The first episode of the drama series "Kita-kun ga Kawai Sugite Te ni Amaru no de, 3 Nin de Share Suru Koto ni Shimashita." (Kansai TV/Fuji TV network), starring model and actor Tsubasa Honda, aired on July 1st at 11pm. After the broadcast, it was available on Tver from 11:30pm.
This is a live-action drama adaptation of the manga of the same name by Sakaki Kotsubu, which is currently being serialized in "JOUR" (Futabasha). The three girls, nurse Asada Minami (Honda), bakery employee Hiruma Toko (Shida Mirai), and bookstore employee Nishino Haru (Atsuki Mashiko), fall in love with Manaka Kita (Yoji Iwase), also known as "Natural Born Angel Kita-kun," who has a mysterious charm that captivates everyone regardless of age or gender. In order to avoid increasing the number of love rivals, they form the "33% Club" to share Kita-kun's love in thirds, and the four of them live together in this shared love comedy.
Honda and Iwase, who takes on the role of making three women fall head over heels for him, have sent out wild comments. They also released photos of their outfits, mainly white with pale blue and green accents. Honda is from Tokyo and Iwase is from Hyogo, so the two are from different places, one in the east and one in the west. As the recording went on, it seemed that they were different from the image they had of each other...
Read the full interview below.
◇Comments from Honda Tsubasa and Iwase Hiroshi
--Please tell us what your first impressions of each other were and if anything has changed since then.
Honda Tsubasa (hereinafter Honda): I thought he was cool. I was fooled (laughs). Apparently he was cool during the reading.
Iwase Hiroshi (hereinafter, Iwase): I'm cool just the way I am, right? (laughs)
Honda: When I met him afterwards, I found out he was from Kansai and was extremely talkative...we were complete opposites (laughs).
Iwase: But I also thought Honda was a very cool person.
Honda: Me?! I don't think there's a single person in the world who thinks I'm cool (laughs).
Iwase: Really?! I thought he was cool, but he was completely different. He was a very talkative guy from the Kanto region (laughs). But he was also very kind and warm, and that was just as I imagined.
Honda: Thank you for the meal!
Iwase: Thank you very much. Let's eat!
Honda: Thank you (laughs).
--In reference to the story of the drama, is there anything you think to yourself, "I wish I could share 33% of this about the other person?"
Honda: (In terms of appearance) I'm a guy, after all... is there anything?
Iwase: Your eyes. I think your eyes are very beautiful. But you only get 33% of it, right?
Honda: 33% of his eyes are similar to mine (laughs). On the inside, he has an extremely high level of linguistic ability. I wish I could have that greedy ability.
Iwase: It's really just a little bit. I'm learning bit by bit. I'm good at listening, and I think Honda-san is a good listener. I'm not good at conversation, or rather, I can't respond well...
Honda: That's how you feel.
Iwase: But Honda-san listens to whatever topic I bring up, and he always has a great reaction, so I want to talk about all sorts of things. I want to be like that too. Not 33% anymore, but 100%? (laughs)
Honda: I want it 100% (laughs).
--What do you like most about the role you're playing?
Honda: Minami-chan loves Kita-kun so much that she has a strong desire to be the number one for him, but she also cares for her friends and ends up taking care of them no matter what. I really like that kind of human side of her.
Iwase: For me, it's Kita-kun's easy-going way of speaking and his cuteness. I also want everyone to see how interested he is in everything. At times, he blurts out words that hit the nail on the head, so I hope that those aspects resonate with everyone.
--You must have been surprised at first when you heard it was about sharing a love story, but has your impression of the story changed since before you read the original novel and script?
Honda: When I'm really busy, I started to think that it would be easier if I could set a time to meet with this person once a week. I think "Once a week Kita-kun" would be good for those times when you want to work a lot but also want to be soothed every once in a while.
Iwase: I'm on Kita-kun's side...but when you think about it, it might be true.
Honda: I thought we were the ones being taken advantage of, but maybe Kita-kun is actually the convenient guy!?
Iwase: No way, it's sad (laughs). I'm the type of person who likes to cherish my time alone, so before I read the original novel and the script, I thought, "Sharing with three people? What's this? Can I understand this?" But when I actually read it, I felt, "It's okay to have a relationship like this."
Honda: I understand, it's a new form.
Iwase: Yes, and also curiosity.
Honda: That's right, curiosity.
--For users watching the first episode on TVer, are there any points you would like them to pay attention to or scenes you would like them to watch repeatedly?
Honda: Especially in the first episode, Kita-kun is extremely popular with many people. I think that's a highlight.
Iwase: I filmed it the other day, and it was pretty amazing (laughs).
Honda: It really was for people of all ages and genders, from children to grandpas.
Iwase: It's quite broad (laughs).
Honda: She was already super popular. But the way she managed it so effortlessly was amazing.
Iwase: For me, it's definitely the scene where we all meet. "Nice to meet you" is the beginning of the whole story, isn't it? That's a part that's very important to me, so I hope everyone will watch it.
Honda: Surprisingly, most people fall in love quite easily. It's quick, within about three seconds (laughs).
--Please give a message to users who will be watching this series on TVer.
Iwase: This drama is very heartwarming and I think there are many parts that will make you laugh. I want you to pay attention to how the relationship between the four people (including the three people who share the house) will develop, not just Kita-kun, who I play. As the story progresses, I want you to pay attention to how each of their feelings changes.
Honda: I'm sure it's a drama that will be a lot of fun to watch, and there will be moments when it touches your heart. I hope everyone will watch it!
