Favorite J-Actresses 2000-Present

Kitagawa Keiko

Japanese

To no one’s surprise, Keiko Kitagawa has once again graced the title of my all-time favorite actress! I don’t think there’s anything I can say that I haven’t gushed about thrice over !

From that first moment I saw her in “Mop Girl”, Keiko immediately captivated me, and by her next drama “Buzzer Beat” she already moved up to Crush of The Day, and before my knew it she’d become one of my fave actresses! 

I loved her enough that I even decided to check out her earliest debut role as Rei “Sailor Mars” Hino, and when I ended up even loving THAT show, I knew there wasn’t ANYTHING I wouldn’t watch with her in it! time and time again Keiko will create yet another character of hers that I will love ( her stoic role of Machi Sangneya in the “Ie uru Onna” series the latest) and I will have to wonder, just how much MORE can I LOVE this gal???

Through the years of comedies, tragedies, rom-coms and action flicks, dramas and movies, Keiko has remained “the Toppermost of the Poppermost!”

Ishihara Satomi

Japanese

From her mumbly beginnings in shows like the Matsumoto Jun “Kimi Wa Petto”, I have to admit Actress Satomi Ishihara didn’t immediately wow me.

Instead, it was her adorable and eccentric personality that won me over in spots like Himitsu No Arashi-Chan and the like- she was just so darn GIGGLY and CUTE!

And then as if it were kismet, the roles I began seeing her in began to reflect her warm and giddy personality- instead of the dour and morose roles she;’d been playing in dramas like Toubo Bengoshi, Bull Doctor and the film Incite Mill, we got the vibrant and genki characters like Makoto Natsui in “Rich man Poor Woman” and Nao Matsushita’s naughty little sister in “Dear Sister”!

From there I dove in completely into the Ishihara fan train, and have only loved her more and MORE as the years progressed!

Takei Emi

Japanese

Looking back over my past posts about Emi, it’s astounding that  she’d already become such a HUGE fave on mine so EARLY in her career! When I gushed about how awesome she was in “Tokyo Zenryoku Shojo”, who knew that even GREATER roles like “Otenki Oneesan”, “Zero No Shinjitsu”, “Fragile” and “Kurokawa No Techou” were still to come!

Maddeningly, Emi put the brakes on her career right at the peak of her powers to get married and have a child, and at this moment, I am still waiting for her to return to the mainstream! I hear she’s got a Kurokawa No Techou” Special on the horizons, hopefully this is the beginning of her second coming and that she’ll return to her former glory!

Ever since her brief role in “Otomen”, Emi has had my eye on her, and I will continue to wait for her to see just what she does next!!!

Aragaki Yui

Japanese

Just about the FIRST drama I ever saw Yui Aragaki in was the Hiroshi Abe led “Dragon Zakura” where Yui played the yankee girl Kosaka Yoshino.

MAN, did I fall in love with her in this drama, but I was in for a shock to find that her look as the rowdy Juvy was all a disguise and that the REAL Yui was much more humble and sweet!

Honestly, I had a hard time recognizing her in later dramas like “My Boss My Hero” and “Galcir”, she looked so different, but ya know what? I still LOVED her characters, and in time, would fall in love with her all over again, THIS time with her”regular” features in later dramas as well as her many appearances on shows like Himitsu No Arashi!

And of course, special mention MUST be made of her character of Kyoko Okitegami, the forgetful sleuth in “Okitegami Kyoko No Biboroku” which is my HANDS-DOWN favorite drama of the last DECADE!

Yoshitaka Yuriko

Japanese

None have moved up more significantly than the alluring Yuriko Yoshitaka who has been simply amazing me with her sincere, moving and captivating performances as of late!

Originally falling for her role as the uber-adorable Shinobu Yoimachi in “Ashita Kita Yoshio”, Yuriko would go on to do a whole slew of excellent roles, culminating in her best role yet as the driven but flawed investigative reporter Kate Makabe in Shiranakute ii Koto.

It was here that i realized what an awesome actress she really was, how passionate and endearing her characters always were. And with her latest “Kiken na Venus”, she brings it all back home with the same sassy vigor she initially did in Ashita Kita Yoshio- simply captivating!!!

Mizukawa Asami

Japanese

Though the first time I laid eyes on Asami Mizukawa was in the Domoto Tsuyoshi comedy 33pun Tantei, it was her classy and elegant portrayals in “Nodame Cantabile” (as violinist Kiyora) and “Last Friends” (as sexy Flight Attendant Eri( and its Eri-themed spin off “Eri My Love” that attracted me to her, and it was a guest appearance on Shin Domoto Kyodai, where she showed how giggly and cutesy she was that captured my heart! After her turn as a morose gothic Lolita in Oishi Gohan, I knew this girl was going to end up being one of my favorite actresses!

 Though I loved her in the ensemble cast dramas she’d been in, what I really longed for was to see Asami in a starring vehicle of her own so I could see just what she was really capable of…strangely enough, out of ALL the projects she's been in, that drama happened to be Yume Wo Kanaeru Zo!

I mentioned before about how the crazy screeching and hollering style of the show was giving me a MAJOR HEADACHE (I had the same problem with Anna San No Omame), but by the end of Episode Three, I was having too much fun watching Asami turning into a colorful cartoon character come to life as the slings and arrows of misfortune beset her, and before ya knew it, it was one of my favorite shows and Asami right there with it!!

Honda Tsubasa

Japanese

From the SECOND actress Tsubasa Honda emerged from the desk drawer as Android Repairwoman Suppli in the Kimura Takuya action drama “Ando Lloyd”, I knew she was something special, and with her run of excellent dramas recently, it looks like Tsubasa’s time is HERE!

Truthfully, there was a time where I wondered where that spritely girl from Ando Lloyd went when she began appearing in fine but mundane roles in dramas like Jimi Ni Sugoi and Okusama wa Tori Atsukai Chui… where was the dazzling girl from Ando lloyd and Nishino Yukihiko no Koi to Boken?

Well, she was always here ready to shine, and with dramas like Wanitokagesu, Yuube was Otonashimi Deshita ne, the Zettai Reido series, and the awesome CHASE, the savvy and kick-butt girl we know is back! Even in CHEAT, which I felt became an incoherent mess by the end, still showcased the vibrant and sassy girl we first saw in those early roles!

Fukada Kyoko

Japanese

I’ve mentioned many, many times before on this blog about how the first time I’d ever seen actress Kyoko Fukada was way back when she was just starting out as a gravure model…

Checking out the latest issue of my friend’s BOMB Magazine, I was awestruck by the pretty young girl on the cover. Doing a double take, I said, “MAN, this girl is so freaking PRETTY!” He dismissed my comment, saying “ALL the girls in these magazines are pretty!”, to which I had to shake my head and say, “Naw man, this girl has something EXTRA! This girl is going to be HUGE!”

As you may have guessed, that girl was Kyoko Fukada, and indeed, Kyoko has proven herself to be not only of the BIG actresses of that time period, but has MAINTAINED her status as one of J-drama’s HARD-HITTERS, and even as an (admittedly pretty freaking sexy) almost 40 year old actress today, still headlines as the cute and bubbly sweetie she was over 20+ years ago!!

Seems that like the Energizer Bunny, this gal keeps going and going and GOING! Viva la Fukakyon!!!

Ayase Haruka

Japanese

Ayase Haruka, the actress who practically singlehandedly brought me back to the j-drama fandom with her turn as the loveable Hotaru Amemiya in Hotaru No Hikari back in the day.

As I recall, I had burned out after a decade of J-drama watching and was only catching a drama once or twice a year. Then I stumbled upon Hotaru No Hikari, and WOW, I had a revitalization that I hadn’t felt since my golden era of J-drama watching, and suddenly I was hungry for J-dramas all over again!

It’s funny that an actress who employs a subdued “Deer in the headlights” style of acting can somehow always bring out the emotions and feels in me, but every time I doubt my love of Haruka, I’ll see another drama of hers and the love is re-confirmed. This girl is the real deal and I fall right back in love again!

Aoi Yu

Japanese

This is primarily a J-Drama Actress Ranking and Aoi Yu is by FAR more of a “Movie” actress, but i just HAD to have her mentioned here- 

Though I’ve only seen her in a handful of dramas, (really, only “Osen” counts as a drama role proper, the rest, like Tiger and Dragon and Hello Harinezumi, are more like guest appearances or cameos) the amount of MOVIES she’s been in that I’ve loved are astronomical!

Hula Girl, All About Lily Chou-Chou, Hana and Alice, Welcome to the Quiet Room, Letters from Kanai Narai, Honey and Clover, don’t Laugh At My Romance, Flowers, Raiou, the list goes on and ON, and in each and every role her sincerity always shines through, making you believe every line of dialog her characters utter! I’ve said it before, Aoi Yu has the most uncanny skill of taking any role and making you invest your heart 100% into it!

Koshiba Fuka

Japanese

A friend once said that Fuka reminded him of Morning Musume original member Natsumi Abe back in her early days, and while I wouldn’t say she was a dead ringer for her, there is definitely something magical about spritely Fuka Koshiba that cannot be ignored!

Such wonderfully imaginative and creative roles she has played in equally unusual dramas, from a girl otaku to a bento-making detective to a girl with ghost roommates, Fuka has always had a flair for the unusual, as befitting an actress who started her career playing Kiki in the live-action remake of “Kiki’s Delivery Service”!

Hamabe Minami

Japanese

Coming on like Shida Mirai on a sugar-rush, Minami Hamabe immediately won me over with her sassy ’n’ snarky role of the jaded idol Kurobara Junko in the wacky drama “Pure!!” and has since proved she can be both zany (as with her later dramas like Alibi Kuzushi Uketamawarimasu) and serious (Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru) at the same time!

and with her latest drama “Tario Fukushu Daiko no Futari” completely winning me over, Minami has become an actress to look out for!

Haru

Japanese

Actress Haru had already been winning me over left and right with her turns in dramas like Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi, ON, and Okaasan, Musume Wo Yamete Ii Desuka? and with Survival Wedding, became one of my new BIG fave actresses! And she didn’t stop there!

Mikaiketsu No Onna and G Senjou no Anata to Watashi was great, and WOW, her turn as able forensic expert Mika Higa in the Oguri Shun crime drama Border and its two specials Shozukai and Shoudou cemented my love for her!

I was a bit put off by her latest drama RemoLove , it being full of unlikeable characters doing irritating things, but I needn’t have worried- Haru’s skills as a loveable heroine once again saved the day and I found myself enjoying it immensely after all! 

From now on, Haru’s dramas will be watched without hesitation!

Hirose Alice

Japanese

I haven’t seen all that many dramas with Alice Hirose in it, but the few that I have, she has ALWAYS won me over with her sweet and warm characters, from the able Makoto Komura in :Harassment Game” to the spazzy student fortune heir Ichika Sogawa in “Tantei ga Hayasugiru” to the cluelessly naive Nana Terui in “Shichinin no Hisho”, she’s a character you always love for her sincerity and sweetness!  

Kimura Fumino

Japanese

With Fumino Kimura, it was love at first sight, as the spazzy, bespectacled nerdy Kaheyama in the comedic detective romp “Henshin Interviewer no Yuutsu”, a far cry from the salacious beauties I usually fawned over! But she had that special something, and I found I could NOT stop watching this girl, rewinding scenes just to see her geek out over and over!

That was just the start for the humble Fumino Kimura! After an appearance in what is arguably the BEST episode of the time travelling drama “Suteki Na Sen Taxi “, she went straight to “Mother Game” , and “A Life: A Love” where she showed off her decidedly “Tom Hanks-like quality of paying the everyman (er, woman) to a tee, making one immediately identify with her and sympathize with her situations!

From there she shifted gears with a few gritty detective dramas before moving on to perhaps her finest drama to date, the charming “Boku Unmei No Hito Desu”-A real FUN drama, and later shows like Ito Kun A to E and the recent 7nin no Hisho continue the promise that that first drama of hers made! 

Nao

Japanese

I’ve been a huge fan of actress Nao for some time now and have been crossing fingers for her to get her own starring drama and I finally got it with “Yameru Toki mo, Sukoyakanaru Toki mo”!

Nao was sooo great in this drama, warm and vulnerable believable and sympathetic~ Something about her smile is so endearing and sincere, a real feat when you consider that for the first few dramas I saw her in, Nao was positively unhinged, a real “crazy” character!

First drama I ever saw her in she played the morose and cold Yuri Hirakawa, then “Koi Ga Heta Demo Ikitemasu” as a jilted customer set on killing Kei Tanaka. 

Then came the grand role of her career (so far) in “Anata No Ban Desu” as the positively frazzled Mihika Ono, the twitchy next door neighbor of Tomoya Harada and Kei Tanaka who is at the top of the list of tenants who may be going around killing people, yet still finding time to stalk Kei every time he sets foot outside! Gads I LOVED her in this one! Nao is one of the best of the new wave of Japanese Actresses out there and I expect great things from her!

Kuroki Haru

Japanese

Haru first came to me via the sweet and gentle “Mi Wo Tsukushi Ryoricho”, a period piece about a girl named Mio working in a humble restaurant, and I loved this dram so much that I truly believed she was that character!

So it was BIT of an adjustment to see her in the “Modern World” in the Yui Aragaki drama “Kemono ni Narenai Watashitachi”, and as a selfish videogame playing hikkikomori, besides! How different could you get!

At first I really didn’t like the manipulative Shuri Nagato much, but as the drama progressed, I marvelled at how deftly Haru played the character. “She’s really great!” I thought.

Still, I was longing for her kind and thoughtful roles like Mio, and Kuroki seemed to answer my prayers with her next drama “Nagi No Oitoma” , a thoughtful drama that could have been a direct successor to Mi Wo Tsukushi Ryoricho with  its gentle pacing and introspective direction. and by the time I got around to her spectacular turn as swingin’ hippie Jane Honda in Legal High 2, it was confirmed: “Man do I LOVE this girl!

Takahata Mitsuki

Japanese

Sweet and naive seems to be the modus operandi for actress Mitsuki Takahata who captivated me with her cute character of Kahoko in the drama Kahogo no Kahoko “Overprotected Kahoko” and has been charming me ever since!

Though she did play a lot of wildly different kinds of roles in the past, it’s her characters like Kahoko that really captivate- so indelible is her portrayals of the innocent types that when i saw an earlier drama with Mitsuki playing a ravishing beauty, I could hardly believe it was her!

Right now Mitsuki’s starring in the masterful "iribito" and she's proving once again how awesome she is!

Takimoto Miori

Japanese

 Miori came onto the scene for me with her explosively adorable performance of food loving Chie in the gourmet-focused “Hungry!” and I knew right away that she was going to be a huge fave of mine from then on!

Strangely, for the next few years after that, I didn't see her in many things- in fact, it's only been in recent years that she began regularly appearing in dramas again! Loved everything she’s done from “Keiji Zero” to the recent “Unmei Kara Hajimaru Koi” and always waiting to see more from her!

Takeuchi Yuko

Japanese

My initial impression of Yuko (as her character Kitamura Shiori) was nice but decidedly unspectacular- Yuko was very believable as country bumpkin Shiori and her carefree demeanor was intriguing (to say the least), but once she came into town and began working as a talent manager for Jun, It kind of petered out….

That could have ended there, but by chance I came upon Lunch No Joou, and when I clicked on the links and found Yuko Takeuchi was the titular heroine, I thought this was a sign that I’d better give Yuko another chance to win me over…and win me over she DID! MAN, ws this one great, and from then, kept me coming back for more Yuko goodness!

After that, we got so many more awesome Yuko Takeuchi dramas: Pride, Fukigen Na Gene, A Life, QUEEN, and later on catching up with such excellent dramas as the Strawberry Night saga, Bara Nai No Hanaya, and Mukudono!

Adding in her movies like Flowers and Closed Note, we have an impressive legacy for a supremely talented actress who left us way too soon. 19.

Ueto Aya

Japanese

Thermae Romae, Zettai Reido, Celeb To Binbo Taro, Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite, Attention Please, and the wonderful, wonderful Nagareboshi, there are so many reasons to love Aya, and there are still so many dramas and movies of hers I’ve yet to see! 

Kiritani Mirei

Japanese

Originally falling for Mirei Kiritani in her early role of the sassy Sakura Miyase in The Takeuchi Yuko/Matsumoto Jun drama “Natsu No Koi Wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku”, she would go on to do even more wonderful roles, some of which have ranked in the very top of my favorite lists!

Kimi Ni Todoke, Ando Lloyd,  Shinigami-Kun, Sumika Sumire, Atelier, and the totally AWESOME “Arakawa under the Bridge”, Mirei has proven that she’s got that special something which is why I always look forward to seeing what she does next!

Kuninaka Ryoko

Japanese

I first got introduced to the wonders of Ryoko Kuninaka as the sweet and mousey Tamura Chisato in Brother Beat and had already developed a crush on her back then, naturally when I got around to seeing “Churasan” that love went even higher, but BOY, I gotta tell you, I’ve never loved her more than I did in Kekkon Dekinai Otoko-

Talk about Manic Pixie, she was SO freaking ADORABLE, it seemed like every action she did was worthy of turning into gifs: spazzing on the phone, trying to get out of a date, or even just sitting in a room and eating cake!

Michiru is such a hyper and excitable girl that she is always making cute gestures with her hands, and her eyes (and eyebrows) have got to be the most expressive I’ve seen- always  GREAT reactions out of her!

You know, I remember seeing Ryoko in dramas like Hotaru No Hikari, Celeb To Binbo Taro, and Hungry! and thinking “Huh, even though she’s as pretty as can be, Ryoko seems so plain in these roles.” But seeing her in dramas like this Kekkon Dekinai Otoko reassure me that the magic I saw in Brother Beat and Churasan wasn’t a fluke, it’s real!

Another actress that we don’t see too much of (at least in leading-type roles), come on, will someone utilize this girls’ talents while she’s still in her prime?!

Nanao

Japanese

My first meeting with Model-turned actress Nanao was her portrayal of the doomed beauty Miki Noriko in “Snow White Murders”, and even THEN, I was gushing at how gorgeous she was, and was wanting to see more!

More I got, with Nanao in supporting role as a savvy reporter in the Asami Mizukawa drama “Ghost Writer”, this is the one that made me really fall for her, and it was here that I discovered Nanao’s sensational ’n’ sexy gravure past!

From there, any time a drama needed a stunning “cool beauty”, it was Nanao they called upon, whether it be in dramas like “Siren”, “Kaito Yamaneko”,  “Sukina hito ga iru Koto”, and “A Life”, the svelte beauty always made her mark!

It was her role in “Boku Unmei No Hito Desu” that she showed how fun and warm she could be, setting her up perfectly for her tour-de-force as the sinister Femme Fatale Nightmare HR Admin Mako Tsubaki in the over-the-top “Miss Devil”, a show that, while many online have balked at for her cruelty and sometimes bizarre choices, I absolutely LOVED and in fact made its way to my current top ten dramas!!!

Recently Nanao’s been flexing her dramatic chops in shows like “4 punkan No Marigold” where she played a more “down-to-earth” girl, but right after that she was back in full super-cool lethal butt-kicking action in 7Nin No Hisho!! Seems ya just can’t suppress  her natural instincts to shine!

Toda Erika

Japanese

Erika is another actress whom my friend Car asked if I thought was pretty, while watching the first episode of the Yuki Amami drama BOSS, and I have to sheepishly admit that at that moment, I didn’t think she was all that.

BOY! Did I get over THAT right away, and by the time of the show’s conclusion, I was a huge fan and making up for lost time by maniacally devouring everything I could of hers!

I’m guessing my first dramas after crushing on her was “Ryusei No Kizuna” and “Liar Game” which both only strengthened my love for her, and then OH! Her adorable turn in the drama “Galcir” where I first declared Erika the “Cutest Thang” ever and my love just SKYROCKETED!!!

The came her career-defining role as the eccentric Saya Toma  in the seemingly ongoing “Keizoku” series and the Yamashita Tomohisa led “Summer Nude”, the latter of which awarded her Executive Crush Status! Only recently I’ve finally gotten around to watching her “Code Blue” series, and with Yui Aragaki also starring in it, I can only ask myself: “What took you so long?”

Kanjiya Shihori

Japanese

The first thing I ever saw Shihori Kanjiya in was the 2009 drama “Love Shuffle” and oh BOY did her character get on my nerves! So catty and whiny, she totally made me believe the character of the uptight Mei was HER, and for months afterwards, I’d always grimace whenever I saw her! 

It wasn’t until I saw her in “Buzzer Beat” as Kitagawa Keiko’s best friend Mai that I began liking her- such a fun character, it made me forget all the negativity I had of her and made me open to her later roles! After watching her in Ryomaden, I DID finally respect her as an actress, but it was after seeing her in Kimi Hannin Janai Yo Ne as a would-be amateur detective that she finally stole my heart!

It was about that time that I also saw her wonderful appearance in Suteki Na Sen Taxi (as an ex-yankee OL who wants to get married) and from there, she was simply golden!
Since then, she’s appeared in many more fave dramas of mine, notably the intriguing  time-jumping sci-fi thriller “Repeat” (where she showed her vulnerable side) and so many others!

Tabe Mikako

Japanese

Seems like I’ve watched Mikako grow up right before my eyes, with her first roles as high school students in “Yamada Taro Monogatari”, “Shika Otoko Aoniyoshi” and the zany “Yasuko To Kenji” which garnered an “Adventures in Cuteness” post by me for her adorable antics!

As she moved on with her career, she branched off into sci-fi, human drama and murder mysteries, where she perfected her craft playing the “Odd Detective with the Weird Quirk”

Catching up with Mikako in her latest drama “Kaseifu Nagisa San”, I was stunned to see that precocious girl in Yasuko To Kenji had become a fine young woman, but she still retains that cute charm that won me over all those years ago! 

Kakei Miwako

Japanese

Sassy, sassy, sassy is the ONLY way to describe the phenomenon that is Miwako Kakei, at least in the drama that she first won me over with, the excellent murder mystery “Anata No Ban desu” as the cool and calculating nurse Ruri Sakuragi!

That sassy attitude of hers couldn’t be confined to one drama as she played the same vibrant kind of character in both the Tsubasa Honda drama “Yuube wa Otanoshimi Deshita Ne” as well as the recent “Pension: Love Is Pink” mini drama!

Looking over Miwako’s drama synopses on asianwiki,  the bulk of her catalog seems to either playing the role of the clueless airhead or the calculating schemer, as befitting one who can switch between innocent and savvy in a heartbeat!

Shiraishi Sei

Japanese

First saw Sei Shiraishi in the eccentric drama “Zettai Seigi” as the younger version of sociopathic Sayaka Yamaguchi’s “Justice Monster” before seeing in more down to earth roles like Mafuyu Todo in the Nanao-riffic drama “Miss Devil” and the idol-based “Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita”.

With guest appearances in the Nana Seino drama “Shiro demo Kuro demo Nai Sekai de, Panda wa Wara” and her recent headlining drama :Kyoufu Shinbun”, it looks like Sei might be heading to the more eclectic of dramas, though her guest spot in the charming “Ano ko no Yume wo Mitan Desu” showed that Sei still could lay the gorgeous siren if she wanted to!

here’s hoping for more of THOSE kind of roles! 

Araki Yuko

Japanese

It was her starring role in the fun romcom “Motokare Mania” that propelled pretty actress Yuko Araki to my faves list- She was so great as the heartbroken heroine Yurika, and I wanted to see MORE!

I first was introduced to her in the wacky Real Estate comedy “Ie Uru Onna”, but shortly after a few roles in dramas like SUITS and Todome No Kiss, Yuko took a hard left and began focusing on the more dark and serious action-type dramas like CRISIS and TRACE, seemingly shedding her girlish image for a decidedly morose and dour look. 

Though she was fine in these roles, i hankered back to her “Love Love Alien” type of shows, and so was thoroughly heartened when she took on the genki role in Motokare Mania! Now, THIS was the Yuko Araki i Loved!!! In fact, I think she is quite suited for the genre!

Matsui Airi

Japanese

Probably one of the most recent “discoveries” on this list here, it’s true that adorable actress Airi Matsui  shouldn’t be raking this high, but in the few dramas i’ve seen, I love her so much, and inf act was one of the main reasons for me deciding to update my favorite J-drama Actress list in the first place!

With the sweetest demeanor ever and a beautiful smile that could melt the hearts of even the toughest critics, Airi simply charms her way through her scenes making even the most mundane of plots seem interesting!~

Recently been watching clips of Airi in her old idol days on youtube with her idol group, who knew that that modest girl it the center of the group would have such a bright future as an actress?

Seino Nana

Japanese

After her wonderful starring role in the fun romcom “Happy Marriage”, I was sure actress Nana Seino was gonna be the next BIG thing! At this moment, Nana is still mostly under the radar though she’s still headlining her own shows, like  the recent action packed “Panda Warau”.

Funny that all the while watching her in Suteki Na Sen Taxi I never realized she was the same girl from Happy Marriage, but after such roles as Yuko Komiya in Hanbun Aoi, she’s made an indelible mark on me!

Narumi Riko

Japanese

Ever since bringing me to tears in her early drama “Ruri No Shima” I have had a soft spot in my heart for actress Riko Narumi, and have diligently followed her through her career, from lightweight dramas such as Honey and Clover and Enka No Joou, serious roles such as 1 Litre No Namida sci-fi shenanigans in “Retake”,  to the absolutely fun and wonderful black comedy Kuroi 10 nin no Onna!

Gouriki Ayame

Japanese

I’ve loved Ayame ever since first getting floored by her sexy character in “W No Higeki”, and this was shortly followed by a stint in Asuko March as the extreme and troubled Momo putting the moves on poor Emi Takei! 

 So my introduction to Ayame was decidedly on the slutty side, but it’s surely her sweeter roles like Yuno in “Mirai Nikki” or  Shiori Shinokawa in “Biblia Koshodou no Jiken Techou” that really made me fall for her!

There’s something about her that reminds me of the classic 80’s idols- maybe it’s that poofy shag hairstyle, or (more probably) that Hikaru-Nishida-ish beauty spot on her cheek. In any case, she's a true idol type for MY tastes- and once she showcased her girlish cuteness  in the wonderful “Rental No Koi”, WELL! It was all OVER for me!! Definitely one girl we need to see MORE of!

Kuroki Meisa

Japanese

I still remember the first time I came across Meisa Kuroki.  I was at a Japanese Bookstore  in Little Tokyo in LA, and my friend Car showed me a magazine with Meisa on the cover of it. 

“Do you think this girl is pretty?” she asked. “She’s alright,” I shrugged, glancing at the mag briefly. ”Why?” “She’s being talked about as this really beautiful model,” she said, and that was the end of that. Or so I thought!

Fast forward later that year and we’re watching the Aoi Miyazaki movie “Tada, Kimi Wo Aishiteru”, and I’m marvelling over how devastatingly gorgeous the co-star actress is. “That’s Meisa Kuroki, the model I showed you on the cover of that magazine before that you said was ‘alright’,” Car laughed. WELL! Talk about eating my own words, because not only was Meisa as beautiful; as could be, seemed to choose roles that really brought out how doggone COOL she was! And before you knew it, she had become a true fave!

Uchida Rio

Japanese

Admittedly I haven’t seen Rio Uchida in a whole lot of dramas, but in each one that i’ve seen her in, I’ve fallen in love with her special blend of sweetness and sexiness, especially in the  bawdy sex romp “Raise de wa Chanto Shimasu” where she played an outgoing and yet naively adorable girl juggling a bunch of guys for different kinds of experiences.

As I first saw her as the evil man-stealing Rikako Sakurai in “Koi Ga heta Demo Ikemasu”, my initial summation of her was sex simple, but with her next drama “Nusumareta Kao”, she had moved up substantially as a warm and friendly girl, one you would want to hang out with and date!

By the time she payed the addled waitress Akari Kagari in the viral themed “Mukai no Bazuru Kazoku” she was firmly set as one of my favorite newer actresses out there!