A song of forbidden love. A love song about feelings that can't be stopped.

balladKetsumeishi

Ketsumeishi “Ballad”

A love song by Ketsumeishi about an unattainable romance.

It portrays the feelings of a married man who has fallen into a forbidden love.

Thoughts like “If I make a move, I won’t be able to stop myself,” and “The time spent away from her is unbearably hard” inevitably come off as selfish, given that adultery is considered unacceptable.

The possibility of getting caught up in a love that society deems off-limits can’t be said to be zero for anyone.

However, we must fully understand that the risk of hurting both the other person and ourselves is very high.

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Nevertheless, I want to do it.Hirai Ken

Ken Hirai 'Soredemo Shitai MUSIC VIDEO (YouTube ver.)'

“Soredemoshitai” is a song by Ken Hirai that humorously portrays a forbidden relationship between a man and a woman.

In real life, even if you have a crush or someone you like, relationships aren’t something you can just forcefully seize.

But this song is different.

It sings of a very greedy woman who tries to steal a man away, yet refuses to stop loving him—depicting a strong woman with a tenacious, never-give-up spirit.

In the chorus, she practically screams out her frustration, which, interestingly, comes across as almost masculine—making it a fascinating song.

PuzzleBAND-MAID

BAND-MAID / Puzzle (Official Live Video)

A connection that felt like destiny, yet a relationship that could never be.

This BAND-MAID song portrays the struggle of a forbidden love.

The way the narrator tells themselves it’s okay not to be someone special to the other person may resonate painfully with anyone in an unrequited love.

These helpless emotions are sung with delicacy over powerful beats and a passionate sound.

The track is included on the album “Just Bring It,” released in January 2017.

Even knowing it won’t be reciprocated, the feelings won’t stop—this is a work that stays close to that complex state of mind.

sunflowerSEKAI NO OWARI

Himawari

The protagonist, who had been living in a dark world, ends up meeting “you,” someone dazzling like the sun—the beginning of a forbidden love as sung by SEKAI NO OWARI.

Listening to this song, you can feel that bittersweet thrill of knowing the person is off-limits, yet realizing thanks to them your world is starting to gain color.

Maybe it’s precisely because the melody is light and pop that it tightens your chest even more.

This track is included on the acclaimed album “Lip,” which topped the Oricon charts in February 2019.

It’s a song that gently stays with you in that helpless rush of feelings at the moment you fall in love, even when you know it won’t be returned.

A little more, just a bit moreZARD

Just a little more… a bit more…

A song by ZARD about a love that cannot come true.

Even while knowing it’s a forbidden relationship, the protagonist finds herself wishing to be loved “just a little longer.” The song captures her emotions, and because the love is taboo, her earnest feelings resonate with a striking purity.

There’s an anecdote that Izumi Sakai, who also wrote the lyrics, felt saddened while singing it—an episode that speaks to the song’s poignancy.

Released in September 1993, this work compels deep reflection on the weight of unrequited love and the intensity of loving someone.

Sentimental Sisteryonige

yonige “Sentimental Sister” Official Music Video

Set to a heartrending vocal, this song—told from a woman’s perspective—portrays a heart swaying within a forbidden love.

The protagonist, unable to escape tangled relationships and events of the past, conveys her feelings with raw, relatable honesty.

Released in July 2016 as part of yonige’s mini-album “I Want to Be a Snail,” the track captures the mindset of a woman who tries to move forward while still bound by past romances.

For anyone who has grappled with complex emotions like longing, regret, and guilt, it’s a song that’s impossible not to relate to.

Bad personsenritsu kannano

Kano Kanaru “Bad Person” M/V

A gem of a love song that beautifully captures the complex emotions of a woman torn by a forbidden love, with a heartrending vocal and delicate lyrics.

Kayayu from Young Skinny—a favorite among Gen Z—wrote the song, and Kanano Senritsu delivers a fragile, poignant performance.

Since its release in September 2024, it has resonated on social media, delicately depicting the turmoil of a woman who forgives even as she recognizes her partner’s lies, and the ache of memories that resurface with the changing seasons.

Its universal lyrics invite anyone struggling in love to see themselves in the story.

It’s a song that gently stays by the side of those overwhelmed by complicated feelings for someone who can’t exactly be called a good person.