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.