It has been announced that Kei Inoo of the popular group Hey! Say! JUMP and actor Honoka Kei Inoo will co-star in the January 2026 "Nichi 10" drama "50 Minute Lover" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sunday 10:15pm). Inoo, who is also active as an actor and has appeared in three drama series this year, will be starring in his first prime-time drama. This will be Inoo and Matsumoto's first time acting together, and they will play an eccentric handsome guy whose only friend is an AI, and a down-to-earth woman who is obsessed with her work, who grow closer during their lunch breaks at work.
The original script is said to feature characters and a story that will bring out the best in the two main actors. One day, Karashima Naho (Matsumoto), a character designer working at a game company, makes a contract with the surly handsome Amami Haru (Ino) to make him 30 bento boxes. As they spend 50 minutes together during their company's lunch break, the two grow closer, but then she discovers that Haru is actually a top game creator at a rival company. While being thrown off balance by Haru's oddball behavior, Naho is gradually drawn to his kindness and straightforwardness in this "offbeat romantic comedy." The delicious bento boxes that appear in each episode are also a highlight.
Ino commented, "Actually, this is my first romantic comedy drama, so there were many things I had to think about when acting. For example, in the scene where I have to pick up Naho as she falls, it was difficult to move as I had to think about what position would make the viewers' hearts race. In scenes with a lot of movement, it almost feels like we're filming an action romantic comedy rather than a romantic comedy (laughs)." He also appealed, "I hope that viewers will enjoy how the relationship between Haru and Naho will develop, and that the bento boxes, which are a key item, look delicious every time."
Matsumoto said, "The story is filled with many of the classic developments you'd expect from a romantic comedy, but because it's a "different kind of heart-pounding" story, there are also many scenes that are a little off. Amami (Haru) has strange hobbies and the way he speaks, while Naho is a normal woman at first glance. I hope that the depiction of these two characters being attracted to each other will be the charm of the story." She added, "It's a drama like a lunchbox that you don't know what's inside until you open it. It's packed with all kinds of things, and completely different developments await you in each episode. Be sure to watch!"
