Mio Imada stars in the NHK Asadora drama series "Anpan" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8am and others). It began on March 31st and depicted the childhood of the main characters over two weeks. At the end of the 10th episode, which aired on April 11th, the role of heroine Nobu was handed over from Nagase Yuzuna to Imada. The role of Taka was passed on from Kimura Yuuki to Takumi Kitamura, and the role of Chihiro was also passed on from Hirayama Seigo to Motoki Nakazawa. After the well-received "child actor turn," the main cast will be appearing one after another, but among them, the one we want to pay attention to is...
◇ The two younger sisters of the "future heroine candidates"
"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobuyuki (1918-1993), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman." It is a "story of love and courage" that will make you feel the joy of living, depicting how these two, who were once nobody, overcame all sorts of rough seas and arrived at "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
The third week, "What for?," which begins on April 14th, is set in 1935. Nobu (Imada) is a fifth-year high school student, Takashi (Kitamura) is a fifth-year middle school student who loves manga, and Asada Bread continues, albeit on a small scale. Naturally, Nobu's two younger sisters, Ranko (second daughter) and Meiko (third daughter), have also grown up. They will be played by Yuumi Kawai and Nanoka Hara, respectively.
Kawai Extremely Inappropriate! on a roll since her big hit drama "Extremely Inappropriate!" (TBS) last year, and won the Best Actress Award at the 48th Japan Academy Awards for her performance in the movie "Ankoto." Hara, on the other hand, started out as a child actor and has been cast in popular works such as Makoto Shinkai Shinkai's animated feature film "Suzume" (2022), NHK's taiga drama "What Will Ieyasu Do?" (2023), and the live-action "Oshi no Ko" series.
Regarding the two, Chief Producer Kurasaki Ken, who is in charge of production, revealed that he chose them based on their abilities and characters, saying, "Yuumi Kawai and Nanoka Hara also participated in the heroine auditions, and with their overwhelming acting ability and innocence, we felt they were perfect for the characters of the second and third daughters, so we offered them the role."
In the past, Tao Tsuchiya, Hana Sugisaki, and Kaya Kiyohara have risen from "younger sister of the Asadora heroine" to "Asadora heroine" themselves, and it will be interesting to see whether Kawai or Hara will follow the same route. They are also worthy of attention as potential future heroines.
◇ Speaking of the heroine’s “classmate and childhood friend”…
Along with Kawai and Hara, new cast member will be Sara Shida, who will play Usako, Nobu's classmate and childhood friend.
After appearing in the drama "Cheer☆Dan" (TBS, 2018), the live-action "Laid-Back Camp" series (TV Tokyo), and the Sunday Theatre "Dragon Zakura" (TBS, 2021), she played the role of the 14th shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, in season 2 "Bakumatsu Edition" of NHK's "Drama 10 "Ooku"" (2023).
Furthermore, in January of last year, she starred in two dramas, "The Unforgettable 'I' - Chain of Revenge" (Nippon TV) and "Betrayal in a Place Like This" (Chukyo TV), and has steadily established herself as a star, and now she will be making her debut in a Asadora .
Speaking of the heroine being a "classmate and childhood friend," we still remember "Hanae-chan" ( Misato Morita ), who gained popularity in the Asadora"The Tiger and Her Wings " a year ago, but will Shida be able to continue in the role of Usako?
◇ The visual of the role also brings to mind words like "honest" and "pure."
Nakazawa, who was introduced as Chihiro in episode 10, is also expected to make an Asadora breakthrough. He has only been an actor for three years, but judging from the visual appearance of the role, words like "honest" and "pure" come to mind, making him a promising 25-year-old young actor with a certain Asadora like quality.
He first attracted attention in the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "Gekokujou Kyuji" that aired in October 2023. The drama was produced by producer Arai Junko and director Tsukahara Ayuko, who are known for the station's popular dramas such as "Saiai" (2021), and he appeared as one of the 12 cast members selected from an audition that lasted six months, playing the role of ace pitcher Inuzuka Sho.
At the time, the drama staff commented on Nakazawa's impression, saying, "His boyish face fits the image of the character. He has a sense of charisma," and "He caught my eye even when he was in the middle of the field. His one-shots are strong. His acting is not quirky, which is good."
Nakazawa himself revealed at the time that the type of actor he aspires to be is "an actor who acts naturally, is captivating when it's necessary, and has a good sense of balance," and we can all look forward to seeing his performance in the Asadora"Anpan."
