Top 5 Unconventional Japanese Romance Drama

Before I found Korean drama, I survived on Japanese romance drama. Eventually I ran thin and that was when I started exploring for new things, but here are a few shows which have never quite made any of my favourite lists before, but are definitely worth watching.

NOTE: Shows I'm constantly praising like Buzzer Beat are not here, this post is specifically for the shows I haven't mentioned before.

5. Tatta Hitotsu no Koi / Just One Love

This should honestly go higher considering that it's a very well crafted show with good actors and a stable plot, however it's not massively unique and uses storylines I've already seen a thousand times. Tatta Hitotsu no Koi is about Kanzaki Hiroto, a poor man who works at a failing ship-repair factory, and Tsukioka Nao, a rich girl who falls in love with him. You can imagine their love doesn't come without obstacles. Sadly, I don't like the actress who played Nao - I'm still cringing from her character in Hotaru no Hikari - but as usual, Kamenashi Kazuya was fantastic. This is an adorable show to watch if you want something short and sweet.

4. Innocent Love

This show is not for everyone. It's about Kanon, a girl who lost her parents in a fire supposedly started by her older brother, who is treated like a monster by anyone who finds out. Looking for a fresh start, she moves and soon finds Junya, a seemingly cheerful man who treats her kindly. She falls in love with him, but she can never have him, as he is completely devoted to his comatose fiancee. Nevertheless, Kanon only hopes for his happiness. The mystery aspects of this show were the best thing about it - the sudden cuts in the background music, the secret truths of Kanon's past. Maki Horikita was wasted as Kanon, sadly, because she seemed very bland, but overall I enjoyed the show.

3. Orange Days

Okay, everyone should watch this. It's a perfectly imperfect story about growing up and finding your calling, about five friends who attend university together and try to find their own paths. Specifically, this is the story of Yuuki Kai, a man who worries he'll have to spend his life bowing and scraping, and Hagio Sae, a musically-gifted but prickly girl who has to cope with how limited her opportunities are as a deaf person. It's a bittersweet story written by someone infamous for penning beautiful love stories, finished off with a stellar cast and beautifully flawed, realistic characters.

2. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

I love this series, it's so bizarre. The manga and anime are insane, but the drama also has a deeper, emotional side which I like. Nakahara Sunako is a girl who was scarred as a teenager, she hates her appearance and takes solace in the darkness. That is, until her Aunt asks her to move into a house with four beautiful boys whom she has convinced to turn Sunako into a 'lady'. Kyohei, the most beautiful and popular of these boys, takes an immediate disliking to Sunako and shes no different, but theys oon discover that they have a lot more in common than they realise. Kamesnashi Kazuya and Oomasa Aya make a wonderful pairing.

1. Love Shuffle

The best of the best in unconventional romantic drama would be this, Love Shuffle. During a blackout, four neighbours who live on the same floor meet and discuss their love lives, and whether or not you're fated for any one person. This is how they come the unconventional idea of shuffling their partners until each of them are satisfied. Chock-full of hilarious antics and unexpected twists, Love Shuffle shows just what you can do with the romance genre when you put your mind to it. Plus, if you dont like one of the pairings, there are three others!