Sometimes all you need in life is a good sad drama that can make you let out all the tears, making your heart feel heavy and light at the same time. We all just need to cry it out sometimes. Lucky for you, there are plenty of Japanese dramas that you can choose from that will help you out— ranging from heartwarming love stories to supernatural ones. So, sit back, relax, and let the tears flow as you watch one of the 10 Japanese dramas where the main lead dies.
1. Boku No Ita Jikan (2014)
When our main lead, Sawada Takuto finds out that he has the A.L.S.; HIV disease with little time to live his life, instead of letting it bring him down and be in despair, he decides to live his life, however long he has and enjoys everything that he ever wanted to.
2. Good Life – Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara (2011)
When the main character’s wife suddenly leaves him, he starts noticing things around him, especially the love his son has been giving him. As he decides to reciprocate that love back, light is shone on the fact his son has leukemia. This story revolves around the son, father, and everything in between.
3. Neko (2020)
After finding out that she has a brain tumor with very little time to live, our main lead, Mineko Kaneko, meets our other main character, Koji Amane, a man who has very few dreams and aspirations. A cat brings them together and we watch to see how the story develops for them and how they go forward with life knowing what is about to happen.
4. Taiyou No Uta (2006)
This is a story about a street musician, Kaoru Amane, who is suffering from a life-threatening incurable disease called xeroderma pigmentosum, which means that Kaoru cannot go out in the sun. But destiny had its plans. It brought Kaoru and Fujishiro Koji, our other main character, together, who had lost his job and had no hopes left until he met Kaoru. They become each other’s driving force, and we follow along to watch their beautiful love story.
5. If Cats Disappeared From The World (2016)
Adapted from the novel of the same name, this is a story about a 30-year-old postman who finds out that he does not have much time to live after he goes to a doctor and is told about the brain tumor he has. One day, he is visited by a devil who offers to let him live longer if he picks something from his life that he would be ready to give up that would disappear forever. He starts thinking about what and who it could be. Suddenly, his phone, his girlfriend’s memories, his friends, his watch, and multiple other things start disappearing and he is left with a choice to either let himself die or lose everyone he ever cared about.
6. Nagareboshi (2010)
This is a beautiful story about two people who are both full of despair on their levels and end up meeting each other and entering a marriage contract purely for added benefits. However, something called love starts blooming between them as they navigate the hardships in their lives. It is a story about Kengo, a man who possesses a secret that he would protect with his life and sacrifice anything for and Risa a sex trade worker who has her brother’s debts that she must clear and is on the brink of contemplating suicide.
7. Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake (1998)
It is a story about a high-school student and our main lead, Kano Masaki, who sold her body off to earn money. When she heard that her favorite music composer was holding a concert, she worked even harder selling her body and making enough money to attend. Ishikawa Keigo, the music composer, has had plenty of problems in his life, one being the tragic loss of his love in the past which he is yet to heal. He finds a girl running behind his van after his concert, the girl being none other than the high-school student, Kano. He unexpectedly takes her back to his apartment to spend the night seeing how drenched she is. Things turn south for Kano when she finds out that she has HIV and she must live through the consequences of her choices throughout her life while Keigo is yet to get over the loss of his lover.
8. Today’s Kira-kun (2017)
Ninon always covered her face up with her bangs due to being bullied in the past before. She was made fun of for liking birds but Kira, an attractive and popular boy, ended up defending her. And while Kira was the most popular and handsome boy in class, he was very lonely and nobody around him knew he was suffering from a major heart disease. When Ninon finds out about this secret, she vows to stay by his side for the rest of his life and this is the story of that very thing. We follow along to see them form a bond, Ninon making friends with Kira’s friends and staying with him for the time he has left.
9. Boku No Ikiru Michi (2003)
When Hideo Nakamura, an average high school teacher, gets notified that he only has one year left to live, he decides to make the most out of it. Hideo Nakamura was a guy who feared death and always lived in regret but, after knowing this life-changing news, he decided to stop caring and make the most out of his final year rather than cry about what was over.
10. Peaceful Death (2021)
Jin Kawada, our protagonist, is a doctor who provides medical services at home. He begins treating a lung cancer patient, Toshio. His daughter, Tomomi, only wants her father to live the rest of his life without any pain and suffering that one gets at the expense of hospitals. Suddenly, one day, Toshio’s condition worsens and he dies in pain. Tomomi starts blaming herself and second-guessing everything, whether she should have just admitted him to the hospital. On the other hand, Kawada learns that Toshio might have had a secondary condition too and he starts blaming himself for his misdiagnosis and mistreatment and begins to work on himself and starts learning again. Two years down the line, Kawada gets another patient who has lung cancer and this time, he treats them well.
