Nanako Matsushima’s First Fuji Drama in Five Years: The Will of a Former Viewer-Rated Actress

As the serial dramas for the October season start airing one after another, actress Nanako Matsushima (47), the “original queen of viewer ratings,” is said to be attracting secret attention in the industry.

Matsushima will make her first appearance in a Fuji TV drama in five years in the Thursday night show “SUPER RICH,” which starts on October 14. Surprisingly, however, she will not be playing the lead role.

She will play the role of a super career woman who is a director of a major IT company in this drama, which will be aired on Fuji’s flagship program, “Thursday Theater. The lead role is played by Noriko Eguchi (41), a unique actress who has been featured in many dramas and commercials, including TBS’s “Hanzawa Naoki.

The story is about the wild life of the female president of a venture company played by Eguchi, and Matsushima plays Eguchi’s former boss. Matsushima plays the role of Eguchi’s former boss, and she is the so-called “tome,” an important role that is introduced last in the cast roles. However, it was sad to see Matsushima, one of Japan’s most popular actresses, as the “second best. But I can’t help but have the sad impression that Matsushima, one of Japan’s most popular actresses, is ‘second best’.

In the past, Matsushima starred in the October 2000 drama “Yamato Nadeshiko” (Fuji Broadcasting Corporation), which recorded a household viewer rating of 34.2% for the final episode and an average of 26.4% (Video Research, Kanto region). In addition, “Keseiyuu no Mita” (NTV) in the October 2011 season became a social phenomenon with its astonishing 40.0% final episode.

“However, in recent years, she has reduced the number of her appearances and has not been able to maintain the momentum she once had. The last drama she starred in, “Natsuko Kira, Sales Manager,” for Fuji TV in July 2004, had an average household rating of 7.1% and failed to reach double digits. Since then, she has not starred in any terrestrial drama series, except for one-offs and WOWOW. In April 2005, she starred in two consecutive nights of Fuji’s “Order of Women,” which got 8.1% and 6.2%. In April ’17, the two-night Fuji drama “The Order of the Woman” also received 8.1% and 6.2%. It’s also a revenge to see if she can show her acting ability as a queen and pave the way for her return as a leading lady in the future.

Matsushima has two daughters with Takashi Sorimachi (47), whom she married in 2001. In December 2007, “Josei Jishin” reported that she would be taking a leave of absence from acting in 2008 to accompany her eldest daughter, who was 15 at the time, to study in England. In response, her agency immediately denied the story, saying it had no basis in fact.

After that, “Josei Seven” reported in October 2008 that Matsushima initially accompanied her eldest daughter when she studied abroad in England in August of the same year, and after returning to Japan, she spent 14 days living in isolation at home. In fact, she hasn’t appeared in a drama since WOWOW’s “Shuhei Nozaki, the President” in January-February 2008 and TV Tokyo’s special “The Man Who Couldn’t Lose to America” in February 2008. But with her appearance in “SUPER RICH,” at least the “actress absence theory” has been completely dispelled. The fact that such a report has come out is itself a proof that there is a high level of public interest in Matsushima.

Matsushima has been on the gas pedal for several months now.

In August of this year, the movie “The Great Yokai War: Guardians” was released. Her commercials for Suntory Beer and Secom began airing in April and August, respectively, and in September, she appeared in an Uber Eats commercial with model Matt, where she wore heavy makeup and “Mattified” makeup.

She has been in the news for her “Mattified” makeup look. In particular, the Mattified make-up challenge is a character that she has never had before, so she may have finally swung over the edge, and expectations are high for the future.

In the October season of this year, a strong rival will be aired. The hit series “Doctor X” (TV Asahi) starring Yonekura Ryoko (46), the “current queen of the ratings” of her generation, will be revived for the first time in two years and will be broadcast on the same Thursday night as “SUPER RICH”.

The “Doctor X” series is a monster drama series that usually gets over 20%, making it a formidable opponent. Since it is aired on the same day of the week, “SUPER RICH” will be compared to it in terms of viewership ratings. Even though they are not the lead actors, Matsushima and Yonekura are in a fierce competition. I’m sure Matsushima is not at peace with the situation. Incidentally, “Partners Season 20” (Telemundo, Wednesday nights), in which Sorimachi will be paired with Yutaka Mizutani for the seventh time in the October season, will also start on October 13. Since this is also a popular series, she may get some inspiration from her husband.

In today’s drama industry, actresses in their 50s such as Kyoka Suzuki and Yasuko Sawaguchi are active in the forefront. In today’s drama world, actresses in their 50s such as Kyoka Suzuki and Yasuko Sawaguchi are working hard at the forefront. Will Matsushima be able to show her presence in her first commercial drama in a long time and jump back to the top of the game?