“Kentaro's pregnancy”: a pregnant cisgender man in the new Netflix series

A pregnant man? How many similar stories have you heard about it in the world? Netflix brings you a special one. Kentaro's Pregnancy is an upcoming Japanese comedy television series co-directed by Yūko Hakoda. Based on the eponymous manga by Eri Sakai, it tells the story of a man's experience of getting pregnant. The series will premiere on April 21, 2022 and will star Takumi Saitō as Kentaro Hiyama and Juri Ueno as Aki Setō.

The story of Kentaro Hiyama comes from a world where it is discovered that cisgender men have the ability to gestate, and this office worker suffers from an unplanned pregnancy with his romantic partner Aki Seto.

As a pregnant man, Kentaro suffers the scrutiny of business and society, exposing the difficulties faced by pregnant women. Faced with the many challenges associated with pregnancy and childbirth in modern times, both parents have to face reality and make a decision: whether or not to have the baby.

Desarrollo

On April 8, 2021, it was announced that Netflix and TV Tokyo would co-produce a live-image adaptation of the manga series Kentaro Hiyama's First Pregnancy. According to the author of the manga, the development of the series began two years before the initial announcement of the series.

During the live broadcast of Netflix Festival Japan 2021 on November 10, 2021, lead director Yuko Hakoda revealed that the first season will consist of eight episodes, each lasting around 23 minutes.

In addition to the main characters, we will find outstanding performances by additional cast members such as: Mariko Tsutsui, Lily Franky, Ryō Iwamatsu, Kazuya Takahashi, Shōhei Ueno, Maho Yamada, Gaku Hosokawa, Kō Maehara, Yūsaku Mori, Ai Yamamoto, Shima Ise , Yukiko Shinohara, Atsushi Hashimoto, Yuryiko Ono, Shigeru Saiki and Toshie Negishi.

¿Una temática sensible?

You could say yes. Kentaro's pregnancy has all the components to generate controversy among the public because of its subject matter and the baggage it entails. The idea of the “pregnant man” as a concept and execution is one that has been given in various presentations with all kinds of connotations; both positive and negative.

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