If You Read These Books…Try These J-Dramas: Romance Edition
Hello Everyone! As you know, I’m a big fan of Japanese dramas and Romance novels. Since I did a post about K-Dramas, today I’ll be shifting my focus to J-Dramas. Today I’ll be recommending Romance novels that can be paired up with Japanese Dramas and vice versa.
Each book or show centers around a romance or has romance included in the story line. I hope you all enjoy these personal picks and come away with some new books and TV shows to watch!
Get Lucky is a very steamy romantic comedy about a romance author and a divorce lawyer who accidentally get hitched. Because they forget the memories of the night before they’re led on a wild goose chase to figure how they came to be married. It’s a humorous opposites attract tale where wacky things happen throughout the story.
Shotgun Love, is about Chiyo, a department store clerk, whose first encounter with Ryunosuke a carefree bachelor friend of her sister’s, leads to a pregnancy. Although of different worlds, they fall in love and learn to accept each other as partner. The romance in this drama is slow moving, but it felt very realistic. The writers give the characters time to develop into their feelings and grow up.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Shotgun Marriage, Opposites Attract
In Dear Dwayne, With Love there is the obvious romance between the trainer, Marcus, and Dani (the main character) the novel has a stronger focus on self-love. When readers meet Dani she is unhappy with multiple aspects of her life and feels unloved. Over the course of the story we see her transformation in a healthier (body and mind) version of herself while also seeking her own potential.
In The Wallflower, the show seems superficial, but it’s actually a positive story about beauty being skin deep. Sunako is a quirky and weird girl who has strange hobbies. At first she starts off in the story as super standoffish, but we learn that underneath all those layers that she’s a very kind-hearted person. It was so entertaining to read Sunako’s interactions with the boys and how they all become good friends.
Why You Should Read/Watch: Journey of Self-love/Body Positive, Lots of Humor
In He’s Not my Boyfriend, Lau takes the “one-night stand” trope with Iris and Alex who share an amazing night and then try to forget about each other. Of course, the two end up working together in twist of fate. Iris is a super headstrong heroine and her traits made her an admirable character. This was an entertaining story from start to finish. I adored the characters and I think that’s what makes this story so good.
Ohitorisama follows 33 year old high school teacher Akiyama Satomi who has earned the nickname “Historian” for being a highly successful and independent woman. She ends up having to help mentor a newbie teacher and that’s where the romance aspect comes in. Unlike Lau’s novel this one has a bit of an age gap romance. It was nice to see the two leads pulled out of their comfort zones by spending time with each other.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Independent Women, Sweet Love Story
With Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, this series stands out among other vampire books with its new take on vampires (you’ll understand once you read it). The book is full of laughs provided by the cast of characters and various situations that happen. I also love the sassiness of our main protagonist, Milagro, which makes her a very likable character.
Vampire Host is a comical story about what happens when a regular high school girl meets a vampire who works in a vampire themed host club! It’s a goofy vampire themed show that is very cheesy. It’s pure fun and it’s not to be taken too seriously. Each episode takes on a different supernatural occurrence and the romance aspect is very cute.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Sassy Vampires
In Love Will Always Remember, Leighton, is a successful lobbyist with a drive for her work and career. She is about to get married, but is more interested in her fiance’s twin brother Jonathan, a laid back cook who has a restaurant business and a passion for life.This book followed the typical “amnesia trope” found in many romance books but I enjoyed it even though it was predictable at times.
In Love Rerun, the main character Sayaka loses memory three months and has to rework through her past. It’s a story about falling in love and self-love. We see through various flashbacks how Sayaka has struggled with self-confidence all her life and how she gradually shifts into a more forward person who is passionate about her career and finding what she wants in life.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Self-Discovery Journey
Chobits is a manga classic! The series tells the story of Hideki Motosuwa, who finds an abandoned persocom, with anthro-human form, which he names “Chi” after the only word it initially can speak. As the series progresses, they explore the mysteries of Chi’s origin together and questions about the relationship between human beings and computers. It’s such a cute story!
In Absolute Boyfriend, the writer takes the concept of robots and turns it into a sexy AI. The main character is unlucky in love, but with Night she strikes gold. It’s starts out funny at first as Night can’t get the gist of “being human”, but as he and Riiko grow closer to one another their relationship becomes quite endearing.
Why you Should Read/Watch: Sci-Fi Vibes, Robots
Have you watched any of these Japanese Dramas or read any of these books? What pairings would you recommend? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
