Ai Iinuma & Yusei Yagi (FANTASTICS) appear in the drama “Minami-kun ga Koibito !?” In the second episode, Minami-kun’s famous “mug bath” is revived in the Reiwa era

■Yagi Yusei’s well-honed physique, which was praised by Takeda Shinji and Kaga Mariko at the production announcement press conference, is finally revealed!

The extended special episode 2 of “Minami-kun ga Koibito !?” will be broadcast on TV Asahi from 9:00 p.m. on July 23rd.

“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 15 centimeters in size and palm-sized. The main character, Chiyomi, is played by Iinuma Ai, and her love interest, “Minami-kun,” is played by Yagi Yusei of FANTASTICS.

■Starting off at number one on trends and TVer rankings!
In the first episode that aired on July 16th, many viewers fell in love with Chiyomi played by Iinuma and Minami-kun played by Yagi. On various social media sites such as X (formerly Twitter), there were many comments expressing their envy towards the cute and refreshing couple, such as “I was smiling from start to finish,” “The two of them were really sparkling in the first half, and Minami-kun was so sweet towards Chiyomi,” and “I want a boyfriend like Minami-kun.”

Many viewers also reacted to the conversation between Chiyomi and her family at the dinner table. Comments such as “You can tell from the ‘castle’ that this family is close” and “They’re such an open family” were received, and many were touched by the closeness and tempo of their conversation.

The insert song played in the drama, Yuzu’s “Natsuiro” and the theme song “Fusen Kaishuu” were met with a storm of praise, with comments such as “Nostalgic!”, “Summer colors, so emotional!”, “Refreshing and perfect for a summer drama!” and “Full of summer vibes.” The drama, along with its contents, caused a huge reaction, and just before the broadcast ended, “#Minami-kun is my Lover” jumped to the top of X’s trends, showing how much attention it was receiving. It also got off to a good start, taking the top spot in TVer’s rankings.

■Minami-kun, who suddenly becomes small, and Chiyomi begin living together in a strange world!
At the end of the first episode, Minami-kun appears in front of Chiyomi, 15cm in size and palm-sized. Chiyomi is surprised by this sudden turn of events, but she somehow comes to terms with the situation, and Chiyomi and Minami-kun begin their strange life together.

However, Chiyomi is still a high school student, and there are many obstacles to overcome in order to hide her boyfriend (even though he has now grown to 15 centimeters) without her family knowing.

Chiyomi’s suspicious behavior, such as filling a mug with hot water at the right temperature and quickly taking it to Minami’s room to give him a bath, since he is covered in mud, and sneaking food in…her mother Kaede (Kimura Yoshino) and grandmother Yuriko (Kaga Mariko) begin to feel something is off about her.

While Chiyomi is at school, leaving Minami-kun in her room, Kaede finally makes up her mind and goes into Chiyomi’s room. Kaede starts vacuuming the room. This unexpected turn of events puts Minami-kun in big trouble!

■Yuki Yagi finally joins the legendary mug bath!
The second episode, which will air on July 13th, will feature the “mug bath,” a famous feature of the Minami-kun series.

In 1994, the show “Minami-kun no Koibito” aired, and viewers were thrilled and entertained by the mug bath of Chiyomi, played by Yumiko Takahashi. Finally, Yusei Yagi will be taking a bath in that legendary mug bath.

At the press conference announcing the production, Shinji Takeda and Mariko Kaga also praised Yagi’s well-honed physique, which was finally revealed. Be sure to check out the broadcast to find out what kind of scene it was.

■ Episode 2 Extended Special Synopsis
When Minami Hiroyuki (Yagi Yusei) showed up at the appointed meeting place, he had somehow become 15 centimeters in size and palm-sized. Horikiri Chiyomi (Iinuma Ai) couldn’t hide her surprise at the 15 centimeter size of Minami, but she managed to slip Minami into her bag and returned home.
Chiyomi quickly takes Minami-kun, who is covered in mud, to his room to give him a bath, filling a mug with warm water. Her mother Kaede (Kimura Yoshino) and grandmother Yuriko (Kaga Mariko) look worried at Chiyomi’s condition, wondering if something has happened…
Despite the adults, Chiyomi feels confused about the time she spends with Minami-kun, and even feels a faint happiness. However, when she sees Minami-kun’s tears as he sleeps, tired, she also feels sad. Suddenly, Chiyomi thinks that Minami-kun’s clothes and belongings might have been left behind at the bus stop where he had grown to 15 centimeters, so she rides her bicycle to the scene. There, she once again realizes what had happened to Minami-kun.
The next morning, Chiyomi seems anxious about leaving Minami alone in her room and going to school. Seeing Chiyomi’s behavior, Kaede, Yuriko, and Hisako Kimura (Chaco) from the craft store suspect that Chiyomi is hiding something. Then, Kaede makes up her mind and goes to take a peek into Chiyomi’s room…

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

“Minami-kun ga Koibito !?” program site
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/minamikun/