Orange Days (2004)

Both feature sign language in the drama

Both are coming of age stories where the main characters discover things about themselves and the world around them

Both set in school

It remind me of this drama with similar story line of group of adults who got friends opposite sex & they all try overcome obstacles & hardship in their friendship. Starring famous Japanese actor & actresses.

If your watching pride you have to watch orange days! It one of those series that a part of the classics. These are those feel good drama that fun to watch and see the character development!

Both heartwarming + realistic feel,
and both about a group of friends and romance,
and conversations about realistic problems

BeMelodramatic about working friends in 30s and OrangeDays about mid twenties college seniours about to trasnfer to the working world.

Both are university slice of life doramas with a bit of romance, led by a female character with an unusual characteristic--deafness in one, age in the other.

I found Second Aoharu to be more light-hearted witha tighter ensemble. Orange Days is more melodramatic. This also reflects the acting styles of the leads. Shibasaki Kou is more darkly dramatic while Hirose Alice is more positive and exuberant. But both present a snapshot of normal experiences and worries in a university setting.

The heroines have a hearing disability. One's a college student; which focuses on school life, while the other is a working adult. They struggle on handling things on their own. They suffer backlashes just from trying to be 'normal'. An encounter happens, and romance ensues.