Disney+ has set October 7 as the worldwide premiere date for Merry Berry Love, the new Korea-Japan romantic comedy starring Ji Chang-wook and Mio Imada. The series will stream globally on Disney+ and air in Japan on Nippon TV, with a new poster and trailer released on September 2. The project marks the first joint production between South Korea’s CJ ENM and Japan’s Nippon TV, bringing the two entertainment companies together for a story built around cultural and language differences.
The series follows Lee Yu-bin, played by Ji Chang-wook, a successful Korean spatial designer whose career suddenly falls apart. Hoping to rebuild his life, Lee Yu-bin travels to the remote Japanese island of Charo, where he meets Karin Shirahama, played by Mio Imada, a young strawberry farmer who has devoted herself to her work. Their very different lives lead to a series of awkward situations that gradually develop into an unexpected romance.
Language sits at the heart of the comedy. Lee Yu-bin does not speak Japanese when he arrives on the island, while Karin does not speak his language. Their early encounters are consequently filled with misunderstandings and awkward attempts to communicate. The language barrier provides much of the humour while also becoming an important part of their relationship as they attempt to understand each other.
The series also marks a notable return to romantic comedy for Ji Chang-wook. It arrives around three years after Welcome to Samdal-ri, following his appearances in darker and more action-driven projects such as The Worst of Evil and The Manipulated. In Merry Berry Love, his character moves from a polished professional environment into the considerably messier reality of working on a strawberry farm.
Imada brings another unusual element to Karin Shirahama. While she is a hardworking farmer, the character also lives with an unexplained condition that causes her to fall asleep unexpectedly. The condition adds another source of humour and unpredictability to her encounters with Lee Yu-bin.
The relationship between the two leads is central to the series, with both actors bringing their own experiences of working across the language divide to their performances. Imada has spoken warmly about working with Ji Chang-wook, describing him as having a supportive, older-brother-like presence on set. Ji Chang-wook, meanwhile, began the project without speaking Japanese, making his own experience somewhat similar to Lee Yu-bin’s struggle to communicate after arriving on the island.
Behind the camera, Merry Berry Love brings together Korean and Japanese production talent. Kim Soo-jung, known for directing the popular BL series Semantic Error, serves as director alongside Noh Young-seop, while Lee Jae-yoon is the writer. The international collaboration gives the series a broader reach while keeping its story focused on the relationship between two people from different backgrounds.
The supporting cast includes Nam Yoon-su as Park Gu-nam, a working holiday worker connected to the island, and Kumada Rinka as Mizuno Mari, Karin’s friend and a tarot reader. Their characters add another layer of youthful romance around the central couple.
The newly released trailer highlights the contrast between Lee Yu-bin’s former life as a successful spatial designer and his new reality among the strawberry fields. Alongside the language barrier, the footage features awkward first encounters and the growing attraction between the two leads, with the island setting providing a warm backdrop for their developing relationship.
With its October 7 premiere, Merry Berry Love aims to offer more than a conventional romantic comedy. Its Korean-Japanese production, language-based humour, contrasting protagonists and unusual island setting give the series a distinct identity. As Lee Yu-bin and Karin Shirahama struggle to understand each other, their story asks whether two people who cannot easily communicate can nevertheless find a shared language through love.
