can ever outdo himself in this case. Tiger & Dragon was his peak. Heck, Tiger & Dragon is still THE peak for Japanese dramas for me.