{ "id": "epmgbe3hrd", "slug": "first-love", "title": "First Love (First Love 初恋)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.japanese_contemporary_drama", "label": "Japanese contemporary drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.japanese_contemporary_drama" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" } ] } ], "excerpt": "First Love (First Love 初恋) is a 2022 Netflix Japanese limited romance series, 9 episodes, directed by Yuri Kanchiku, starring Hikari Mitsushima and Takeru Satoh, inspired by Utada Hikaru's songs First Love (1999) and Hatsukoi (2018), set in Hokkaido across three time periods.", "snippet": "First Love (First Love 初恋) is a 2022 Netflix Japanese limited romance series, 9 episodes, directed by Yuri Kanchiku, starring Hikari Mitsushima and Takeru Satoh, inspired by Utada Hikaru's songs First Love (1999) and Hatsukoi (2018), set in Hokkaido across three time periods.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.japanese_contemporary_drama", "markdown": "# First Love (First Love 初恋)\n\n**First Love** (First Love 初恋) is a 2022 Japanese romance drama limited series produced by Netflix, directed and written by Yuri Kanchiku and starring Hikari Mitsushima and [Takeru Satoh](https://www.edgepedia.org/takeru-satoh). It was inspired by two songs written and composed by [Hikaru Utada](https://www.edgepedia.org/hikaru-utada), \"First Love\" (1999) and \"Hatsukoi\" (初恋, 2018), and follows a man and woman across more than 20 years as they remember the first love that shaped their lives.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) • [2](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Netflix limited series, 9 episodes, romance drama, rated 16+ in Japan and TV-MA in the United States[3](https://entame.all-connect.co.jp/firstlovehatsukoi-unext/) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/first-love-2022) |\n| Premiere | November 24, 2022, exclusive worldwide release on Netflix[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) |\n| Creators | Directed and written by Yuri Kanchiku; project initiated by Netflix executive producer Kazutaka Sakamoto in late 2018[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) • [5](https://www.creators-station.jp/interview/curiousity/182908) |\n| Leads | Hikari Mitsushima as Noguchi Yae; Takeru Satoh as Namiki Harumichi[2](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) |\n| Musical basis | Hikaru Utada's \"First Love\" (1999) and \"Hatsukoi\" (2018)[2](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) |\n| Setting | Hokkaido, Japan, with a location shoot in Iceland[5](https://www.creators-station.jp/interview/curiousity/182908) • [6](https://wotopi.jp/archives/134073) |\n| Reception milestone | #1 on Netflix Japan's daily Top 10 for 24 consecutive days; three consecutive weeks in the global non-English weekly Top 10[7](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-hatsukoi-special-movie-full-ver-debut) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and structure\n\nThe story moves among three time periods, the late 1990s, the 2000s, and the present, tracing a couple's unforgettable first love across more than two decades.[2](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) As teenagers in Hokkaido, Yae and Harumichi are deeply in love; as adults, their lives have lost color, as if something essential is missing.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/first-love-2022)\n\nMitsushima plays Noguchi Yae, who trains to become a flight attendant but is thrown off course by an unexpected accident; Satoh plays Namiki Harumichi, who becomes a pilot in the Air Self-Defense Force but has since taken a different path.[2](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) In the present-day storyline, Yae works as a taxi driver in Hokkaido, raising her son Tsuzuru, while Harumichi, about twenty years after the two separated, is engaged to another woman but cannot let go of his memory of Yae.[6](https://wotopi.jp/archives/134073) The young Yae and Harumichi are played by [Rikako Yagi](https://www.edgepedia.org/rikako-yagi) and Taisei Kido.[8](https://eiga.com/drama/series/firstlovehatsukoi/)\n\n## Cast\n\nNetflix announced the full supporting cast of nine in June 2022, alongside the premiere date.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) The roles and actors are:[2](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement)\n\n- Kyoji, a neurosurgeon who gives the leads important clues about their later fates, played by Osamu Mukai\n- Tsunemi, a counselor, played by Kaho\n- Kotaro, a colleague who loves Yae devotedly, played by Gaku Hamada\n- Yuu, Harumichi's younger sister, played by Minami\n- Bonji, Harumichi's close friend since student days, played by Akiyoshi Nakao\n- Tsuzuru, a middle schooler unaware of his own first love, played by Araki Towa\n- Kofune Uta, a dancer who meets Tsuzuru, played by [Aoi Yamada](https://www.edgepedia.org/aoi-yamada)\n- Akihiko, who holds a key to the story, played by Arata Iura\n- Ikuko, Yae's mother, whose decisions upend the two leads' fates, played by Kyoko Koizumi\n\n## Production\n\nThe project began around the end of 2018, when Netflix executive producer Kazutaka Sakamoto asked Kanchiku Yuri to create a large-scale love story spanning the years from Utada's 1999 song \"First Love\" to 2018's \"Hatsukoi\".[5](https://www.creators-station.jp/interview/curiousity/182908) Kanchiku found the story's core motif in what the producers describe as the \"physical reactions\" Utada has sung about consistently since her debut, drawing on the lyrics of \"Automatic\", \"First Love\", and \"Hatsukoi\" rather than translating the lyrics directly into plot.[5](https://www.creators-station.jp/interview/curiousity/182908) • [9](https://ceg.co.jp/story/5086/) Producer Kasumi Yao of C&I Entertainment joined in the spring of 2019 to support script development, casting, and staffing.[9](https://ceg.co.jp/story/5086/)\n\nThe production was, by its producer's account, on a scale far larger than the films and dramas she had previously worked on.[5](https://www.creators-station.jp/interview/curiousity/182908) During the COVID-19 pandemic, when overseas travel was restricted, the team nonetheless carried out a location shoot in Iceland.[5](https://www.creators-station.jp/interview/curiousity/182908)\n\n## The songs behind the series\n\n\"First Love\" was released in 1999, when Utada was sixteen years old, and became a major hit in Japan; \"Hatsukoi\" followed nineteen years later in 2018.[2](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement) • [10](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/3795) The 1999 song and album have sold a total of ten million units worldwide, making First Love Japan's best-selling album of all time.[11](https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/gs/article/6414/galley/4507/view/) The series shares its name with the 1999 song and album, and the drama's movement between past and present resonates with the song's own afterlife across decades.[11](https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/gs/article/6414/galley/4507/view/) • [10](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/3795)\n\nAhead of the premiere, Netflix also streamed Utada's studio live performance \"Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios\" beginning June 9, 2022.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement)\n\n## Reception\n\nAbout a month after release, Netflix reported that the series had held the number-one position on Japan's daily Top 10 for 24 consecutive days and had spent three consecutive weeks in Netflix's weekly global Top 10 for non-English series.[7](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-hatsukoi-special-movie-full-ver-debut) The songs themselves re-entered charts across Asian countries and regions alongside the show.[7](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-hatsukoi-special-movie-full-ver-debut) A Billboard Japan column credited the drama with renewing attention to \"First Love\" and noted that the series itself became a hit across Asian countries.[10](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/3795) On the viewer-rating aggregator Filmarks-linked rankings site ranking.net, the series holds a top score of 84.2 points from 186 ratings and ranks 5th in that site's Netflix original works ranking.[12](https://ranking.net/items/ig4x2d)\n\nThe series remains a Netflix exclusive; as of late 2026 listings it streams on Netflix in Japan and the United States and is not offered on other major services such as Prime Video, Hulu, or U-NEXT.[3](https://entame.all-connect.co.jp/firstlovehatsukoi-unext/) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/first-love-2022) It is distinct from the unrelated 2002 TBS drama also titled First Love.[3](https://entame.all-connect.co.jp/firstlovehatsukoi-unext/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [\"First Love\" Full Cast and premiere date announcement, About Netflix (June 6, 2022)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement)\n2. [「First Love 初恋」豪華新キャストが一挙発表！, About Netflix (June 6, 2022)](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-new-cast-announcement)\n3. [ドラマ『First Love 初恋』の動画配信はどこで見れる？, ミルレコ](https://entame.all-connect.co.jp/firstlovehatsukoi-unext/)\n4. [First Love (2022), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/first-love-2022)\n5. [Netflixの話題作「First Love 初恋」プロデューサーが語る、コロナ禍で「海外ロケ」敢行の秘策, Creators Station (2023)](https://www.creators-station.jp/interview/curiousity/182908)\n6. [倍速視聴できない、恋の情景がある…満島ひかり＆佐藤健で贈るNetflix『First Love 初恋』, ウートピ (2022)](https://wotopi.jp/archives/134073)\n7. [配信開始から約1ヶ月、日本の今日のシリーズTOP10で24日間連続1位獲得！, About Netflix (December 22, 2022)](https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/first-love-hatsukoi-special-movie-full-ver-debut)\n8. [First Love 初恋, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/drama/series/firstlovehatsukoi/)\n9. [「First Love 初恋」担当プロデューサーが語る舞台裏, カルチュア・エンタテインメント グループ](https://ceg.co.jp/story/5086/)\n10. [宇多田ヒカル、Netflixシリーズ『First Love 初恋』で再注目されている「First Love」に秘められた巧妙な歌詞, Billboard JAPAN](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/3795)\n11. [Romance in the Recent Past, Globus: Journal of Graduate School Student Research, University of Michigan](https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/gs/article/6414/galley/4507/view/)\n12. [First Love 初恋に関するランキングと感想・評価, みんなのランキング (ranking.net)](https://ranking.net/items/ig4x2d)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Japanese contemporary drama*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/first-love", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/first-love.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"First Love (First Love 初恋)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/first-love. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[First Love (First Love 初恋)](https://www.edgepedia.org/first-love)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/first-love](https://www.edgepedia.org/first-love). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"First Love (First Love 初恋)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/first-love. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "First Love is a 2022 Netflix Japanese limited romance series, 9 episodes, directed by Yuri Kanchiku, starring Hikari Mitsushima and Takeru Satoh, inspired by Utada Hikaru's songs First Love and Hatsukoi, set in Hokkaido across three time periods." }