Riko x Kazuto Mokudai (The cause is in me.) will appear in the NTV drama DEEP “3rd Year Class C is having an affair.”

■ “Through this work, I was forced to think anew about the responsibilities and self-awareness that come with becoming an adult.” (Mokushiro Kazuto)

It was announced that Riko and Kazuto Mokushiro (The cause is in me.) will appear in the drama DEEP “Class 3C is having an affair” (Nippon TV).

“Class 3C is Having an Affair” is set in a class of third-year high school students who are now able to marry without parental consent following the implementation of the “18-year-old coming of age” rule, and is an unprecedented school adultery suspense story that depicts first love, pregnancy, marriage, and adultery.

■The extremely popular young actor Riko will be starring in his first NTV drama series!
The protagonist, Aoi Uemura, is played by Riko, a young actor who is very popular among Gen Z and has appeared in a number of popular movies and dramas. This will be her first lead role in a NTV drama series.

After her parents divorce, she transfers to an elite high school and meets her in class 3C. Her feelings for her are rekindled, but she marries a classmate!? This first love will turn into an affair if she pursues it… This is the protagonist’s role.

Riko is enthusiastic about the adultery depicted in this work, saying, “I want to portray the process in which a person, just because they have fallen in love, causes suffering and destruction for themselves and those around them.” She also says that she hopes people will look forward to the human relationships and the raging developments in the story, saying, “Adults such as parents and teachers also fall into adulterous love, so each episode is unpredictable.”

■Mokushiro Kazuto has been chosen to play the other man in the “high school affair”!
Kazuto Mokudai, who has appeared in numerous dramas, including “Kamen Rider Geets,” and is currently active in the dance and vocal group “Genin wa Jibun ni Aru. But…,” has been chosen to play the lead character’s love interest.

Mokushiro plays Tachibana Iori, the heir to a local general hospital and an elite who is expected to become a doctor. However, just when it seems that he and his first love Ao will reunite, a classmate tells him that she is pregnant…!? Mokushiro says of this difficult role, which he will play for the first time, “Iori is too kind, so he hurts people, so I hope people will watch over him kindly.” It will be interesting to see what kind of performance he will show.

The key visual released this time features Riko and Kazuto Mokudai. A sparkling first love turns into an affair… It depicts a sad love that splits into light and darkness. What will become of the two people standing back to back?

The drama DEEP “Class 3C is having an affair” will start airing in October.

■Introduction
–That first love turns into an affair–

A high school girl who transferred to class 3C due to her father’s affair falls into an affair with her first love, who was married when he was still in high school! Before long, this forbidden first love becomes a commotion that involves the school and her parents, causing a terrible tragedy! An unprecedented school affair suspense story.

With the introduction of the “age of adulthood at 18” in April 2022, high school students can now marry each other without parental consent. This is the story of high school students living in this new era.

From cheating with classmates[high school student cheating]to cheating with parents[PTA cheating]and even the forbidden[teacher-student cheating]…! What on earth will happen in the 3rd year C class where love and hate are swirling? What is love? What is cheating? What is being an adult? An unpredictable school cheating suspense story is about to begin.

■ Riko’s comment
I will be playing the role of Aoi Uemura. My name is Riko.
The story is about a girl whose parents divorce and who transfers to a private school, where she reunites with her first love, Iori, and falls in love with him.
An affair between two high school students takes place in a world where children and adults coexist – the third year of high school. I am excited to write a story that can only be told in this day and age. I want to portray the process of simply falling in love with someone, leading to suffering and destruction for both myself and those around me, as I face the story. And this time, it’s not just us – adults are also falling in love, so the content of each episode is unpredictable! Please look forward to “Class 3C is Having an Affair”!

■ Comment from Kazuto Mokudai
My name is Mokushiro Kazuto, and I will be playing the role of Tachibana Iori.
The main theme of the series is the “coming of age at 18” law, which came into effect when I turned 18. The series made me think again about the responsibilities and awareness that come with “becoming an adult.” While each episode of this series is suspenseful about the relationships between the characters, it is not just an “adultery story”; the intertwining feelings and conflicts of the characters are full of humanity, making it a worthwhile human drama.
Iori is a pure and kind boy. But he is so kind that he ends up hurting someone.
You might be thinking, “Iori, what is he doing?” but I would be happy if you could watch over him kindly.
This is the first time I’ve played this role so I do feel some pressure, but I am spending each day in a wonderful environment.
“Class 3C is having an affair.” Please enjoy!

■ Comment from Screenwriter Shinobu Ito
The age of adulthood has been lowered so that 18 year olds are now considered “adults”.
This means that a classroom for third-year high school students will contain a mixture of 17-year-old “children” and 18-year-old “adults.”
And the moment they turn 18, they are able to marry of their own volition, without the consent of their parents or school, and if one of the spouses falls in love with a classmate, it becomes a classroom affair.
This drama is based on the idea of ​​the distortion that arises from the system in which people become adults at 18.
However, I don’t want to depict an affair between high school students.
Through these 18-year-olds, an age between childhood and adulthood, we learn about what it means to fall in love with someone, the responsibilities and awareness that come with becoming an adult, and more.
I would like to create a drama based on this theme.
Our main goal in delivering this drama is for viewers to enjoy an interesting, heart-warming story, but we also hope to create a drama that, after watching it, makes you think about the world you live in.

In creating a drama with a new theme of “high school affair,” and in casting the protagonist Ao, who is 18 years old and in the midst of his youth, we focused on finding an actress who is not tainted by any color.
Riko-san is a wonderful actress who has both acting ability and charisma, but I think she is an actress who has yet to be tainted by any color and has overwhelming hidden potential. In this drama, many moving events befall the main character, but I believe that Riko-san will be able to embody the message that the work wants to convey with her acting that will reach the hearts of the viewers.

I also think that Iori, who falls in love with Ao, is a very difficult character to play. When I was thinking about who could delicately express the contradiction of how a pure, honest love for someone can become a sin, I arrived at Mokushiro-san.
I really wanted Mokoyo-san to play Iori, seeing his pure feelings for his expression, his playfulness in everyday life, and his beloved personality. Iori is kind to everyone. I believe that Mokoyo-san can express the contradiction that leads to his kindness and purity being a “mistake,” and the strength to continue to seek out what is right.

■ Comment from Hiroe Suzuma, Producer at Nippon Television’s Content Production Division
The time has come when a love triangle in the classroom becomes an affair.
They’re 18 years old. Although they’re recognized as adults, they’re not mature enough to stop loving each other.
I am very happy that the two fresh actors, Riko and Mokushiro, will be playing the characters Ao and Iori, who are on the border between “child” and “adult”, in a life-size way! Riko, who has rich expressiveness, inner strength, and natural cheerfulness, is already a reliable leader on set. And Mokushiro, who is frank and has an excellent ability to absorb information, is becoming more and more like “Iori” with each scene we shoot. The work is filled with moments that only the two of them at this time can express Ao and Iori’s purity and hard work, which are filled with danger, as well as their conflicts and suffering.
How will these 18-year-olds grow as they struggle with the choices they make? Furthermore, the adults, including their parents and teachers, forget their positions and act honestly and humanely. There is not a single inherently evil person in the story. However, in the midst of a whirlpool of intertwining emotions, someone loses their life… There is pure love, jealousy, obsession, and mystery. We hope you enjoy this turbulent human drama.

Program Information

Nippon Television Drama DEEP“Class 3C is having an affair.”
Starts 10/01 (Tue)
*Every Tuesday from 24:24 to 24:54
*Each episode will be available for streaming on TVer and Hulu after broadcast.

Cast: Riko, Kazuto Mokudai
Planning: Ryota Fujino
Screenplay: storyboard writers team
Shinobu Ito/Mitsutoshi Nakamura/Kyo Kie

“Class 3C is having an affair.” Program site
https://www.ntv.co.jp/deep-3c/