Ji Chang-wook and Mio Imada star in Merry Berry Love, a Korean-Japanese rom-com set on a strawberry farm on a Japanese island, streaming Wednesday, Oct. 7, on Disney+ and Hulu.
Ji Chang-wook is going back to rom-coms. This time he’s picking strawberries.
Merry Berry Love, his new series with Japanese actress Mio Imada, premieres Wednesday, Oct. 7. In the U.S., it streams on Disney+ and Hulu.
It’s a Korea-Japan production from Korea’s CJ ENM and Japan’s Nippon TV. According to Korean outlet CBS NoCut News, it’s the first series the two companies have produced together.
That’s two big names teaming up. CJ ENM runs Korea’s tvN channel, and its movie side released Parasite. Nippon TV is one of Japan’s major broadcasters.
What is Merry Berry Love about?
Ji plays Lee Yu-bin, a Korean spatial designer who loses everything and ends up on a small Japanese island.
Imada plays Karin Shirahama, a young strawberry farmer who pours everything into her land. Yu-bin lands on her farm as a worker, and he is not built for farm work.
Their first meeting goes badly. Then a misunderstanding keeps them a lot closer than either one planned. You can probably guess where it goes from there, and that’s part of the fun.
Who is in the Merry Berry Love cast?
Ji Chang-wook as Lee Yu-bin
Mio Imada as Karin Shirahama
Nam Yoon-su as Park Gu-nam, a young man on a working holiday
Kim Soojung and Noh Youngsub directed, and Lee Jaeyoon wrote the script.
Watch the trailer:
Who is Mio Imada?
If you don’t know her yet, she’s a big name in Japan. Imada, born in 1997 in Fukuoka, played the lead in NHK’s morning drama Anpan in 2025.
She also played Hinata in the live-action Tokyo Revengers movies.
And there’s a Pixar connection. Imada did voice work for the Japanese version of Lightyear in 2022.
Is Merry Berry Love Ji Chang-wook’s first rom-com in a while?
It is. Soompi notes it’s his first romantic comedy in three years, since Welcome to Samdalri in 2023.
“When I received the script, I felt that the character is someone I could relate to and who could connect with audiences in a familiar way,” Ji said, according to Soompi.
What other Ji Chang-wook shows are on Disney+?
Disney+ subscribers already know him from darker stuff.
He starred in the crime drama The Worst of Evil in 2023 and Gangnam B-Side in 2024, both Disney+ originals. Merry Berry Love is a big swing back toward the lighter side.
K-drama fans who go back further know him from Healer in 2014, Suspicious Partner in 2017 and Backstreet Rookie in 2020.
His last rom-com, Welcome to Samdalri, co-starred Shin Hye-sun.
Is Merry Berry Love on Netflix?
No. In the U.S., it’s a Disney+ and Hulu show, so you won’t find it on Netflix.
It’s an easy mix-up, since a lot of K-dramas live on Netflix, Welcome to Samdalri included. If you want that one as a warmup, that’s where it is.
How to watch Merry Berry Love
In the U.S., it streams on Disney+ and Hulu starting Oct. 7. Outside the U.S., look for it on Disney+.
In Japan, it airs on Nippon TV on Wednesdays.
Need a break from Halloween horror this month? There’s a strawberry farm waiting, and Ji just has to survive the farm work first.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
What’s On Disney Plus (Sept. 2, 2026), the Oct. 7 date on Disney+ and Hulu, the plot and the creative team
Soompi (Sept. 2, 2026), the cast and characters and Ji’s return to rom-coms
Soompi (Sept. 14, 2026), Ji Chang-wook’s quote about the script
CBS NoCut News (Sept. 2, 2026), the CJ ENM and Nippon TV co-production and the Nippon TV airing
ABS-CBN (2023 and 2024), The Worst of Evil and Gangnam B-Side on Disney+
Wikipedia (2026), Mio Imada’s credits
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