Mayu Matsuoka:Appearing in the final episode of "Chihayafuru -Meguri-"! "I can't believe I'll get to meet Shinobu again."

It has been revealed that actress Mayu Matsuoka will be appearing in the final episode of "Chihayafuru: Meguri" (NTV, Wednesdays at 10pm), which will air on September 10th. Matsuoka, who will be playing the same role as Wakamiya Shinobu in the film series, expressed her joy, saying, "I can't believe I'll get to meet Shinobu again. It's such a wonderful experience."

Shinobu, played by Matsuoka, is the youngest queen in the film series, and fought a fierce battle with Ayase Chihaya, played by Suzu Hirose. In this film, she continues to compete with Chihaya for the Queen title every year, achieving the Queen title five times in total and becoming the eternal Queen. She also runs the "Shinobu Channel" as a YouTuber.

In fact, the "Shinobu Channel" itself first appeared in the second episode, making it a much-anticipated first appearance in the main story. Ami Touma, who plays the main character Aizawa Meguru, also co-starred with Matsuoka in "The Best Teacher: One Year Later, I Was Killed by My Student" (Nippon TV), and commented, "We had worked together on a drama before, and when I went to see the play before filming, I told her I would be appearing in Chihayafuru. I was thrilled to meet her on the set, as I felt like I was meeting the Shinobu I had seen in the movie. The timing of our meeting was miraculous, and I bragged about it to the Umezono members, lol."

◇Comment from Mayu Matsuoka

I was so happy to meet Shinobu again. I'm so grateful to Producer Kitajima for giving me this opportunity.

And it was a very enviable set. The staff and cast were all connected by their love for "Chihayafuru," their desire to spread the charm of karuta to many people, and their desire to film the best youth drama. Young energy was united, and adults were supporting it. I wish I could have stayed longer. I hope that karuta will continue to be loved by many people, and that Shinobu's dream will become an ordinary reality.