Jinbē is the story of the relationship between Jinpei and his stepdaughter, Miku. Miku's mother died after being married to Jinpei for a little over a year, when Miku was 13 years old, and Jinpei has been raising Miku alone since then. The series has a very delicate touch with the romantic issues.[1] Adachi dealt with a similar situation, a brother and sister who are not related by blood, in his earlier series Miyuki.
Main characters
The information in the "Portrayed by" line is for the live action drama. Additional cast members are listed below in that section.
Jinpei, also known as Jinbē (meaning whale shark), lives with his step-daughter Miku. His wife, Rikako, died three years prior to the beginning of the story after being married to him for just over a year. Jinpei works at Sansun Aquarium. While in college, he was a famous goalkeeper for his university's soccer team.
Miku is Jinpei's 17-year-old step-daughter, and the daughter of Rikako and Yukio Miyage. Her parents divorced nine years prior to the story's start, and her mother married Jinpei about five years later. She is in the photography club in high school, and is pursued romantically by Jinishi. However, she was always predestined to have a romantic relationship with her step-father, despite their initial denial throughout the story.
Broadcast on Fuji TV from October 12, 1998 – December 21, 1998, Jinbē garnered an average 15.9% rating. It aired on Monday nights from 9:00—9:54 pm, with the final episode airing from 9:00—10:24 pm.