Wakana Matsumoto is a Japanese actress. She was born on February 25, 1984, in Yonago, Tottori, Japan, and made her acting debut in 2007. Since then, she has appeared in a wide variety of films and television dramas, including “May December Couple” (2020) and “Love is Phantom” (2021).

Wakana Matsumoto

Fuji TV

High schooler Ame Aihara (Mei Nagano) struggles with self-confidence, but finds solace in her kind classmate Taiyo Asano (Yuki Yamada) and her secret dream of becoming a top pastry chef. But as she never told Taiyo about how she felt, they never explored their feelings for one another. Eight years later, they reunite as adults, but disaster strikes when Taiyo suffers a critical accident. A mysterious figure offers Ame a chance to save him, but she must surrender her five senses in return. Will she accept? Can her actions save Taiyo? And will love finally bloom between them? This 2024 Japanese drama series was directed by Hiroaki Matsuyama.

The Gift of Your Heart

Chiaki

Sato Shinohara (Tsuchiya Tao) runs a budget-friendly restaurant in a busy urban area with her mother. The restaurant is very unassuming, but it has a lot of regular customers. And most of them frequently come because of Sato Shinohara’s welcoming attitude and kind personality. She has been dating a man named Kenta Miyama (Matsushita Kouhei), who loves her dearly. One day, he decides to pop the question – and she happily accepts.

But this duo cannot sail off into the sunset just yet, as there is a very large complication – namely, Kenta Miyama’s family. This formerly noble family can trace its past back four centuries and happens to hark back to Japan’s feudal past. They are exceptionally wealthy and are used to high society life. The idea of their beloved son marrying a mere “commoner” like Sato Shinohara is abhorrent to them. Kenta Miyama assures her that his family will come around – and warm to her. But, despite his reassurances, his family continues to object: Can Sato Shinohara win them over with her unique charms? Or is their union destined to fail before they even tie the knot?

This drama was based on a manga series of the same name by Koyama Yukami.

“Involvement in Family Affairs” is a 2022 Japanese drama series that was directed by Ryo Tanaka, Toshiyuki Mitsuhashi, and Yusuke Mito.

Involvement in Family Affairs

MBS, tvK

Young and a bit naïve, Momoko Hirasawa (Sakurako Konishi) is very much like most young women her age. A hardworking employee at a high-end hotel café, Momoko spends her days serving others and her nights at home, alone. With absolutely no dating experience and zero prospects, Momoko wonders if she’ll ever find that “special someone” everyone always seems to be talking about. On the brink of giving up hope, a steamy encounter with a handsome stranger at the hotel’s rooftop observatory changes everything.

Unable to forget that moment of passion, Momoko is determined to uncover the identity of her mysterious stranger. Spotting him at work, it doesn’t take long for Momoko to learn that he is none other than Kei Hase (Renn Kiriyama), one of the high-ranking employees at the hotel. Convinced he is too far out of her league, Momoko tries to forget him, but the kisses they shared that fateful evening refuse to be forgotten. Approaching Kei, Momoko tries to find some sort of answer to the myriad of questions she has, but every attempt she makes is met with cold indifference.&nbsp;

Confused, Momoko tries once again to let Kei go but the harder she tries, the more fate seems to bring them together. Will time help Momoko break through Kei’s cold exterior or will their rooftop kiss become a phantom to forever haunt her?

Adapted from the manga, “Love Phantom”, by Kako Mitsuki, “Love is Phantom” is a 2021 romantic drama directed by Osamu Minorikawa.

Love is Phantom

👻 Phantom Lovers 💘

Murakami Maiko (Aoi Wakana), aged 24, is the daughter of a business owner. She is straight-talking and pure of heart, but has never been in a romantic relationship. One day, her father asks him to go on a blind date with one of his work acquaintances, a man named Hanasato Harumi (Takezai Terunosuke). On paper, this match is as terrible as they come: Murakami Maiko has lived a sheltered life, and Hanasato Harumi is a 44-year-old divorcee. She agrees to go on the date to please her father, while Hanasato Harumi only concedes to the meeting because he values her father as a business partner.

But when they meet, she discovers that he is actually both attractive and has a good personality. She instinctively makes her feelings for him known. Against his better instincts, he also starts to fall for Murakami Maiko. But when – on just their third date – the issue of marriage comes up, things get very serious very suddenly.

Their fledgling romance then comes under sudden threat when one of Murakami Maiko’s platonic school friends resurfaces – and confesses that he has feelings for her too. Could the odd couple really go the full distance, despite their 20-year age gap...and tie the knot?

“May December Couple” is a 2020 Japanese drama series that was directed by Hiroki Ryuichi.

May December Couple

Age Gap Lovers Team

As first year high school students, it didn’t take long for Shun Igawa (Hio Miyazawa) and Nagisa Hibino (Kisetsu Fujiwara) to become fast friends. Practically inseparable from the moment they met, the two friends quickly realized that the feelings they had for each other reached far beyond the boundaries of platonic friendship. From high school to university, the relationship between the two friends naturally blossomed into something beautiful. Unfortunately, their relationship wasn’t meant to last. Just before Shun’s university graduation, Nagisa announces that he can no longer see a future in which they are together. Leaving Shun heartbroken and alone, Nagisa cuts all ties with his friend and disappears completely.

With no choice but to move on, Shun does exactly that. Leaving the city behind him, Shun moves to the countryside and opens his own shop. A loner through and through, Shun turns all of his attention to this work, eventually finding peace in his solitary country life. But that peace is shattered when, years after walking out of his life, Nagisa unexpectedly returns with his six-year-old daughter, Sora (Sakura Sotomura), in tow. Unable to turn Nagisa away, Shun welcomes his estranged friend and his daughter into his life.

Now a part of each other’s lives once again, the feelings Shun and Nagisa once shared begin to resurface. Can a love once rejected bloom again or have both men missed their chance to find a happily ever after?

A touching love story, “His” is a 2020 romance film directed by Rikiya Imaizumi.

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