Orange Days

Orange days has got to be my favorite of the 40+ Japanese Dramas that I have had a chance to watch. The story surrounds a group of friends that have dubbed them selves the Orange Society at a Japanese University. This is a great story of friendship and love and of becoming and adult.

Orange Society Members
Kai (Satoshi Tsumabuki of Slow Dance, Recently of Dororo and for a famous 15 second cameo in Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) is about to graduate from college. He is dating his long time girlfriend Maho (who is a little older then him) and they can't wait for him to get a job as a Salaryman so they can begin their lives together. His two friends Keita and Shohei are also trying to decide what they want to do. He has a brief chance meeting with Sae and ends up being asked by Maho to help Sae adjust to college life since he knows sign language that he was required to take for degree. He later falls in love with her.

Keita (Eita of Nodame Cantible and Tokyo Friends) wants to get a job that will allow him to stay in Tokyo but might have to return home to run his families business. Keita is an aspiring writer and a romantic at heart who is also looking for love.

Shohei (Narimiya Hirokio of Nana and Stand Up!) is a student and also an apprentice photographer. Shohei presents an image of a fashionable and cool playboy but in reality is a poor struggling student caring for his little sister. In the beginning he has a relationship with a model that he works with. He eventually begins to like Akane. He doesn't know how to approach Akane because she is a nice girl and very different from his other girlfriends.

Sae (Kou Shibasaki a J-Pop Artist as well as actress. She is known for her roles in Battle Royale, Crying out from the Center of the World - movie) has been deaf for four years after developing a hearing impairment. She has become somewhat withdrawn and is a bitter woman. Before becoming deaf she was a violinist and piano protégé who studied at Julliard. She was pretty and popular and enjoyed people. Although sweet at times, she is a vocal and stubborn person. She often states her ideas whether they are rude or not. She is sensitive about her disability that makes her different from everyone else. She also is bitter because she is unable to do the one thing that she feels passionate about.

Akane (Shiraishi Miho recently of Hanayome to papa) is Sae's friend. She is a sweet person and a loyal friend. When Sae became deaf she learned sign language so they could still be friends. She understands Sae's pride and feelings and helps Sae and Kai to understand each other. She likes Shohei and sees past his playboy persona.

Story Summary: Contains Spoilers
Kai meets Sae one day by accident she is playing such beautiful music on her violin that he doesn't realize that she can't hear. By coincidence, Kai's friend, Keita gets a date with Sae but changes his mind when he finds out she is deaf. He decides to send Kai as a stand in because he can communicate with her using sign language. Sae has a very strong personality and is initially very rude and abrupt but they eventually end up having a good time. Kai feels guilty since he enjoyed his time with Sae since he has a girlfriend. In another coincidence Kai's girlfriend suggests that Kai help Sae communicate with others since they seem to get along a reluctant Kai agrees.

Sae introduces her friend, Akane to Kai and his friends. Keita falls in love at first sight and wants to get to know Akane. He decides to make their newly formed group official by calling them selves the “Orange Society” because this is their Orange Days of Youth.

The Orange Society spends a lot of time in the campus lounge hanging out and thinking about their future. Kai get to know Sae well and helps her adjust to college life and deal with her anger and embarrassment of being deaf. This closeness makes Kai's girlfriend unhappy. When Kai also decides to change his program of study and delaying his graduation they break up.

Akane always seems to end up catching Shohei during his dates with his model girlfriend. Shohei tries to get her attention by teasing her but Akane always and says something smart that startles him then walks away.

The Orange Society decide to go camping and spend time playing like children and the two almost couples Sae/Kai and Shohei/ Akane get to know each other better.

When they return to school their futures become more pressing. Sae decides to pursue her musical passion by getting a job as a pianist in a hotel, where she meets an old colleague who she begins to date. When she finds out he is deceiving her they break up and she realizes that she and Kai should be the ones to date. When Sae and Kai have a fight about being disabled, Akane and Shohei scheme to get them back together by sending them on a trip to the beach by themselves. Their time at the beach cements their relationship.

When Keita's dad gets sick he decides that after graduation he will return to his home town which seems to foreshadow the breaking up of the Orange Society. Shohei soon leaves to follow his mentor on a photography shoot through several countries, which saddens Akane. As Sae's hearing worsens her mother (a professional pianist) is offered a position abroad by a family friend. When Sae sees Kai and his ex-girlfriend together and decides to leave Japan and Kai without warning.

Just before graduation everyone returns to the school. Akane is upset because Shohei has not written as he promised, he apologizes by showing the pictures he has taken and telling her his true feelings. The boys convince Kai he should also go abroad and find Sae and get her back but then they find out she is engaged. When Sae finally sees Kai again, she finds out that she miss-understood Kai's meeting with his ex-girlfriend. Sae's fiancé helps Sae to realize she is still in love with Kai and they decide to cancel the wedding. Sae decides to stay in Japan to become more independent. Kai and Sae get back together.

Reviewer's Thoughts:

I loved this show and I have watched it many times. Although I am not a recent college graduate it is still easy to identify with these characters. In general all 5 main characters have some type of dialogue that reflects their uncertainness of their future, their wonderings if their choices were correct and the things that typically impact ones decision-making processes.

The characters are facing an important turning point in their lives. They need to decide what kind of life they want to live and are a little scared to make such an important decision. Their “Orange Society” friendship is very supportive and comforting to each of it's members. Kai is especially helpful for Sae to cope with her hearing loss. In her frustration she throws tantrums, becomes upset, and drowns herself in pity. Each time she does that Kai is there to calmly encourage her, advise her how to navigate her difficulties. It is through their discussions that you see the self-doubt and timid-ness that all 20 something experience. Sae's character was very complex because she was so insecure with her relationships and her feelings of inadequacies, which led to be abrasive.

Some of the most touching parts were the scenes where Kai would scold Sae for being impolite. I also enjoyed watching Shohei and
Akane's relationship develop. In the beginning you can see that Shohei wasn't a bad kind of guy but you get a sense that he felt that was what he needed to do be successful and take care of his sister. Akane character was a girl next-door kind of personality. I was impressed with her quiet strength. I consider this a must see of Japanese Dramas.