Naomi Watanabe:Her first appearance in a Asadora was in " Omusubi " as Ayumu's ally, a powerful gal from Tohoku. "I played the role while imagining a senior from my hometown."

It was revealed on January 10 that comedian Naomi Watanabe will appear in the NHK Asadora drama "Omusubi ," starring Kanna Hashimoto . This will be Watanabe's first time appearing in a Asadora.

Watanabe plays Akipi, a friend of the heroine Yui's (Hashimoto) older sister Ayumu (Riisa Naka). She used to work as a gal in Tokyo with Ayumu, and now lives with her daughter in Iwate, Tohoku. Due to a certain incident, she appears in front of Ayumu with a large bag and cheers up the troubled Ayumu with her powerful Tohoku dialect.

Watanabe commented, "I recently made a guest appearance in NHK's morning drama series, "Omusubi." I was playing the role of a legendary gal, so I tried to imagine a local senior like me while playing the role. Thanks to everyone on set, I had a great time filming, and I would be happy if I was able to add a little bit of color to the work. Be sure to check it out!"

Production manager Usagawa Takashi explained, "For Yoneda Ayumu, played by Riisa Naka, AkiPi is an important presence who gives her the strength to move forward again. Naka, who plays Ayumu, is a very powerful presence to begin with. Who could be the person who can encourage such a Ayumu? We all agreed that it would be Watanabe Naomi who could cheer him up! So the entire staff unanimously asked for the role."

He continued, "Watanabe is active worldwide, having been selected as one of the BBC's '100 Women of the Year' last month. Her positive and energetic acting gives the character of AkiPi great charm. Please look forward to watching Yoneda Ayumu's changing emotional journey along with AkiPi!"

"Omusubi" is a "Heisei youth graffiti" about a heroine born in 1989 who always values ​​her own individuality and connects people's hearts and futures as a nutritionist with her "gal spirit". It is an original work by Nonji Nemoto, a screenwriter known for NHK's drama "Honest Real Estate".