Nogizaka46 member Nagi Inoue will be starring in his first terrestrial drama in TV Asahi's drama "Spring!" (March 21st, 11:15pm). We asked the "next generation ace" of Nogizaka46, who will be the center of the latest single "Navel Orange" (on sale March 26th), about his feelings about his first lead role, and about his own audition memories in relation to the theme of this work, which is about taking entrance exams.
◇Is the heroine your former self? "It just makes me feel uneasy."
The drama is a film adaptation of a work by Saaya Matsushita, who won the grand prize from among 1,023 entries in the TV Asahi Newcomer Scenario Awards, which have produced many screenwriters. The story is a youth love story that depicts the struggles and love of high school students in the exam period, with essays as the theme. Fujioka Maito Fujioka plays the love interest of the heroine played by Inoue.
This will be Inoue's first terrestrial TV drama appearance, in which she will play the lead role. Nogizaka46 has "OGs" such as Nanase Nishino and Mizuki Yamashita who were active as actors while still in the group, and Inoue said, "Seeing the success of my seniors, I had always wanted to work in acting."
"I was interested, and when I did a musical last year, I thought it was fun to spend time thinking about a role. Fans are happy when I do work outside of the group, so I was happy to be asked to do this."
Regarding the subject of the youth love story, she reflected, "I was worried whether I was the right person for the role, and was nervous throughout the beginning of filming. But the staff and cast all talked to me a lot, and the set was really warm, so I think I was able to relax."
The role she played this time was of Aoi, a studious honor student who failed the first half of the university entrance exams that she was sure to get into. In the story, Aoi is invited by Tasuku Murase (played by Fujioka), a male classmate who also failed, and the two of them grow closer as they work on essay preparations together for the second half of the exams.... She said she often sympathized with Aoi.
"When I was in my third year of high school, I had just joined Nogizaka46 and was going through a lot of changes, so I thought I was quite similar to myself at the time. I can't trust people easily, and I'm clumsy and can't be honest... It was easy to act. But when I think about how similar I am to my old self, it makes me feel uneasy. I thought to myself, "I should be more honest!" while acting (laughs)."
Aoi is set to be the former head of the calligraphy club, and there is a scene in the play where she is seen dressed in a hakama and boldly writing a banner.
"To be honest, I'm not very good at handwriting, so I was quite worried about that... (laughs). There is a scene where I have to write in a notebook, so I bought a calligraphy practice book before filming and tried out one, and maybe thanks to that, I received compliments during the calligraphy scene, so I was really happy!" she says with a smile.
◇ Proud of myself as a 5th generation member of Nogizaka46
Unlike Aoi, she has no experience of taking university entrance exams, but she feels that auditioning for Nogizaka46 was also a kind of "exam."
"There were many auditions, including singing, dancing, and self-promotion. I prepared over and over again for the audition, writing down the questions I expected to be asked on manuscript paper and memorizing the answers, and because I love art, I even drew some watercolors and brought them with me."
"I think I was more calm then than I am now (laughs)," she said, recalling her feelings at the time.
"I had prepared as hard as I could, so I would have been happy if I had passed, but if I had failed, there's nothing I can do about it. I just thought, 'whatever will be, will be' (laughing). I did my best, so even if I had failed, I probably wouldn't have regretted it that much."
She is now known as the "next generation ace" of the group. In the latest single "Navel Orange," she is the double center with fellow member Aruno Nakanishi.
"When I was filming the drama, there hadn't been any talk of a new single yet, so I was surprised that the broadcast date and the release date were so close, and I thought it would be an important timing."
Last year, she was appointed as an exclusive model for the women's fashion magazine "non-no" (Shueisha), and is gradually expanding her activities outside the group, such as working as a voice actress in a TV anime. Increasing the number of jobs outside the group and raising the profile of Nogizaka46 is also a path that her predecessors have taken.
"I would be honored if I could be a part of that history. I'm still not as great as my seniors, so I want to work harder and harder so that I can be of some use to Nogizaka46, just like my seniors."
Nogizaka46 is undergoing a generational change, and the achievements of Inoue and the other 5th generation members who joined in 2022 are becoming more noticeable. Although there is pressure in being called a generational change, they want to move forward in their own way.
"I love my fellow classmates, and I'm proud to be a member of Nogizaka46's 5th generation. We're often called the 'individuality of the 5th generation,' but in a good way, there are many girls who don't fit into a mold, so I hope we can show you lots of new charms. I believe that if everyone enjoys themselves in their own way and continues to work hard, good things will definitely happen, so I would like to pass on the baton of Nogizaka46 little by little in this way," she said with determination.
