Looking for a love story this holiday season? Or perhaps you’d rather indulge in some messier romantic competition? Either way, streaming services have you covered with two Japanese shows that blur the line between reality and drama.
Netflix’s “The Future Diary,” which premiered on Dec. 14, aims to re-create the romance-fueled absurdity of a Japanese television drama in the real world. Two strangers are brought together and act out a love story guided by the titular book, which gives them instructions and prompts to further their relationship. The plots are ripped from familiar tropes on Japanese TV shows except for the fairy tale ending — in a truly melodramatic touch, the couple must say farewell at the end, even if they’ve fallen for one another.
The premise is one that originally debuted as the popular centerpiece segment of the late-1990s variety show “Unnan no Hontoko!”