On October 3rd, actress Mana Ashida appeared alongside her co-star Fumiya Takahashi at the "FUJI DRAMA COLORS 2026 AUTUMN" event held in Tokyo, which featured cast members from Fuji TV's October dramas.
Ashida will star in the Kansai TV/Fuji TV drama series "Lawyer Minami Minami is a Genius" (Mondays at 10 PM), which begins on October 19th, playing Minami Minami, a rookie lawyer with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
When Ashida was asked about Takahashi's "amazing qualities that she doesn't possess," she explained, "Takahashi is very dedicated to studying acting. He often opens the script on set and makes lots of notes while thinking about the scenes." She added, "Before scenes that are central to the story, he will ask me days in advance, 'What do you think about this?' We're able to proceed with filming while communicating very well, and I feel a sense of security." Takahashi jokingly replied, "Thank you, I think I'll sleep well tonight," drawing laughter from the audience.
Takahashi also commented on Ashida, saying, "I think her switching is amazing. There's a clear moment when she gets into character," and continued, "During filming, the character instantly appears before my eyes in front of the camera, so I feel like I'm being pulled along by the character of Minami, and my own character is also taking a leap forward," expressing his thoughts on working with her. Hearing this, Ashida responded with an embarrassed smile, "I think I'll be able to sleep well tonight, thank you," which drew laughter from the audience.
This series is a Japanese remake of the drama "Woo Young-woo, the Lawyer," which aired in South Korea in 2022 and became a global hit after being released on Netflix. The protagonist, Minamida, graduated at the top of his class from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Law and passed the bar exam with top marks. However, when it came to job hunting, he was blocked by societal prejudice against ASD and was not hired by any law firm. Then, for a certain reason, he gets a job at the top-class law firm, "Hirokawa & Howard Law Firm"... and that's the story.
At the "FUJI DRAMA COLORS 2026 AUTUMN" event, attendees included Yosuke Eguchi and Nanako Matsushima from the Getsuku drama "Emergency Room 24 Hours" (Mondays at 9pm), Mana Ashida and Nanako Matsushima from "Bengoshi Minamida is a Genius" (Mondays at 10pm), Fumiya Takahashi and Lee Joon-gi from "kiDnap GAME" (Tuesdays at 9pm), Satomi Ishihara and Atsuro Watabe Watabe from "Political Pan" (Wednesdays at 10pm), Kyoko Yoshine and Kyoya Honda from " A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You " (Thursdays at 10pm), and Ayako Imoto and Jin Shirasu from "Rebirth of Uzume" (Saturdays at 11:40pm).
