There was a character named “Ashiya” in the nationwide udon chain Marugame Seimen’s YouTube drama “Men to Chihiro no Parallel World”!
“Men to Chihiro no Parallel World” is a YouTube drama about the “Kuippuri! Grand Prix!”, a project to discover the best eaters from across Japan, and follows Marugame Seimen employees as they work hard to make the project a success.
The lead role is played by former AKB48 member Atsuko Maeda!
Episodes 1 and 2 are scheduled to stream from 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 27〜
The Role of “Ashiya” Is Played by That Comedian!
The character “Ashiya” is one of the partner staff members at a Marugame Seimen store, and according to the drama relationship chart, the role seems to be someone who has complaints about the employees at headquarters…
She is played by comedian Kintaro.!
Also appearing as Marugame Seimen store partner staff are “Uozaki,” played by Fumie Fuchu of the comedy trio Plan Keikaku, and “Sumiyoshi,” played by Harue Saito, also of Plan Keikaku.
Since Marugame Seimen’s headquarters are in Kobe City, it looks like nearby place names are being used as character names!
Is There a Marugame Seimen in Ashiya City…?
Since there’s a character named “Ashiya” in the YouTube drama, I figured there must naturally be a “Marugame Seimen Ashiya Store”…! But… surprisingly!
There is no Marugame Seimen in Ashiya City
Apparently… so why does “Ms. Ashiya” appear when there isn’t one in Ashiya!? Now I’m even more curious…!
Nearby locations seem to include the “Nishinomiya Maehama Store” and the “Mikage Tsukamachi Store.”
Finally
Kintaro. is well known as a comedian, but she is also active as an actor, including making her first stage lead appearance in “Ring Ring Ring 2016,” a special memorial performance marking the seventh anniversary of Kohei Tsuka’s passing!
In the drama, I wonder if she plays the role with an elegant, Ashiya-like atmosphere to match the name “Ashiya”? I’m curious!
