" Anpan " (NHK Asadora series) starring Mio Imada , which began on March 31st (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 am and others). This is the Asadora in three years since "Boogie Woogie" in the second half of 2023 to start with the protagonist's childhood, and attention is focused on the excellent performances of the child actors. Many drama fans must have once again felt the power of NHK's casting from the acting of Nagase Yuzuna and Kimura Yuuki, who play the childhood of the protagonist Nobu (Imada) and Takashi (Takumi Kitamura), who will later become Nobu's husband, which put adults to shame.
◇The charms of "genius child actors" Yuzuna Nagase and Yuuki Kimura
Yuzuna, who plays Nobu, is 9 years old and was born on June 13, 2015. She made her debut as a child actor in the Fuji TV Monday Getsuku drama "Asagao - Forensic Doctor" in July 2019, and has played the role of Tsugumi, the daughter of the main character Asagao (Juri Ueno), in the subsequent series. In September 2023, she changed her stage name from "Yuna Kato" and has appeared in many popular works, including "Nursing Aide At Your Side" (Nippon TV) in January last year, attracting attention.
Kurasaki Ken, the production manager of "Anpan," explained the reason for casting Yuzuna, saying, "She's appeared in a variety of productions, and I thought she was a really good actress. Also, I thought she had some similarities and links to Imada-san, so I offered her the role."
On social media, people have been praising Yuzuna, saying things like, "She has a very similar facial expression to Nobu-chan's child actor, Mio Imada," "She's such a genius child actor," "Her acting is so intense," and "How can child actors in Asadora be such good actors?"
Meanwhile, Yuuki, who plays Taka, is 9 years old and was born on March 25, 2016. He is a "regular" who has appeared in many NHK dramas, such as the NHK night dramas "VR Uncle's First Love" and "Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyodai.", as well as the NHK drama 10 "Sora Wataru Kyoushitsu." His excellent performance in the currently released movie "Shounen to Inu" (directed by Sese Takahisa) is also attracting attention.
Yuuki was selected for the role of Takashi through an audition. Kurazaki explained the reason for his selection, saying, "We invited dozens of people (to the audition), but even though Yuuki is still an elementary school student, he has a melancholy air about him. Takashi Yanase(the model for Takashi) lived his life with a complex about his younger brother. I felt that he had a strong connection to Yanase's real character, and I thought that he would be able to express the sadness, sorrow and melancholy that Yanase felt in his childhood."
Kitamura, who plays the main role of Taku, said about Yuuki's acting, "Yuuki perfectly portrayed the important roots of Taku, with his gaze that makes it hard to tell where he's looking, and his expression that can't be interpreted as either negative or positive, and I thought he had a very mysterious charm."
I can't wait to see what kind of acting careers Yuzuna-chan and Yuuki-kun, both not even 10 years old, will pursue in the future.
◇ "It was an instant decision" Sawai Rioka leaves a strong impression with "Boogie Woogie"
Like Yuzuna, other child actors who have attracted attention in recent years for playing the childhood versions of Asadora heroines include Sawai Rioka from "Boogie Woogie" (second half of 2023), Asada Baro from "Maiagare!" (second half of 2022), Inagaki Kurumi from "Chimudondon" (first half of 2022), and Maita Nonno from "Ochoyan" (second half of 2020).
Among them, Sawai was chosen from an audition of about 700 people to play the childhood of "Boogie Woogie" heroine Suzuko (played by Shuri). Fukui Mitsuhiro, the chief director of the show, praised her at the time, saying, "It was an instant decision between us. It's not something we usually do, but after the audition, I held her back a bit and asked if she could cut her hair, and made sure she was ready to start filming right away. Sawai was so brilliant."
Although "Boogie Woogie" was her first time appearing in a TV drama, she left a strong impression on viewers with her solid acting and singing abilities. Fukui-san gave her stamp of approval to her talent, saying, "She has the miraculous combination of acting, singing, dancing, and a personality that is loved by those around her."
Sawai, who was "discovered" by NHK, will appear in the April 2024 drama "Believe - A Bridge to You" (TV Asahi) as hospitalized patient Kanami Imoto. She showed off her impressive acting in the drama, which was a hot topic due to its star-studded cast including Takuya Kimura and Yuki Amami.
◇ The talented 13-year-old Maita Nono has already appeared in three Asadora dramas
In terms of "discovery," Maita's name cannot be left out. She took the first step in her career in the Asadora"Scarlet" in the latter half of 2019. As mentioned above, she was also cast in "Ochoyan," where she brilliantly played the childhood of the heroine Chiyo (Hana Sugisaki Hana) and Chiyo's niece Haruko, which became a hot topic.
Maita was selected for the role of Chiyo in "Ochoyan" from an audition that had about 500 people take part in. The production manager of the show, Souichi Sakurai, praised her, saying, "The moment I saw her at the audition, I thought, 'This girl is on a different level.' Very few girls can act by watching the other person's acting, so she stood out from the very beginning by reacting to her partner's acting. She can yell, laugh, cry, and act in a wide range of roles."
Maita, who gained recognition as a child actor with her role as Chiyo, also appeared as a main cast member in the January 2022 drama "My Wife is a Primary School Student" (TBS), and the NHK night drama "Your Item is Here," which aired from August to September of the same year. Then, in the first part of 2024, she will return to the Asadora drama for the first time in about three and a half years as Yumi, the daughter of the heroine Torako (Ito Sari), in " The Tiger and Her Wings ." Despite only being 13 years old, she has already grown into a talented actor with outstanding acting skills.
I think many viewers feel that this " Asadora -ness" is coming from " Anpan ," and the lively acting of the skillfully cast child actors is one of the sources of that " Asadora-ness." I think that behind this lies NHK's casting power, or rather, its ability to discover new talent.
