Koibitotachi no Furudokei (2026)

Literally a hidden gem

Japanese vertical drama distributers need better PR/Marketing departments because I'm convinced the only reason I found this was because I'm a freak that crawls the internet looking for all the interesting projects my oshis have been in. I was shocked to discover that several of the vertical drama apps are downloadable internationally, have proper English subtitles, and are fairly generous with their free offerings - if you've been into Japanese content for awhile, you KNOW how rare that is. The FOD Shorts app where this drama is available also has the best catalog from the ones I've sampled so far and isn't full of the brainrot slop that's generally associated with vertical dramas.

This was the first vertical drama I've ever completed, and maybe it set the bar too high, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality, from the cinematography to the performances. Of course, given the format, the story and characters weren't super deep or complex, which kept me from rating it higher, but I think keeping things simple worked to its benefit. The relationship between the main couple, Ryo and Natsu, was built up nicely with all its ups and downs and was very believable thanks to the great chemistry between Higuchi Kouhei and Kyoka. I almost wish we could've seen this pair in a full drama with wider distribution (or maybe a movie?), but I also think part of the reason it was so effective was because the short clip format of vertical dramas allows them to cut the fat and not linger long enough for the audience to be bored or start to see the shortcomings. I also think because my expectation of vertical dramas was so low coming into it, this having decent production value with "reputable" actors gave me a more favorable impression overall. Still, highly recommend for people looking for a well-made, realistic love story with the bonus of seeing Higuchi Kouhei's face <3

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