Ossan's Love

Ossan's Love (Japanese: おっさんずラブ, Hepburn: Ossan zu Rabu, lit. 'Middle Aged Man's Love') is a Japanese television drama produced by TV Asahi. 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 (male-male romance) genre, Ossan's Love was initially released as a single-episode television special 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.

This article is about the 2018 Japanese television drama. For the Hong Kong adaptation, see Ossan's Love (2021 TV series).
Ossan's Love
Promotional image for season 1
Japaneseおっさんずラブ
GenreComedy, BL
Written byKoji Tokuo
Starring
Ending theme
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of seasons2
Release
Original networkTV Asahi
Original releaseDecember 30, 2016 (2016-12-30) –
December 21, 2019 (2019-12-21)

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
Soichi Haruta (春田 創一, Haruta Sōichi)
Portrayed by: Kei Tanaka
Musashi Kurosawa (黒澤 武蔵, Kurosawa Musashi)
Portrayed by: Kōtarō Yoshida
Kurosawa is the manager of Haruta's department and is in love with him.
Ryota Maki (牧 凌太, Maki Ryōta)
Portrayed by: Kento Hayashi
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 Yukiya Hasegawa (長谷川 幸也, Hasegawa Yukiya) and was portrayed by Motoki Ochiai.

Production

Ossan's Love was inspired by producer Sari Kijima's 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.[1] Scriptwriter Koji Tokuo noted that rather than writing the series as a moe 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 or other LGBT-related issues.[2] While Ossan's Love is an original work, Tokuo has noted both shōnen and shōjo manga as among its influences, particularly Marmalade Boy.[2] The series was heavily marketed through social media; "Musashi's Room", an Instagram account featuring in-character posts from Musashi Kurosawa, became widely popular and gained more followers than the series' official account.[3][4]

Ossan's Love was first broadcast as an hour-long television special on December 30, 2016, as the third part of TV Asahi's "Year-end Strange Love Drama" (年の瀬変愛ドラマ) series.[5] The program starred Kei Tanaka as Soichi Haruta, Kōtarō Yoshida as Musashi Kurosawa, Motoki Ochiai as Yukiya Hasegawa, and Sae Miyazawa 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.[5] The 2018 series appeared on TV Asahi's Doyō Night Drama (土曜ナイトドラマ, lit. "Saturday Night Drama") programming block. Tanaka and Yoshida reprised their roles, while Kento Hayashi and Rio Uchida replaced Ochiai and Miyazawa, including characters that were in their original roles.[6]

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 plot, but is set in an airport and is not connected to the first season's narrative.[7]

Episodes

Television special (2016)
No.TitleWritten byOriginal air date
Special"Ossan's Love"
Transcription: "Ossanzu Rabu" (Japanese: おっさんずラブ)		Tōichirō RutōDecember 30, 2016 (2016-12-30)
Soichi Haruta, a single 33-year-old salaryman working at a real-estate office, discovers photos of him secretly taken by his boss, Musashi Kurosawa, to which the latter admits he has been in love. Haruta confides in his friends but discovers that his co-worker and roommate, Yukiya Hasegawa, is also in love with him. Haruta is unsettled by both their romantic pursuits, and after an altercation at the company's Christmas party, he eventually rejects them both. However, during a night out with Asuka, his childhood friend, he realizes his feelings for Hasegawa and later confesses to him.

Season 1 (2018)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal air dateJapan viewership rating [6]
11"Open the Door!"
Tōichirō RutōApril 21, 2018 (2018-04-21)2.9%
22"Stop Fighting"
Transcription: "Kenka o Yamete" (Japanese: けんかをやめて)		Daisuke YamamotoApril 28, 2018 (2018-04-28)4.2%
33"Your Name"
Transcription: "Kimi no Na wa" (Japanese: 君の名は。)		Yuki SaitoOctober 23, 2018 (2018-10-23)3.8%
44"The Third Man"
Transcription: "Dai-san no Otoko" (Japanese: 第三の男)		Tōichirō RutōMay 12, 2018 (2018-05-12)3.5%
55"Can You "Coming Out"?"
Daisuke YamamotoMay 19, 2018 (2018-05-19)3.9%
66"Musuko-san o Boku ni Kudasai!"
Transcription: "Please Let Me Take Care of Your Son!" (Japanese: 息子さんを僕にください!)		Yuki SaitoMay 28, 2018 (2018-05-28)3.9%
77"Happy Happy Wedding!?"
Tōichirō RutōJune 2, 2018 (2018-06-02)5.7%

Season 2: In the Sky (2019)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal air dateJapan viewership rating [8]
81"Attention Please"
Transcription: "Atenshon Purīzu" (Japanese: アテンションプリーズ)		Tōichirō RutōNovember 2, 2019 (2019-11-02)5.8%
92"To Avoid Love in the Middle of the Airport"
Transcription: "Kūkō no Chūshin de Ai o Sakebu" (Japanese: 空港の中心で愛をさけぶ)		Daisuke YamamotoNovember 9, 2019 (2019-11-09)4.7%
103"Endless Rain"
Yuki SaitoNovember 16, 2019 (2019-11-16)3.5%
114"We Can't Ever Hate Each Other"
Transcription: "Kirai ni Narenai Watashi-tachi" (Japanese: 嫌いになれない私たち)		Tōichirō RutōNovember 23, 2019 (2019-11-23)4.6%
125"Am I Not Good Enough?"
Transcription: "Ore ja Dame ka" (Japanese: 俺じゃダメか)		Daisuke YamamotoNovember 30, 2019 (2019-11-30)4.3%
136"Seven Days with You"
Transcription: "Ore to Omae no Nanokakan" (Japanese: 俺とお前の七日間)		Yuki SaitoDecember 7, 2019 (2019-12-07)4.2%
147"And Then Someone was Gone"
Transcription: "Soshite Dare mo Inakunatta" (Japanese: そして誰もいなくなった)		Yuki SaitoDecember 14, 2019 (2019-12-14)4.3%
158"Merry Christmas from the Heavens"
Transcription: "Tenkū no Merī Kurisumasu" (Japanese: 天空のメリークリスマス)		Tōichirō RutōDecember 21, 2019 (2019-12-21)5.1%

Other media

Film

A film sequel to season 1 of the television drama, Ossan's Love: Love or Dead, 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.[9] The film grossed a total of ¥2.65 billion, making it the twelfth highest-grossing Japanese film released in 2019.[10] Several cheer screenings were held throughout the theatrical run.[11]

Manga

A manga adaptation of Ossan's Love illustrated by Umebachi Yamanaka was serialized in the manga magazine Be Love from 2018 to 2020.[12] The series was collected into four tankōbon volumes published by Kodansha:

No. Release date ISBN
1 March 13, 2019[13]978-4-06-515273-7
2 August 8, 2019[14]978-4-06-516772-4
3 November 3, 2019[15]978-4-06-516772-4
4 March 13, 2020[16]978-4-06-518929-0

Remake
Further information: Ossan's Love (2021 TV series)

A Cantonese-language remake of the first season produced in Hong Kong was first announced in February 2021. The remake stars Mirror members Edan Lui and Anson Lo, as well as Kenny Wong. It was later broadcast in Hong Kong on ViuTV beginning June 28, 2021. Episodes 7 to 15 had new content that was not present in the original Japanese version.[17]

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,[18][19] and was praised in Japan and Hong Kong for its positive portrayal of same-sex couples.[19] The series' popularity is noted as influencing the production of live-action television dramas and films featuring male-male romance, such as Pornographer (2018) on Fuji TV, What Did You Eat Yesterday? (2019) on TV Tokyo, 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 (2020).[20] James Marsh from the South China Morning Post gave Ossan's Love: Love or Dead a score of 3 out of 5 stars.[19]

The official guidebook for the first season sold 100,000 physical copies within its first week of sales.[21] 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.[22]

Awards
Year Award CategoryNominee(s) ResultRef.
2018 Confidence Award Drama Prize Best Drama Ossan's Love Won [23]
Best Supporting Actor Kōtarō Yoshida Won [23]
Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Series Ossan's Love Nominated [24]
Best Actor Kei Tanaka Nominated [24]
Best Supporting Actor Kento Hayashi Won [24]
Best Supporting Actress Rio Uchida Won [24]
Best Supporting Actress Nene Otsuka Nominated [24]
Television Drama Academy Awards Best Series Ossan's Love Won [25]
Best Actor Kei Tanaka Won [25]
Best Supporting Actor Kōtarō Yoshida Won [25]
Best Supporting Actor Kento Hayashi Nominated [25]
Best Screenplay Koji Tokuo Won [25]
Best Director Toichiro Ruto, Daisuke Yamamoto, Yuki Saito Won [25]
Special Award "Musashi's Room" (tie-in Instagram account) Won [25]
Tokyo Drama Awards Grand Prix Ossan's Love Won [26]
Best Actor Kei Tanaka Won [26]
Best Supporting Actor Kōtarō Yoshida Won [26]
2019 Confidence Award Drama Prize Grand Prize Ossan's Love Won [27]
Elan d'or Awards New Face Award Kei Tanaka Won [28]
Producer Award Encouragement Award Yumiko Miwa, Sayuri Kijima, Yuki Jinba, Chizuko Matsuno Won [28]
Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Spring Drama) Best Series Ossan's Love Won [29]
Best Actor Kei Tanaka Won [30]
Best Supporting Actor Kento Hayashi Won [31]
Best Supporting Actress Rio Uchida Won [32]

References
  1. "『おっさんずラブ』28歳若手Pが語る、大反響の裏側 「テーマは"働く今どきの男女の恋愛観"」". Real Sound (in Japanese). 2 June 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  2. Okimoto, Shigeyoshi (2 June 2018). "「おっさんずラブ」胸キュン必至な物語はどうつくられたのか？ 脚本・徳尾浩司インタビュー". AnimeAnime.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  3. "おっさんずラブの巧みなSNS戦略 絶対な波及効果が人気支える". Jisin.jp (in Japanese). 30 May 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  4. "『おっさんずラブ』あえての"公式裏アカ"戦略 公式アカウント超えるフォロワー数に". Oricon News (in Japanese). 26 May 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. "『おっさんずラブ』が純度の高い恋愛ドラマを貫き通せた奇跡". Oricon (in Japanese). 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  6. "『おっさんずラブ』最終回5.7%で有終の美 初回2%台から急上昇". Oricon (in Japanese). 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  7. "『おっさんずラブ』10月、連ドラで帰ってくる 男女入り乱れてのラブバトル!?". Oricon News (in Japanese). 12 September 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  8. "田中圭「おっさんずラブ」最終話は５・１％" [Kei Tanaka's Ossan's Love receives 5.1% viewership rating on its final episode]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  9. "『劇場版おっさんずラブ』が満足度ランク首位。熱烈ファンの"推しポイント"は？". Pia. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  10. "2019年 （令和元年） 全国映画概況" (PDF). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  11. "おっさんずラブ応援上映に"OL民"集う、息ぴったりに「アグリー！」「きんぴら！」". Natalie (in Japanese). 2019-09-07. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  12. "ドラマ『おっさんずラブ』のコミカライズ連載が女性マンガ誌「BE・LOVE」で11月1日スタート！" [Comic adaptation of the drama series Ossans Love starts serialization in josei manga magazine Be Love starting November 1!]. Animate (in Japanese). 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  13. "おっさんずラブ（1）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  14. "おっさんずラブ（2）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  15. "おっさんずラブ（3）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  16. "おっさんずラブ（4）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  17. "香港版『おっさんずラブ』本編が完成 新エピソード増で7話から15話に". Oricon. 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  18. Morrissy, Kim (2020-10-20). "Interview: Boys-Love Anime Label Blue Lynx". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  19. Marsh, James (2019-09-10). "Review: Ossan's Love: Love or Dead film review – Japanese gay office comedy piggybacks on success of TV series". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  20. "男性同士の恋愛描く「BL」作品がメジャー化した理由". News Post Seven (in Japanese). 4 October 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  21. "『おっさんずラブ』公式本、初版10万部に 目次も一挙公開". Oricon (in Japanese). 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  22. "『おっさんずラブ』公式本、TV番組関連本で民放ドラマ6年10ヶ月ぶり2週連続首位". Oricon (in Japanese). 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  23. "第12回 コンフィデンスアワード・ドラマ賞". Oricon (in Japanese). 1 August 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  24. "日刊スポーツ・ドラマグランプリ". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 June 2020.
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  29. "貴島彩理Ｐ「おっさんずラブ」ドラマＧＰ作品賞受賞". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 6 May 2019.
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