Keeping things platonic: The "strictly business" mixed-gender work partners in Japanese dramas

While Japanese dramas featuring male-female partners at work are commonplace, this article highlights an interesting phenomenon in the Winter 2025 season - there are as many as 5 titles featuring such combinations and 3 of them involve lawyers*:

• "Tokyo Sarada Bouru" - Nao x Matsuda Ryuuhei
• "Mondai Bukken" - Kamikawa Takaya x Uchida Rio
• "Houtei no Dragon" - Kamishiraishi Mone x Takasugi Mahiro *
• "Ensemble" - Kawaguchi Haruna x Matsumura Hokuto *
• "Kujaku no dansu, dare ga mita?" - Hirose Suzu x Matsuyama Kenichi*

The nature of the relationship between the pairings and the storyline pretty much determine if romance will be in the picture. On one end of the spectrum, "Kujaku no dansu, dare ga mita?" features the "client" i.e. Komugi who approaches a lawyer Matsukaze to help her in the investigation of her father's arson-murder case. Considering their business-only relationship and that the story has a strong mystery/suspense angle, there is no room for romance to bloom between the characters. On the other hand, "Ensemble" features the leads as colleagues in a budding romantic relationship with a love triangle thrown in from the start due to the appearance of the female lead's ex-boyfriend.

Looking back at the past mixed-gender pairings in the past, while there were some workplace pairs who eventually became lovers onscreen, there were also quite a number of dramas with such pairings that either had no romance or a comparatively faint/hinted romance angle:

• "Keizoku" - Nakatani Miki x Watabe Atsuro
• "Trick" - Nakama Yukie x Abe Hiroshi
• "HERO" - Kimura Takuya x Matsu Takako
• "Galileo" - Fukuyama Masaharu x Shibasaki Kou & Yoshitaka Yuriko
• "SPEC" - Toda Erika x Kase Ryo
• "Legal High" - Sakai Masato x Aragaki Yui
• "Ishiko to Haneo" - Arimura Kasumi x Nakamura Tomoya
• "Unfair" - Shinohara Ryoko x Nagayama Eita
• "Jikou Keisatsu" - Odagiri Jo x Asou Kumiko
• "Strawberry Night" - Takeuchi Yuko x Nishijima Hidetoshi
• "Liar Game" - Toda Erika x Matsuda Shota
• "Kyousou no bannin" - An x Sakaguchi Kentaro
• "RoOT" - Kawai Yumi x Bandou Ryouta
• "Okuto" - Iitoyo Marie x Asaka Koudai
• "Invisible" - Takahashi Issei x Shibasaki Kou
• "Motokare no Yuuigonjou" - Ayase Haruka x Ooizumi Yo
• "Tengoku to Jigoku" - Ayase Haruka x Takahashi Issei

As seen from the list above, a large number of these platonic pairings appeared in investigative/legal/suspense stories. Over time, the stories would show the gradual development of the characters' relationships as they solved cases or dealt with issues together. A reason cited in the media for the inclusion of romance for such mixed-gender pairings was said to be related to the viewing preferences during the "trendy dramas" era i.e. late 1980s to early 1990s. Back then, "squeal-worthy" scenes featuring popular actors and actresses who played characters transitioning from colleagues/buddies/enemies/rivals to lovers were pretty well-received and in demand. As such, it became sort of a standard formula for such relationships to head towards the romance direction rather than keep things strictly professional.

However, as times have evolved, there are more titles these days featuring platonic working relationships for such mixed-gender pairings. While it is perfectly normal for love to blossom when people work together, it is also natural for mutual respect rather than romantic feelings to be developed between such pairings. As such, when such dramas do not add in romance in an "artificial" or "unnatural" manner, they are generally well-received and readily accepted as the norm reflective of current times. 

In recent years, I would say that "Ishiko to Haneo" was one of the more successful examples at eliminating the romance factor from the leads' relationship. Frankly speaking, I didn't expect this initially since there was no indication pre-season that the work buddies would have no romantic feelings for each other. In the end, the female lead ended up with the second male lead rather than her partner at work which was unexpected and somewhat unconventional but I really liked this arrangement.

On the contrary, there have been examples where adding romance when it's unnecessary or illogical can backfire. For example, "Mystery to iu nakare" depicted Ito Sairi's police detective character having feelings for the lead played by Suda Masaki. This went against the nature of their relationship described in the original manga and attracted criticism from viewers.

Personally, I am more inclined towards the notion of keeping things platonic for mixed-gender pairings especially if the drama is not positioned to be a romance-themed one. While I get it that some viewers may like to see their favourite pairings engage in a romantic relationship onscreen, the manner of how this develops is crucial. As such, keeping it naturally-flowing and not forcing things to head towards the romantic genre would be the best. Especially when dealing with stories based on original material like novels and manga, it would be simply reckless and foolish to spoil the relationship dynamics crafted by the original works' authors for no apparent or justifiable reason.

Do share with me your favourite mixed-gender work partners in J-dramas and movies and let me know if I've missed any significant/popular examples from my list above!

FujiTV's most popular Gekku dramas ranking (Facebook)

FujiTV conducted a survey through its Facebook page asking Internet users to select their No.1 Gekku drama over the past 20 years i.e. from 1995 to the current season's offering "Date" and the results were concluded this morning at 8am (Japan time). A total of 628 votes were received and it seems like they did accept multiple titles selected by a single user because that's what I did (I chose 5 titles). Is your favourite in this ranking too?

The dramas which I voted for are in bold, numbers in brackets indicate the number of votes while the year when the drama was shown is displayed after the title. Unfortunately, Love Revolution and Beginner did not make the top 20 list. Note that for dramas with multiple installments such as HERO and Galileo, the votes were counted together rather than attributed to the specific parts. For such "combined" titles, I put down the multiple years when the series were shown in:

1) Long Vacation - 1996 (87)
2) HERO - 2001 & 2014 (56)
3) Yamato Nadeshiko - 2000 (34)
4) Nodame Cantabile - 2006 (33)
5) Galileo - 2007 & 2013 (22) / Tokyo Love Story - 1991 / Love Generation - 1997
8) Hitotsu Yane no Shita - 1993 & 1997 (20)
9) Pride - 2004 (18) / Buzzer Beat - 2009
11) Beach Boys - 1997 (16)
12) Nagareboshi - 2010 (15)
13) Proposal Daisakusen - 2007 (14) / Hito ni Yasashiku - 2002
15) Code Blue - 2010 (12)
16) Lunch no Joou - 2002 (12)
17) Shitsuren Chocolatier - 2014 (10) / Sora kara furu Ichioku no Hoshi - 2002
19) Watashi ga renai dekinai riyuu - 2011 (9)
20) Rich Man, Poor Woman - 2012 (8) / 101-kaime no Proposal - 1991 / Asunaro Hakusho - 1992

There were some "outliers" where dramas before 1995 were also selected such as Asunaro Hakusho, 101-kaime no Proposal and Tokyo Love Story. Of the 22 titles in the top 20, 7 were in the pre-2000 era, 6 were from 2000 to 2005 while the remaining 9 were after 2005. Does this show that the newer dramas were better and more popular? Not necessarily so because you have to "Like" the FujiTV Facebook page before you get to see this poll so for those who have not done so, they wouldn't have been able to vote. Moreover, some past polls I've seen about FujiTV's Gekku show a stronger representation from the pre-2005 dramas which suggests that the titles from recent years didn't make such a great impact. If this survey was done through other mediums, the results might have turned out differently.

Source: FujiTV's Facebook Page

Top 10 highest single-episode ratings ranking for dramas in 2013 (Oricon)

1) Hanzawa Naoki Last Episode (TBS) - 42.2%

2) Gochisousan Ep 15 (NHK) - 27.3%

3) Ama-chan Ep 145 (NHK) - 27.0%

4) Doctor X ~ Gekkai Daimon Michiko ~ Last Episode (TV Asahi) - 26.9%

5) 24 Jikan Terebi SP - Kyou no hi wa sayounara (NTV)  - 23.4%

6) Galileo Ep 1 (FujiTV) - 22.6%

7) DOCTORS 2 Last Episode (TV Asahi) - 21.7%

8) Yae no Sakura Ep 1 (NHK) - 21.4%

9) Legal High Ep 1 (FujiTV) - 21.2%

10) Aibou Season 11 Last Episode (TV Asahi) - 20.7%

Source: Oricon

Winners of the Tokyo Drama Award 2013

Best Drama Series (Grand Prix): Ama-chan (NHK)

Best Drama Series (Excellence Awards):
Nakuna, Hara-chan (NTV)
Doctor X ~ Gekkai Daimon Michiko (TV Asahi)
Tonbi (TBS)
Kodoku no Gourmet Season 2 (TV Tokyo)
Galileo (FujiTV)

Best Drama SP (Grand Prix): Double Face ~ Sennyuu Sousahen Gisou Keisatsu hen (TBS / WOWOW)

Best Drama SP (Excellence Awards):
Radio (NHK / TV Man Union)
Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo Hong Kong Kowloon Zaihou Satsujin Jiken (NTV)
Saigo kara nibanme no Koi 2012 Autumn (FujiTV)

Best Local Drama (i.e. those made outside of Tokyo):
Tanuki na Kazoku (NHK Tokushima)
Nagoya iki saishuu ressha (Nagoya TV)

Best Leading Actor: Eita - Saikou no Rikon (FujiTV)
Best Leading Actress: Nounen Reina - Ama-chan (NHK)
Best Supporting Actor: Ayano Go - Saikou no Rikon (FujiTV)
Best Supporting Actress: Koizumi Kyoko - Ama-chan (NHK)
Best Script: Kudo Kankuro - Ama-chan (NHK)

Source: Tokyo Drama Award

Top 10 dramas with the highest single episode rating in the first half of 2013

1) Galileo Ep 1 - 22.6%

2) Ama-chan Ep 65 - 22.2%

3) Yae no Sakura Ep 1 - 21.4%

4) Aibou season 11 Last Episode - 20.7%

5) Tonbi Last Episode - 20.3%

6) Jun to Ai Last Episode - 20.2%

7) Specialist (drama SP) - 19.4%

8) Last Cinderella Last Episode - 17.8%

9) Kazoku Game Last Episode - 16.7%

10) Taxi Driver no Suiri Nishi (drama SP) - 16.2%

Source: Oricon

First-day screening event of movie "Manatsu no Houteishiki"

The first-day screening event of movie "Manatsu no Houteishiki" was held on 29 June which was attended by Fukuyama Masaharu, Yoshitaka Yuriko, Kitamura Kazuki, An, Yamazaki Hikaru and the director Nishitani Hiroshi. The movie which is based on Higashino Keigo's Galileo novel series that has sold more than 10 million copies to date, is the second film in the Galileo series where Yukawa (Fukuyama) has to protect a young boy by helping to solve a murder case even though his character dislikes children. After the film screening, the cast appeared on stage to greet the audience where Fukuyama asked how they felt about the film. With response to that, the audience said the line "jitsu ni omoshiroi" (it's really interesting) which is a pet phrase of Yukawa in the Galileo series.

Having gone to Hong Kong for the premiere screening of the film on 27 June, Yoshitaka praised Fukuyama for looking radiant after the overseas trip. She also revealed instances where she played tricks on Fukuyama by hiding the snacks he was eating while reading the script or changing a red bean bun to chocolate bun and relished seeing his frustrated and sad expressions. In response, Fukuyama apologised for Yoshitaka's words being too difficult to understand.

At the end of the event, the host asked Fukuyama if he thinks that this movie marks the last of Yukawa's appearance and he said that if the viewers want to see Yukawa again and the author Higashino Keigo agrees to it, there may be a likelihood. As such, he jokingly urged the audience to send letters about this to Higashino so as to make it happen.

Source: Model Press

Spring 2013 drama ratings ranking

Here is the ranking of the spring 2013 dramas based on their average ratings at the end of the season:

1) Galileo (FujiTV) - 19.85%
2) Last Cinderella (FujiTV) - 15.16%
3) 35-sai no Koukousei (NTV) - 13.10%
4) Kazoku Game (FujiTV) - 12.96%
5) Sora tobu Kouhoushitsu (TBS) - 12.55%
6) Keiji 110kg (TV Asahi) - 12.06%
7) Doubles ~ Futari no Keiji (TV Asahi) - 11.76%
8) Kasukana Kanojo (FujiTV) - 11.51%
9) Iryu Sousa (TV Asahi) - 11.48%
10) TAKE FIVE (TBS) - 10.07%
11) Kakusho ~ Keishicho Sousa 3ka (TBS) - 9.90%
12) Sennyuu Tantei Tokage (TBS) - 9.86%
13) Otenki Oneesan (TV Asahi) - 9.84%
14) Kamo, Kyoto e Iku (FujiTV) - 9.80%
15) Kumo no Kaidan (NTV) - 9.25%
16) Machigawarechatta Otoko (FujiTV) 6.10%

Fukuyama Masaharu in Hong Kong for premiere event of "Manatsu no Houteishiki"

Fukuyama Masaharu made an appearance in Hong Kong on 27 June for the premiere event of his new Galileo movie "Manatsu no Houteishiki" where he was greeted by 3,000 fans who had gathered for the red carpet event despite a high temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and humidity as high as 80%. This was Fukuyama's first visit to Hong Kong for work purposes since he made his debut 23 years ago and he was very happy to see the strong support from local fans. Fukuyama commented that if he had known about the strong support for him in Hong Kong earlier, he would have gone there earlier in the past so he hopes to hold a concert there soon.

When Fukuyama arrived at the Hong Kong airport on 26 June, about 700 fans were there to greet him including some from China. Due to the large turnout, he had to go through the VIP gate instead and the fans chanted his nickname Masha as Fukuyama waved to the fans and boarded the car.

"Manatsu no Houteishiki" will be screened in Hong Kong on the same day as Japan i.e. 29 June and will be shown in 27 cinemas which is more than what the last Galileo movie "Yogisha X no Kenshin" achieved.

Source: Sponichi

Japan premiere screening of movie "Manatsu no Houteishiki"

The Japan premiere screening of movie "Manatsu no Houteishiki" was held at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills on 23 June which was attended by the lead cast Fukuyama Masaharu and Yoshitaka Yuriko as well as the movie's director Nishitani Hiroshi. The movie will be shown in cinemas from 29 June and is the second film under the Galileo series from Higashino Keigo which features Fukuyama as the genius physics expert Yukawa Manabu. It is also scheduled to be shown in Hong Kong from 27 June and Taiwan from 4 July and Fukuyama will attend the premiere screenings in both countries.

During the press conference, Yoshitaka commented that she was glad to find that Fukuyama is someone who gets along well with others and even remarked that he behaves like a middle-age uncle in the second half of the filming. With regard to that, Fukuyama said that Yoshitaka is his junior from the same agency so he has no qualms about saying anything to her.

Source: Sanspo

Fukuyama Masaharu to appear in special programme for "Galileo" over four nights

Fukuyama Masaharu will appear in the special programme for "Galileo" titled "Fukuyama Masaharu, drama Galileo and music Galileo +"  which will look back at the 6-year history of the Galileo series from 18 June over four nights via FujiTV. He will also release the album "Galileo+" on 26 June which features the music used in the "Galileo" series.

The programme which will be music-centric, will focus on KOH+ on 18 June at 12.45am while the second episode at 19 June at 1am will talk about the current drama series' theme song "Koi no Maryoku". The third episode on 20 June at 1am takes a look at "Galileo" entering the global market while the finale on 21 June 2.05am is a review of the series.

Source: Sanspo

"Last Cinderella" grabs top spot in Internet viewing ranking for spring 2013 dramas

Japan Brand Strategy released the results of the top 15 spring 2013 dramas which had the most page views and downloads from their respective TV stations' websites between 1 April and 9 June:

1) Last Cinderella (FujiTV)  / 766,000 unique viewers / 9.987 million page views

2) Galileo (FujiTV)  / 529,000 unique viewers / 3.989 million page views

3) Sora tobu Kouhoushitsu (TBS) / 461,000 unique viewers / 9.898 million page views

4) Kazoku Game (FujiTV) / 460,000 unique viewers / 3.605 million page views

5) Kumo no Kaidan (NTV) / 407,000 unique viewers / 3.95 million page views

6) 35-sai no Koukousei (NTV)  / 333,000 unique viewers / 3.199 million page views

7) TAKE FIVE (TBS) / 264,000 unique viewers / 2.26 million page views

8) Kasukana Kanojo (FujiTV) / 218,000 unique viewers / 1.772 million page views

9) Kamo, Kyoto e Iku (FujiTV) / 185,000 unique viewers / 1.249 million page views

10) Oteni Oneesan (TV Asahi) / 165,000 unique viewers / 807,000 page views

11) Sennyuu Tantei Tokage (TBS) / 157,000 unique viewers / 1.278 million page views

12) Doubles ~ Futari no Keiji (TV Asahi) / 133,000 unique viewers / 507,000 page views

13) Iryu Sousa (TV Asahi) / 77,000 unique viewers / 383,000 page views

14) Kakusho ~ Keishicho Sousa Sanka (TBS) / 72,000 unique viewers / 477,000 page views

15) Keiji 110kg (TV Asahi) / 60,000 unique viewers / 266,000 page views

Looking at what we have here, it seems like Last Cinderella has a very strong following and these viewers don't actually watch the drama during the first broadcast but rather choose to download it to view at their own free time. In the TV ratings world, Galileo reigns supreme but interest in the drama seems to be low because it only had 3 million plus of page views compared to No.1 and No.3 which have about 9 million. These results seem to show that what's popular on TV may not be what netizens prefer to watch. What comments do you have about these results?

Source: Sponichi / Japan Brand Strategy

KARA's Gu Hara to be guest in 10th episode of "Galileo"

KARA member Gu Hara will be making her first solo appearance in a Japanese drama when she takes on the role of an office lady in the 10th episode of spring 2013 drama "Galileo" shown on 17 June. Hara's role will be that of an OL who works in a company where the male boss was poisoned to death and Kishitani (Yoshitaka Yuriko) goes to the office to interview employees as part of the investigation. Although Hara has few lines in the scene, she said that it was difficult to pronounce the words clearly.

Gu Hara is also in charge of singing the Korean version of the drama's theme song "Koi no Maryoku" but she had not been able to meet Fukuyama Masaharu at all during the recording of the song and filming of the music video. With regard to this, Hara expressed disappointment and regret that they couldn't meet up but hoped that they can do so next time.

Source: Sponichi

Amami Yuki to resume work as a guest in the last two episodes of "Galileo"

Amami Yuki who had been hospitalised earlier due to a myocardial infarction, will be returning to work as a guest in the last two episodes of "Galileo" to be shown on 17th and 24th June. This will also be the first time she is working with Fukuyama Masaharu. Amami commented that she is a fan of the Galileo series and is happy to be involved in the drama although she's nervous about it.

The last two episodes will be based on the novel "Seijo no Kyuusai" which features Amami in the role of Mashiba Ayane, the owner of a school for preschoolers who gets involved in a case which Yukawa (Fukuyama) is investigating. Amami will begin filming her part from this weekend.

Source: Sponichi

Shibasaki Kou embarks on first nationwide concert tour in 2 years

Shibasaki Kou marked the start of her first nationwide concert tour in 2 years on 29 May at Tokyo's Parthenon Tama where she sang a total of 22 songs including tracks from her new album "Lyrical Wonder". During the concert, she also performed "Koi no Maryoku", the theme song of current gekku drama "Galileo", which was produced under the name of KOH+ together with Fukuyama Masaharu. Although Fukuyama was not physically present at the concert, he appeared on the TV screen behind Shibasaki and played the guitar while Shibasaki was singing the track for the 1,500-strong audience.

Source: Sanspo

Shibasaki Kou to be back as Utsumi Kaoru in "Galileo" spinoff drama SP

Shibasaki Kou who played the heroine in the first "Galileo" drama series and movie, will be back to reprise her role in a spinoff drama SP of the series titled "Galileo XX" (read as double X) due to be shown via FujiTV on 22 June at 9pm. The story in this SP will be an original one and is said to the final case which Utsumi handled as a police detective. Although Shibasaki only appeared in the first episode of the second "Galileo" series, there were many viewers who sent in requests to the TV station asking for Utsumi to appear more so the decision was made for her to return in an once-off SP.

The story takes place before Utsumi is to set off to Oklahoma in the US for training where she arrests a murder suspect (Yusuke Santa Maria) who insists that he's innocent. Faced with the prospect of making a wrong arrest, Utsumi works together with her colleague Toma (Yagira Yuuya) to launch a re-investigation. Although this is a spinoff, the main cast members in the second series i.e. Fukuyama Masaharu, Yoshitaka Yuriko, Kitamura Kazuki and Shinagawa Hiroshi will all appear in the SP.

Source: Sanspo

Galileo gets off to a good start with 22.6%

"Galileo" got off to a good start with its first episode shown on 15 April achieving a high rating of 22.6% in the Kanto region. With that, the drama grabbed the No.1 single episode rating title for 2013 based on dramas aired so far. It had been 5 years since the first series was shown in 2007 and the latest sequel features Fukuyama Masaharu pairing up with new partner Yoshitaka Yuriko. In addition, the first episode got a lot of attention due to guest star Osawa Takao and the highest rating within the episode was at 25.3% which was when Fukuyama's character Yukawa was explaining the tricks used by Osawa's character. With response to the news about the ratings, Fukuyama commented that he was glad that many viewers watched the drama and it was well worth the wait to play this role again. He hoped that this piece of good news would bring some positive energy to the filming set and that they will work hard to ensure that the good news continue.

Source: Sanspo

Fukuyama Masaharu & Shibasaki Kou team up again for Galileo theme song; Gu Hara & A-Lin to sing versions of the same song

Fukuyama Masaharu and Shibasaki Kou have teamed up again for their music collaboration project KOH+ for the first time in 5 years. This time, Fukuyama wrote the song "Koi no Maryoku" (The Magic of Love" which will be sung by Shibasaki and is the theme song of Fukuyama's new spring drama "Galileo". In addition, there will be two additional version i.e. the Korean version to be sung by KARA's Gu Hara and the Chinese version to be sung by Taiwanese singer A-Lin.

Recording of the original Japanese version was done in mid February and the duo still showed great chemistry despite not having worked together on a song for the past 5 years. Shibasaki praised Fukuyama for being a good producer while Fukuyama also commented that Shibasaki had become more expressive in her singing so she managed to finish the recording in almost one complete take.

As for the Korean version, Gu Hara will form the duo HARA+ with Fukuyama while the Chinese version will see him working with A-Lin under the A-Lin+ name. This is the first time that Fukuyama is working with a non-Japanese singer so he's surprised at how his songs sound in a different language.

Source: Sanspo

"Galileo" to be shown in 70 countries/regions; latest movie to be screened in June

The FujiTV spring 2013 drama "Galileo" starring Fukuyama Masaharu which will begin its run from 15 April, will also be shown in 70 countries/regions in Asia, North America and Europe. Taiwan will be the first to show the drama 2 days after the Japanese broadcast ie. 20 April followed by North America from 2 May, South Korea on 6 May and United Kingdom, Germany and France on 26 June. Hong Kong will follow suit from mid July. The overseas broadcast will come with subtitles.

In addition, "Manatsu no Houteishiki", the latest movie under the Galileo series will be shown on the same day as the Japanese release in Hong Kong i.e. 29 June while it will be screened from 5 July in Taiwan. Fukuyama has also set up an international fanclub "BROS.+" since January this year which is set to help in spreading awareness of the Galileo series.

Source: Sanspo

Preview of "Galileo" - Spring 2013

Title: Galileo
Official website: here
Broadcast by: FujiTV
O.A. Start Date: 15 April 2013
Timeslot: Mondays, 9pm
Original novel by: Higashino Keigo
Scriptwriter: Fukuda Yasushi
Theme song: to be announced
Cast: Fukuyama Masaharu, Yoshitaka Yuriko, Sawabe Yu, Shibasaki Kou, Kitamura Kazuki, Watanabe Ikkei, Osawa Takao (first episode's guest star)

Osawa Takao to appear as guest in first episode of "Galileo"

Osawa Takao will be the guest star for the first episode of "Galileo" starting on 15 April at 9pm on Mondays on FujiTV. This is the first time he is acting with the drama's lead Fukuyama Masaharu. Osawa will play the role of Renzaki, the chief of an up-and-coming religious group where an executive member was found to have fallen to his death as a result of Renzaki's mental wish transmitted to the victim. Fukuyama's role Yukawa will aim to find out the truth behind this strange happening.

Source: Sanspo