Snow Man’s Hikaru Iwamoto and Travis Japan’s Genta Matsuda Spotted in Heated Argument During Drama Filming

〈I am the farthest from the leader〉

In early March, heavy rain fell in the city center for the first time in a while.

Perhaps because of that, the streets of Tokyo Dome City (Bunkyo Ward) were sparsely populated. Amid this, two men in sunglasses and fashionable outfits seemed to be in a dispute. When the man in black leather fashion, wearing a displeased expression, tried to walk away, the blond-highlighted man clung to him and followed, stopping. Then, with a sulky, childlike face, he shouted something loudly at the man who had left──.

In fact, this was a scene from the filming of the drama Kara-chan to Shito-san to, (8 episodes), set to start streaming on Amazon Prime from March 28. The man walking away is the lead, Hikaru Iwamoto (32) of Snow Man, and the man clinging and following is the other lead, Genta Matsuda (26) of Travis Japan. This marks their first acting collaboration.

“This drama is a live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name, written by Mizusumi Takano and illustrated by Futon Chirashi. It’s a healing comic about two handsome men with completely opposite hobbies and personalities traveling to private saunas across Japan. Hikaru plays the food-loving fashion model Kara-chan (Sō Karaki), while Matsuda plays Shito-san (Michiru Shito), a hair stylist who loves saunas,” said a sports newspaper writer.

Since the two leads don’t naturally get along, the filming that day showed some tension. Iwamoto wore a sullen expression throughout, while Matsuda made teasing faces, pouted, and finally shouted at near screaming volume—a very passionate performance.

Because these are two top idols from hugely popular groups, staff kept a close watch on the surroundings, but few people seemed to notice them.

A teaser video released on YouTube on March 7 shows the two visiting a sacred sauna surrounded by snow. Kara-chan bites into a hamburger, while Shito-san relaxes in the sauna, giving a glimpse of their blissful moments.

Iwamoto commented on the official program website:

〈I’ve always liked saunas, so I’m really curious about what kind of work this will be. I’ve never worked with Genta one-on-one before, but we already have a communicative relationship, so I’m genuinely looking forward to getting closer to him!〉

Meanwhile, when asked about the part of Matsuda that he feels is the complete opposite of Iwamoto, Matsuda answered honestly:

〈Hikaru-kun is the leader of Snow Man, so I think he literally has a leader personality, but I feel I’m the farthest from being a leader, so I think that’s the complete opposite.〉

The bad chemistry between the two leads is also a highlight of this drama. Whether that can be conveyed depends on their compatibility.

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