Orenji deizu

I have watched the series twice and I can guarantee that you will like it even if you are glued to western culture. This is not my first J-drama, I loved "The Full Time Wife Escapist", if you are interested in the psychology of characters. Ko Shibasaki, which I simply adore after this series, interprets astonishingly the frustration of a violinist genius who lost hearing. The truth is that I am less into a great scenario (this series has a great scenario, story, everything by the way), and more for real emotions shown truly and deeply on screen, and Orange Days excels on them! By the way, first time I watched it continuously, from one end to the other; couldn't stop ... I strongly recommend it!

I've only started getting into j-dramas and k-dramas in the last year or so. Started with a lot rom-coms/thrillers with Takeru Satoh and then discovered k-dramas some of which I loved. Some however felt over-acted or a type of actingI don't like. Started rewatching j-dramas last week. Seriously impressed with 18x2 Beyond my Youthful Days which was beautiful, brilliantly acted and poignant. Stumbled upon this and watched it in 3 days, hard to believe it's 20 years old. Brilliantly acted by all involved, understated acting but powerful. The fact that this type of series with sign language was made 20 years ago shows and hasn't aged shows how good it is. Loved all the characters in it. A joy to watch and re-watch. Both j-dramas had a quiet elegance and eloquence which I needed after some 'noisier' kdramas.

My college days are far behind me. Yet, Orange Days took me back like no other show had done before. The storyline is centered around Sae, a deaf college student remarkably interpreted by Ko Shibasaki. Sae's vivacious, feisty, and very endearing personality earns her the love interest of Kai, a gentler, more reserved student. Along with three friends with bubbling personalities, the fledging couple forms the Orange Days group. Its members will share their college challenges and romantic entanglements until graduation. It is worth noting that in order to include Sae, her friends all learn sign language. The five actors did a great job learning and expressing sign language in a very natural way. The story moves along very smoothly and keeps its youthful atmosphere from end to end. A very endearing trip back to your twenties. The only aspect that might prevent you from enjoying thoroughly it is the need to read subtitles during sign language exchanges, which won't be a problem for anyone used to watching foreign language movies.

I enjoy a good romantic drama, so I am easily disposed to favour shows like this.

My wife, however, gave up on it after a few episodes, complaining that it was too adolescent. But for me, that missed the point. These characters are learning how to live and love and make mistakes along the way. As did I when I was their age.

In any case, this drama found additional resonance in the character of Sae, who is powerfully portrayed by Kou Shibasaki. Her deafness, plus her musical genius, create a very sympathetic, yet highly challenging character. Watching Kai (Satoshi Tsumabuki) confront and overcome her demons is a joy.

If romantic dramas are your thing, give this a go.

Possibly the most impressive Japanese drama of the decade, "Orange Days" is sure to be a classic years from now. It's a story of a group of friends in college dealing with life, particularly love and work.

Shibasaki Kou ("Good Luck!!", "Galileo") is incredibly charming as Sae, a beautiful and grouchy violinist who has difficulty accepting her recent loss of hearing. She's set to go on a date with the painfully single Keita (Eita), but he backs out and asks Kai (Tsumabuki Satoshi) to go in his place. It turns out that Kai knows sign language because of his major (how convenient!), and since he isn't as patronizing as some others at school who are fluent in sign language, he and Sae begin to spend more and more time together. Narimiya Hiroki and Shiraishi Miho also co-star as two seemingly different people who are attracted to one another.

The friendship of the five friends is not one of this drama's greatest attributes, surprisingly, as there are plenty of other dramas that surpass it in that category. Rather, the bond--romantic, friendly, and otherwise--between Sae and Kai is what touches the viewers' hearts. Shibasaki does a wonderful job of making her audience care for her character like they would for a real-life friend. This, combined with quality direction and writing (as far as dramas go), make "Orange Days" a beautiful drama. I highly recommend it.