Orange Days

Cast:

Kai Yuuki - Satoshi Tsumabuki
Sae Hagio - Kou Shibasaki
Maho Takagi - Manami Konishi
Shohei Aida - Hiroki Narimiya
Akane Ozawa - Miho Shiraishi
Keita Yashima - Eita



Sooo orange!

When I bought this drama, the lady told me that this is very interesting because it’s about stealing oranges. But she was proved wrong. Sure, there was the involvement of the actual fruit but it was more than picking oranges from someone else’s yard.

Orange Days is about the college days of 5 people coming in with different life stories and different group of friends. The main characters Yuuki Kai (played by Tsumabuki Satoshi) and Hagio Sae (played by Shibasaki Kou) first met when Sae was playing the violin and Kai just happened to pass by after plucking an orange. He was amazed at how she played and ended up handing the orange to Sae because he could not give anything else when she gestured to ask for alms.




Sae is deaf. But she can play the violin and piano very well. Kai, on the other, is a Social Psychology major who has an older girlfriend and is pressured by her maturity. So he is constantly looking for a job that would make her happy. At the turn of events, Kai and Sae started to see each other often. And that made Kai very much interested in the kick ass attitude of Sae despite her misfortune.


Having their first orange camping

Obviously they dated in the middle of the story. But one thing that really did amaze me in the drama is on this focus on Sae’s disability. It may sound funny but she is the living proof that God is fair. Many times in the drama, there were God-involved lines when Sae kept asking why it has to be her. She even selfishly claimed that there are a lot of people who does not care about school, who does not care about music, now why does it have to be her? In contrast, Aida Shohei (played by Gokusen’s Narimiya Hiroki) who felt frustrated after overhearing his boss that he has no talent in photography. He envied Sae because despite her deafness, she knows what she wants in life and she knows what she can do. His girlfriend, Ozawa Akane (Shiraishi Miho) answered in defense of her friend that he has no idea of what Sae had been through. Going back to Sae’s why question, Kai beautifully answered it with the old-aged lecture, “God does not give us something that we cannot overcome”.




Okay, enough of the spiritual and biblical matter.

One major lesson that I have gained from the drama is how hope is reflected on each character. I also learned that comparing your life with another person is futile. You have to work with what you have. Self-pity is the most pitiful act one can do. And there’s definitely no point in waiting for someone else to show pity at you.

Tsumabaki as Kai and Shibasaki as Sae

Tsumabuki Satoshi did a great acting job in the drama. After his Waterboys days, he has continued to progress when it comes to his skill. His character as Kai is commendable. On the other, I’m not so much of a fan of Kou (acting and singing wise) but compared to her evil acts in Battle Royale and her catatonic stint in Good Luck, she handled her role very well in this drama. And for all the cast, they did a good job in making the Japanese Sign Language smooth to watch.


The Orange Society

Just a spoiler: Orange is the thing here so expect all the oranges. They have the fruit; they have their orange emails and even an Orange notebook. And mind you, they did a good job in singing along with Orange Range with the catchy song
“Shanghai Honey”.


The unspoken love: Kai and Sae