Manami Ono of the idol group Hinatazaka46 appeared in the second episode of the NHK night drama "Radio Star" (NHK General, Monday-Thursday 10:45 PM), which aired on March 31st. This marks her drama debut approximately one year after joining the group last spring.
"Radio Star" is a nonstop entertainment drama set in Noto, about an ordinary citizen who becomes a star. Momoko Fukuchi stars, and the cast also includes Masahiro Kohmoto, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Shoma Kai, Kaito Oyagi, Shunsuke Kazama, Tsutomu Tamura, and Takako Tokiwa.
In the second episode, Matsumoto (Masahiro Kohmoto) had prepared a public bathhouse, Suzunoyu, as a place for Kanade (Fukuchi) to live. After the earthquake, Michiyo (Mako Beni) was feeling down, so her grandson Rikuto (Shoma Kai) was running it in her place. Rikuto reluctantly vacates the room for Kanade, but shows no interest in radio. The townspeople are also skeptical of radio.
Matsumoto and Kanade, in an attempt to increase their membership, begin distributing flyers with the help of Tada (Kaito Ooyagi), who has offered his assistance.
Ono plays Mana Ono, a second-year middle school student living in Noto. She is the only daughter of Sakura Ono (Takako Tokiwa), who is involved in the opening of a radio station in an effort to restore community bonds in the town, and Sakura's husband, chef Masahiro Ono (Shunsuke Kazama). Her grandmother lives in Osaka, and after the earthquake, she transferred to a school in Osaka for six months. Because of that experience, she wants to leave Noto after graduation and attend high school in Osaka.
In the second episode, there was a scene where he showed interest in Kanade, who had come from Osaka, and struck up a conversation with her.
Fans reacted on social media with comments such as, "She's here!", "Manamin's here!!!", "Manamin's drama debut", "Manamin! No, Ono Mana-chan! She's finally made her appearance", and "Debut!!!" Other comments included, "Mana is too cute", "Mana-chan who loves Osaka is so cute", "It was only a short time, but she was incredibly cute", "Isn't it too natural considering this is her first acting and first lines?", "Ono-san is a good actress!", and "You can tell she's a really good actress just from that pause (ma). This girl is going to be a hit."
