The Controversial “Ai no, Gakkō” Creating a Buzz, and Raul’s Divine Performance with Heroine Fumino Kimura

Raul, with little prior drama experience, is cast for the role

The controversial work “Ai no, Gakkō” (Fuji TV), which depicts a forbidden “love” between an overly serious high school teacher and a host aiming to become No.1 in the nightlife world, has been stirring up major waves with each new episode.

“This production reunites the staff behind the hit drama ‘Hirugao: Love Affairs in the Afternoon’, which aired in the same slot 11 years ago. While expectations were high, criticism arose even before the broadcast—given how predatory host clubs have become a social issue—about portraying a romance between a high school teacher and a host. Moreover, the casting of Raul (22) from Snow Man, who has little acting experience, opposite heroine Fumino Kimura (37), also drew skepticism.” (Variety show insider)

Despite facing headwinds before its start, “Ai no, Gakkō” has defied the odds and rapidly risen to become one of the season’s most talked-about dramas. What was the key to its surge?

“The script is a completely original story written by Yumiko Inoue, known for hits such as ‘The Great White Tower’ (Fuji TV) and ‘Emergency Interrogation Room’ (TV Asahi). Direction is handled by Fuji TV’s master Hiroshi Nishitani, who served as chief director on ‘The Great White Tower,’ ‘Ninkyo Helper,’ and ‘The Count of Monte Cristo: Magnificent Revenge.’ With these two teaming up, the romance is filled with highlights. Above all, Raul’s delicate and heartbreakingly raw performance as the host Kaoru has viewers watching his scenes twice over.” (Production company producer)

Let’s look back at Raul’s “standout moments” that captivated drama fans.

Episode 4, final scene.
Regretting that he had pressured Aimi (Kimura) to spend a large sum of money at the host club, Kaoru calls her to the dorm rooftop the next day to return the cash.

“Being with you is starting to feel heavy. You don’t have to be kind to someone like me. I can’t keep doing this anymore. Bye.”

As he turns to leave, averting his gaze from Aimi, the fleetingly sorrowful expression he shows is of indescribable beauty—enough to steal the heart of any viewer, fan or not.

Episode 5, final scene.
At the gate of the school where Aimi teaches, Kaoru confesses.

“There’s this huge wall between you and me. But when people point it out, I just want to say, ‘That’s not true.’”

“Let’s stop this teacher–student act. I…”

“No. That would be against the school rules.”

As Aimi cuts him off, Kaoru grabs her hand and says,

“I… hate you. I hate you so much.”

—using the words in reverse to convey his feelings. The expression he wears in this moment, like a trembling puppy, sent netizens into a frenzy.

In the latest episode, Episode 6, the “last date” disguised as a school field trip unfolds against the backdrop of Miura Beach in early summer. While the seaside kissing scenes were striking, Raul’s true highlight comes at the station where the two part ways. Kaoru, torn between wanting to chase after Aimi and forcing himself to let go, gazes at her retreating figure with an expression overflowing with tenderness—so much so that it seems as if the very god of romance dwells within him.

Raul has little acting experience. So where did he acquire this delicate, heartrending style of performance?

Raul entered Johnny’s at the age of 12, when he was in sixth grade. By his third year of junior high, he joined Snow Man and was chosen as the group’s center. In 2020, at just 16 years old, he made his CD debut. He appeared to burst onto the scene like a comet, racing swiftly down the path to stardom. But that path was far from a smooth one.

The director gave Fumino Kimura a hint when she was struggling with her role

“Raul trained under RIEHATA, the only Japanese dancer chosen as a backup dancer for Lady Gaga, and was active as a kids’ dancer. He was selected as a member of RIE HATA TOKYO and competed in the world dance competition Body Rock Junior, where he won second place for two consecutive years. That’s how skilled he is as a dancer. In fact, he once said in an interview that when he auditioned for Johnny’s, the gap between the kind of dance he wanted to do and what was expected of him was so wide that even though he passed, he cried his eyes out.” (Variety show insider)

Even so, Raul chose the path of debuting as a Johnny’s Jr. But when he was suddenly placed at the center of Snow Man, a group made up of members from a different generation, he fell into doubt, thinking,

“The members must hate me for joining.”

That inner conflict became the very elixir that shaped Raul as an actor.

The delicate and heartrending performance he delivers in the moments when Kaoru the host reverts to his true self, Taiga Takamori, may well be the fruit of the struggles and turmoil he has faced since childhood.

But the real test lies ahead, as the drama moves further into its depiction of a forbidden love. In today’s society, where economic and educational disparities are widening to the point of outright division, even greater trials await.

“Director Nishitani gave Fumino Kimura, who was struggling with her role, a single hint: to imagine Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Scarborough Fair’ playing in the background. The duo covered this traditional English ballad in the midst of the Vietnam War, and the song itself is about lovers who can never be together. If that undercurrent flows through the story, then it feels natural to think Kaoru and Aimi’s romance will also end in tragedy.” (Producer)

“Scarborough Fair” is also known as the insert song in the 1967 hit film The Graduate. In the movie’s famous ending, Ben (Dustin Hoffman) and Elaine (Katharine Ross) join hands and run out of the church together. Will such a dramatic reversal await this drama as well? We can only hope for a final scene that will remain etched in memory.