■In the second episode, the famous “mug bath” scene that was also a hot topic in “Minami-kun’s Lover” 30 years ago makes an appearance!
The first and second episodes of “Minami-kun ga Koibito!?”, currently airing on TV Asahi, ranked first on the TVer rankings. The combined number of missed episodes on ABEMA, TVer, and other platforms exceeded 4 million views.
“Minami-kun ga Koibito!?” is the first Reiwa-era adaptation of Uchida Shungiku’s manga “Minami-kun’s Lover,” which has been adapted into film many times before. In the Reiwa version, Minami-kun is depicted as a “gender-reversed version” in which he is palm-sized and 15 centimeters in size. The main character, Chiyomi, is played by Iinuma Ai, and her love interest, “Minami-kun,” is played by Yagi Yusei of FANTASTICS.
In the second episode, which aired on July 23rd, the famous “mug bath” scene from Minami-kun’s Lover 30 years ago was shown, and the beautiful physique of Minami-kun, played by Yusei Yagi, was also a hot topic. On various social media sites such as X (formerly Twitter), comments such as “My heart is beating fast,” “His stomach is ripped, his chest is beautiful, a feast for the eyes,” and “The abs of this handsome man, who is a national treasure, have become a famous feature!” were also posted.
In addition, the feelings of Yuriko, the grandmother known as “O-sensei” (played by Mariko Kaga), who is worried about the behavior of Chiyomi (played by Ai Iinuma), and her mother Kaede (played by Yoshino Kimura), as well as the standard scene at the Horikiri family dinner table, are becoming standard heartwarming scenes for viewers, with comments such as “It’s sad, but you can also feel the family bond, and before you know it, you’re done watching it,” and “They’re a complicated, but wonderful family…”
The combined total number of views for episodes 1 and 2 on catch-up streaming services including ABEMA and TVer exceeded 4 million (Episode 1: 2,594,759 views from July 16th to July 26th, Episode 2: 1,552,106 views from July 23rd to July 26th/calculated by Video Research), and the series also reached number one in TVer’s rankings.
■In episode 3, Chiyomi and Minami share a beautiful but sad kiss at a memorable amusement park and Ferris wheel.
With each episode, you’ll be excited by the cute love story between Chiyomi and Minami-kun, anxious that someone might find Minami-kun, who has become palm-sized and 15cm in size, and excited by the mystery of why he has become 15cm in size. In the third episode, which will air on July 30th, a new challenge will befall 15cm Minami-kun and Chiyomi.
After nearly being sucked up by a vacuum cleaner in episode 2, Chiyomi and Minami decide to stay together. They go to school together with Chiyomi in their breast pockets, eat their lunches, and enjoy secret conversations, enjoying their time together to the fullest. They also go to the amusement park they went to together, and share a beautiful but sad kiss on the Ferris wheel that holds their memories…
While enjoying their time together, Chiyomi and Minami-kun are forced to face a bittersweet reality. The biggest question that gradually begins to weigh on them is why they became 15 centimeters tall.
■ Chiyomi’s mother notices something strange and gets to the heart of the matter!? New truths about Minami-kun and his family
On the other hand, this work has also received sympathy and support from the generation of parents with teenage daughters and sons. Kaede, Yuriko, and Shintaro (Takeda Shinji) are gradually starting to notice something strange about their daughter and are feeling uneasy every day, but tonight, Kaede finally hits the nail on the head with Chiyomi! What kind of solution will Chiyomi find for her mother who is closing in on her?
In the third episode, in addition to Kaede and Yuriko, Minami-kun’s father Haruyuki (Ikki Sawamura) also comes, and the Horikiri and Minami families gather at “Yakitori Shinshin”. There, a secret about his mother Kaoruko (Akiko Yagi) that even Minami-kun did not know is revealed.
Program Information
TV Asahi“Minami-kun ga Koibito!?”
Every Tuesday 21:00-21:54
Cast: Ai Iinuma, Yusei Yagi
Yoshino Kimura, Shinji Takeda, Ikki Sawamura, Mariko Kaga
Rena Takeda, Nao Yamato, Hiroshi Iwase, and others
Original story: Shungiku Uchida’s “Minami-kun’s Lover” (published by Seirin Kogeisha), “Minami-kun is a Lover” (Bunkasha)
Screenplay: Yoshikazu Okada
Director: Tadaaki Horai, Takashi Komatsu
Executive Producer: Seiko Uchiyama (TV Asahi)
General Producer: Nobuyuki Hattori (TV Asahi)
Producers: Akiko Kanda (TV Asahi), Hitoshi Fuse (MMJ), Taro Murayama (MMJ)
Produced by: TV Asahi, MMJ
Episode 1 distribution URL
https://tver.jp/episodes/ep5zpxbhxt
Episode 2 distribution URL
https://tver.jp/episodes/ep7zcoosua
“Minami-kun ga Koibito!?” program site
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/minamikun/
