5 Healing Dramas Recommendations

This year the topic “healing dramas” seems to be on trend. “Healing dramas” refer to dramas where the characters have been through a traumatic event or have suffered a painful experience in their lives, therefore being in need of some healing.

Just Between Lovers

One of the main examples we have seen this year so far is Just Between Lovers (though Come and Hug me seems to be getting good reviews as well). In my opinion (and many other MDL’ers since 66% rated it 9-10), this drama is one of the best dramas this year. The story focuses on two characters who were victims of the collapse of a mall when they were young. This experience was very traumatic for both of them aside from the fact that each of them also lost a family member. But when they meet each other they finally find a soul that can understand the pain they have been going through all this time. And due to this fateful meeting they become each others' support and provide a really needed healing.

One of the strongest points of this drama is the OTP, they have outstanding chemistry and their acting is really touching. But speaking about the acting I think this drama was splendidly cast since all the actors did an excellent job developing their characters’ plotlines. Every side story was well made and served a purpose for the overall plotline.

I would advice anyone who hasn’t watched this drama yet to go ahead and watch it but you need to have some tissues in hand.

But even if “healing dramas” are the current trend, there have been many others before. And that’s why I would like to address four dramas previously released that fit into this category. Another thing these dramas have in common with Just Between Lovers is that in all the cases both of the leads are in need of some kind of healing and they receive it through their encounter with each other (and maybe that they will make you want to shed some tears here and there).

Soredemo, ikitte yuku

This drama was released in 2011 and it’s the story of a man named Hiroki whose family was destroyed after his younger sister had been killed when they were young. His mother is psychologically unstable due to that incident and he’s been living surrounded by guilt since he had been the one in charge of his sister before she died. His sister’s killer, Kenji, was his friend and they lived near each other. Things start getting tangled when the younger sister of the murderer, Futaba, crosses paths with him once again. Futaba’s family was also destroyed because of what her brother did. She, her mother and sister had to change their surname and move from their house in order to avoid the city’s backlash.

After meeting each other their interactions keep growing, but things get complicated when Kenji is released from jail and Hiroki’s mom finds out he’s seeing Futaba.

I have to say this drama is pretty gloomy in every sense, there are little rays of light here and there but things keeps getting complicated till the point where you don’t know what to expect anymore. This story could be seen as a star-crossed lovers one and it sure is, but there’s also more to this story since there’s also interactions of the two families. And more over this is the story of forgiveness and how forgiving others can heal one’s soul.

Love That Makes You Cry

First of all I want to clarify that contrary to its title, this love didn’t make me cry, so please don’t expect or fear a tearjerker (drama’s title sometimes can be premonitory e.g. 1 Liter of Tears!).

The main leads of this story are two people who lived in the countryside but end up going to Tokyo in hopes of a better life. Ren works in a Moving Company trying to earn money in order to recover his grandma’s farmland but he can barely make ends meet. Oto lives with an adoptive family who tried to marry her off to an old man in exchange of monetary help. Due to some circumstances, Ren ends up helping Oto escape from her home and brings her to Tokyo. They end up losing contact with each other after arriving to the city and meet several years after.

This story is all about timing and the importance it plays in a love relationship. Both Ren and Oto cross paths on several lapses along the drama and every time they have too much things on their hands that make them grow apart.

Parallel to this, there is also other subplots going on with Ren’s childhood friends and other two important characters. But basically in this drama everyone needs healing since all of the characters have a dark past or a difficult situation going on.

It's Okay, That's love

This drama is heavily focused on several psychological disorders, the female lead is a psychiatrist who has problems with intimacy due to a shocking truth she found out when she was a teenager. The male lead is a famous writer who is suffering from writer’s block therefore decides to change his living atmosphere in order to get new ideas. But he also carries a sad past, since his older brother is in jail charged of killing their father.

Our main leads end up living together in the share house where the female lead lives with two other guys.

The story is very well written as it’s not only a romance story but also has a mystery plotline going on and there are twists that will definitely surprise you and take you off guard. I think this is a very original story with fascinating characters and great performances.              

This has kind of a weird start but if you pass through that you’ll enjoy it very much.

Soratobu Kouhoushitsu

This is a slow burn romance that keeps growing in a very natural way. The main leads are two persons who reached their dreamed job but mid-way due to some circumstances they end up being transferred to other posts. They continue working full of frustrations due to having to let go of their dream. 

Inaba’s dream was to be a news reporter but now works as a reporter of a variety show; she is very straightforward in her opinions and strong minded. 

Sorai’s dream was to be a pilot of a flying squad he saw when he was a child but now works on the PR department of the Air Self-defense Force; he’s a kind and serious man. 

One day Inaba is assigned to make a report coverage on the Self-defense forces therefore ends up working with Sorai. Due to this interaction both of them learned about their broken dreams and how they suffer due to similar frustrations. Together they discover a new side of their new jobs they hadn’t seen before and learn to enjoy what they are doing.

I think this drama is underrated since I rarely see people commenting about it or recommending it. But it has a very appealing story, not only the OTP’s plotline but also the opportunity one has to discover more about Japan’s Self-defense Force which is a topic hardly ever touched in a drama.

So what are your favorite healing dramas?
What’s your opinion on this year’s ones, do you have a favorite one already?