On January 14th, Kei Inoo of the popular group Hey! Say! JUMP attended a press conference in Tokyo for the drama "50 Minute Lover" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sundays 10:15pm), which starts on the 18th, along with co-stars Honoka Matsumoto and Mitsuomi Takahashi. He looked back on filming with Matsumoto, who he co-starred with for the first time.
This work is a romantic comedy that will make your heart flutter as it follows an eccentric handsome man whose only friend is an AI and a sensible woman who is obsessed with her work. These two mismatched characters enter into a strange contract and develop a relationship that lasts for just 50 minutes during their lunch break.
Last year, Ino appeared in the drama "Parallel Couple: The Truth About My Dead Wife and I" (Kantele/Fuji TV), in which a couple who died in an accident are reunited for just three minutes a day. When the host asked, "The last time, it was a drama where the couple could only meet for three minutes...", he replied, "This is a personal story, but the last time I appeared in a drama, the couple could only meet for three minutes. Hey! Say! JUMP's Takagi (Yuya) also said to me, 'Why is Ino-kun under such a time limit?' But this time, the time was extended quite a bit (laughs). You can do anything in 50 minutes," drawing laughter.
Regarding filming with Matsumoto, with whom she co-starred for the first time, she commented, "There were many scenes with just the two of us, so we consulted with each other while we worked on various scenes." Matsumoto revealed, "I tend to worry and overthink a lot, but Inoo asked me, 'It's okay. Is there anything that's difficult for you to do?' So we thought about it together and made it so that it didn't feel awkward. We talked a lot."
On the first day of filming, Inoo had a heart-pounding scene where he embraced Matsumoto, and he said with a wry smile, "It's a drama, so we shoot from various scenes, but the first day was a bit awkward." Matsumoto recalled, "It was awkward for both of us (laughs)," and Takahashi praised him, saying, "That awkwardness really made my heart flutter!"
Regarding the drama, Ino said, "As a romantic comedy, there are many heart-fluttering parts, but my role was very strange, and I wondered if people like that really exist. He was carrying a bonsai tree, and he couldn't say "delicious" so he said "bono"...I thought I would stand out, but there were a lot of even weirder people (in the drama) (laughs). It was fun filming, and I hope you'll enjoy watching it and laugh at my character."
Matsumoto appealed, "The story is packed with content and there are many developments, and as Ino said, there are many strong characters who appear one after another... (laughs). But there are also some heartwarming scenes, and I think everyone will be able to watch it while laughing and making comments."
Mikata Ryosuke, Kuroda Mitsuteru, Oideyasu Oda, and Kimura Tae also attended the press conference.
