On February 4th, former member of idol group Hinatazaka46, Watanabe Miho, appeared at a press conference in Tokyo to announce the production of the drama series "Yukari-kun wa Gap ga Zurui" (TOKYO MX, Thursdays 9:25pm), which begins airing on February 5th, alongside Takao Hayato of ONE N'ONLY, who co-stars in the drama. Watanabe co-starred with Hamagishi Hiyori, who was her classmate in Hinatazaka46, and revealed that she shared her joy with her, saying, "When I found out we'd be co-starring, I went out to eat yakiniku (with Hamagishi). I was like, 'We're in the same group!' and 'This is great!' and I was super excited."
Regarding her co-starring with Hamagishi, Watanabe said, "I never thought the chance to co-star with her would come up so soon." She added with a smile, "The other members who were originally in the same group and the staff members said, 'We're working together. It's exciting.' We met when we were 14 and 17, and have been friends for quite a long time, so more than anything, our fans told us it was emotional to see us both in the same frame again as adults."
Watanabe's character, Mori Meiko, and Hamagishi's character, Maki Sumire, are best friends since their university days. Watanabe recalled, "Of course, Hamagishi and I are friends, but in front of the camera, we're professionals, so we talk about how to act well, and after filming, we keep in touch and give feedback," and continued, "I still keep in touch with Hamagishi every day. Just like two close friends, Meiko and Sumire, we spend time together every day. I think there's an atmosphere and color that only we can bring out. I really enjoyed this rare opportunity, so I hope everyone will watch it."
The drama is based on the manga of the same name by Mami Ando, which has been downloaded over 2.2 million times on the e-book distribution site Comic Seymour. Having failed to achieve her dream of becoming a news announcer, Mori Meiko (Watanabe) works at an event company and also works as a lecturer at an announcement school once a week as a side job. She soothes the earnest student, Yukari-kun, or Yukari Hayama (Takao), and works hard in unfamiliar classes as an oasis for his soul. But Yukari has an unexpected side to him: he's a detective... This is a "cute and cute romantic comedy" about a younger lecturer and an older student that will make you laugh, cry, and even occasionally get you into trouble.
