Orange Days: Drama Review

Title(s): Orange Days / オレンジデイズ
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 11
Broadcast Network: TBS
Aired: Apr. 11, 2004 – June 20, 2004
Cast: Tsumabaki Satoshi, Shibasaki Kou, Narimiya Hiroki, Shiraishi Miho, Eita

Description: Kai Yuuki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is in his senior year at university studying social welfare psychology. At present, he is in the middle of job-hunting season and he is finding it difficult with no job offers so far. One day, he meets a girl who is playing violin on the campus. She is Sae Hagio (Kou Shibasaki). In marked contrast to her beautiful tone and attractive looks, her personality is somewhat impertinent, and to top it off, she communicates through very vulgar sign language. Four years ago, she lost the most important thing for a violinist – her hearing. As a result, Sae closed off her inner self from the outside world. Somehow, Kai finds himself on a date with Sae, in place of his best friend (Eita) and unexpectedly, he comes into contact with Sae’s private side. Love, job-hunting, friendship. Setting a campus in spring as a drama’s backdrop, it’s the start of a glittering youth drama. – TBS

Cast signing to Orange Range‘s Shanghai Honey

Mr. Children — Sign

Let me get this off my chest now, Orange Days is one of my favorite dramas! It’s one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. I don’t remember the details of why I started watching this; I believe it was because all of the approving reviews from people online. I was hesitant on watching this because it was made in the early 2000’s and I thought it would have endless amounts of clichés, terrible acting, and a dull storyline. My judgment was proven wrong.

This drama is so compelling, from the plot, to the music and the outstanding cast. Orange Days proves that in order to have an outstanding and brilliant show, actors don’t just have to read the script but express it with body language. The sign language corresponding to the body language really grasped me because the cast presented their characters emotions wonderfully and it was powerful. The whole cast delivery was moving and vivid, especially since their characters are diverse from one another and have their own individuality through their strengths and flaws. I felt connected with the characters because they came alive.

Shibasaki Kou (Hagio Sae) amazed me in this because she never spoke and was using sign language throughout the whole entire series. I was speechless, and after this drama I became an instant fan of hers. Yeah, she impressed me that much. Also, my liking for Tsumabuki Satoshi (Yuki Kai) grew more after I watched his performances. Though, I haven’t seen him in anything else aside from Dororo, and if you happen to have a recommendation with him in it, please do tell me! The chemistry that Kou and Satoshi had together was great, it wasn’t “let’s-get-together-right-away” or “it’s-a-complicated” situation. It was a step by step progress; they liked each other and took it slow until they got to the point where they felt comfortable in being in a relationship. It’s so hard to describe the process they went through, but I loved the way it happened! It was simple and sweet.

The story told about these university students is beautiful, poignant, and honest. I liked that I couldn’t predict what would happen next, it was a mystery. I love that in shows because that’s what keeps me interested and keeps me as a regular viewer. The show touches on obstacles deaf-mutes and college students have to face and it wasn’t overused, exaggerated, or repetitive. The drama doesn’t focus on just one subject to uncover and resolve throughout the show, it focuses on many. After watching this, I became more aware of the struggles young people have to face throughout this period in their life. I also became more aware of the struggles and fears deaf-mutes have to deal with, but with support and contribute of their own effort anything is possible. I absolutely loved that everyone wasn’t partaking in the same conflict; the characters had his or her own problem. Every now and then, it would involve the other members of the Orange Society (Sae, Kai, Aida Shohei (Narimiya Hiroki), Yashima Keita (Eita), and Ozawa Akane (Shiraishi Miho) refer their group of four in the drama). There are a lot of people that did not like the ending because it wasn’t as strong as they wanted, but I was more than satisfied and felt it was a powerful ending.

OVERALL: Even if the summary may be a turnoff for some, Orange Days is a very distinct drama and you’ll get intertwined in its beautiful and bittersweet tale. The drama touches on romance, friendships, self-acceptance, life after college, and other topics young adults face today in our world. The drama isn’t too serious; it has sparks of humor as well. The characters are brilliant, endearing, and make this drama come to life. Now if you are not a fan of romance or youth drama, this probably isn’t your cup of tea, but I still feel you should give it watch a try, watch an episode or two. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t. I know where I stand and I highly recommend this drama. If you like romance, youth dramas, or any of the actors from the cast, give it a shot!

RATING:

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• Are you curious about this drama? Episodes 1 – 5 can be found in HD on YouTube. All episodes are on DramaCrazy. Type in the title on both sites to find episodes.

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