Taking on a difficult role…! Yui Aragaki shows us her too innocent “long skirt

In the early afternoon in early October, Yui Aragaki (34) was filming a scene for the movie “Shogai” in a residential area in Yokohama. Aragaki’s cheeks puffed out just before the camera rolled, as if she was stretching her facial muscles.

Shogeki” is a popular work written by Ryo Asai, known for “Kirishima, Bukkatsu Yamerite yo” and “Dareka” (Kirishima, Yameru Yamerite yo), on the occasion of his 10th anniversary. It depicts people whose motivations for living are different from the “norm. Ms. Niigaki plays the role of a shopping mall employee who hides her “peculiar sexuality” from the public.

This film is believed to be the first job she chose after leaving her agency to go freelance, and she attracted attention for her unusual role that does not fit the “Gakki” image. Media and culture critic Hiroyoshi Usui said, “Fans’ image of Ms. Niigaki is not very positive.

Fans’ image of Ms. Niigaki is of Mikuri, the cheerful and friendly heroine in “Runaway from Japan. So I think there were many people who felt that Yae’s calm performance in “Kamakura-dono” was somewhat lacking. Mikuri was the perfect match for her. I think she consciously took on this role in order to take the next step as an actress.

Her relationship with her husband, Minamoto Hoshino (41), with whom she has had many disagreements in the past, seems to be going well these days. He, too, is sure to support Aragaki in her new challenge.

From the October 28 and November 4, 2022 issues of FRIDAY