Dating: What's It Like To Be In Love

7.4

2015•45m

Yoriko Yabushita works at a Yokohama research laboratory. She tracks trends in relation to macroeconomics. She is 29-years-old and enthusiastic about her work. She also enjoys efficiency and having a regular life. Although she doesn't excel in social settings with other people, her next goal is getting married and having a baby. Yoriko believes that she marry by the age of 30, because everyone around her did including her late mother. If Yoriko finds a man who fills 24 items listed on her ideal husband list, she will marry him.

Production

Seasons

10 Episodes • Premiered 2015

1. I don't know how to love. Can we get married through a contract?

Yoriko is a whip smart civil servant hoping to ease her dad's worries. Takumi is educated but sponges off his mom. The two meet through an agency, and go on a date.

2. I Want to Parasite on You!! — Can You Fall in Love with a Higher-Class Loafer?

Yoriko questions whether she’s just “parasitizing” off Takumi’s lifestyle, while he wonders if she’ll resent him. Their relationship teeters between contractual convenience and something more.

Still image for Dating: What's It Like To Be In Love season 1 episode 3: First Matchmaking — First Contact with the Unknown!? — Rescue the Love-Incompetent Woman!!

3. First Matchmaking — First Contact with the Unknown!? — Rescue the Love-Incompetent Woman!!

They face matchmaking pressure—Yoriko’s friends assess Takumi, and Takumi worries they’ll judge him. They realize their “contract” relationship might not survive scrutiny.

4. Because There Is No Heart, She Can't Love — The Gift That Saves Her

Yoriko struggles to show warmth. Takumi decides to give her something meaningful, shaking the foundation of their relationship.

5. Forcing an Overnight Stay Plan!! First Kiss Marks the Beginning of Turbulence!?

An attempt to stay overnight leads to their first kiss—and new tension. They must decide if they're ready to risk emotional fallout.

Still image for Dating: What's It Like To Be In Love season 1 episode 6: First Visit to Her Parents' Home!! The Tear-Inducing Recipe of Miracles Is the Key to Love!?

6. First Visit to Her Parents' Home!! The Tear-Inducing Recipe of Miracles Is the Key to Love!?

Takumi visits Yoriko’s family on New Year’s Day, but freezes under pressure. A rival, Yutaka Washio, impresses everyone—forcing Takumi to face his feelings or lose her.

Still image for Dating: What's It Like To Be In Love season 1 episode 7: Children Don't Know Their Parents' Feelings!? Mother’s Last-Stage Preparation Pushes for Marriage!!

7. Children Don't Know Their Parents' Feelings!? Mother’s Last-Stage Preparation Pushes for Marriage!!

Takumi’s mother enters hospice and Yoriko reflects on her late mother. Together, they draft a marriage contract as a gesture of care for her mother

Still image for Dating: What's It Like To Be In Love season 1 episode 8: At Last the Engagement Ceremony!! Tearful True Confession — I Want to Try Real Love

8. At Last the Engagement Ceremony!! Tearful True Confession — I Want to Try Real Love

Preparations for a formal engagement ceremony bring tears and heartfelt confessions—Yoriko seeks authenticity in love.

Still image for Dating: What's It Like To Be In Love season 1 episode 9: Two People Who Can't Love Truly Fell in Love — Birth of a Higher-Class Loafer and Thoughts of Marriage

9. Two People Who Can't Love Truly Fell in Love — Birth of a Higher-Class Loafer and Thoughts of Marriage

Their “contract” unravels: both acknowledge they've fallen in love. Takumi confronts his identity beyond being a loafer.

Still image for Dating: What's It Like To Be In Love season 1 episode 10: Such a Declaration of Love Is Impossible…!? The Birthday Miracle That Sparks Fateful Love

10. Such a Declaration of Love Is Impossible…!? The Birthday Miracle That Sparks Fateful Love

On Yoriko’s birthday, a surprise party and Takumi's heartfelt confession culminate in a shared moment as they eat apples and kiss—love blossoms despite the odds.