There is no live-action television series of Solanin. The available information refers exclusively to a live-action film adaptation released in 2010.

In Tokyo, Meiko Inoue and her boyfriend Naruo Taneda are two university graduates in their mid-twenties struggling to find meaning in the monotony of adult life. They live together in a small apartment, but while Meiko works as an office lady at a printing company, Taneda holds a part-time job as an illustrator, which allows him time to practice with his rock band, Rotti. The band includes their university friends, bassist Kato and drummer Billy, but they remain an amateur act playing in cramped practice spaces rather than on real stages.

Dissatisfied with her repetitive existence and a condescending boss, Meiko impulsively quits her job, deciding to live off her savings. Encouraged by her decision to break free from routine, Taneda resolves to stop drifting and take music seriously. He locks himself away to write an original song, which he titles Solanin. The song represents their shared feelings of uncertainty, the pressure to conform, and the desire to hold onto youthful ideals while facing an indifferent adult world.

Just as the couple begins to embrace an unpredictable future together, tragedy strikes. After a brief disappearance, Taneda dies in a moped accident, an event that devastates Meiko and their friends. Overcome with grief, Meiko initially withdraws from life, unable to comprehend the loss. However, she eventually finds purpose by learning to play the guitar and sing Taneda’s song. With the support of Kato and Billy, she takes her late boyfriend’s place as the lead vocalist for Rotti.

The narrative culminates in a live performance where Meiko finally sings Solanin on stage. In that moment, she transforms the song from a farewell to her past into an embrace of her future. The story concludes with her moving forward, having accepted both the pain of loss and the necessity of growing up. An epilogue set years later reveals that Meiko has started a family, showing that life continued beyond the tragedy.