Yu Aoi to star in her first commercial drama in 18 years behind Keiko Kitagawa and Erika Toda, who are both returning to work after childbirth.

She gave birth to her first child, a baby girl, in 2010.

Yu Aoi (40) is creating a buzz in the industry that she will star in a commercial terrestrial drama series for the first time in 18 years, since “Osen” (NTV), in which she starred in ‛08.

It is said that adjustments are being made for Aoi to star in the July season of the TBS Friday drama slot, which currently airs “DREAM STAGE” starring Nakamura Rinya (39).

Aoi married Ryota Yamasato (48) of the comedy duo “Nankai Candies” in June ’19 and gave birth to their first child, a girl, in August ’22. In 2011, she returned to acting as Reiko Yamato, the top star of the theatrical troupe “USK” (Umemaru Shoujo Kagekidan), in the NHK television series “Boogie Woogie.

When she appeared on “Asa Ichi,” Aoi gained the sympathy of women of her generation when she spoke frankly about the difficulties of returning to work after childbirth, saying, “My back was ruined by childbirth, and I wondered what I would do when I was offered the role. It was reported that Aoi was “working alone” in Osaka, where NHK has a studio, with her baby in tow at the time of recording, returning to Tokyo only on weekends. When “Boogie Woogie” started, she surprised viewers by showing a brilliant dance performance as an experienced classical ballet dancer in the same physical condition as when she was working.

Aoi is known as a talented actress, and her main field of work is in movies.

In addition to “Hula Girl,” released in September 2006, for which she won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Japan Academy Prize, she has also starred in “Hana to Alice” (2004), “All About Lily Chou-Chou” (2001), and “One Million Yen and a Bitter Woman” (2008), her first leading role. However, in terrestrial TV dramas, she is often cast in important supporting roles that affect the storyline.

In the popular TV drama “Dr. Koto Clinic” (Fuji TV), which has also been made into a movie, she played an assistant nurse supporting the surgeon Dr. Koto, and in the NHK historical drama “Ryomaden” she played a geisha. In 2008, before the birth of her child, she starred in “Spy’s Wife” on NHK and in a movie, but considering that it was a movie and not a commercial production, it must have been a great challenge for her to star in a drama series on a commercial TV network, which requires high numbers.

Aoi’s presence in “Reboot” after a three-year absence

In “Osen,” Aoi played the role of the young proprietress of a 200-year-old ryotei (traditional Japanese-style restaurant) in her first starring role in a drama series. She was a good-natured, big sister, a gourmand, a heavy drinker, and a natural airhead despite her sexiness, but the average viewer rating was only 7%. At the time, terrestrial TV drama series themselves were still getting good ratings, so I think Aoi herself was disappointed. The reason why Aoi is now playing the leading role in a drama series for the first time in 18 years on TBS may be due to the influence of other actors of the same generation who have become mothers.

Recently, Keiko Kitagawa (39), a mother of two children, attracted attention for her performance in NHK’s morning drama “Bakebake,” in which she plays the daughter of a family patriarch who turns into a “beggar. She also played an illegal drug dealer in the movie “Night Flower” released last November, breaking new ground with roles that would have been unthinkable before her marriage.

Also, Erika Toda (37) has made rapid progress in this season’s dramas. Not only is she being talked about as one of the star-studded cast members co-starring with Ryohei Suzuki (42) in the Sunday theater “Reboot” (TBS), but she also plays fortune teller Ms. Kazuko Hosoki (83 years old) in the Netflix drama “Jigoku ni Fukeruyo yo” which will be distributed from April.

Toda announced her marriage to actor Momori Matsuzaka, 37, in December ’20, and reportedly gave birth to their first child in May ’23. She returned to acting after a three-year absence with “Reboot,” but you don’t feel the blank at all. If Aoi is chosen to star in a TBS drama in the July season, it is sure to draw as much attention as Toda’s success,” said a source at the TV station.

This website sent a letter of inquiry to TBS to confirm the facts about Aoi’s starring role in the drama, but did not receive an answer by the deadline.

Ryota Yamasato (48) revealed on TBS radio’s “Wednesday JUNK: Yamasato Ryota’s sterile discussion” broadcast late at night on January 28 that Aoi taught him how to remember long lines. We can’t wait to see how Aoi will grow as a mother and an actor of acting talent.