Viewers Question Unease Surrounding Viral Show ‘Umi no Hajimari’

“Isn’t he appearing too much for someone who’s supposed to be dead?”

The popular group Snow Man’s Ren Meguro (27) takes on his first lead role in a Fuji TV drama series, Umi no Hajimari, which is set to air its final episode on the 23rd.

The drama, with a script by Miku Ubukata, direction by Hiroki Kazama, and production by Ken Murase, brings together the team behind the 2022 hit drama Silent, which starred Meguro and became a social phenomenon. This completely original work explores the theme of “parental love.”

Meguro plays the protagonist, Natsu Tsukioka, who was heartbroken when his girlfriend, Mizuki Nagumo, played by Kotone Furukawa (27), broke up with him during their university days. Seven years later, as an adult, Natsu learns that Mizuki has passed away and attends her funeral, where he meets a young girl named Umi, played by Izutani Rana (7). He discovers that Umi is his and Mizuki’s biological child. The drama follows Natsu as he decides to live with Umi and struggles to fulfill his role as a father.

“A full 12-episode run is rare for recent dramas. In late August, Meguro’s agency announced that he had suspended activities due to health issues and was taking time to recover, raising concerns about the intense schedule, including the drama filming. Now that the filming has finally wrapped up, it’s likely that Meguro is feeling much better compared to when he was still shooting.” (said an entertainment reporter)

 

The drama has consistently trended on social media after each episode. Episode 6, which revealed the backstory of Umi’s birth, became particularly notable, with the number of catch-up stream views surpassing 4.34 million within a week of its airing. Amidst this success, there has been increasing online chatter with each episode regarding Mizuho, played by Furukawa, with comments like “Wasn’t she already dead?” and “Isn’t she appearing too much for someone who’s supposed to be dead?” circulating on the internet.