Model and actor Komiyama Rina will be appearing in the drama series "Here's the Reserve Self-Defense Hero?!" (Chunichi TV, Nippon TV), which will start on January 7th and star Fuma Kikuchi of the popular group "Timelesz." For the series, she dyes her hair blonde for the first time and is also trying her hand at comedy. Looking back on the filming, she said, "I was excited that people would be able to see a new side of me," and also shared her aspirations for 2026. <New Year's Interview>
◇I've always wanted to try my hand at comedy.
The drama is also attracting attention for being written, scripted and directed by Koji Kato of the comedy duo "Gokuraku Tombo", and is described as an "unprecedented!? Hero x Closed Room Comedy". Despite being a hero drama, it is a closed room dialogue drama with no action, and the story is about seven people, including Nagare (Kikuchi), a part-time worker who is called to the Ministry of Defense, who each use their "quirky abilities" to save the Earth.
Komiyama, who plays Sapipi/Kanaya Sachiko, one of the seven reserve self-defense heroes, is 20 years old and was born on July 14, 2005, in Miyagi Prefecture. She began her entertainment career in 2018 and made her screen debut in the 2021 film "The Yakuza and the Family." She has since appeared in films such as "The Girl Who Never Graduated" and "Diary of a Different Country," as well as the dramas "Ke no Hi no Kekeke," "Billion x School," and "Kanojo ga sore mo ai to yobunara." She is currently an exclusive model for the women's fashion magazine "non-no" (Shueisha).
The impression of Sapipi, a 17-year-old high school student, is that she is "straightforward and dry" and "a little worn out, but she sticks to her own beliefs."
"When she enjoys something, she really enjoys it, and when she gets serious, she gets serious. On the other hand, if she doesn't like something, she's the type of person who won't do it at all. I also have a clear on/off switch, so I thought we were a bit similar."
Komiya also says that he had always wanted to try his hand at comedy.
"In that sense, I'm really happy to be able to take part in this drama. My role involves me often making comments to those around me, so I thought it would be difficult at first, but the other cast members gave me advice like, 'Please let me know if there's anything you don't understand,' and 'It would be better if you did it this way,' so I was able to learn while having fun."
◇ I'm excited that people will be able to see a new side of me.
One of the things I learned on the job was the speed of tsukkomi.
"Director Kato and the other cast members told me that if there's a character who speaks slowly, instead of slowing down to match, it's better to speed up (and make comments) so that the audience finds it more entertaining, and I realized that's exactly what they were saying."
In addition, there are many opportunities for lively discussions, making it a very stimulating workplace.
When asked about the highlights of the drama, which includes her first blonde look and which Komiyama said "had never played a girl with a gyaru-like personality like this before," she said, "I was excited to take on the challenge, hoping that people would see a new side of me."
"Each character's personality explodes in the film, and there are quite a few moments that make you go, 'Huh? Is that how it goes?' There were many times during filming when I had to hold back my laughter, and in a sense, it goes in a direction that is different from what you would expect, so I hope that everyone will look forward to those aspects. For me personally, there are expressions that I have never used before, so I was prepared, thinking, 'Oh, so he's going to do this,' and when Director Kato asked me to do more than that, I thought, 'What should I do?' But when I tried, I think I was able to break out of my shell, so I hope that everyone will watch the film."
◇Just go ahead and do the best you can.
Komiyama announced her withdrawal from the dance and vocal group "MISS MERCY" in 2025, marking a turning point in her career.
"Before, I was modeling, acting, and doing group activities, and on top of those three, I was also trying something else. But now that the scope has narrowed a bit, I have a lot more time to think about acting and Nonno, and I think it's become clearer to me what I should do now."
Despite these changes, Komiyama also sees 2025 as "a year in which I was able to feel the joy of taking on challenges and wanting to overcome obstacles." With the new year upon us, he shows even more enthusiasm as an actor and as a Non-no model.
"I don't want to stop just because I don't understand something, but rather just keep moving forward and try to do the best I can. As a model, I've become part of the Non-no generation and have started to think about things like 'I want this to look like this' during a shoot, so I would like to have a serial project that allows me to show more of my own style, and as an actor, I would like to play not only the lead role but also a key role in a story, so that people will say, 'No one but Komiyama Rina could play this role.'"
