Yui Narumi is an actor who appears in the NHK morning drama " Anpan " (General Asadora , Monday to Saturday 8:00am and others), starring Mio Imada Along with the heroine Nobu (Imada), she plays Oda Kotoko, who joined the Kochi Shimpo as the first female reporter after the war. Contrary to her demure behavior within the company, Kotoko is a "drinking girl" with no shortage of alcohol-related stories. We would like to unravel the true face and charm of Narumi, who is currently playing the role of Kotoko, from her past comments.
◇ I have the desire to make people around me laugh and have fun.
Narumi was born on May 16, 1998, and is 27 years old and from Hyogo Prefecture. She began her career as an actor in 2018. The following year, she played Akemi, the second daughter of the Shibata family, where the main character Natsu Okuhara (played by Suzu Hirose ) was raised, in the Asadora "Natsuzora." She gained attention and was subsequently cast in a number of commercials, including the job information website "RevaTech," Nintendo Switch "Super Detective Casebook Raincode," "Kuraray," "JCB Card," and "Wakatsuki Construction."
As he continues to develop his career as an actor, including starring in the movie "Deception is Untouchable Happy End" released in December 2021, a turning point came when he moved to the talent agency "Flamme" in April 2023. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that he would appear in the taiga drama "What Will Ieyasu Do?" that same year, and around the same time, his first photo book "Sugarless" (Genkosha) was released.
In this photobook, Narumi tries her hand at swimsuit and lingerie shots for the first time, but what is even more eye-catching is Narumi's cuteness and playfulness. In addition to her natural smile, she is also shown silly and goofy, and in an interview to coincide with the book's release, Narumi said, "I realized that I really am a person who wants to be sulky (laughs). I thought I knew that, but looking at the finished photobook, I was reminded that deep down I want to make people laugh and entertain them, to the point that I can't live without joking around."
Narumi's personality seems to be somewhat suited to comedy. In her first taiga drama, "What Will Ieyasu Do?", she played the role of Honda Tadakatsu's ( Yuki Yamada) daughter Ina. Ina's first appearance (episode 35, broadcast on September 17, 2023) was a troublesome "mischievous princess" who was caught stealing rice dumplings by her "tutor" Oa (Alice Hirose) and ran away, which somehow matches Narumi's natural character. On the other hand, her outstanding transparency, dignified beauty, and the "eye power" of her large, strong-willed eyes were also skillfully sublimated into the role, making her fully persuasive as "Tadakatsu's daughter."
◇ A manly and powerful personality? The charm that naturally makes people smile
Narumi is taking on the role of Oda Kotoko in "Anpan", Asadora in six years since "Anpan". Kotoko is a two-sided character who is usually demure, but when she drinks, she becomes a bit tongue-tied. When she first appeared in episode 66 (broadcast on June 30), she invited her new colleague Nobu out for a drink, and while drinking a lot of sake, she revealed that she joined the company to find a husband, and that she is "putting on a facade" at work. Her somewhat tomboyish and unpretentious personality led some viewers to say they wanted to be friends with her.
Speaking of tomboyish and unpretentious, Narumi-san has previously said about herself, "There is absolutely no fluffy element in me," and "I'm often told that I'm 'manly,' 'not pretentious,' 'I have a core,' and 'I have a lot of power,'" so there's no doubt that she originally had the "Kotoko element." This is probably why she's been a perfect fit for the role this time around.
In the play, she assists Nobu and Takashi (Takumi Kitamura) in their work and love lives, while her unwavering "drinking girl" side is fun to watch. As an aside, at the professional baseball opening ceremony held at Yokohama Stadium (Yokohama City, Naka Ward) in June 2021, she became a hot topic for her "naturalness" of forgetting the ball and going up to the mound, and one of Narumi's charms is that she has "something" that makes people smile naturally.
Before the project for "Anpan" was announced, Narumi wrote "I want to be a person like Anpanman" on her audition sheet without knowing anything about it. In a recent interview, she revealed the reason for this, saying, "I've always wanted to be someone who can share love and courage." We can look forward to seeing her in the future, as well as in this "story of love and courage."
