The final match of the 103rd All Japan High School Soccer Championship will be held on January 13th at the National Stadium in Tokyo. Gunma Prefecture's Maebashi Ikuei High School and Chiba Prefecture's Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School will clash at the "holy ground". The tournament has been a hotly contested event since the end of last year, and the cheering manager is model and actor Rui Tsukishima. What is the appeal of Tsukishima, who is the 20th to take the role, counting from the first, Horikita Maki? Let's find out from past interviews and other sources.
◇ In his most famous work, "Takagi-san," he was inspired by the voices of those around him
The cheerleading manager position at the National High School Soccer Championship, a winter tradition, has long been said to be a stepping stone for young actresses. The first was Ms. Horikita at the 84th tournament, as mentioned above. Since then, Ms. Yui Aragaki, Ms. Kii Kitano, Ms. Rina Aizawa, Ms. Umika Kawashima, Alice Hirose, Ms. Haruna Kawaguchi, Ms. Ito Ohno, and Ms. Airi Matsui have been selected for each tournament.
Ten years ago, the 10th host was Suzu Hirose, followed by Mei Nagano, Otomo Karen, Takahashi Hikaru, Kiyohara Kaya, Miyu Honda Nana, Honda Miyu, Mizuki Kayashima, Rinmi, and Fujisaki Yumia, and it seems they have all added a touch of glamour to each tournament.
The 20th generation model currently garnering attention is Tsukishima, a 16-year-old born on March 1, 2008 from Kanagawa Prefecture. In August 2022, she was selected as "Miss Seventeen 2022" at the exclusive model audition for teen media "Seventeen" (Shueisha), and is currently active as a "Seventeen model (ST model)."
His most notable work as an actor is the drama series "Teasing Master Takagi-san" which aired on TBS last spring.
This work is a live-action drama version of the popular manga "Teasing Master Takagi-san" (Shogakukan) by Yamamoto Souichirou, in which Tsukishima played the lead role (co-starring with Kurokawa Soya) and gave a great performance as the heroine Takagi-san, passing the baton to the live-action film starring Nagano.
"Teasing Master Takagi-san" is a romantic comedy that depicts the daily life of Nishikata, a middle school student who is shy when it comes to love, who is teased by his classmate Takagi-san. In the drama version, two fresh young actors in their teens, Tsukishima-san and Kurokawa-san, have taken on the challenge of a live-action adaptation of "a teasing youth romantic comedy where you lose if you get embarrassed" under the direction of Imaizumi Rikiya, who has worked on numerous romance films.
When the live-action adaptation was announced, there were various reactions, but Tsukishima himself said that he turned those "voices from those around him" into strength and went into filming. Looking back on the filming, he said, "Because "Takagi-san" is a work with many fans of the original, there were by no means a few critical voices (about the live-action adaptation), but that 'further fueled my enthusiasm,' and I was able to go into filming with the determination to 'definitely make a good work,' and I did my best to overcome those (the critical voices)."
The viewers seemed to notice his efforts, and the drama was well-received. Even now, there are probably many fans who see Takagi-san in Tsukishima-san.
◇She herself admits that her "cheerfulness" is her greatest charm, and she has big dreams of becoming a "national actress."
Tsukishima is currently a high school student. When asked about her own personality, she describes herself as "normally cheerful and bright. I'm quite talkative."
She also said, "I love the time I spend eating and the time I spend working." "I feel very fulfilled when I'm eating, and after tests (at school) I have a routine of going to a nice restaurant to refresh myself, so food is a form of 'restaurant' for me. As a Seventeen model, I show off my fashion as the real Rui Tsukishima. As an actress, I feel rewarded by playing someone other than Rui Tsukishima, and being able to express the 'difference' by changing as a person. Every day is a lot of fun, and every time I go to set I think, 'I'm looking forward to today!' and leave feeling good in the morning."
Tsukishima-san is also confident in her athletic ability, and lists soccer, which she learned in elementary school, as one of her special skills. In terms of "quiet" and "active," she is the overwhelmingly active type. As she herself admits, her cheerfulness is a big part of her charm, and as can be seen from her comments during her appearance on "Teasing Master Takagi-san," she also has a positive and competitive spirit.
If we compare her to the theme of the 103rd All Japan High School Soccer Championship, "Here and Now, All-Out," then she could be described as a "beautiful girl giving it her all."
In a previous interview, Tsukishima revealed, "Ever since I joined the agency, I've always wanted to become a national actress. That remains my big goal, my dream." "That's why I'm now treasuring each and every project and encounter, and hoping to make use of them and one day spread my wings and fly high."
Will she be able to perform to the same level as Hirose, Nagano, and Kiyohara, who started out as a cheerleading manager and rose to become a Asadora heroine, or even her idol, Kitagawa Keiko? I'd like to keep an eye on her future growth.
