PARIS – Nippon TV’s brand-new fashion-set millennial drama Way Too Kawaii! will feature as the Asian World Premiere TV Screening at MIPCOM 2018. The star of the series, Yudai Chiba, and Arisa Mori, Nippon TV’s Producer, will attend the screening.

 

The world’s entertainment content market, MIPCOM takes place in Cannes, France from 15-18 October. The Asian World Premiere TV Screening will take place in the Palais des Festivals, Auditorium A, on Tuesday 16 October at 11:30am.

Way Too Kawaii! is based on Kozue Osaki’s novel Pretty Ga Osugiru, and runs to ten 30-minute episodes. The series is written by Shuko Arai and Mako Watanabe, directed by Mitsuru Kubota, and produced by Arisa Mori.

 

Filming was completed in the spring, and the series is scheduled to be broadcast in October in Japan on Nippon TV’s weekly Thursday night drama slot, as well as on Hulu Japan, which boasts the largest SVOD subscriber base in the country. The series is also slated to air and stream in several countries in Asia almost at the same time as the Japanese broadcast.

 

Nankichi works for a mega-publishing company and is the star of the literary department, when he finds himself unexpectedly transferred to a fashion magazine. From now on, it’s all 20-denier tights, frilly skirts, rainbow spaghetti, and bubble tea, as he struggles to find his way in this new world dominated by strong-willed women.

 

But as he witnesses the professionalism of the models and stylists, he gradually becomes inspired by his new job, and even romance blossoms. The series’ aesthetic is driven by kawaii, the candy-coloured cuteness that characterises the youth culture of so-called Harajuku girls – all seen through the eyes of a man discovering this for the first time.

 

“It is a great honour to screen this drama of ours at MIPCOM. From the beginning, our target has been overseas viewers. Nippon TV as a company has never embarked on a project as challenging as this one. We decided to set ourselves apart by focusing on kawaii culture that is uniquely Japanese, and the result is a distinct programme overflowing with originality. I am excited to stage our world premiere in Cannes, and I hope the event will pique the interest of buyers the world over,” said Arisa Mori, Producer, Nippon TV.

 

“It is such a great honour and opportunity for me that this drama will be screened in Cannes. I am also interested to see how a work of this kind will be received globally,” said Yudai Chiba, who stars as Nankichi.

 

For Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM’s Television Division, “The World Premiere TV Screening of Way Too Kawaii! confirms the diversity of international sources for ambitious drama series and MIPCOM’s commitment to providing delegates with access to such excellent new programmes.”