"Soul Mate" (Japanese: ソウルメイト, Hepburn: Sourumeito) is a planned Japanese romance boys' love television series created and directed by Shunki Hashizume. The story follows a relationship that lasts over ten years between Ryu Narutaki (played by Hayato Isomura) and Johan Hwang (played by Ok Taec-yeon). The series shows the couple moving between the cities of Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo. It is scheduled to be released on Netflix on May 14, 2026.

Synopsis

Ryu Narutaki, a young man from Japan, meets Johan Hwang, a Korean boxer. Their meeting starts a long relationship that lasts for ten years and includes time in Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo. As their lives stay connected, they deal with personal challenges and a growing romance.

Production

Netflix announced the series Soul Mate on June 28, 2024. The idea for the show came from a conversation between director Shunki Hashizume and producer Dai Ota about relationships between people from different cultural backgrounds. Ota explained that the story was created to show how lives can connect in new places. Hashizume wrote and directed the series, with production managed by Robot Communications and GTist.

Actors Hayato Isomura and Ok Taec-yeon were chosen for the lead roles. To prepare for his part as a boxer, Ok followed a plan to lose weight and train in boxing during filming. Isomura mentioned that the production filmed in three countries—Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo—to create a global setting for the story, which covers a time span of ten years.

Principal photography for the series took place in Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo in 2024.

Release

The eight-episode series was originally planned for an August 2025 release. However, Netflix Japan confirmed in January 2026 that the series would premiere globally on May 14, 2026.