Japanese Romantic Dramas That You Should Not Miss

You’re doing yourself a great disservice if you aren’t keeping up with the world of Japanese romantic dramas!

While most people tend to equate Japanese movies and shows with anime, the fact is that there’s so much more to them than most people know about. Thinking sweeping romantic sagas that pack a potent mix of drama, longing, breakdowns and everything that we’ve come to associate with a good love story. Plus they’re slow burns, building tension slowly but steadily, making you long for more, quite like the characters. Isn’t that what we’d all like to enjoy, sitting comfortably in bed, sipping on hot cocoa? Add some rain to the mix and you’ve got for yourself the perfect binge-watching experience!

Essentially, if you’re a lover of romantic dramas, you need to start watching the ones being made in Japan. And if you’re a fan of K-Dramas or usually watch Chinese movies and shows instead, these Japanese dramas might just be totally worth your time. Or if you’re a fan of all things love and longing in general, you’re totally going to dig the list we’ve curated.

Best Japanese Romantic Dramas

PS: This isn’t a definitive list but one that we’ve put together basis what we’ve enjoyed. But yes, all these titles certainly have that signature Japanese film industry magic. So go on, binge your heart out!

First Love (2022)

As the title suggests, this series is the story of one couple’s first love spanning across multiple decades. It’s inspired by Hikaru Utada’s iconic love ballads, so you can be sure it has captured the same poignant passion with the two characters, as they traverse through life and its myriad twists and turns.

From Me To You (2023)

A live-action adaptation of the popular Manga Kimi ne Todoke, From Me To You centres a young girl who’s long been bullied and ignored thanks to her long, black hair and a reserved demeanour. She’s teasingly called ‘Ghost’ and no one talks to her, until of course she catches the fancy of the popular boy in her class, and there begins a love story for the ages.

Cursed In Love (2020)

It’s not every day that you come across a show about a young woman falling for a man who’s been accused of murdering her father, but here we are. Cursed In Love does indeed have that plot and it’s got all the drama to keep you hooked onto it!

Let’s Get Divorced (2023)

While couples are usually trying their level best to get together, Let’s Get Divorced features a couple desperately trying to get divorced instead. Except that everyone else around them, and their own circumstances, just won’t let them. Or maybe it’s a ploy to somehow make them rethink it all? Watch it and find out for yourself!

Eye Love You (2024)

That cleverly written title isn’t the only good thing about the series, mind you! The show’s lead protagonist is a young girl with the unique gift of being able to read people’s minds by making eye contact with them. But how will it help her when she falls in love with an exchange student? That’s the premise of this cross-cultural love story!

Netflix

Beyond Goodbye (2024)

We’d like to think that this series is quite close to those Bollywood melodramas we’ve all grown up watching and loving. A heart transplant leads to a young man experiencing a unique inclination towards the fiancé of the man whose heart he now has. If that doesn’t set your hit tingling with emotion, we don’t know what else will!

Love Deeply (2021)

Think of it like that classic tale of two individuals from vastly different backgrounds who fight against all odds to come together. There’s a lot that separates them but is their love strong and deep enough to overcome all those differences? What further complicates the dynamic is a hidden secret that one of them is holding close.

Modern Love Tokyo (2022)

Just like the original US series and its subsequent adaptations across different cities, Modern Love Tokyo is an anthology series with multiple short stories, all set in Japan’s capital city. These stories don’t just capture the various moods of love and longing but also use Tokyo as a key protagonist in weaving all of them together.

My Husband Won’t Fit (2019)

This series goes where few have ever ventured and for that reason alone, you should be tuning in. The title itself is quite a giver – the show centres around a young couple’s intimacy issues as they’re unable to consummate their marriage despite being in love. Physical compatibility between a couple has rarely been addressed with this amount of empathy.