- Source: Cosmetic Playlover
Cosmetic Playlover (Japanese: コスメティック・プレイラバー, Hepburn: Kosumetikku Pureirabā) is a Japanese manga series by Sachi Narashima. It is serialized in the monthly boys' love manga magazine Magazine Be × Boy since December 7, 2017. In addition, two spin-offs, Bitterness Playlover and Twilight Playlover, are also serialized in Magazine Be × Boy. A live-action television drama adaptation premiered on Fuji TV on August 6, 2024, and ran for 8 episodes.
Plot
Natsume Mamiya and Touma Sahashi work as department store beauty consultants for the cosmetics brand Romy Feerique, where they are known as the "two princes". However, Natsume is constantly annoyed with Touma for not taking his job seriously despite his potential. One day, Touma discovers that Natsume is gay and decides to use his secret to get closer to him.
In addition to Natsume and Sahashi, there are two side stories focusing on the relationships of other characters in the story: Bitterness Playlover, which focuses on Keigo Kakizaki (Natsume's acquaintance) and Yukito Saionji's (Touma's high school senior) relationship; and Twilight Playlover, which focuses on Atsushi Nanjo and Iori Kosaka's (Nanjo's high school classmate) relationship.
Characters
Natsume Mamiya (間宮 棗, Mamiya Natsume)
Voiced by: Chiaki Kobayashi (audio drama); Portrayed by: So Okuno
Natsume is an earnest, hard-working beauty consultant. He is described as "pure-hearted". In volume 3, he is promoted to manager of his store.
Touma Sahashi (佐橋 斗真, Sahashi Tōma)
Voiced by: Kent Itō (audio drama); Portrayed by: Yudai Toyoda
Touma is Natsume's junior co-worker who also works as a beauty consultant. He is a former model, but he quit after his senior co-workers staged a dating rumor out of jealousy for his competence. Touma is a talented and highly skilled beauty consultant, but he tends to be nonchalant. He is described as having a "cheeky and cool" personality. After he begins dating Natsume, he becomes a possessive yet doting boyfriend. Later in the series, Touma trains to become a make-up artist for Romy Feerique.
Atsushi Nanjo (南条 敦, Nanjō Atsushi)
Voiced by: Tomohito Takatsuka (audio drama); Portrayed by: Shunta Sono
Nanjo is a make-up assistant from the Kansai region. He immediately becomes attracted to Natsume and irritates Touma, but he acts as a big brother figure to them. He is the main character of the side story Twilight Playlover.
Tanouchi (田之内)
Voiced by: Tomohiro Ohno (audio drama); Portrayed by: Yūichi Nakamura
Tanouchi is a former beauty consultant who currently works in the sales department of Romy Feerique. He was the person who inspired Natsume to become a beauty consultant and is his first love.
Tenma Sahashi (佐橋 天真, Sahashi Tenma)
Portrayed by: Gaku Oshida
Tenma is Touma's estranged older brother.
Harada (原田)
Portrayed by: Nozomi Seina
Harada is the manager of Romy Feerique. In volume 3, she is transferred to Romy Feerique's brand headquarters.
Aizawa (相沢)
Portrayed by: Ayano Kudō
Aizawa is the sub-manager at Romy Feerique.
Taichi Harukawa (春川 汰一, Harukawa Taichi)
Portrayed by: Tomoki Yonemura
Harukawa is a new employee in the sales department and is Natsume and Touma's junior. While eager to work, he is very clumsy. He becomes attracted to Natsume, but he also supports Natsume and Touma's relationship.
Keigo Kakizaki (柿崎 圭吾, Kakizaki Keigo)
Portrayed by: Kaito Hori
Kakizaki is a beauty consultant from a different brand. He resents Natsume and accuses him of stealing a customer in the past, which resulted in Natsume transferring locations. Kakizaki is one of the main characters in Bitterness Playlover.
Risa Yumihara (弓原 リサ, Yumihara Risa)
Portrayed by: Fuka Sugiura
Risa is a famous model and the brand muse for Romy Feerique. She is from the same talent agency as Touma when he used to work as a model. Her real name is Risako (梨沙子).
Media
= Manga
=Cosmetic Playlover is written and illustrated by Sachi Narashima. It is serialized in the monthly boys' love manga magazine Magazine Be × Boy since the January 2018 issue released on December 7, 2017. The chapters were later released in eight bound volumes by Libre under the BBC Deluxe imprint. The manga is distributed digitally in English through Animate International.
Narashima created the concept of Cosmetic Playlover after hearing from a beauty consultant friend mention that there were men who also worked as beauty consultants. A challenge she faced in drawing the series was drawing make-up products, which she soon got used to.
Cosmetic Playlover
Spin-offs
Aside from Cosmetic Playlover, Narashima wrote and illustrated two other side stories focusing on other characters in the series. Bitterness Playlover is serialized on a yearly basis in Magazine Be × Boy since the August 2018 issue released on July 6, 2018, and published as extra side stories in the main Cosmetic Playlover volumes. Twilight Playlover was serialized in Magazine Be × Boy from the November 2020 issue released on October 7, 2020 to the August 2021 issue released on July 7, 2021.
= Audio drama
=A series of audio dramas adapting the manga was released onto CD by Marine Entertainment. The first volume was released on November 26, 2021. The second volume was released on May 31, 2024.
= Television drama
=A live-action television drama adaptation of Cosmetic Playlover was announced on July 1, 2024. It was broadcast on Fuji TV since August 6, 2024 with 8 episodes scheduled. Fuji TV On Demand, the channel's online streaming service, is also releasing two episodes per week. The series is directed by Takehiro Shindō, with Hiroko Kanasugi in charge of the script and Kōji Endō in charge of music. The drama adaptation is produced by NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. The theme song is "Wagamama Only Mine" by Urashimasakatasen, of which the CD jacket illustration was also provided by Sachi Narashima. It was streamed internationally outside of Japan and South Korea through GagaOOLala.
The series stars So Okuno as Natsume and Yudai Toyoda as Touma. Additional cast members include Milk member Shunta Sono as Nanjo, Gaku Oshida as Tenma, Nozomi Seina as Harada, Ayano Kudō as Aizawa, and Tomoki Yonemura as Harukawa.
Episodes
Reception
Cosmetic Playlover won the 2021 Digital Comic Award by Comic CMoa in the BL category. In 2024, the series sold a consecutive total of over 1 million physical copies.
Notes
References
External links
Official website of the TV drama (in Japanese)
