More Than Friends, Not Quite Lovers: A Collection of Love Songs About That Delicate In-Between

In loveHY

HY - “In Love” (Theme song for the film ‘366 Days’) Music Video

A poignant love song that portrays the pure feeling that even if you are not chosen by the other person, the love itself becomes a precious memory.

Written as the theme song for the film “366 Days,” releasing in January 2025, it is included on the album “TIME.” Positioned as an answer song to the 2008 classic “366 Days,” it gently expresses the resolve to look forward after heartbreak.

While continuing to think of the other person, it delicately depicts the subtle emotions of accepting those feelings as cherished memories.

Many listeners will surely relate to the emotions that waver between pure feelings and reality.

GarnetOku Hanako

Hanako Oku / Garnet (Solo Performance) [Music Video]

In July 2006, Hanako Oku released a work whose gentle, warm emotions resonate alongside its melody.

Written as the theme song for the feature-length animated film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, it was her fourth single.

The lyrics delicately portray scenes on the school grounds and the after-school atmosphere, wrapping cherished memories of school life—and the precious moments everyone wants to hold onto—gently and tenderly.

Created at the request of the film’s production team by reading the story from the storyboard and script, the song was completed to align closely with the protagonist’s feelings.

It spent 19 weeks on the Oricon charts and won the Heisei Anisong Grand Prize for Best Film Theme Song.

It’s a track I can wholeheartedly recommend for moments when you want to share memories with friends or dedicate a song to someone dear.

If only I could say I love youKERENMI & atarayo

KERENMI & Atarayo - If Only I Could Say I Love You (Music Video) Theme Song for the Film “Kokan Uso Nikki” (The Liar’s Exchange Diary)

This is a collaborative track by KERENMI and Atarayo that delicately weaves a portrait of hearts that can’t easily be honest.

It captures the subtle emotions of high school students exchanging diary entries with exquisite nuance, and the fusion of classic J-pop melodies with a nostalgic sound vividly depicts a coming-of-age unique to today, where analog and digital coexist.

Released digitally in July 2023, the song drew attention as the theme for the film “Kokan Uso Nikki” (The Exchange Diary of Lies).

It’s a must-listen for anyone who can relate to the flutter of falling in love for the first time, the feelings swelling inside, or those who want to convey their precious emotions to someone special.

CHE.R.RYYUI

CHE.R.RY

Let me introduce a song that refreshingly portrays a bittersweet spring romance.

Delicately expressing the feelings of unrequited love conveyed through cell phone emails, this track by YUI gently sings about the beginning of love—something everyone has experienced at least once.

With warmth, it depicts the protagonist, who isn’t good with emojis, having their heart skip a beat at messages from their crush and fretting over the back-and-forth of replies with pure sincerity.

Released in March 2007, the song resonated with many and was later included on the album “CAN’T BUY MY LOVE.” It was also used as the ending theme for the anime “ReLIFE: Final Arc.” It’s a perfect cheer song for those experiencing their first love in a new environment, or for anyone ready to take a new step forward with the arrival of spring.

A Song for a FriendSonar Pocket

Sonar Pocket 'A Song for a Friend' [MV Short]

This pop tune by Sonar Pocket vividly sings about memories from a youth spent with cherished friends.

Nostalgic scenes from student life are depicted with rich emotion, and the unshakable bond with friends who have gone their separate ways is strikingly portrayed.

Released in February 2009, the song is also included on the album “Sonapokeism ①: The Shape of Happiness,” and is often performed at graduation ceremonies and farewell parties.

It’s a heartwarming piece meant to be listened to while thinking of friends who now live far away.

Love Songmosao.

Love Song / Mosawo [Music Video]

Like setting feelings of love on a musical staff, it carefully weaves cherished emotions with tenderness.

Released by Mosao in November 2023, this heartwarming love song portrays a straightforward confession of love.

Gently singing the feelings one wishes to convey through music, it beautifully captures the delicate emotions that waver with romance.

The desire to pour overflowing feelings into sound—feelings that the word “beloved” alone cannot contain—soaks into the heart along with the soft vocals.

Written and composed by the artist, with a striking brass arrangement, this piece will quietly encourage those who carry unspoken feelings of love.

It’s a song we especially recommend to anyone who holds thoughts for someone dear yet finds it hard to express them.

My dearest personMatsuri, Takumi

One I Loved / Matsuri, Takumi [Official Music Video]

A beautiful collaborative piece by Matsuri and Takumi that sings of poignant scenes and an unattainable love.

Accompanied by skillful piano melodies, it’s a pure love story-song that wistfully asks, “If only I could go back to the past,” and longs for a love that has been lost.

That day you met, the kindness you shared, the tears you shed—precious memories are depicted in a way that tightens the chest and sinks deeply into the listener’s heart.

Released in November 2023, this work offers solace to those whose relationship with someone they loved has ended and who still can’t make sense of their feelings.

It’s a song you’ll want to keep close for quiet nights alone, when you’re ready to face the pain of love.