is a

Japanese television drama , also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thriller ...

produced by

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

. The series follows Soichi Haruta, a romantically unsuccessful office worker whose male boss and roommate confess their romantic feelings for him. Noted as one of the first Japanese television dramas in the

boys' love ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the ''wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created b ...

(male-male romance) genre, ''Ossan's Love'' was initially released as a single-episode

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

in 2016, which was adapted into a seven episode television series in 2018. A feature film sequel to the television series, ''Ossan's Love: Love or Dead'', was released in 2019; a second season of the television series titled ''Ossan's Love: In the Sky'' aired that same year.

Synopsis

Soichi Haruta, a single 33-year old man, has been unsuccessful in getting a girlfriend. One day, he discovers his boss, Kurosawa, secretly collects images of him and learns that Kurosawa is deeply in love with him. Unsettled by Kurosawa's bold confession and romantic pursuits, Haruta seeks advice from his friends, discovering in the process that his male co-worker is also in love with him. Caught in a love triangle, Haruta navigates through his feelings for his two love interests.

Cast and characters

; : ; : :Kurosawa is the manager of Haruta's department and is in love with him. ; : :Maki is Haruta's 25-year-old roommate who works in the same company under the design department. He is in love with Haruta and becomes protective after discovering Kurosawa is in love with him. In the original 2016 television special, the character was named and was portrayed by

Motoki Ochiai is a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 40 films since 2001. Selected filmography Films Television References External links * 1990 births Living people Japanese male television actors Japanese male child actors Japanese ...

Production

''Ossan's Love'' was inspired by producer experience of being looked after by a female friend while in college, and her desire to explore the subject of romantic relationships between co-workers. Scriptwriter noted that rather than writing the series as a ''

moe Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Characters * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...

'' love affair between men, he instead framed it as a romantic drama that merely features men instead of a male-female couple; consequently, ''Ossan's Love'' specifically avoids depictions of

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

or other

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

-related issues. While ''Ossan's Love'' is an original work, Tokuo has noted both ''shōnen'' and ''

shōjo manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent females and young adult women. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent boys), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adul ...

as among its influences, particularly ''

Marmalade Boy is a shōjo manga series by Wataru Yoshizumi. It was published by Shueisha in the magazine '' Ribon'' from May 1992 to October 1995 and collected in eight ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series was adapted by Toei Animation as a 76-episode an ...

''. The series was heavily marketed through

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

; "Musashi's Room", an

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account featuring in-character posts from Musashi Kurosawa, became widely popular and gained more followers than the series' official account. ''Ossan's Love'' was first broadcast as an hour-long

on December 30, 2016, as the third part of

's series. The program starred

Kei Tanaka is a Japanese actor. Filmography Film Television series Japanese dub * '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' (2019) - Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) * '' Godzilla vs. Kong'' (2021) - Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) * '' The Lost City'' (2 ...

as Soichi Haruta, Kōtarō Yoshida as Musashi Kurosawa,

as Yukiya Hasegawa, and

Sae Miyazawa is a Japanese actress, television personality and former singer, signed under the entertainment agency Horipro. She is best known for her affiliations with AKB48 and its various sister- and subgroups. Between 2006 and 2016, she was a part of the ...

as Asuka Minato. Following positive response from the special, TV Asahi created a 7-episode television series based on the original television special, which was broadcast in 2018. The 2018 series appeared on TV Asahi's programming block. Tanaka and Yoshida reprised their roles, while

Kento Hayashi is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in more than 30 films since 2007. Selected filmography Film Television Awards References External links Official Website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayashi, Kento 1990 births Living people People from ...

and

Rio Uchida is a Japanese actress and gravure idol who is affiliated with LesPros Entertainment. She is best known for her role as Kiriko Shijima, the main heroine of the Kamen Rider series ''Kamen Rider Drive''. Biography Uchida debuted in April 2010. I ...

replaced Ochiai and Miyazawa, including characters that were in their original roles. On January 22, 2019, TV Asahi announced that it would produce a second season of ''Ossan's Love'' for release in 2019. The second season, ''Ossan's Love: In the Sky'', is a re-imagining of the series that retains Haruta and Kurosawa's characters, as well as the

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

plot, but is set in an airport and is not connected to the first season's narrative.

Episodes

Television special (2016)

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2: ''In the Sky'' (2019)

Other media

Film

A film sequel to season 1 of the television drama, ', was released in theaters nationwide on August 23, 2019. In its opening weekend the film sold 239,000 tickets, for a box office gross of ¥343 million. The film grossed a total of ¥2.65 billion, making it the twelfth highest-grossing Japanese film released in 2019. Several cheer screenings were held throughout the theatrical run.

Manga

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

adaptation of ''Ossan's Love'' illustrated by Umebachi Yamanaka was serialized in the

manga magazine Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is used ...

Be Love ''Be Love'' is a Japanese monthly (bimonthly May 1982 – 2018) manga magazine targeting women published by Kodansha. It debuted in September 1980. It is one of the leading manga magazines for adult women, the second of its kind (the first being ...

'' from 2018 to 2020. The series was collected into four volumes published by

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

Remake

A Cantonese-language remake of the first season produced in Hong Kong was first announced in February 2021. The remake stars

Mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...

members

Edan Lui Edan Lui Cheuk-on ( zh, t=呂爵安; born 21 January 1997), better known by his mononym Edan, is a Hong Kong singer, presenter, actor, and a member of the Hong Kong boy group MIRROR. Apart from his group activities, Edan has presented various tel ...

and

Anson Lo Anson Lo Hon-ting (; born 7 July 1995) is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor. In 2018, Lo made his debut as a member of the Hong Kong boy group Mirror (group), Mirror. Lo made his solo debut in February 2020 with his first single "A Lifelong ...

, as well as

Kenny Wong Wong Tak-bun (born 30 April 1963), known internationally as Kenny Wong, is a Hong Kong actor. Filmography References External linksKenny Wongat HKMDB The Hong Kong Movie Database (HKMDB) is a bilingual (English and Chinese) website sta ...

. It was later broadcast in Hong Kong on

ViuTV ViuTV is a Cantonese language general entertainment television channel in Hong Kong operated by HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE), whose parent company PCCW also operates the IPTV platform Now TV and the media streaming service Viu. The chann ...

beginning June 28, 2021. Episodes 7 to 15 had new content that was not present in the original Japanese version.

Reception

Critical reception

''Ossan's Love'' was credited as one of the series that brought interest to the boys' love genre to mainstream audiences outside of anime and manga fans, and was praised in Japan and Hong Kong for its positive portrayal of same-sex couples. The series' popularity is noted as influencing the production of live-action television dramas and films featuring male-male romance, such as ' (2018) on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

, '' What Did You Eat Yesterday?'' (2019) on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certified b ...

, and '' Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!'' (2020) on TV Tokyo, and the live-action film adaptation of ''

The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Setona Mizushiro. ''The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese'' was serialized in the manga magazine ''Judy'' from 2005 to 2006. The book was followed up with a one-volume sequel titled . ...

'' (2020). James Marsh from the ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

'' gave ''Ossan's Love: Love or Dead'' a score of 3 out of 5 stars. The official guidebook for the first season sold 100,000 physical copies within its first week of sales. During its second week of sales, it sold an additional 56,000 physical copies and became the best-selling official guidebook for a television drama since the 2011 television series ''

Ikemen desu ne is a 2011 Japanese television series and a remake of the 2009 South Korean series ''You're Beautiful''. Plot Miko is a 20-year-old girl. She is pure but prone to make mistakes. Since her father, who was a composer, died, grew up at an orphanage ...

''.

Awards

, - , rowspan="17" , 2018 , rowspan="2" , , Best Drama , ''Ossan's Love'' , , , - , Best Supporting Actor , Kōtarō Yoshida , , , - , rowspan="5" ,

Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix The Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix is an award given by the Nikkan Sports newspaper to Japanese television dramas. The 14th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix was canceled due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Categories *Best Drama *Best A ...

, Best Series , ''Ossan's Love'' , , , - , Best Actor ,

, , , - , Best Supporting Actor ,

, , , - , Best Supporting Actress ,

Nene Otsuka is a Japanese actress. She starred in Masahiro Kobayashi's film '' Bashing'', which was screened in competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Career Otuska has appeared in films such as Hirokazu Koreeda's ''I Wish'' and Yoshihiro Nakamura ...

, , , - , rowspan="7" , , Best Series , ''Ossan's Love'' , , , - , Best Actor ,

, , , - , Best Supporting Actor , Kōtarō Yoshida , , , - , Best Supporting Actor ,

, , , - , Best Screenplay , , , , - , Best Director , Toichiro Ruto, Daisuke Yamamoto, Yuki Saito , , , - , Special Award , "Musashi's Room" (tie-in

account) , , , - , rowspan="3" , Tokyo Drama Awards , Grand Prix , ''Ossan's Love'' , , , - , Best Actor ,

, , , - , Best Supporting Actor , Kōtarō Yoshida , , , - , rowspan="7" , 2019 , , Grand Prize , ''Ossan's Love'' , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

Elan d'or Awards The are awards presented annually by the All Nippon Producers Association (ANPA) in Japan to recognize outstanding achievements in domestic motion pictures and television. The first ceremony was held in 1956. Up until 1960, the Elan d'or Awards ...

, New Face Award ,

, , , - , Producer Award Encouragement Award , Yumiko Miwa, Sayuri Kijima, Yuki Jinba, Chizuko Matsuno , , , - , rowspan="4" ,

(Spring Drama) , Best Series , ''Ossan's Love'' , , , - , Best Actor ,

, , , - , Best Supporting Actor ,

, , , - , Best Supporting Actress ,

, , , -

References

External links

*
''Ossan's Love: In the Sky'' official website
{{Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Drama Japanese drama television series 2016 in Japanese television 2018 in Japanese television 2010s Japanese films 2016 Japanese television series debuts TV Asahi television dramas Japanese LGBT-related drama television series 2010s LGBT-related drama television series Japanese boys' love television series