Story ideas for "trendy dramas" usually incorporate current issues that the target audience will be interested in. A major worry of young people right now, especially those attending university, is job prospects -- and the kind of work environment they'll have to face once they do get a job. Some of these concerns are addressed in "Moto Kare (Ex-Boyfriend)" (TBS, Sunday, 9 p.m.), which premieres July 6. Tsuyoshi Domoto, one half of the idol duo Kinki Kids, plays college graduate Haratsugu Kashiwaba, who, after several months of searching for a good job, finally secures a position with a department store. Department stores have not fared very well in recent years. The only section of traditional department stores that have consistently returned profits are the basement food areas, colloquially referred to as "depachika." Kashiwaba is assigned to the okazu (main dish) section of his store's basement food area. The job, however, turns out to be quite difficult, and his supervisor isn't an easy man to please.
In the opening episode, Kashiwaba strikes up a friendship with Nao (Rina Uchiyama), a young woman who is also a freshman employee straight out of college. Nao is an elevator girl, a position she always coveted, maybe because of the spiffy uniform. Kashiwaba asks her out on a date.
Meanwhile, Chitose (Hiroyuki Amano of the comedy team Kyaiin), a contractor who sells Chinese food in the basement, gets a complaint about some bad dumplings and is forced to go to the customer's house to apologize. Then, Kashiwaba is introduced to the new advertising company liaison who will be in charge of his department. To his shock, it's Makoto (Ryoko Hirosue), his old girlfriend.