Fan reviews: Orange Days

iluvasiandrama · 31 Mar 2011

I watched this one maybe 3 times back when I first started watching Jdrama. Then I watched other dramas and found that there were some better but this one was still good.

Spider · 29 Mar 2011

I thought I'd never ever give another 10 for another JDorama as I've been watching a few that never quite make the 10 mark. Well, that just ended now as Orange Days is a powerhouse 10 out of 10 drama! So much is happening in this series and it had some of the best romantic dialogue I've heard in a long time! I was a bit of a fan of Shibasaki Kou after seeing her in Battle Royale and Galileo, but I'm a huge fan of hers now! She did an amazing job playing a deaf woman, and she played it with such passion and believability that if she didn't win for best actress for this role as Hagio Sae, she should have! I usually buy JDorama's on DVD, but this one wasn't available with the english subs - so I watched it online. I have to say the quality of the subs available online are way better than what you get when you buy the dvd at the asian market. Those ones usually get translated from Japanese to Chinese than to english, so the subs are not as good. This one watching online the subs with right on so the dialogue was just great which made for a great drama! Highly recommended Orange Days.... one of the all time great JDorama's in my opinion!

ester_grace · 23 Dec 2010

I was enjoying the story about friendship and love, enjoying the characters and of course the SIGN LANGUAGE.

ester_grace · 23 Dec 2010

I was enjoying the story about friendship and love, enjoying the characters and of course the SIGN LANGUAGE.

favug · 24 May 2010

The first orange thing cough my eye - right in EP1 when Kai picks the orange out of the tree.
Nicely shot and with strong story behind.
The actors look like beginners, but that soon changes as the tale unfolds.
From my POV this drama is underrated, but yet there aren't many votes there.
Very good drama and worth your while.

arleneong912 · 16 Oct 2009

Orange days makes me wish that my college days were like that, full of friendship and love, For college students out there this is the SERIES for you. Definitely worth watching...

jdoramadotcom · 20 Jun 2009

A fine cast and engaging characters doesn't disguise the fact that the drama 100% convincing - though the everyone is uncommonly good-looking (like throwaways Ueno and Monishi). The drama's attitude toward music is frankly naive, or even realistic.

weetzie_bat · 20 Apr 2009

satoshi can't do anything wrong in my book. and kou has also played the sassy girl with a big personality like no other but even as deaf and mute, she somehow got even a bigger personality. that's says a lot! i loved that friendship again is an important factor. enjoyed the look of college life. juri with a supporting role capped this for me. she's always fun to watch, even in a small role like this one, she makes it shine. eita and hiroki are amazing as well. but of course! truly, truly recommend this one!

powgo · 16 Mar 2009

I'm embarrassed to say but I even took a sign language course (partially) because of this drama. Warning: this drama can affect your daily life. In a good way in my case. I highly recommend this drama to everyone. This drama definitely was the most influental drama I have seen. The cast includes good and well-known actors/actresses. Shibasaki acted well as Sae despite the role being a bit challenging.. Tsumabuki did also nice acting.

popdod · 25 Jul 2008

One of the best dorama based on physically disabled. The flow of the story is quite ok from episode 1 to the last. Neither too dull nor too slow. Just right! It also shows the perspective of a deaf person how she interpret her world in silence, love life and her attitude towards music, as well as her difficulties of making friends, studying and working. Definitely must watch it.

Mint · 19 Jun 2008

Orange Days seems to be riding along a formulaic plot, especially when writer Eriko Kitagawa appears to conjure this drama from a concoction of her previous known works, albeit her previous big hits. There are settings and situations in Orange Days that may seem too familiar and resemble the plots of Kitagawa's other dramas, that one can't help but think that perhaps this drama is a laconic summarization of Kitagawa's works to a newer audience. Or perhaps, Kitagawa has run out of fresh, enthralling ideas.

However, don't get me wrong as I did enjoy Orange Days. It does have its moments and the acting is commendable. Tsumabuki Satoshi is really good, giving an ingenuous performance that brings Kai alive. Narimiya Hiroki, Eita and Shiraishi Miho also excel. As for Kou Shibasaki...I find her character, Sae, excruciatingly exasperating from start to finish. Although I like Kou, her spoilt character is frustrating with meagre redeeming qualities. Sometimes I cheer when Kai yells at her. Kou's sign language is good but she frowns way too much.

What I like about this drama, is not the primal love story, but the strong friendships and life depicted in general. These are portrayed very well, giving this drama warmth and a heart. The characters are not stereotyped and we grow with them as the story progresses.

I just wish that Kitagawa had come up with something more original than recreating the run-of-the-mills plot with lines and scenes that have all been done before. For me, that's this drama's main demerit. Not the best I've seen, but worth checking out.

phlargo · 3 May 2008

I wanted to give it a 10.

I absolutely loved it. It was great. It was fun. It was sweet. All the goodies. The opening music is very simple but every time the opening credits came on, I was happy to see them - the song is simple and catchy and just feels right.

Kai is brilliantly acted, even if the character is a little compartmentalized. He may have belted out one of the most impressive performances I've seen in a Jdrama. Sae's challenges and personality are amazingly handled, if a little over the top at times. She has that bifurcated personality that can make her unbelievably sweet and endearing but at the flip of a coin, an unreasonable and confused child. Akane is actually a very strong role as well. She grows a lot (perhaps a little too introspective) through the series and is suprisingly strong. Shohei was a little underdeveloped (a lot of potential for him), as was Keita. Miho was a treat as the ambitious helper who could never quite get it right.

However, it was not without its flaws: The plot is quite cyclical and never very deep. The ending is hasty and curt and somewhat cliche. How often can they throw the same scenario at us and expect us to be excited by it (return of the ex...)

I think it suffers from imbalance on the main characters relative influence on the relationship, putting almost all of the weight on poor Kai. Sae is portrayed as overly weak and doesn't get sufficient opportunity for redemption - her power play at the end is passive and almost codependant. Kai brushes it off with the same skill and charm that makes him almost too invulnerable.

The final shot is so unbelievably cathartic it breathes spectacular richness into the entire experience, even if entirely predictable. I've never had a single shot make me cry every time I watch it - so much vunerability and trust. (writing that made me choke up).

afiqwitri · 19 Sep 2007

Great casters~!....
good chemistry among the casters....
each of them played an important role to make this dorama alive since its was located in the university environment where students has to depends on themselves and think about their future...
including handicapped people!...
Good ending....
Great song too~!!!!

ninjavsself · 30 May 2007

At first I was worried that it was going to be some dumb dorama about a girl with a disability but it was so much more. It captures how it feels to be a particular age and be in love. It's just fantastic and highly recommended.

monta · 22 Mar 2007

This dorama reminds me of Tentai Kanzoku , but with less serious and less mature but more touchy problems. and it actually reminded me a little of Jose the Tiger and the Fish hehe , but Sae isn't nuts. A very beautiful dorama indeed, i enjoyed it very very much. the introduction was amusing yet the plot was very original. I also love the character development. I guess i love everything from it. Well some parts made me go ... becoz of all the sign language, but what surprisingly those parts were only a few eventhough it had so many sign language conversations.

The script is what i like best from it. I can't imagine how they came up with such script. The progress was excellent too. And again, i must say i don't regret voting for Tsumabuki Satoshi. Young but talanted. I just loove all the casts. And it became more addicting after episode 7 where more problems show up, closer to the climax. Beautifully pictured and nice songs too. Still, i think a few parts went a little too slow. and Ueno Juri's (she really looked like Utada Hikaru when she was young) part was so small.

overall, a very very memorable series! and it definitely has one of the best endings ever!

Limes · 10 Mar 2007

One of the dramas I will remember for a very long time. A fantastic drama about the transition stage between being a student and going out into the working world, about friendship, love, disabilities, dreams and hope. Not a big fan of Shibasaki, but I was very impressed with her portrayal of the deaf Sae.

l3in8 · 9 Mar 2007

oh well, I just recently watched this drama!! It was showing in 2004 and now is 2007 !!! ( lame)

Luckily I get to watch this!!
The best drama ever..!!!
The leads are good in acting, especially the male lead!!
Thumbs up for him...!!!!!

shari · 21 Dec 2006

An intelligent story about friendship and love from the writer of Long Vacation. Shibasaki Kou gives an impressive performance (without saying a word). Co-star Tsumabuki has trouble expressing emotions with his face. In dramatic moments, he just stares stupidly.

kobashi · 13 Dec 2006

Just finished watching this drama and it is one of the best I have seen. A right balance of romance, drama, comedy and friendship. I especially can relate to the characters' dilemmas about choosing their future careers and stuff. Tsumabuki and Shibasaki both did wonderful job. Must watch!

jankuangel · 10 Nov 2006

This drama was SO touching.
The cast was GREAT & story was too
It will make you laugh, cry, and smile :)