Minami-kun no Koibito (南くんの恋人) is a japanese drama from 2015 directed by Kazuya Konaka. The drama is based on Minami-kun no Koibito – Manga by Shungiku Uchida.
Chiyomi Horikiri is a school girl in love with her neighbour and childhood friend Shunichi Minami.
She is a secret writer and has a passion for dancing, however, her parents are not supportive of that idea; they prefer their daughter to follow society standards. I find this to be a little hypocritical since we understand by argument in the first episode,They might have married in a rush because of pregnancy outside of marriage to avoid scandal. I understand their need to secure their daughter’s future and stable life, but forcing her to give up on her dreams even if it means just for a small trip to Tokyo.
The trip to Tokyo has another meaning in modern society. It represents the Japanese girls’ wishes to become stars without even reading contracts. In the end, their dreams are more important than economic and legal matters. Some dark companies make sure the girls pay for their time and services while maintaining full control and rights over every song and album the record labels sell with the girls’ performance. Some girls never see the money, others to avoid going bankrupt endup being scouted for the adult industry.
It’s not a surprise the most modern example is the AKB48 “let’s make a baby together” App campaign. Note that most fans are double or triple the Girl idol ages making it a very Creepy industry that promotes a weird feeling.
The worst thing as a star on the rise is how talented are you, and how much can you progress when you have 48 girls fighting for the same goals as you. Imagine 48 girls divided by groups of 16, and those 16 girls from time to time showing all up on the same videoclip. How can the music industry really notice you? Specifically, how will they see you if you are just a shadow in the background?
Going back to the drama story…
The panic starts when Chiyomi transforms herself by accident on a very stormy night. For the people that know Japanese history, all big events can be correlated with a heavy storm. She transforms into Thumbelina , a little girl of 15 centimetres. This is a representation of a helpless little Chiyomi that feels worthless and small against the world.
Minami, learning about her disappearance, comes to find her. Only to find her in a cave where they played as children to his disbelief he finds her extra small. They now have a chance to restore what was lost. I like this part because real love and friendship will always be there when you really need to.
Roles and Actors/actresses:
Maika Yamamoto – 山本 舞香 ( Chiyomi)
Japanese actress, model and singer. Born on October 13, 1997, she also goes by the nicknames Maika and Mai Mai. She made her acting debut in the 2011 television drama “Soredemo, Ikite Yuku.” She has since appeared in many popular films and television dramas, including “Kamen Teacher” (2013), “Yoru No Sensei” (2014) and “My Little Lover – Minami Kun No Koibito” (2015).
Taishi Nakagawa – 中川大志 (Minami)
Japanese actor, host and model. Born on June 14, 1998, he began his career as a child actor but was often cast in older roles because of an early growth spurt. He made his acting debut in the 2009 television documentary drama “When I Was a Child.” He has since appeared in many popular films and television dramas, including “I’m Mita, Your Housekeeper” (2011), “Hana No Kanmuri” (2012), “Prison School” (2015) and “My Little Lover – Minami Kun No Koibito” (2015).
