"The Kaze,Kaoru" Episode 60: Kotaro reappears with a drastically changed demeanor. A chance encounter with Shimaken sparks a "love battle"?

The 60th episode of the NHK morning drama series " Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka, aired on June 19th, and Rin's (Asadora ) childhood friend Kotaro (Toranosuke Kobayashi) made a long-awaited appearance. The scene in which he runs into his "love rival" Shimaken (Masaya Sano) attracted the attention of viewers.

As Yasui (Hayasaka Miharu) and Soichi's (Uesugi Shuhei) wedding approaches, a man in Western attire visits the Ichinose house. Naomi (Uesaka), who is staying at Rin's house, is wary, wondering, "Is he Rin's ex-husband?", but the man turns out to be Rin's childhood friend, Kotaro. Kotaro had persuaded his family to let him move to Tokyo and is now working for a pharmaceutical company in Ginza.

Seeing Kotaro dressed in a suit, Rin smiled and said, "You look like a completely different person. That suit suits you." Naomi, having seen Rin and Kotaro's exchange, thoughtfully took Tamaki out with her. Kotaro casually asked about her love life, "Rin, you know... are you planning on remarrying?" and looked relieved when he heard Rin's reply, "I'm finally going to be a nurse starting next month."

After Yasui and Soichi got married, Rin took Kotaro, who had come to congratulate them, to her favorite dumpling shop. Shimaken happened to pass by and called out to Kotaro just as he was about to say to Rin, "I came to Tokyo because..." Kotaro introduced himself by saying, "I'm Rin's childhood friend, and I currently work for a pharmaceutical company in Ginza." Shimaken then introduced himself, saying, "I'm Shimada Kenjiro, or Shimaken. I aspire to be a novelist. I'm just an aspiring writer, so I haven't published any books yet."

A tense atmosphere hung between Shimaken and Kotaro, and after Shimaken left, Kotaro declared, "Rin, I'm definitely going to make it big," and left the money behind before going home.

On social media, comments included "Kotaro has become quite the city boy," "Who is that? He looks so sharp in Western clothes, what's going on!", and "Kotaro has become too sophisticated," as well as "The battle between the handsome guys has begun. They're quietly clashing," "Even so, Ichinose Rin is such a heartbreaker," "I want to root for the devoted Kotaro," "The childhood friend in the Asadora is a formidable opponent. Go Shimaken!", and "I wonder who Rin will choose."