Just like other countries, Japan also has good high school romance dramas. We are listing down some of the best Japanese high school romance dramas that you should watch in 2022. The best thing is many Japanese series have fewer episodes so you can watch them in one go.
1: Good Morning Call (2016):
This is one of the popular Japanese high school dramas. The story revolves around Nao Yoshikawa who moves into a new apartment. She thinks that she will be alone but to her surprise a boy Hisashi also comes to live in the same apartment. Hisashi is the most popular boy at school. Nao does not want anyone to come to know that she is living with Hisashi.
They both agree that they will not tell anyone about living together. Gradually they fell in love with each other and their secret starts coming out. This is one of the best Japanese high school romance dramas, it has two seasons and 27 episodes in total.
2: Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo (2013):
The story of this Japanese high school drama focuses on the life of Kotoka who has a huge crush on the most popular boy in her school. She is not only rejected by him but also everyone makes fun of her. Katoka has a problem at her house and she moves to her parents’ friends’ house who turn out to be her crush’s parents. Kotoko is bad at studying while her crush Naoki always gets good grades.
Naoki always teases Katoka and hurts her feelings but he is actually in love with her. He helps Katoka in her studies ad eventually they get married. This is a remake of the Chinese drama It Started With a Kiss also made in Korean as Playful Kiss. The drama has 16 episodes. It is one of the most popular and best Japanese high school dramas.
3: Proposal Daisakusen (Operation Love) (2007):
Operation Love is a drama about getting a second chance to get back love. Ken is at his friend Rei’s wedding. He loves her and regrets that he could not confess his feelings at the right moment. He gets a chance from a fairy to go back in time and win Rei back. This is one of the fantasy Japanese dramas and it has drama has 11 episodes.
4: Mairunovich (2021) :
Kinoshita is considered ugly in the school and she also thinks the same. She has no confidence because of this thinking. Kumada is a cute boy who helps her to transform. Kinoshita gains her confidence and gains popularity at school. This Japanese school drama is adapted from manga and has eight episodes.
5: Black Cinderella (2021):
The story is about a girl Kamiya who always wants to enter the school beauty pageant contest. She considers herself ordinary looking and lacks confidence but still it is her dream to win the contest. She gets admission to a well-known school and gets a chance to participate in a beauty contest. Kamiya meets two boys, one is a popular high school student and the other is a mysterious one. This is a must-watch high school Japanese drama and it has eight episodes.
6: Himitsu no Ai-chan (2021):
The story is about a tomboy athlete Ai. She is famous in high school and often receives love letters. She can outshine even the boy team but one guy (Amano )is always ahead of her. She considers him a rival and often finds different ways to be one step ahead of him. Ai starts working in a coffee shop by making a few changes in her appearance. Amano does not recognize her and asks her to go on a date with him. Ai makes a plan to make him fall in love with her and then dump him. This Japanese high school romance drama has 10 episodes.
7: Akuma to Love Song (2021):
The story is focused on the school life of Maria who is transferred from another school. The first impression of Maria is not good as everyone thinks she is blunt. Gradually Maria is successful to make two friends and help them with their problems. After facing many difficulties, especially cold relationships with classmates, Maria finally succeeds in a healthy relationship with them. The drama has eight episodes.
8: Kaguya-sama: Love is War – Mini (2021):
The story revolves around a private school council president and vice president. They both have feelings for each other but never confessed to them because of their pride. In the whole series, they try their best so that the other person confesses first as they think it is an insult to initiate and confess the feeling. This is one of the Japanese high school romance dramas where you will see lots of stubbornness to not accept love. The drama has only five episodes.
9: Switched (2018):
It is the story of two high school students whose bodies are switched after a tragic event. A high student commits suicide and jumps from the building, another student sees her and fell unconscious. They wake up again but in different bodies.
The drama focuses on the depression of high school students involving bullying and study stress. This is one of the Japanese high school dramas that highlight the serious issues of students. It has six episodes.
10: Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish) (2017):
The story revolves around two people who have one-sided love. To end their loneliness and to get their respective love, they start a relationship. They make a contract that this relationship will be temporary until they will get the love of their lives and they will not fall in love with each other. However, with the passage of time, the feelings change. This is one of the best Japanese high school romance dramas. It is one of those Japanese high school dramas available on Netflix and has 12 episodes.
11: Hana Nochi Hare: HanaDan Next Season (2018) :
Boys Over Flowers is one of the popular high school dramas that is adapted and remade in many languages. The thing that is special about this Japanese version narrates the story after F4 has left the school. The school is declining and losing its popularity and many people are trying their best to maintain the school’s dignity. The episode of this Japanese high school drama is eleven.
12: The Queen’s Classroom (2006):
The story is about a strict elementary school teacher who has strict rules and punishes her students if they do not act according to the rules. Every student is worried about their performance and under her control but there is one student Kazumi who stands strong and handles the pressure. It is one of the popular Japanese school dramas. It has 11 episodes. There is a South Korean version of this drama is also available with the same title.
13: My Boss, My Hero (2006):
This is one of the interesting Japanese high school dramas where a man is sent to high school to get grades if he wants to become a leader of a gang. Makio wants to become the leader of a gang after his father but his father thinks he still lacks many things and asks him to attend high school. He put forth a clause that if he will perform well in the school he will get the leadership, otherwise, his brother will become the leader in his place. The drama has 10 episodes.
14: Life (2007):
The story of this Japanese school drama is about friendship, relationship problems and bullying. The story is about Ayumu who pass in her entrance exams with the help of her friend but her friend failed. Her friend blames Ayumu for her failure and their friendship is ended. Ayumu succeeds in making new friends at high school but her life becomes miserable when one of the rich girls at school suspects that she is stealing her boyfriend. A chain of bullying starts against Ayumu and there is no one who can take a stand for her. The drama has 11 episodes.
15: Chugakusei Nikki (Meet Me after School) (2018):
This is one of the Japanese high school romance dramas where a student of 15 years fell in love with his teacher. Akira is a high school student who fell in love with his teacher Hijiri. Akira knows that this love is not possible as there is not only a huge age gap but Hiiri also has a long-distance relationship with his boyfriend. Moreover, teacher-student romantic relationship is not accepted by society. The drama portrays the relationship struggle that continues for seven years. This Jdrama has 11 episodes.
16: 3 Nen A Gumi: Ima kara Mina San wa, Hito Jichi Desu (All of You are Hostages)(2019):
The story revolves around a high school teacher who one day makes an announcement that all students in his class are hostage. The student thinks this is some joke but soon they realize that the teacher is serious. There is no escape and they all have to stay. Gradually, they start talking about the reason behind the teacher’s actions.
One female student realizes that this action of the teacher is linked to a student who committed suicide. With time, the real motive that the teacher had chosen this particular school reveals. This is one of the Japanese school dramas that highlight important issues. This is one of the Japanese high school dramas available on Netflix and has ten episodes.
17: 1 Litre no Namida (A Diary With Tears) (2005):
This is one of the Japanese high school dramas which is based on a true story. It is about a girl who was suffering from a degenerative disease and died at the age of 25. The story narrates the life of Aya who is living a happy ordinary life until a deadly disease is discovered that will soon make her no less than a dead body. This is one of the sad Japanese school dramas. The drama has 11 episodes.
