わたしが愛した男たち (Watashi ga ai shita otokotachi, "Men I loved") used to be a favorite 週刊誌 (shūkanshi, weekly magazine) topic at the end of every year. Ginza ホステス (hosutesu, hostesses) and prominent media ladies like the 叶姉妹 (Kanō shimai, Kano sisters) would be interviewed (discreetly) about old lovers and affairs. Reading these somehow seemed like an apt way to wrap up the year.

Sadly, that 企画 (kikaku, topic) has gone out of style, but this year, I'd like to revive it — albeit in a nonpersonal way, because 2015 was the year the 日本男児 (Nihon danji, Japanese male) came through for us.

Normally, in December, the women of Japan can be found huddled around cafe and 居酒屋 (izakaya, pub) tables, wondering aloud why our fellow countrymen are so unlovable, undateable and impossible to live with for longer than five years without losing our minds. But things changed in 2015. Here are five fine specimens that serve as evidence of that trend.