It has recently been announced that Manami Ono from the idol group "Hinatazaka46" will be appearing in the drama series "Radio Star" (General), which will begin airing on NHK this spring and star Momoko Fukuchi. This will be Ohno's first time appearing in a drama.
"Radio Star" is set in Noto. The main character, Kanade Hiiragi (played by Fukuchi), is caught in an earthquake while traveling to Noto, the hometown of her girlfriend. At the time, Matsumoto Kosuke (played by Komoto Masahiro) warmly looked after her at an evacuation center. Wanting to repay his kindness, Kanade visits Noto again. There, Matsumoto asks her to become a radio personality on Disaster FM... This will be a "non-stop entertainment drama" in which an unknown citizen becomes a star.
Ohno plays Ono Mana, a second-year junior high school student living in Noto. She is the only daughter of Ono Sakura (Takako Tokiwa), who is involved in the opening of a radio station in the hopes of restoring bonds to the town, and Sakura's husband, chef Ono Masahiro (Shunsuke Kazama). Her grandmother's home is in Osaka, and after the earthquake, she transferred to a school in Osaka for six months. Because of this experience, she wants to leave Noto and attend high school in Osaka after graduation.
Ohno commented, "Even if you can put your feelings into words, it's never easy to convey them to the other person. Still, I believe it's because you have the desire to communicate and the heart to care for someone that people can move forward. I personally get a lot of energy from the characters who desperately face the things they want to protect, no matter what environment they are in. I was nervous as this is my first drama appearance, but it was a time that allowed me to grow as I shared the feeling of taking a new step with Mana, the character I play. I will carefully and sincerely portray Mana as she tries her best to weave her feelings."
The appearances of Shibukawa Kiyohiko, Kai Shoma, Oyagi Kaito, Kondo Yoshimasa, and Tamura Tsutomu were also announced.
