Commentary:Is the role of the younger sister in the Asadora"Anpan" the prelude to a more important role? Yuumi Kawai, after a fulfilling 2024

Yuumi Kawai Yumi was ranked first in the actor category in the Yahoo! Search Awards 2024, which ranks people, works, and products that have seen a sharp increase in search volume compared to the previous year (2023). Starting with the smash hit "Futehodo" (TBS), she has undoubtedly had an impressive year, appearing in dramas, movies, animated feature films, and commercials. Let's take a look at Kawai's future in 2025 and beyond.

◇ "Kazokazo" proves its worth once again on terrestrial TV, and is also featured in commercials one after another

Kawai was born on December 19, 2000, and is 24 years old and from Tokyo. She made her debut in 2019, and her performances in the films "Yuko no Tenbin" and "Summer Film Ni Notte," both released in 2021, were highly praised, leading to her receiving the Newcomer Award at numerous film awards, including the Blue Ribbon Awards. In 2023, she will star in her first TV drama series, "It's Not That I Loved You Because You're My Family, It's That I Loved You (Kazo Kazo)" (NHK).

In 2024, she attracted a lot of attention with "Futehodo" broadcast in January, and in the late-night drama "RoOT" (TV Tokyo and others) that started in April, she will be the first to star in a terrestrial drama (co-starring with Ryota Bando ). She also made her debut as a voice actress in the animated film " Lookback " (released June 28th), which is based on a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto , known for " Chainsaw Man ," and she has consistently been a topic of conversation, starring in the films "Ankoto" and "Namibian Desert," which were released in June and September, respectively.

In the same year, "Kazokazo" was broadcast on terrestrial television, and the protagonist, who lost his father, his mother is in a wheelchair, and his younger brother has Down's syndrome, sometimes feels crushed by his family environment, but still rushes forward. He expressed his outstanding acting skills and proved his ability once again. He was also cast in a number of corporate commercials, including "Uniqlo," and the number of contract companies has increased sharply from 2 to 7 in 2023.

◇ Some people expect her to be a Asadora heroine in a few years.

After such a fulfilling 2024, what kind of year will Kawai have in 2025? In addition to the release of the movie she will be appearing in, one thing you can't miss is the role of the heroine's younger sister (second daughter) in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " starring Mio Imada , which will be aired in the first half of 2025.

To explain again, " Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobu Komatsu(1918-1993), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman." It is a "story of love and courage" that will fill you with the joy of living, as the two, who were still nobodys at the time, overcome all sorts of rough seas and become Anpanman.

Asadora are a kind of "family drama," and attention is likely to be focused on the heroine's family, siblings, or those close to them. Among them, the younger sister position is somehow special for a certain audience. The more attention a work receives, the more likely it is that the younger sister cast member will be seen as a "future Asadora heroine." As for Kawai, who was selected from the heroine audition this time, there are voices of expectation that she will "become an Asadora heroine in a few years."

In the past 10 years of Asadora, three people have made those selfish expectations of those around them a reality: Tao Tsuchiya, Hana Sugisaki Hana, and Kiyohara Kaya. Tsuchiya played the younger sister of the heroine in "Hanako to Anne" in the first half of 2014, before becoming the heroine in "Mare" in the first half of the following year, 2015. Sugisaki then went on to play "Toto Neechan" in the first half of 2016 and "Ochoyan" in the second half of 2020, while Kiyohara also played "Natsuzora" in the first half of 2019 and "Okaeri Mone" in the first half of 2021, following the same route as Tsuchiya: "younger sister of Asadora heroine → Asadora heroine."

We will continue to keep an eye on Kawai to see whether her role as Anpan's younger sister will be the prelude to even bigger roles after 2025, just like those two.