Rena Yoshihara, a beautiful girl from “Dow 90000,” a popular commercial comedy unit, makes her first gravure challenge “I never thought I would be the one”!

Do you know a young eight-member group that is rapidly gaining popularity and recognition in the comedy world?

The name of the unit is “Dow 90000.

The youngest member, Rena Yoshihara (23), is a beautiful woman who plays a convenience store clerk in a TV commercial for “V Point,” which is currently on the air in large numbers.

This time, Yoshihara took on the challenge of her first photogravure for FRIDAY.

She said, “I never thought I would be in a weekly magazine with a long history that everyone knows, FRIDAY. And in gravure! 　I was so happy when I got the offer.

Speaking of female comedians’ attempts at photogravure, the magazine’s first photogravure by Nobuko “Pate-chan” Pate-chan, which was published last fall, is still fresh in our memories.

Yoshihara said she saw the magazine in real time.

She said, “Nobuko’s gravure had a huge impact on me. When I met Nobuko during that period, the first thing I said to her was, “Your gravure was really beautiful! I even went up to her and said, ‘Gravure was really beautiful! I was so proud that a female comedian could be in a position to do gravure, and for some reason it made me happy too.

I was surprised and honored to have the chance to be in that position. I thought that our fans and people who usually come to see us would be happy to see us, although I don’t know if all of them would be, so I said without hesitation, “I want to do it! I didn’t hesitate to say ‘I want to do it!

In the month or so between the offer and the filming, Yoshihara went to a gym in between rehearsals for her upcoming solo performance.

Crystal Gym. The gym was the brainchild of Crystal Noda of Magical Lovely, and all the trainers are comedians. I told them I had a photogravure shoot coming up, and they guided me on muscle training and diet.

I worked hard on my diet. The other day, a friend gave me a Tamagotchi for my birthday, and I distracted myself by feeding it food instead of myself (laughs). (Laughs) When I couldn’t eat ramen, hamburgers, or other foods that I was restricted from eating, I would feed them to Tamagotchi to satisfy myself.

As for the results of my body make-up work, …… honestly, I found myself wondering, “Am I losing weight?” But more than myself, people around me said to me, “Wow, you have changed so much, you look totally different! I was able to get people around me to say, “Wow, you’ve changed so much! I gradually gained confidence as the female members of Dow9000, my makeup artist, and my manager also told me. During the last week, I could see the change in my body, especially around my waist! 　I couldn’t help but touch my neckline, and my pants were looser, too.

On the day of the photo shoot, she arrived with a great body. I really enjoyed my first gravure shoot.

The outfits and makeup were all so cute. The green lingerie was a design I wouldn’t have picked up on a regular basis, so it was very stylish and made me feel good. The denim outfit is also right up my alley and I love it. I can’t wait for everyone to see it!

I can’t say enough about how much fun the shoot was. Surrounded by the professional staff, I was able to take on the challenge in a natural way without feeling nervous. But with this kind of work, I get more nervous when it comes out in the world than when I’m filming it (laughs).

I wonder how the members of Dow will react when they see it. All the members were very supportive of my gravure challenge. (Member Momoyoko Nakajima) said to me after practice yesterday, “Good luck with FRIDAY tomorrow! and gave me a nice bath salt and face pack as a gift.

Yoshihara is a college student who attends university while attending performances and rehearsals.

All members of Dow 90000 except Yoshihara are graduates of Nihon University College of Art, but Yoshihara attends a different university and belongs to the University of Tokyo’s Rakugo Club (a.k.a. “The University of Tokyo Rakugo Club”).

I am the only one in Dow who is not a Nikkei graduate, and while there are many members who want to be actors, I am the only one who is in the comedy field. I may be a bit unique among the members of Dow, including my gal-like appearance. The roles I play in our comedy acts are the complete opposite of the “demure heroine,” and I often play the role of a strong-willed girl.

Come to think of it, Kodansha (which publishes FRIDAY) is the same company where two of my seniors from the University of Tokyo’s Rakubiken, where I belong to, got their jobs. So I feel some kind of affinity with them.

I feel some affinity with the company,” she said, revealing an intellectual side to her.

Dow 90000 is so popular that tickets for their 11-day solo show held in March and April this year sold out in just one minute.

He is one of the hottest stars of 2024, but when we asked him when he feels his breakthrough, he replied: “I get more and more calls on the street.

I’ ve been approached by more and more people on the street! 　I am very happy. I’m also starting to see my “fan base” little by little. Most of the fans of Dow9000 are young men, but there are many girls who say, “Rena-chan (=Yoshihara) is my favorite. I am happy that I am gradually becoming aware of this.

However, I still have a long way to go, and I think the most important thing is to keep going from here for as long as I can. It’s just the beginning!

With a satisfied look on her face after her first gravure photo shoot, she vowed to take a leap forward in 2024.

Click here for Rena Yoshihara’s first gravure and movie