Tsubasa Honda and Mirai Shida Caught Filming Riverside Scenes for July Drama Kita-kun ga Kawaisugite

Screaming, “Kyaa!”

On a mid-May morning bathed in refreshing sunlight, a large-scale drama shoot was underway at a baseball field along the Arakawa River.

Actors and extras in baseball uniforms, along with passersby walking along the embankment and filming staff, made up a group of around 30 people. Among them were two women watching the baseball game from atop the embankment—Tsubasa Honda (32) and Mirai Shida (32).

“This is the shoot for the drama Kita-kun is Too Cute to Handle, So We Decided to Share Him Among the Three of Us, which premieres July 1 in the Kansai TV/Fuji TV ‘Tuesday Drama★Eleven’ slot. Based on the manga of the same name by manga artist Kotubu Sakaki, the story follows Minami Asada, a nurse played by Honda, who falls for ‘Kita-kun’—real name Kita Manaka—played by Hiroshi Iwase (21), a character who enchants everyone he meets.

Shida plays Toko Hiruma, a bakery employee who also falls in love with Kita-kun. Joining them is bookstore employee Haruka Nishino, played by Atsuki Mashiko (25), and the three of them decide to share the lovable Kita-kun equally—creating a fresh, new kind of romantic comedy,” says a television magazine writer.

Filming began with Iwase, sporting blonde hair and a baseball uniform, stepping up to bat. He hits a powerful home run and starts sprinting around the bases, but stumbles after rounding second. Watching from the embankment, Honda, Shida, and Mashiko scream, “Kyaa!” and dash down the slope, rushing to help Iwase to his feet.

“The shoot was really lively. Also present was Oideyasu Oda (46), dressed as a police officer, joining in the shouting. The volume of the screams was definitely the highest, haha. It totally had the feel of a comedy drama, and all the cast looked like they were having a blast,” shared one onlooker.

This marks Honda’s first lead role in a Fuji TV network drama series. On the official Kansai TV website, she shared:

“There are many scenes with the four of us, and it’s always lively and fun on set! Everyone’s so talkative that even early in the morning, there’s never a quiet moment—it’s all smiles and chatter!”

Just as she described, the line between filming and downtime was hard to tell—the four cast members remained cheerful and lively throughout. Judging by this atmosphere, the show has all the makings of a hit.

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