Mei Nagano makes a sudden appearance at a Canadian film festival

Actress Mei Nagano and manga artist Akiko Higashimura recently attended the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Canada. The festival featured a screening of the film "Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey," starring Nagano, and Nagano and Higashimura made a surprise appearance on stage.

Taking the stage, Nagano greeted the audience in fluent French and English, saying, "Bonsoir (Good evening), I'm Mei Nagano. Thank you so much for coming today. I hope you enjoy the film."

Regarding the atmosphere of Montreal, he said, "Montreal has a mix of city and local (countryside) atmosphere, and although it was my first time there, it was a very relaxing place."

After the screening, local movie fans gave her a standing ovation, and Nagano revealed what she kept in mind when playing the role of Higashimura, saying, "I just wanted to be able to imitate the teacher, and I hope that her charm is reflected on the monitor."

Higashimura commented, "Mei Nagano is an amazing actress, and seeing everyone's reactions made me realize once again that she was the only one who could play this role.In Japan, people often say that we look alike," to which fans erupted into thunderous applause.

In response to the reaction of local movie fans, Nagano commented, "They were all so excited, and I thought there might be a language barrier, but even when we spoke to them in Japanese, they all listened with big smiles on their faces. I could tell from their reactions that they had been looking forward to the movie, and I was very grateful."

The film is based on the manga of the same name by Higashimura, who is known for "Mama wa Temperist," "Kuragehime," and "Tokyo Tarareba Girls," which she drew on her own experiences. The main character is Akiko (played by Nagano), a lazy high school student who dreams of becoming a manga artist but spends her days daydreaming. As she strives to become a popular manga artist, she discovers a record of her nine-year battle with her fearsome art teacher, Mr. Hidaka (played by Yo Oizumi), as well as a cruel "lie" and "secret story" that she was unable to tell him...