Orange Days (2004) User Reviews

Enjoyable romantic drama with an edge

[wheatley-20230 · 8/10 · 13 February 2024]

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.

Orange Days is simply Golden!

[miss_berlia · 9/10 · 14 February 2024]

The drama is a journey of 5 friends. The female lead- a violinist going deaf and her male counter is a kind psychology major student. It deals with family, relationships, friendship, social-societal acceptance, all sorts of graduation feelings.

The characters are flawlessly written and well executed. A perfect blend of nice(Yuki), spice(Shouhei), extra(Keita), raw(Sae), normal(Akane). In each episode you can feel all the dilemmas, love, friendship, conflicts. The theme is consistent and never loses focus. The cinematography is just the cherry on top!

I feel the biggest winner is the subtlety of the highlights. How Shouhei is drawn to Akane, slowly, obviously but never loudly. The Maho-Sae initial interaction weighs so heavily on the issues of abled and challenged people. A sensitive topic portrayed without the extra-pity, nor is it borderline offensive.

11 1+ hour episodes to take us through their last year of uni yet never once you feel its dragged or too long.

Although, most j-dramas have this NEED to have someone move to another country and have the whole break-up--make-up back & forth, which is too much of a cliched climax. However, Orange days stands tall and proud with a sensible storyline &emotion to support it. It does not feel too forced for the sake of a emotional high.

The 1 star less comes from a rather trivial POV: they could have utilized Maho better. She literally goes to the same uni. A little screentime for her would have added more value and her entry towards the end would feel more natural. The other side character they could have utilized more was the Orange Days Notebook.

Terrific coming-of-age J-drama

[kwongers · 10/10 · 28 February 2007]

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

Wonderful J-Drama!

[CDAnimorph · 13 May 2005]

I'm very new to the world of Japanese TV dramas and I'm glad I started with Orange Days. I originally watched this as a fan of Kou Shibasaki, but was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this show. This was a well-done coming-of-age/love story of a group of friends (the "Orange Society") who are in their last year of college. The main love story takes place between the sweetheart Kai Yuuki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) and the musically talented, rendered deaf-mute Sae Hagio (the extremely talented Kou Shibasaki). There are several subplots that take place, including another budding relationship between Akane and Shouhei.

With the first episode, it seems as though they were planning to go in one direction, but later on decided to go in another. Aside from that, there are no other complaints. Each episode hooks you in and you really get into the story lines and feel for the characters. I especially love how all the other members of the Orange Society rally around Sae and go out of their way to learn sign language so she is able to understand and help her out (the Find Sae's Violin moment comes to mind).

There are great performances by all, but the real star is Shibasaki. Playing a deaf-mute is no easy task for the actor, but she rose to the occasion and really pulled in the viewer with her facial expressions and sign language. She has proved that she has immense talent and deserves all her recognition. Tsumabuki also gives a standout performance, and frankly, I have a bit of a crush on him now.

Don't be surprised if you pick up elements of Japanese Sign Language. I've become very intrigued to learn more of it. This is also a good show to watch if you're a student of the Japanese language, as I am. People speak slowly for Sae's benefit, giving one a chance to really hear the words and understand them.

All in all, 10/10. Four stars. Two thumbs up, and all the other proverbial "this was good" marks.

Outstanding all the way around!

[mzmck · 10/10 · 18 January 2024]

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 $$$$.

wtffffff did i just watch????

[splashwog · 10/10 · 10 January 2024]

I am a Greek Australian dude, living in Greece. I came across this series by accident. Im not asian, nor even japanese.... but omffffggg..... i binged all 11 episodes in 3 days! I am shocked. This is a series from 2004, twenty years ago!!! And from Japan!! ANother continent from me!!! But i just have to say, this series is probably the best tv series i have come across in the last ten years!!! Thank youuuuuu Netflix for broadcasting an asian tv series to europe.... this show was BRILLIANT! Being from Greece, it is rare for us to be exposed or given the opportunity to watch dramas from Japan, or Asia for that matter. But this series had me obsessed from episode one!!! Eveery character in this series was loveable and altruistic in their own way.... and unlike american tv series, this show did not need to include sex scenes, nudity etc..... it was PURE perfection!

Possibly the most impressive Japanese dramas of the decade

[mattskibashot · 10/10 · 24 May 2008]

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.

A timeless gem

[TheodoraEh · 10/10 · 16 January 2024]

I'm glad others were moved by this series as much as I was. I've been watching a lot of Jdramas for the past few years and they always have an emotionality and heartwarming humanity that's unique.

I watched this gem 20 years after its' release, but honestly it didn't feel like it's 20 years old. I mean, obviously the haircuts, clothes etc look like they're from 20 years ago, but for me they looked perfectly fine and hip for college graduates because that's what I was back then! And I looked a lot like that and still do lol. Personally I still prefer that style so not only did I not mind it, but it made the series more fun and pleasing to watch too.

I'm pretty sure this show was huge back when it was broadcast in Japan, and rightly so. All the actors are great, the classical music and the sign language elements are very interesting, and the ways disability, friendship, family, and the transition to adult life are portrayed are so well made. And of course the main love story. Nothing cringe or cheesy, just a pure bond that you can't help but root for. The writers and the director did an amazing job in every single element they included, offering us an amazing viewing and emotional experience. Arigato gozaimasu!!

Edit: It's been a couple of weeks since I finished watching this and I miss it!! I can't find anything to replace it, I keep starting different Kdramas and Jdramas and dropping them.

Also, I find my fellow Greek's comment below hilarious and awesome at the same time, because it sounds exactly like me when I first started watching Jdramas!

The series is incredibly emotional! I love it, I love it, I love it!!!

[soneagu · 10/10 · 11 January 2024]

I have watched the series twice... This is not my first J-drama. I liked them all. I would recommend: "The Full Time Wife Escapist", if you are interested in the psychology of characters, as it is impressing, despite it is be pretty strange for our western culture but this one is different. Ko Shibasaki 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, I watched it continuously, from one end to the other; couldn't stop ... I strongly recommend it!

Too long - too boring

[geewhiz46 · 4/10 · 17 March 2024]

This series is about three male student friends - all of them are twenty two years old it seems - but all of them act like feckless teenagers. Kai is in a relationship with an older woman, Mahou - but he is attracted to a deaf girl - Sae. This character evokes no sympathy in my view - she is self absorbed - self pitying - narcissistic - selfish - rude and aggressive to a point where you just can't stand her when she appears. Why me - she keeps whining - I am better than anybody else - so why has this happened to me. She cares only about herself and what she wants - the rest of humanity can go to blazes.

I skipped through many episodes because I simply couldn't stand her. I hated the way Mahou tried to dominate Kai's life - wanting him to get a boring job he had no interest in so as he could support her in the future - he was well rid of her - especially when she slept with one of his friends. I don't understand what the gay references were about in the beginning - the hints that his friend was going to have a relationship with a gay man to obtain a job. I understand it is compulsory now to have gay hints in most every series - but I had hoped that Asian series would resist the trend.

There is nothing out of the ordinary in this series - it has all been done before - and better.

Half a dozen episodes would have sufficed.

An Exceptionally Good Series!

[scarab95 · 25 September 2005]

This is the first J-drama I've seen, and I'm a little reluctant to watch another one for fear it would not measure up to Orange Days. It's that good -- much better than I expected. Spanning eleven episodes altogether, Orange Days plays more like a long movie than a television series. It doesn't have an episodic feel, but rather seems all of a piece, keeping a pretty tight focus on its relatively small cast of characters. It never really feels slight, and each hour grows increasingly stronger and heavier in emotional weight, culminating in an ending that was profoundly moving. I really came to care for these characters.

In a nutshell, the story centers around a group of friends in their last year of college. While trying to determine their soon-to-be-place in the working world, they deal with a myriad of romantic entanglements and trials of friendship. Like a lot in life, nothing runs that smoothly, but the plot never feels forced. The dramatic twists and turns often arise out of good intentions butting heads with ambitions, dreams, and insecurities. These are decent, good people trying to live life the best they can, being true to themselves. There aren't any stock villains here; even when deceptions take place, it is easy to understand and sympathize with the motives that lie underneath.

It's a great cast all-around, but Satoshi Tsumabuki and Kou Shibasaki deserve the lion's share of the credit for the series' success. They hit all the right notes as two students who become friends and find themselves denying deeper feelings as they become attracted to one another. Satoshi has the difficult task of playing a sensitive nice-guy who is also quite strong and confident, never quite falling into the role of a saint or a sap. Much of the story is through his point of view, and I had a strong like and empathy for him all the way. Kou Shibasaki gives an amazing performance as the deaf-mute musician who still dealing with acceptance of her hearing loss. Her frustration and fury are evident in her visceral use of sign language. She's like a force of nature -- you literally can't take your eyes off her, and she evokes an intensity that dominates every scene that she's in.

Also deserving of praise are Hiroki Narimiya and Miho Shiraishi as a player and a plain-Jane (more of a character description -- she's actually really pretty) who antagonize each other while each works up the courage to admit their feelings for one another. They have a good chemistry, and Hiroki portrays a charm and appeal that negates the worst aspects of his promiscuities; he's a likable, decent guy, and you see can see why Miho's character sees a deeper aspect to him.

Maybe my personal favorite performance, though was Manami Konishi, who acts fairly conservative and maternal at the beginning of the series, but after some dramatic developments, turns a little more confident and flirtatious -- she's fun to watch, and steals a few of the scenes she's in.

I wouldn't dream of revealing the ending, but something happens that, out of context would seem incredibly mundane, but with knowledge of the characters and of everything that's gone before, is quite powerful, and resonated with me long afterward. This series is a knockout.