Orange Days

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.

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.

Orange Days is an excellent coming-of-age J-dorama about a group of students in their last year at college dealing with friendships, love, job prospects, and life in general. There's a main love story about a talented musician Sae (Kou Shibasaki) who has lost most of her hearing and the sweet guy Kai (Satoshi Tsumabuki) who tries to help her come to terms with it, while befriending and eventually falling in love with her. I love their relationship; it goes even beyond friendship and love. They understand each other instinctively. There are 11 episodes in the series, each one about an hour long. I watched the entire thing over about two days; that is how hooked I was. (That, and each episode practically ends with a cliffhanger. And that I am graduating from college this upcoming June and I can totally relate to lots of these scenarios!) One of the best J-doramas I've seen.

This is a great series about friendship. Kai, Sae, and the rest of their friends from a group, The Orange Society. They all learn sign language to be able to communicate better with Sae. And they do all the bonding things that graduating seniors usually do: they go camping, they go out and eat/drink with each other, etc. They do everything as if it is the last time they will all be together. One of the more touching moments in the movie was when they all get together and make pledges to the sunset in sign language (to be strong, to overcome fears, to protect the ones they love, etc.) - it's incredibly bittersweet. I myself am graduating from college this upcoming June. Man could I relate! Not just with the friendships, but also with all these insecurities: Where am I going in life? Where do I want to work? Do I want to be doing this for the rest of my life? What's my plan? etc.

Acting is A+. I've been a fan of Kou since her Battle Royale days and she's really very good in her role here as a deaf-mute. Different expressions pass across her face effortlessly. Satoshi was just as excellent as the sweet, caring, and handsome Kai. If there is ever a performance that could break your heart, it's this one. Finding someone like that in a lifetime is rare. Their relationship is something special; he doesn't really pity her --since she says she doesn't want to be pitied-- but they really understand each other. Like their souls are interconnected. Sounds lame, but it's true. Satoshi and Kou have amazing chemistry together. The actors playing their friends Akane, Shouhei, and Keita are also excellent. There's even a sweet subplot for their characters, and it's fun to watch the sweet "plain Jane" (Akane, who is very cute, not a plain Jane at all) and the "player" (Shouhei, who is much sweeter than his tough exterior would suggest) fall for each other. I said, "omg cuuute!" quite a few times while watching this show.

I studied Japanese last year, so it was fun to see what I could pick up from the show. I could make out lots of phrases and stuff, so that felt quite nice haha. Plus, you might even pick up some sign language; I know I did! All in all, an excellent J-dorama. One of the best I've watched. Great production value, terrific acting, great story lines, heartwarming. I laughed, I cried, I felt for all of the characters.

10/10

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.

My listing is for clarity and does not in any way reflect a ranking of best to mediocre. All aspects of this series are top-notch.

First of all, kudos to Japanese filmmakers for producing a series of this caliber. It brings deafness into the mainstream and makes it ordinary, another way of being and living in the world.

Second, the actors are fantastic. They all learned sign language as well as their spoken dialogue and they made it look so natural; they were so fluent. They all deserved awards for that feat alone. The work they must have put in is extraordinary.

Third is the beautiful cinematography and lighting, enhancing the theme of orange days.

Fourth is the script, which is excellent. The writing brings out distinct personalities and shows their growth as they prepare to move past college, good times, conflict, problem-solving and all. The pacing is just right and moves fluidly between the storylines.

Hollywood could learn a thing or two from Asian film-making. Unfortunately, they are too focused on blockbusters and raking in the $$$$.