Hayato Isomura Hotta stars in the drama series "We Still Don't Know the School Rules of That Planet" (Kantele/Fuji TV, Mondays at 10pm), starring Mayu Hotta Isomura. She plays Koda Tama, a teacher at Hama Solaris High School, the setting of the drama. Tama is a good friend of the protagonist, Shiratori Kenji, played by Isomura, and is also the heroine of the drama. One of the highlights is the refreshing love story between the two, who grow closer with each episode, and some have even said that Hotta, who plays Tama, is "the cutest and most beautiful she's ever been." Here, we'd like to take a closer look at Hotta's appeal as an actor in this production.
◇The reason why viewers say she is "the cutest and most beautiful ever"
The drama, abbreviated as "Bokuhoshi," is an original story by Mika Omori, known for her work on the 2015 Asadora drama "Asa ga Kita" and the 2021 taiga drama "Aoi Ten wo Tsuke." The story follows the protagonist, Kenji Shiratori (played by Isomura), who is timid and clumsy in everything he does due to his unique sensibilities. He is dispatched as a school lawyer to a private high school that is struggling with the transition to coeducation due to the declining birthrate. He desperately tries to confront the youthful problems that cannot be easily solved by law or school rules.
The story is set at Hama Solaris High School, a recently merged school between the boys' school Hamaura Technical High School and the girls' school Hamayuri Girls' Academy, where one problem after another arises on campus. Kenji and Tamazu deal with each issue, and naturally, the two spend more time together and gradually grow closer. Following the "summer camp" episode in episode 5, in which Kenji confesses his past to Tamazu, they should already have feelings for each other, but there has yet to be a clear confession scene (although there was something similar in episode 6). Both Isomura and Hotta portray the somewhat frustrating yet adorable relationship between the two in a very sensitive and natural way.
Particularly noteworthy are Hotta's reactions as Tamazu. Kenji's actions are sometimes unexpected due to his unique sensibility, but her reactions to them are also exquisite. When Kenji touched her hand in the "summer training camp" episode in episode 5, Tamazu's heartbeat was so strong that it was palpable through the screen. The same goes for the scene where Kenji fell asleep after confessing his feelings by the river, where she perfectly embodied the uncontrollable "heart palpitations" that she could not fully process.
Her reactions and expressions in this scene are probably the reason why viewers say she is "the cutest and most beautiful she's ever been."
◇ Taking on his first role as a high school teacher on his 10th anniversary since debuting as an actor
Hotta previously appeared in popular school dramas such as "Cheer☆Dance" (TBS, 2018) and "Class 3A: From Now On You Are All Hostages" (Nippon TV, 2019) as a student, carefully portraying the emotional turmoil and complex feelings that are unique to teenage girls.
In recent years, she has shown more mature acting in NHK productions such as the historical drama "The 13 Lords of the Shogun" (2022) and "Drama 10: Ooku" (2023), as well as TBS Sunday Theatre productions such as "Anti-Hero" (2024) and "Mikami Sensei" (2025), and it seems that she has made great strides as an actress. However, it seems that the image of her as a character has tended to be "dignified and beautiful" and "strong-willed (on the surface)."
On the other hand, the character of Tama in "BokuHoshi" stands out for her charm, including her geeky side, as she is "a huge fan of Miyazawa Kenji, whom she admires." According to Hotta, this is his "first time playing a high school teacher" role, marking the 10th anniversary of his debut as an actor. He describes the character as "someone who has no particular talents and feels inferior about consistently getting average grades." He also said, "The word 'normal' can sometimes be perceived negatively, but I think it means that the character is highly empathetic and kind," and it could be said that his deep understanding of this role is one of Hotta's charms as an actor.
As she says, she will surely continue to draw viewers into the drama as Koda Tama, who is close to Kenji and the students with great empathy and kindness.
