It was announced last month that actor Ami Touma will star in the drama series "Chihayafuru -Meguri-" to be broadcast on Nippon Television in July. "Chihayafuru" is a popular manga by Yuki Suetsugu that focuses on competitive karuta. Looking back, the three-part film series based on the manga produced three heroines for the Asadora (NHK morning drama series): Suzu Hirose, Mone Kamishiraishi , and Kaya Kiyohara. We explored the possibility that Touma will be able to continue in the series.
◇It was made into a movie in 2016, and the finale was released in 2018.
"Chihayafuru" was serialized by Suetsugu in the women's manga magazine "BE・LOVE" (Kodansha) from 2007 to 2022. It is a popular manga with a total circulation of over 29 million copies. The story is about Ayase Chihaya, who awakens to the charm of competitive karuta through her encounter with transfer student Wataya Arata, and becomes passionate about karuta together with her childhood friend Mashima Taichi and the other unique members of the karuta club.
The novel was made into a film starring Hirose in 2016, with the two-part series "Kami no Ku" and "Shimo no Ku" released. The final film, "Musubi", was released in 2018.
In all three films, Hirose plays the main character Ayase Chihaya, and Kamishiraishi plays Oe Kanade. Kiyohara plays the original character Iori Wagatsuma in "Musubi". Later, Hirose played the heroine of the morning drama "Natsuzora" in the first half of 2019, which became the 100th Asadora Asadora, Kiyohara played "Okaeri Mone " in the first half of 2021, and Kamishiraishi played "Come Come Everybody" in the second half of 2021.
By the way, Hirose and Kiyohara are senior and junior exclusive models for "Seventeen" (Shueisha), and they play sisters in the Asadora"Natsuzora."
◇ "What will Ieyasu do?" in Drama 10 "Ooku"... First lead role in TV drama on NHK
Touma, who was chosen to play the lead role (his first lead role in a TV drama) in "Chihayafuru -Meguri-," an original story set 10 years after the movie, is 18 years old and was born on November 2, 2006 in Okinawa Prefecture.
She is also known for being the commercial character for "Calpis Water" (Asahi Soft Drinks) since April 2022, the year of her drama debut, and in the animated film "Lonely Castle in the Mirror" released at the end of the same year, she was selected to play the main character Kokoro in an audition with over 1,000 participants, making her debut as a voice actress. Continuing with this momentum, 2023 saw her being cast in "Get Ready!" (TBS), broadcast in January, following "Old Rookie" the previous year, and was once again cast in a Sunday Theatre, and she also took on a period drama in season 1 of "Drama 10 "Ooku"" (NHK).
In the same year, she made her debut in the NHK Taiga drama "What Will Ieyasu Do?" as Kamehime, the eldest daughter of the main characters Ieyasu (Matsumoto Jun) and Sena (Arimura Kasumi), who is "obedient, graceful, and resembles her mother." In the 21st episode, "Save Nagashino!" (broadcast on June 4, 2023), which focuses on Kamehime's arranged marriage at the discretion of Nobunaga (Okada Junichi), who is pushing forward with the unification of the country, she brilliantly portrayed Kamehime's resolve amid the tense exchanges between Ieyasu, his family, and Nobunaga.
About a month later, in the school suspense drama "The Best Teacher: One Year Later, I Was Loved by a Student" (NTV), she played the passionate role of Kochiya Aoi, an honor student who competes for the top grades in her class, but who has a problem that she cannot tell anyone about. Although she was only 16 years old at the time, she delivered a particularly impressive performance in this drama, which was very popular with the unique young actors who played the student roles, and her name was engraved in the hearts of viewers.
In 2024, she continued to work smoothly, appearing in her third Sunday Theatre production in "Goodbye Maestro: My Father and I's Appassionato" (TBS), and her first lead role in a TV drama in "Ke no Hi no Ke Ke Ke" (NHK). In February 2025, she took on the role of a "strong" female college student with blonde hair and flashy clothes, including her personality, in "The Path of the Lilac Flower Blooming Beasts" (NHK), which was broadcast over three weeks. Together with the lead actress Anna Yamada, she contributed to the excitement of this clumsy and lovable coming-of-age story.
◇ His appeal as an actor and his current potential
Speaking of Touma's charm, it's not just his cute, small animal-like appearance and the freshness and transparency of a teenager, but also the strength in his eyes and the contrasting shadow he has, which can be expressed in different shades depending on the role.
It would not be surprising if she were to follow in the footsteps of her three predecessors, Hirose, Kamishiraishi, and Kiyohara, and become the heroine of a Asadora . As you can see from her past appearances, the fact that she is well-known by the NHK staff should help her out to some extent, so it is safe to say that there is a good chance at this point.
On a side note, Touma has taken over the baton from former Asadora heroines, such as Mei Nagano Mei as the commercial character for Calpis Water and Hamabe Minami as the image model for Kyoto Kimono Yuzen.
In a previous interview, she said, "I really want to appear in a Asadora, but I have the impression that it's very difficult, so I want to improve my acting level even more and be trusted with a role, and then I'd like to take on the challenge." In addition to the start of the broadcast of "Chihayafuru -Meguri-", her first lead role in the feature film "Strawberry Moon" will be released in October, so we can look forward to seeing her continue to excel.
