<figure id="attachment_449726" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3546px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-449726"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b1c8ed87"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/690c26b39f26821dd645d172bf80b52d.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-449726" class="wp-caption-text">Honoka Matsumoto and Kei Inoo to Co-Star in January Drama “50-Funkan no Koibito”</figcaption></figure>
<h2>A perfectly in-sync yet quirky duo</h2>
<p data-start="40" data-end="202">A man and a woman walk along a riverside in the city, wearing matching bench coats. Smiling and chatting continuously, they seem to be having an absolute blast.</p>
<p data-start="204" data-end="458">In mid-November, filming took place along the Meguro River in Tokyo for the TV Asahi series “50-Funkan no Koibito”, scheduled for the January 2026 season. The drama stars Honoka Matsumoto (28) and Kei Inoo (35) from Hey! Say! JUMP in leading roles.</p>
<p data-start="460" data-end="958"><strong>“Inoo plays Haru Amami, a lonely, attractive man who opens his heart only to AI, while Matsumoto plays Naho Karashima, a career-focused, earnest woman. Despite being completely different types, the two engage in a heart-fluttering romantic comedy. After a certain incident, they enter a peculiar agreement: a lunch-break-only relationship, offset by thirty handmade bento meals. The story is entirely original and unfolds unpredictably due to this unique premise,”</strong> explained a TV magazine writer.</p>
<p data-start="960" data-end="1364">On the night of filming, the pair shot a scene walking side by side along the Meguro River. When the director called cut, staff rushed over with down coats. Between takes, Matsumoto and Inoo continued chatting and laughing, just like at the start. At times, they paused to look at the river, exchanging expressions as if contemplating or discussing something. Their natural rapport was clearly visible.</p>
<p data-start="1366" data-end="1519">In a special interview on ABC TV’s official drama channel, Inoo, starring in a romantic comedy for the first time, discussed crafting Haru’s character:</p>
<p data-start="1521" data-end="1658"><strong>“He carries bonsai, frequently says buono, and has many other quirky traits. Even so, I really wanted him to be a lovable character.”</strong></p>
<p data-start="1660" data-end="1690">Matsumoto described Naho as:</p>
<p data-start="1692" data-end="1729"><strong>“A warm and straightforward woman.”</strong></p>
<p data-start="1731" data-end="1797">When asked to summarize the drama in one phrase, Matsumoto said:</p>
<p data-start="1799" data-end="1889"><strong>“It’s like a lunchbox—you won’t know until you open it, with many things packed inside.”</strong></p>
<p data-start="1891" data-end="1910">Inoo praised her:</p>
<p data-start="1912" data-end="1923"><strong>“Genius.”</strong></p>
<p data-start="1925" data-end="1940">He concluded:</p>
<p data-start="1942" data-end="1997"><strong>“Watch how this quirky pair’s relationship develops.”</strong></p>
<p data-start="1999" data-end="2108" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Fans can look forward to seeing how the perfectly in-sync duo portrays their charmingly misaligned romance.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="The breathtaking duo of Hoka Matsumoto and Satoshi Ino"></div>
<figure id="attachment_449727" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4065px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-449727"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="53c6b91f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/3a5beb52b4def8ad8806f096fc96dbf7.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-449727" class="wp-caption-text">Honoka Matsumoto and Kei Inoo walking along the river during filming.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_449728" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2741px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-449728"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0ba8e1b8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/fd2af898b180e9aff81442826b7bcbd1.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-449728" class="wp-caption-text">Between takes, the two chat and laugh, clearly enjoying themselves.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_449729" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2741px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-449729"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="59b41b03"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/77d243e12ff37600ef00665e0b9eab71.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-449729" class="wp-caption-text">“I want everyone to pay attention to the relationship between these two quirky characters,” said Kei Inoo.</figcaption></figure>


 Kumataro Arai

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Matsumoto and Inoo Stroll Along Meguro River During Drama Shoot

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