Yoshinori Masakado of the chart-topping J-pop quartet Ae! group is set to star in Chat Boy, the newest installment in STARTO ENTERTAINMENT's "S DRAMA" vertical short drama series. The project will also feature fellow STARTO star Noel Kawashima of Travis Japan. The show is slated to stream worldwide on YouTube 1 August.
The story follows manga editor Utsumi (Masakado) who is is a man with a secret. Despite outwardly presenting as witty and confident, he is cripplingly addicted to AI chat tools and the constant validation they provide.
So when the government hands down a comprehensive ban on such technologies, he jumps at an offer from a mysterious company dealing in Humanoid AI designed to skirt the new law... especially when one of the models just happens to a perfect doppelganger for his high school classmate Fujino (Kawashima). At first, everything seems a perfect blend of AI and human companionship, but can the two of them ever be true friends?
For those unfamiliar, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT's "S DRAMA" is a 2026 intiative by the J-pop talent agency and media production house. With smartphones and social media now the primary means of engagement between viewers and the stories they love, STARTO is tapping into that space with these “SPECIAL SHORTS". The dramas, spanning from thriller to horror to rom-com and more, are fully produced in-house by STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, shot and edited for vertically-oriented handheld screens easy to enjoy in bed or on the go.
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