Following Last Year's 'New Life Campaign', Second Short Drama Project! Collaboration with 'Gokko Club'! 'Thawing Frozen Time' Released from March 30th, Starring Young Actor Eiji Yoshida and 'Morning Musume. OG' Haruna Iikubo!

Mizuho Bank (President: Katsuhiko Kato, hereinafter 'Mizuho Bank') launched its 'New Life Campaign' on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, offering up to 40,000 yen equivalent for achieving various conditions such as opening a new account or applying for and using a new Mizuho Rakuten Card. As part of this campaign, we decided to collaborate with 'Gokko Club,' a vertical short drama creator whose total SNS views exceeded 12 billion (as of March 2026), to strongly support everyone's various challenges and new beginnings. The first episode of the vertical short drama 'Thawing Frozen Time' was released on Monday, March 30, 2026, followed by the second episode on Tuesday, March 31. Through smartphone-oriented vertical videos, we deliver 'unchanging security' and 'a new step' that accompany the challenge of starting a new life.

<TikTok>

'Thawing Frozen Time' Episode 1

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSHRT63mb/

'Thawing Frozen Time' Episode 2

https://www.tiktok.com/@gokko5club/video/7623202703799274770

<Story>

Eiji, the protagonist, begins his new life as a working adult in Tokyo. On the day he moves to Tokyo, he has a minor argument with his grandmother and heads to Tokyo awkwardly. In the cardboard boxes that arrived at his new home, he finds pickled vegetables prepared by his grandmother and a large number of 500-yen coins. As Eiji struggles with his unfamiliar new life, one day he suddenly receives a call from his sister saying, 'Grandma is in the hospital'—the story then moves into a tense development.

<Cast>

Eiji Yoshida, Megumi Igarashi, Haruna Iikubo, Daiki Watanabe, Kai Hayasaka

<Selected Cuts>

<Story>

Eiji is agitated upon hearing that his grandmother has collapsed. However, he breathes a sigh of relief when he learns that it was not serious. Regretting his words to his grandmother, he finds a letter and photos from her in a cardboard box left in his room, and learns the meaning behind the 500-yen coins. Encouraged by his grandmother's unchanging love, even from afar, Eiji takes a new step forward.

<Cast>

Eiji Yoshida, Megumi Igarashi, Haruna Iikubo, Daiki Watanabe, Shinko Nei

<Selected Cuts>

●Background of this collaboration and future new life promotions

This initiative was planned as part of the 'New Life Campaign' that has been running since Tuesday, January 27, 2026. As one approach to those starting new lives, we are challenging new communication through social media. While social media has the power to move people's hearts, we believe it's important to deliver messages within a story that evokes empathy, rather than just one-sided announcements. Therefore, we utilized short dramas as a method to convey Mizuho Bank's desire to support everyone starting a new life, while minimizing overt advertising. 'Gokko Club,' with whom we collaborated, is a leading presence in the short drama field, and we are attracted to their highly empathetic scripts and direction. Through this initiative, we aim to stand by those taking on various challenges in their new lives, and Mizuho Bank also wants to 'together' support their first steps.

Q. After finishing the shoot, what were the most memorable scenes or episodes, and what are the highlights of this drama?
The most memorable scene for me was when my grandmother and I had our family photo taken by my older sister. It was an improvised scene, but it showed the entire history of our family at once, making it a very warm scene that was vital for the subsequent parts of the story.

Q. This work is a story that sends encouragement to young people who will become new members of society from April. Is there anything you would like to challenge this spring, Mr. Yoshida?
I went to England this New Year and will be going to Australia soon, so I want to study English more so I can speak it better! I want to study until I can travel abroad alone!!

Q. In Episode 1, there's a scene where trading cards appear. What nostalgic games or items were you obsessed with as a child, Mr. Yoshida?

I used to collect baseball player cards! So, it reminded me of how angry I used to get when my family dropped a rare card, just like in the beginning of the main story, haha.

Q. After finishing the shoot, what were the most memorable scenes or episodes, and what are the highlights of this drama?
The scene where the protagonist is deeply moved by the deliciousness of his grandmother's pickled vegetables. I was also a grandmother's girl, and I loved the pickled vegetables my great-grandmother made at my grandmother's house. I can't eat them anymore, but I'll always remember that delicious taste.

Q. In the story, 'Grandma's pickled vegetables' are a crucial key to warming the protagonist's heart. For you, Ms. Iikubo, if there's a 'gift from family that warmed your heart' or a 'memory of a taste' when you were busy or tired, please tell us.
There have been a few times in the past when I reached my limit with work, but my family always supported me. They even flew all the way to Osaka, and there were times when I returned to Tokyo from a regional area for just one day. I will never forget the meals and the taste of the restaurants I had at those times.

Q. This work is a story that encourages young people to take a new step. Ms. Iikubo, you have also continued to take on new challenges in the past, such as an exhibition of 'butts'. What do you value when taking on challenges?

My challenges were always possible because I was blessed with the people around me. People with many hobbies, people who always live creatively, people who are stoic about one thing – I get inspiration from various people. I feel very much alive because of the people around me, so I cherish everyone around me.

When you start living alone in a new life, there will come a day when everyone suddenly feels grateful to their parents, grandparents, and siblings because they can no longer live with the family they used to take for granted. With such empathy, I wanted to convey the gratitude of family to generations who are not yet independent, so I chose this theme for the work. It's a classic theme, and I think many adults in the world have experienced it, but I also wanted to convey the desire for them to look back and be grateful once again. Because 'thank you' and 'I'm sorry' should be conveyed as soon as possible.

The reason I made it about a grandmother and grandson is that the relationship between grandparents has a big impact when made into a work. It's basically the same as a parent-child relationship, but there's a 'depth of words' and 'love' that only grandparents can convey, so I focused on that.