The first episode of the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , aired on March 30, and viewers' attention was drawn to Toranosuke Kobayashi, who plays Kotaro Takeuchi, the childhood friend of the protagonist, Rin Ichinose (Mikami).
" Kaze,Kaoru" is based on the story of two trained nurses, Chika Ozeki and Masa Suzuki, who graduated from the same nursing school. The drama depicts how these two women struggle with how to interact with patients and doctors, grow through their conflicts, and eventually become the "ultimate buddy" duo. Mikami plays the main character, Rin Ichinose, and Uesaka plays the other main character, Naomi Oya.
Kotaro, played by Kobayashi, is the eldest son of the Takeuchi family, who were formerly foot soldiers and were born in the same village as Rin. He and Rin, the daughter of a former chief retainer, have been close since childhood, but he is acutely aware of the disparity in their upbringings.
In the first episode, Rin is working in the fields with her father, Shin'emon (Kazuki Kitamura ), and her younger sister, Yasu (Miu Hayasaka), when Kotaro and his family arrive. When Rin mentions how delicious the sweetfish Kotaro gave her was, Kotaro smiles and says, "Right?" Rin and Kotaro seem to be aware of each other, exchanging glances as they work in the field.
Kobayashi was born on February 12, 1998, and is 28 years old and from Okayama Prefecture. In the TBS Sunday drama "Gekokujo Kyuji" (2023), she formed a battery with Motoki Nakazawa , who played Chihiro in the Asadora"Anpan " (first half of 2025). The two also co-starred in the TV Tokyo drama series "Hidamari ga Kikoeru" (2024). In addition, she has appeared in popular dramas such as the NHK dramas "Sora Wataru Kyoshitsu" and "Themis no Fukataka na Hotei," attracting attention.
On social media, comments included: "He's so handsome," "Kobayashi Toranosuke's portrayal of Kotaro is so mellow, I'd give him 37 trillion points out of 100," "I'm falling in love with him," "Toranosuke is so cool," "Wasn't he a first love thief just with that 'right?'?", "He's so refreshing in the morning!", "He's a pure boy who falls in love more than I imagined, which is kind of exciting," "He has a strong presence," "I'm confused that Toranosuke is Kotaro lol," and "From Gekokujo Kyuji to another Asadora."
