Seeing as I watch quite a lot of Japanese doramas, TV shows and movies, let me present my top 10 favorite TV idols:
10. Aya Ueto
The brilliant actress Aya Ueto has been acting and singing since 1999 and is one of Japan’s biggest idols. I suppose I first became a fan of Aya Ueto when I saw her as the female assassin Azumi in the 2003 movie of the same name. But as much as I liked her in that movie and it’s sequel, to be honest I prefer Aya in comedy roles such as the klutzy air stewardess she played in Attention! Please. I quite like her music too. Aya is incredibly pretty and has such a smile that can brighten up anybody’s day. There’s still a lot of her stuff I’ve yet to see especially her dorama roles in Attack No.1 and Ace wo Nerae. Hope to rectify that in the near future.
Aya Ueto
9. Becky
Becky is one of those idols that doesn’t appear in many doramas and movies, instead you can mostly see her on Japan’s primetime TV shows such as Shimura Zoo for instance. She has had a lead role in a dorama but it didn’t do well ratings wise so the TV execs prefer to give her a supporting role instead. I really like Becky’s personality, I’d like to hang out with her for a day. You may notice that Becky isn’t a Japanese name nor does she look Japanese! The reason being she’s got a British father and held a dual UK/Japan nationality until she turned 20 and chose to drop the British nationality.
Becky
8. Nana Eikura
Like most of Japan’s idols, Nana made the transition from modelling into acting in 2004 and hasn’t looked back since. The first dorama I saw Nana acting was in the brilliant cheerleading series Dance Drill. She’s not afraid to go for controversial roles such as the incense movie I Love My Sister with Arashi frontman Jun Matsumoto. She was finally recognised by the viewers for her role in Proposal Daisakusen when she won a gong for Best Supporting Actress in the Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix awards. She hasn’t acted in a lot of doramas as I suppose she’s concentrating on her modelling career. I hope she gets more acting roles in the near future.
Nana Eikura
7. Rosa Kato
Here’s another idol who doesn’t look Japanese as she’s half Italian. She was born in Naples, Italy but moved to Japan when she was 6 years old. Rosa was already popular due to taking part in numerous commercials when she moved over to acting in 2005. She co-starred with Nana Eikura in Dance Drill (she won Best Newcomer Award for her role) which is how I came to be a fan of hers. Also watched her in the dorama series Tokkyu Tanaka San Go. Unfortunately her first leading role in the dorama Jodai wasn’t that successful last year. I hope they give her another chance soon with something better soon.
Rosa Kato
6. Mao Inoue
It’s unbelievable to think that Mao Inoue has been acting since she’s been 5 years old. A popular under 15 idol too but it was her role as Makino in the 2005 incredibly popular dorama series Hana Yori Dango which catapulted her into the limelight and the one that most foreign fans know her from. Due to the demand by Japanese viewers, a sequel happened and finally this year Hana Yori Dango came out as a movie closing out the storyline which has captivated a nation. She’s also starred in some other movies such as Check It Out Yo which I saw recently.
Mao Inoue
5. Erika Toda
20 year old Erika Toda is a gravure idol as well as an actress. I’ve seen her in numerous doramas such as Gal Circle but the one that stands out for me is the superb Liar Game which came out last year where she had the leading role. Most foreign fans will know her from the Death Note movies in which she stars as Misa Amane. Unlike most of the idols I’ve listed here, Erika has had a mixture of roles in which she plays good and bad characters such as the girl who tries to steal Domyoji from the hands of Makino in Hana Yori Dango 2. I want to see her next in this past Summer’s hot dorama Code Blue with Yamapi and Yui Aragaki.
Erika Toda
4. Juri Ueno
22 year old Juri Ueno is in my opinion one of the finest young actresses in Japan. For me, the best role I’ve seen Juri has been as the messy but talented pianist Megumi Noda in the fantastic dorama Nodame Cantabile. She was so funny in it. Then again she was hilarious in the highly rated movie Swing Girls. Arch Angels and Summer Time Machine Blues are other examples of her work which I’ve really enjoyed watching. I think Juri has got a natural knack for comedy and it’s served her well so far but she tried something meatier this year as a motocross racer who hides a secret from her family and friends in one of the greatest doramas I’ve ever seen on Japanese TV – Last Friends. Gone was her trademark locks in favour for a shorter cut and a new colour for her hair. I wasn’t too keen on it really. Juri’s a pleasant enough young woman who I’m sure will continue to be a staple part of Japan’s primetime TV schedules for years to come.
Juri Ueno
3. Masami Nagasawa
I absolutely adore watching Masami Nagasawa in action on the TV. She’s been involved in many of the best doramas and movies in Japan. First saw her in the dorama Dragon Zakura and then in Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu. I suppose the two which I’ve enjoyed the most was Proposal Daisakusen and as the woman suffering from domestic violence at the hands of her abusive boyfriend in the hard hitting Last Friends. She’s blessed with stunning looks and a great personality and regularly comes up as ‘perfect girlfriend material’ when Japanese males are asked which actress they’d like as a partner. I don’t blame then – her smile is enough to melt anybody’s heart!!
Masami Nagasawa
2. Yui Aragaki
Yui Aragaki is so angelic looking and is amazingly beautiful. She’s also very talented as she combines a successful acting, modelling and musical career. Out of all the idols mentioned she’s the one I’ve seen most of her work and she continues to impress me with her choice from comedy (Papa to Musume no Nanakakan) to serious roles (Shibuya 15). The movie which has raised her profile I believe was the character she played in the 2007 monster hit Koizora. That’s the best I’ve seen Yui act so far in her short career to date. Her music has also done reasonably well and I quite liked listening to her debut album Sora. Just turned 20 this year, the only way for her to go is up and I’m sure those in the entertainment industry will have seen how good she was in Koizora to give her plenty of great roles in the future.
Yui Aragaki
and my no.1 idol is (no surprises here as she was the winner by a long shot)………..
1. Maki Horikita
Maki Horikita is my ultimate TV idol possessing the looks, style, personality and brains. Her breathrough acting role was in Nobuta wo Produce as the shy wallflower Nobuko who’s given a makeover. It definitely made me into a huge fan of hers. Since then she’s starred in a number of highly successful doramas such as Hana no Kimi, Densha Otoko and Kurosagi. Her movie roles have been quite varied such as a young woman with a split personality in Tokyo Boy, the bullied schoolgirl seeking revenge in One Missed Call Final to the bicycle mechanic in the nostalgic 1950’s movie Always: Sunset On Third Street. Maki seems to be very polite, warm and softly spoken in interviews on the TV and I’m sure she’s like that with her fans too. You can’t help but like her and the hoards of her fans will agree with me on that. I’d do anything to meet her. Who knows I might unwillingly bump into her on one of Tokyo’s streets!
Maki Horikita
Hope you all liked my choices. Feel free to tell me who’s your no.1 Japanese TV idol.
This is the link to Part 2 featuring my Top 11-20 favorite Japanese idols
