Model and actor Koki, appeared on stage on March 20th in Tokyo at the opening day greetings for the movie she stars in, "True Beauty: Before High School Debut" (directed by Hoshino Kazunari). "I was trying to hold back, but..." she said, overcome with emotion and burst into tears.
Co-star Keisuke Watanabe handed her a handkerchief and, wiping away her tears, she commented, "I was able to participate in this film and meet my favorite director, wonderful co-stars, and all the staff.I also discovered a new side of myself."
"True Beauty" is a Korean web manga written by yaongyi that has been serialized on LINE Manga since 2018, ranked number one in readership for 46 consecutive months, and took first place in the 2021 annual ranking (female edition).
The film is a two-part romantic comedy that incorporates original Japanese elements and follows the story of the protagonist, Reina Tanikawa, who carved out her own life through makeup, as she pursues love and dreams over the course of nine years from high school to adulthood. The second part, "After Proposal," will be released on May 1st.
Other attendees at the event were Keito Tsuna, Yuka Sugai, Maruyama Rei, and Director Hoshino. As a surprise, yaongyi came all the way from Korea to unveil a specially drawn illustration for the movie poster.
Maruyama, who played Reina's older sister, Reimi, recalled when she received the offer, "I was so surprised. I thought, 'She's essentially (Koki,'s older sister) Cocomi-chan! Is my position okay?'" When Koki, revealed that she had been calling her "Rei-nee" during filming, Maruyama excitedly said, "Can you believe it? Who would have imagined a world where Koki, would call me 'Rei-nee'? I'm so happy!"
