Orenji deizu

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.