The Award-Winning Actress Poised to Dominate the Japan Academy Awards with Her Enigmatic Acting Style

Really all the lines are great!

Since the start of this year, Yumi Kawai has won the Best Actress Award at the “Blue Ribbon Awards,” the Best Actor Award at the “Mainichi Film Awards,” and the Best Actress Award at the “Kinema Junpo Best Ten.” Additionally, she has been nominated for Best Actress at the “Japan Academy Awards” and is regarded as the frontrunner for the Grand Prize at the awards ceremony on March 14.

At 24 years old, Yumi Kawai has reached the pinnacle as the standout actress of 2024, and her success story is nothing short of remarkable.

To the public, Kawai seemed to have burst onto the scene as a comet in the role of Junko, a rebellious girl with a Seiko-chan haircut, in the drama “How Inappropriate!” (TBS), which aired last January.

However, that’s not quite the case.

She first appeared in the role of Sara, a daughter dissatisfied with her super-volunteer father, Konishi (played by Koichi Sato), in the drama “Oliver’s Dog, (Gosh!!) This Scoundrel Season 2” (NHK), which aired in the fall of 2022.

Despite having a minor role and not even meeting the senior producer Koji Sakabe of NHK Enterprise, who worked on projects like “The Woman Who Wants to Make, The Woman Who Wants to Eat” and “Goldfish Princess,” Sakabe was astonished by the impact of her few seconds on screen. Later, after watching her in the stage play “Drive-in California” by Otona Keikaku, he realized that she could handle everything from delicate roles with strong messages to powerful comedic parts. This led to her casting as the heroine Nanami in the highly talked-about drama “It Wasn’t Because We Loved Each Other, We Loved Each Other Because We Were Family” (NHK-BS) the following year.

“Furthermore, producer Akira Isoyama, known for works like ‘Kisarazu Cat’s Eye’ and ‘Tiger & Dragon,’ was instantly captivated by her after watching the first episode of ‘Kazokazo’ and cast her in the role of Junko, leading to her big break. Producer Isoyama praised her, saying, ‘Not only is she adorable, but her delivery makes every line shine with new meaning. Every word she says is incredible,'” said a producer from the production company.

Starting from her small role in “Oliver’s Dog,” Kawai climbed the steps to stardom through “Kazokazo” and “How Inappropriate!” However, the works that solidified her reputation as an actress were none of these.

In just five years since her debut, Kawai has appeared in 20 films, honing her craft. This year, she encountered the script for the acclaimed masterpiece “Ann no Koto,” which went on to win numerous film awards.

In “An no Koto” and “Namibia no Sabaku,” the heroines are completely different

“The protagonist An, played by Kawai, is a 21-year-old who has been subjected to violence by her mother since childhood, forced into prostitution as a teenager, and addicted to stimulants. Her tragic life, which ends in suicide after an incident during the COVID-19 pandemic, was portrayed with such intensity and conviction as if Kawai herself were reliving the character’s life. Her performance was so powerful that it can only be described as stunning, opening a new realm where no other actress could follow,” said the aforementioned producer.

However, the potential of actress Yumi Kawai went far beyond that.

In “Namibia no Sabaku,” which was screened at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where director Yoko Yamanaka became the youngest female director to win the FIPRESCI Prize, Kawai played a completely different type of heroine.

“This original film was developed with Yumi Kawai in the lead role. Director Yamanaka, having seen Kawai often cast in roles burdened by the unreasonable demands and oppression of adults, wanted to see her in a role that was self-centered, irresponsible, and reckless, and so they refined the concept,” explained a production company director.

Kana, the heroine, walks through the city, kicking the ground and applying sunscreen. Even when her friend tells her that a classmate had committed suicide, she seems detached. Kana gets distracted by customers talking about “no-pants shabu-shabu” while criticizing paper straws at a café. She abandons her friend, who didn’t want to go home, at a host club and kisses her male friend Hayashi (played by Daichi Kaneko) while drinking red wine in a park at night. She later drunkenly throws up out of a taxi window. Kana, reckless, deceitful, and quick to anger, evokes the heroines of the French New Wave.

Kawai, who demonstrated her acting prowess through two contrasting roles, is said to have a distinctive quality in her performances.

“During her appearance on the program Switch Interview (NHK E-Tele) this January, she had a conversation with director and choreographer MIKIKO. During the interview, MIKIKO praised Kawai’s excellent sense of timing in her acting, to which Kawai responded that timing is something that can’t be planned or thought out—it comes from the feel of the moment. She added that her sense of timing might be influenced by her dance experience. Kawai compared her scenes and lines to music, saying she thinks carefully about when to build to a climax, where to place the chorus, and when to leave space in the song,” said a television program insider.

The dance skills Kawai has developed since elementary school are the “secret ingredient” that enhances her acting.

This year, she will appear in the Asadora (morning drama) Anpan (NHK), playing the sister of the heroine portrayed by Mio Imada. She will also be in the films Warui Natsu (starring Takumi Kitamura) and Kyou no Sora ga Ichiban Suki, to Mada Ienai Boku wa (starring Toshiki Hagiwara), playing opposite the lead actors and continuing to elevate her craft.

What kind of role will she captivate audiences with next time she stars? It’s something we eagerly anticipate.