Japanese Drama Tops July Wit List

The Japanese drama Umi no Hajimari (The Beginning of the Sea) garnered the most followers on Instagram out of all the new series that premiered in July, according to The WIT.

The Fuji TV series picked up 473,000 followers after bowing on July 1. Starring actor and current boy band idol Ren Meguro, who has 2.5 million followers of his own, the show follows a 28-year-old who, at the funeral of his ex-girlfriend, discovers that he has a daughter.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, a teen thriller based on the book of the same name, premiered on July 1 on BBC iPlayer and on July 10 on BBC Three in the U.K. It then became available on Netflix on August 1. The series’ wide release led to it amassing 102,000 followers on Instagram, also aided by author Holly Jackson’s 291,000 followers. It centers on a 17-year-old girl who goes on a quest to prove that a man accused of murdering a local schoolgirl is innocent.

With 79,000 followers to land in third on July’s Wit List, TVI’s Dilema debuted on July 7. The Portuguese adaptation of the Banijay reality game show Dilemma sees two teams of eight people locked in a house. Portuguese co-hosts Manuel Luís Goucha and Ricardo Martins Pereira have 946,000 and 115,000 followers, respectively.

SBT’s A Caverna Encantada, a Brazilan youth telenovela, tells the story of a girl who embarks on an unexpected journey, uncovering mysteries about her school, her family and herself. With a cast featuring Isabela Souza (1.1 million followers) and Miguel Coelho (204,000), as well as young actors Mel Summers (176,000) and Juju Penido (112,000), the series itself picked up 77,000 followers.

Another Fuji TV series made the list, with Mountain Doctor racking up 76,000 followers after its July 8 premiere. The medical series centers on a young orthopedic surgeon who goes back to his hometown and is thrown into a mountain medicine team. The cast is led by Yosuke Sugino and also features actor and boy band idol Koji Mukai, who has 791,000 followers of his own.

The reboot of Tres mujeres (Three Women), Mi amor sin tiempo, bowed on July 15 on Las Estrellas, 25 years after the initial series. Among the reboot’s cast are Mane de la Parra, Leticia Calderón, Andres Baida and Karla Esquivel. The series garnered 44,000 followers, aided by the followings of de la Parra (1.2 million), Calderón (556,000), Baida (622,000) and Esquivel (180,000).

A new Israeli adaptation of The Amazing Race, Ha’Merotz La’Million, began airing on Channel 12 (Keshet) on July 1. The format was previously adapted on Reshet from 2009 to 2020. The new version, which has 31,000 followers on Instagram, is hosted by actor and presenter Yehuda Levi.

Next on the list is Survivor, Expedición Robinson, a new Argentinean iteration of Survivor, which previously aired on Canal 13 from 2000 to 2001. The latest series bowed on Disney+ throughout Latin America and on Telefe in Argentina on July 15 and amassed 27,000 followers. Its following is aided by the star power of its host, Alejandro Wiebe aka Marley, who has 7.7 million.

The BS Asahi LGBT+ romantic drama Takara no Vidro, adapted from the manga of the same name, stars Yoji Iwase (208,000 followers) and Eito Konishi (163,000). It racked up 27,000 followers on Instagram after premiering on July 1.

Rounding out July’s Wit List, The Real Estate Brasil picked up 23,000 followers after debuting on RedeTV! on July 22. The series is a reality competition for professionals from five different sectors of construction and property, including architects, designers and brokers. It features João Gondim (72,000 followers), João Angeli (31,000), Vinicius Motta (66,000) and Diego Carielo (48,000).

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