Noona Romances Second Edition

by DramaNoona, September 3, 2016

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This time I’ll be focusing on my top three Japanese dramas that focus on the "Noona Romance" trope. To me a "Noona Romance" is any younger man wooing an older woman. If the younger man has been like a little brother to the Noona, that earns extra points in my book! However, that doesn’t have to be the case. Any younger man earnestly seeking his Noona’s love fits the bill. When I watch a "Noona Romance" I have a few criteria that I judge the show with. I’ve an entire page on my blog dedicated to this trope, so if you have "Noona Romances" I should add to the Noona Meter please tell me!

As with my venture into my top three Korean Noona Romances, I’ll share the categories that I use to determine the epicness of the Noona Love.

1) Forbidden Love: How much emphasis is placed on the relationship being taboo?

2) Puppy Love: The younger man is head over heels in love with his Noona and isn’t afraid to show it.

3) Noona’s Resistance: Despite falling for the younger man, how strongly does the Noona oppose the relationship?

4) The Relationship Itself: When they do they finally get together and how is the chemistry? How lovey-dovey are they?

5) Importance of the Age Gap: How important is the age difference to the story? What obstacles does this place on their relationship?

6) Consistently Strong Noona: This is perhaps the most important one to me. As this trope places the power of the relationship in the Noona’s hands in my opinion, the Noona must be a strong and confident woman.

I’d love to hear what criteria you guys use when rating Noona Romances!

I haven’t watched as many Japanese dramas as Korean dramas and fewer Japanese Noona Romances as well. I know there are lots of them, so if you have one that you absolutely loved please let me know! I am always up for Noona Romance suggestions!

Number One: Last Cinderella

Country: Japan, Year: 2013, Genre: Comedy, Romance

Our heroine is Sakura, a 39 year old hair dresser and the assistant manager of the salon itself. All of her clients love her and she enjoys what she does. However, she’s a bit clumsy and tomboyish and despite being able to make her clients beautiful she doesn’t concentrate on her own looks at all. The hair salon’s manager is Rintaro, he and Sakura argue and disagree constantly. One of the salon’s younger clients is in love with Rintaro, but he doesn’t share her feelings. The young woman realizes he loves Sakura. So she sets Sakura up at a party, she convinces her friend Hiroto to woo Sakura and make her fall in love with him. This was my first Japanese drama that I ever watched. I love this one. It hit all the right notes for me in regards to a Noona Romance. Sakura was strong, there was a lot of obstacles for the couple, and when Hitoro started to actually have feelings for Sakura he was adorably in love.

Overall = 9
Emphasis on the Noona Romance being a Forbidden Love = 9
Importance of the Noona/Dongsaeng Age Difference = 10
Dongsaeng’s Persistent Puppy Love = 7
Noona’s Resistance to the Puppy Love = 9
Noona and Dongsaeng’s Relationship =10
Noona is Consistently Strong = 9

Number Two: Anego

Country: Japan, Year: 2005, Genre: Romance

The same actress from Last Cinderella, Shinohara Ryoko, plays the lead in Anego as well. I really like her! Noda Naoko has worked for the same company for ten years all of her co-workers call her Anego, which means older sister. Emphasis on the older. Noda Naoko realizes that most of the other female employees are there to find a husband and then become housewives, while she has worked to succeed and make money. However, she envies those who have found love. Noda Naoka meets three very different guys, a young intern, a married man and an older man. The show deals with her work life and love life in a very real and down to earth sense. I absolutely enjoyed this show. It was something of a slow burn, but it was good nonetheless!

Overall = 7.8
Emphasis on the Noona Romance being a Forbidden Love = 7
Importance of the Noona/Dongsaeng Age Difference = 10
Dongsaeng’s Persistent Puppy Love = 6
Noona’s Resistance to the Puppy Love = 9
Noona and Dongsaeng’s Relationship = 6
Noona is Consistently Strong = 9

Number Three: Second Love

Country: Japan, Year: 2015, Genre: Drama, Romance

Nishihara Yui is 30 years old and is a chemistry teacher at an all girl’s school. When we meet her she is having an affair with her married college. She tries to convince herself that this is enough, that she doesn’t need anymore. Taira Kei is a contemporary dance prodigy. He has captured the hearts of the dancing world and spent many years in Germany dancing with a prestigious company. He encounters a setback and moves to Japan to work as a part-time dock worker to self-reflect on his life. Through a twist of fate Taira Kei and Nishihara Yui meet and Kei is in love and woos her. Their relationship blossoms quickly and they both begin a journey of self discovery. This one dealt with relationships in a much more mature way. It was very raw and real. I definitely recommend it.