Keeping things platonic: The "strictly business" mixed-gender work partners in Japanese dramas

While Japanese dramas featuring male-female partners at work are commonplace, this article highlights an interesting phenomenon in the Winter 2025 season - there are as many as 5 titles featuring such combinations and 3 of them involve lawyers*:

• "Tokyo Sarada Bouru" - Nao x Matsuda Ryuuhei
• "Mondai Bukken" - Kamikawa Takaya x Uchida Rio
• "Houtei no Dragon" - Kamishiraishi Mone x Takasugi Mahiro *
• "Ensemble" - Kawaguchi Haruna x Matsumura Hokuto *
• "Kujaku no dansu, dare ga mita?" - Hirose Suzu x Matsuyama Kenichi*

The nature of the relationship between the pairings and the storyline pretty much determine if romance will be in the picture. On one end of the spectrum, "Kujaku no dansu, dare ga mita?" features the "client" i.e. Komugi who approaches a lawyer Matsukaze to help her in the investigation of her father's arson-murder case. Considering their business-only relationship and that the story has a strong mystery/suspense angle, there is no room for romance to bloom between the characters. On the other hand, "Ensemble" features the leads as colleagues in a budding romantic relationship with a love triangle thrown in from the start due to the appearance of the female lead's ex-boyfriend.

Looking back at the past mixed-gender pairings in the past, while there were some workplace pairs who eventually became lovers onscreen, there were also quite a number of dramas with such pairings that either had no romance or a comparatively faint/hinted romance angle:

• "Keizoku" - Nakatani Miki x Watabe Atsuro
• "Trick" - Nakama Yukie x Abe Hiroshi
• "HERO" - Kimura Takuya x Matsu Takako
• "Galileo" - Fukuyama Masaharu x Shibasaki Kou & Yoshitaka Yuriko
• "SPEC" - Toda Erika x Kase Ryo
• "Legal High" - Sakai Masato x Aragaki Yui
• "Ishiko to Haneo" - Arimura Kasumi x Nakamura Tomoya
• "Unfair" - Shinohara Ryoko x Nagayama Eita
• "Jikou Keisatsu" - Odagiri Jo x Asou Kumiko
• "Strawberry Night" - Takeuchi Yuko x Nishijima Hidetoshi
• "Liar Game" - Toda Erika x Matsuda Shota
• "Kyousou no bannin" - An x Sakaguchi Kentaro
• "RoOT" - Kawai Yumi x Bandou Ryouta
• "Okuto" - Iitoyo Marie x Asaka Koudai
• "Invisible" - Takahashi Issei x Shibasaki Kou
• "Motokare no Yuuigonjou" - Ayase Haruka x Ooizumi Yo
• "Tengoku to Jigoku" - Ayase Haruka x Takahashi Issei

As seen from the list above, a large number of these platonic pairings appeared in investigative/legal/suspense stories. Over time, the stories would show the gradual development of the characters' relationships as they solved cases or dealt with issues together. A reason cited in the media for the inclusion of romance for such mixed-gender pairings was said to be related to the viewing preferences during the "trendy dramas" era i.e. late 1980s to early 1990s. Back then, "squeal-worthy" scenes featuring popular actors and actresses who played characters transitioning from colleagues/buddies/enemies/rivals to lovers were pretty well-received and in demand. As such, it became sort of a standard formula for such relationships to head towards the romance direction rather than keep things strictly professional.

However, as times have evolved, there are more titles these days featuring platonic working relationships for such mixed-gender pairings. While it is perfectly normal for love to blossom when people work together, it is also natural for mutual respect rather than romantic feelings to be developed between such pairings. As such, when such dramas do not add in romance in an "artificial" or "unnatural" manner, they are generally well-received and readily accepted as the norm reflective of current times. 

In recent years, I would say that "Ishiko to Haneo" was one of the more successful examples at eliminating the romance factor from the leads' relationship. Frankly speaking, I didn't expect this initially since there was no indication pre-season that the work buddies would have no romantic feelings for each other. In the end, the female lead ended up with the second male lead rather than her partner at work which was unexpected and somewhat unconventional but I really liked this arrangement.

On the contrary, there have been examples where adding romance when it's unnecessary or illogical can backfire. For example, "Mystery to iu nakare" depicted Ito Sairi's police detective character having feelings for the lead played by Suda Masaki. This went against the nature of their relationship described in the original manga and attracted criticism from viewers.

Personally, I am more inclined towards the notion of keeping things platonic for mixed-gender pairings especially if the drama is not positioned to be a romance-themed one. While I get it that some viewers may like to see their favourite pairings engage in a romantic relationship onscreen, the manner of how this develops is crucial. As such, keeping it naturally-flowing and not forcing things to head towards the romantic genre would be the best. Especially when dealing with stories based on original material like novels and manga, it would be simply reckless and foolish to spoil the relationship dynamics crafted by the original works' authors for no apparent or justifiable reason.

Do share with me your favourite mixed-gender work partners in J-dramas and movies and let me know if I've missed any significant/popular examples from my list above!