Starting in April, model Kanon will be a reporter for the special feature section of Nippon Television's morning information program "ZIP!" (Monday to Friday, 5:50 a.m.). She is bilingual and grew up in Los Angeles until the second year of junior high school, and is known for her lively and bright smile. She also works as an actor, and is a regular in the currently airing drama "MADDER: That Incident, I'm the Criminal" (Fuji Television, Thursdays at 2:15 a.m. *12:15 a.m. in the Kansai region). With her hair dyed blue for the show, she spoke about the audition for "ZIP!" and the highlights of the drama.
◇Formerly "Mezamashi" "Imadoki Girl"
Kanon is 25 years old and was born on December 28, 1999. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to Japan in 2013 and won the runner-up prize in the model division of the "TOKYO GIRLS AUDITION 2015" before starting her entertainment career. She is currently the main personality on NHK Radio's "Basic English for Elementary School Students" and appears on TV Tokyo's children's program "Shima Jiro no Wow!"
For four years from 2017 to 2021, she also served as a reporter for Fuji TV's morning information program "Mezamashi TV" as "Imadoki Girl." "As an Imadoki Girl, I learned how to shoot on location and how to do food reports from scratch. I was also taught about the use of words that are inappropriate for television, such as 'really', and how to convey deliciousness with variations in words, such as the fact that 'delicious' alone does not convey the same feeling. I'm happy to have the opportunity to put what I learned as an Imadoki Girl to good use again!" she said, expressing her joy at being appointed as a new reporter for "ZIP!".
Her appearance on "ZIP!" was decided through an audition. However, she says that she could have also failed. "I was filming a drama at the time, and the location shoot was far away, so the audition day just happened to overlap (laughs). Of course, if I had been late, I wouldn't have been able to get in, but the filming was running behind schedule that day, and I had almost given up. But my manager did his best to drive, and I made it there just in time, and somehow I was able to audition. I'm really grateful to my manager."
The audition consisted of doing a food report in front of the staff. "We chose our favorite bento from the line-up and did our food report. I chose the mackerel bento and said something like, 'It's fatty and goes great with rice!' (laughs)," she recalled. "I had experience doing food reports, so I was confident about that point. But I was running so I was dripping with sweat... I was more worried about my appearance, so maybe they remembered how desperate I was," she said with a laugh.
When asked about her goals as a reporter for "ZIP!", she said with a cheerful voice, "I'd be happy if I could put my English skills to good use!" "Inbound tourism is on the rise, so I'd be happy to interview people from overseas and share their opinions. If possible, I'd like to go on location overseas and share the charms of other countries!"
◇I admire Anna Sawai from "SHOGUN"
She is currently appearing as a regular cast member in "MADDER" for the first time. The drama is a mystery about a genius high school student (played by Mao Ioki) who causes a small incident at school, which eventually develops into an unprecedented serial murder case that shocks Japan. Kanon plays Yuka Ono, a classmate of the protagonist who has perfect pitch and aspires to enter an art university.
For her role, which is about an aspiring artist at an art university, she practiced piano intensively. "I learned piano for seven years when I was little, but then had a 10-year break. First, I started by working to get my sense of it back, and practiced for more than an hour every day for three or four months. I play two pieces in the play, and I played each one over 100 times. I can say that I worked hard, so I hope you'll pay attention to it!"
He introduced the drama as one that allows viewers to enjoy speculation, saying, "It's a school mystery in which various incidents occur starting from a major incident, but since you don't know who the culprit is until the very end, I hope you'll watch the drama while trying to guess who the culprit is!"
This is his first time appearing as a regular in a drama, and he said, "I was reminded once again how much fun acting is!" He also has a stage appearance coming up this summer, and is gradually expanding his field of work as an actor.
"I would like to appear in a production like 'Shogun,' which is becoming a hot topic because of my English. I admire Anna Sawai, who appeared in 'Shogun,' because we have something in common as both of us, both of whom are returnees." Making use of her natural English skills, she aims to make further progress.
